by Bowie, Emily
I try to recover. “And yet here I am.”
“Don’t go looking for trouble or I might have to find you again,” he tells me flirtatiously, as my heart literally tries to leap out of my chest into his.
Like an idiot I giggle and watch him continue on his way, leaving me to dissect each moment. My hand smacks my forehead, realizing I could not have been less smooth if my life depended on it.
I walk back to my friends, my mind still replaying how I could have made that conversation go much better. Oh the lines I could have used back for him.
Approaching Jessica and Molly, I watch as their steps falter to a stop as they listen to a retelling of tonight’s game.
“Let’s keep going, I don’t want to be on Kellen’s radar,” I whisper to them, my thoughts still fixated on Luke.
“Just gives us a second and we will,” Molly replies back but her focus is very much on the football players in front of us.
“Howdy, girls.” Stopping the game replay, the good-looking blond addresses us while staring straight at me. I recognize him as Sam, another starter on the team. I’ve heard Luke and Kellen mention him once or twice, vaguely.
The three of us say, “Hi,” in unison, entering their little circle.
“Where are your drinks?” Sam asks as he is already handing out red solo cups to Jessica and then to Molly.
I watch as he leans behind him to grab another prefilled cup to hand to me.
“Oh, I don’t drink.” I bring up my hand, waving the cup away.
“That makes two of us, it’s just water.” He has a know-it-all grin, like he expected that to be my response.
I take the cup, giving it an inspection and a taste. Just water.
“You don’t drink?” I eye him, not sure if this is a ploy to mock me or if he is being serious.
I thought the whole football team did. They are always at the best parties; I just assumed they all did. My brothers do.
“Not tonight. I pulled the short straw and had to bring my truck.”
I nod, starting to feel a little more comfortable. Then I wonder if he’s only being nice to me because of my brothers.
“Man, since you gave away my beer you have to get me a refill,” his friend Wyatt tosses out from over his shoulder.
Turning in front of me, he asks, “Want to come?”
I debate, not sure if I really want to go, when a warm, heavy arm wraps around my shoulder. “No, she doesn’t.”
Luke is looking right at Sam, his eyes narrowed, his jaw heavily set. I look from Luke to Sam, the two of them staring each other down, tension wrapping around each of us like a vice.
Carter and Wyatt sense the sudden change in mood and step behind Sam who has squared himself in front of Luke.
“I don’t believe I asked you, Rogers.” Sam takes a step into my personal space. I can feel Luke’s body harden beside me.
“Is there a problem here?” Kellen’s voice comes from behind us and all I want to do is slink away and under from Luke’s hold, hating the scene occurring around us.
I watch as my girls step over the imaginary line placed in front of me, crossing over toward my side as Kellen stands on the line, his features hardened.
“I was just going to ask Luke how Tom’s sloppy seconds were. And if he didn’t know, maybe I could find out?”
My mouth hangs open at the crude, hurtful words, shocked that they even were uttered.
Everyone should know that no one talks about me that way. Immediately, I feel my neck and face burn up with fire. It’s bad enough coming to these things with Kellen constantly on big brother mode, usually no one notices me though. But now we have the attention of the entire graduating class and Kellen has a reason to be angry. Never a good combination when Kellen’s fights are justified, it only makes him stronger.
Shifting my gaze to Kellen to gauge his reaction, I’m not surprised to see the fury displayed on his face. I’ve seen this look before and it frightens me. My hands go up in front of my nose in a praying stance as I hold my breath, waiting for what will unfold. Sam is still smirking, almost as if he’s welcoming the fight.
Stepping into Sam, Kellen lifts his arm, clocking him in the stomach, before his other hand hits right in the side of the temple, taking him by surprise. A collective gasp erupts as everyone watches this moment in slow motion. Within seconds, a circle is made around the two guys as other football players wrestle Luke who is purposely kept out of the small misshaped ring that forms into the path. I am pushed to the front, not sure if this is by purpose or just the way traffic flowed me.
Sam recovers instantly, making Kellen’s punches look weak when I know they are anything but. They circle around each other, jabbing and shifting to try to gain the upper hand. Sam has a blissful smile on his face where Kellen is only looking for blood. Sam is quick on his feet, catching Kellen in the face. Just like Sam, Kellen shakes it off. The blood trickling from Kellen’s lip is the only thing that tells the truth on how hard their fists are hitting, the only piece of evidence that this is a real fight that will hurt as soon as their adrenaline eases off.
Kellen manages to wrestle Sam to the ground, getting a few more hits in. With each hit, his face seems to slowly relax until it looks like Sam’s smirk. Standing up, the crowd cheers louder, giving Kellen an extra boost of confidence. For the first time he looks around at the large crowd that has gathered. I watch it happen so slowly and scream out a warning, a split second before Sam swings his leg and knocks Kellen in the gut, laying him out on the cold ground. Kellen groans but quickly jumps back to his feet. The crowd gasps, then I watch as Kellen jumps down on Sam with his elbow going straight down on his face, knocking him out, before he spits on Sam’s face. No one makes a sound. Everyone is too scared to move. Sam stays lifeless on the ground before girls start to scream and cry, yelling that Sam needs to go to the hospital.
Going up to my brother, I grab his arm.
“You should not be here,” he yells at me, making my steps falter. He rips his arm from my grasp.
“Get out of here before this escalates,” Luke tells me with frustration clouding his eyes. There is a hesitation in his movements, like he wants to say something else, but it passes so quickly I think I could have almost imagined it. My muscles refuse to move and I am forced to watch as Luke starts to drag Kellen out of the crowd.
Everyone’s eyes seem to be on me, watching each of my movements, questioning what just went down for Kellen to be pushed to his limits.
I take off toward the keg, putting space between the crowd and me. A hundred feet before the keg the path splits and I take the alternate route, not wanting to see anyone. I know how to find my way home on these paths, even in the dark. As the light from the party begins to diminish, I slow my steps, hoping my heart will stop beating out of my chest. I hear wild animal sounds in the distance, making me rethink my decision to be alone right now.
The animal sounds grow louder so I take out my phone, placing it on flashlight mode so I can see anything that might attack me before it’s too late. My home is only about a brisk fifteen-minute walk through these shortcuts.
Shining the light as far ahead as possible, I see something even worse than wild animals—Cynthia, Brax’s girlfriend, bent over a tree branch and being fucked by a guy I don’t recognize. She looks straight at me as she moans like a wild hog in heat. Her lips curve upward in an evil smirk as she lets a big O leave her lips.
Shutting my light off, I run past them, not stopping until I crawl on top of my bed. My body is shaking, my heart hurting for every one of us Steele children.
My phone vibrates with message after message from Molly and Jessica: Where are you? Are you okay? How’s Kellen?
I see Kellen’s enraged face, I see blood, I see the anger no one should ever posses, and each time I see a new question. I’m too emotionally worn out to respond. Turning off my phone, I wait to see if Kellen makes it home all right.
CHAPTER 7
Holding onto the back of Kelle
n’s collar, I drag him out of the woods, stomping on tiny bushes and pushing tree branches out of the way until we hit the open field. Long ranch-style fences stretch out acre after acre lining both sides of the dirt road.
Keeping an eye out for livestock and the occasional dip in the ground, I keep up my pace while keeping Kellen in tow as I move toward my truck that I left on the side of the road. Part of me thinks he probably can’t see much out of what will be swollen eyes since he doesn’t argue with me.
Letting go of him, I half expect him to fall over but he stays on his feet, staggering like an old man. I don’t even think when I backhand the back of his head, making his hair move.
“What the hell was that, man?” I yell at him once I am sure no one is around. He stumbles forward into the fence, not expecting my outburst. I refuse to feel bad for hitting him, even though he just got a beating of his own.
“What the fuck?” he demands, slipping over the wooden beams before moving one of his hands to rub where I just smacked him. He sounds hurt by my actions, making me want to explode at him.
“Do you want to go to jail for murder?” I get into my truck then use all of my might to slam the door shut, causing the truck to rock with the force. When I look over at him, his face is bloody as hell, looking worse than I thought in the dark. Opening the middle console, I take out a bunch of fast food napkins and toss it onto his lap.
“If you get any blood in my truck you’re washing it, inside and out.” I grit my teeth, working out all of the anger. I just watched helplessly as my best friend practically murdered someone and was unable to help or stop any of it. I have so many emotions running through me. Anger at Sam, sadness for Shay, frustration at Kellen and myself for too many reasons. One such reason is for me doing nothing, I couldn’t help Kellen, I sent Shay away when she looked like she needed someone the most. I know how this town works. I should have stepped up and at least walked the girl home, and it’s not my manners telling me this. If I am going to make this town and Shay see that I am someone who is worthy, I have to step myself up and become respectable. Needing to channel everything I feel, I grip my steering wheel while focusing on the road.
“Where were you in backing me up, man?” he yells at me, getting as much in my face as I am in his. His words sucker punch me. I watched Shay for each and every one of her reactions as Kellen defended her honor. I wanted to be in there, too.
“You knocked Sam out, you didn’t need help.” Turning the key in the ignition, my truck roars to life, all I can do is shake my head in frustration.
Kellen’s whole face is red with rage. “Are you deaf? Did you hear what they were saying about Shay?” He says it with such a sneer you would think he is the only one who cares about her wellbeing.
“And beating him until he’s out cold with a hundred witnesses is the answer? Use your fucking head!” I put the truck into drive, stomping on the gas pedal, grinding my gears with my acceleration. Our bodies are rocked forward before we are smacked back into our seats with the sudden movement.
In my rearview mirror I can see lights starting to evacuate out of our little hideout against the town as people scatter, knowing the police will be arriving any moment now.
“By the time we are done with him, he will wished he never fucked with any Steele family member again.” Kellen’s brows are furrowed; his mouth pressed together as he strategizes over how to pay back Sam, like kicking his ass wasn’t enough payback for him. Sirens sound behind us and I press my foot to the gas harder, wanting to get the hell away from there as fast as I can.
We stop in front of Kellen’s house and I turn on my interior lights. His face is cut but the bleeding has stopped. His left eye is already puffy and starting to look a blue-black color. He holds the once white napkins on his lap, acting like he doesn’t feel a thing.
“Your ma is going to faint when she sees that face of yours.” I can’t see how Kellen is going to get out of this one. Shaking my head, I’m at a loss as to what else to say about the situation he’s now in.
“You worry about your parents while I worry about mine.” His lips curl upward as he barks at me.
We step out of the truck and silently close the doors. We stand there in silence, listening to the light rustle of the wind. The air is still warm, making it comfortable to be in shorts and a T-shirt.
“Want me to stay the night?” I ask, knowing they will take it easy on him if I am here.
“Nah, man, I got this.” He gives me a two-finger salute before heading into his house as quiet as a mouse.
That’s what I love about Kellen. We can be screaming into each other’s faces, completely pissed off, but at the end of the night we still have each other’s backs. That’s true friendship.
I stand outside of their house, not really wanting to go home but knowing I have nowhere else to go.
“Is he okay?” a quiet voice says in the shadows of the house. Shay takes a step into the light; her eyes are red like she has been crying. I hate that she cries. But she is still beautiful.
“Who, Sam?”
She immediately looks hurt and I regret saying that. I know she’s referring to her brother.
Sighing, I continue, “There’s no way it will go unnoticed. You know, I think he would have killed Sam in your honor tonight.”
I hear her exhale the breath she was holding in as she walks toward me and leans against the truck beside me.
We fall into comfortable habits that are only shown when we are alone. She places her head against my arm.
“I thought he was friends with Sam. If I had known…” Her voice trails off and I can feel her small frame vibrating beside me. For my own sanity, I keep my head straight; scared I might kiss her if I look at her. Each of her breaths is shaky as she tries to calm herself. My head and my heart are having a tug-of-war over what I should be doing.
“I just wanted to have a good time. No guys will look at me. When I think I found someone nice to talk to, I found out they are only trying to rile up one of my brothers. It’s frustrating. I hate being the youngest Steele.”
Her sweet voice is on the verge of crying; I can hear the strain in it. I can’t handle her sadness, and before I can change my mind, I wrap my arm around her shoulder. It feels so natural to have her in my arms.
“It’s not your fault. Sam’s been riding your brother’s ass all season. Next time you come to a party, hang around me.”
She lets out a pfft sound. “Like Kellen will allow that.” My arm gives her a tight squeeze.
She underestimates us, not realizing or recognizing how much her family loves her.
“I don’t give a fuck what he thinks.” I look down at her for the first time, my lips immediately gravitating toward her forehead. For tonight, this will have to do. My heart breaks for her. If Sam thought Kellen was his only problem, he is in for an awakening. No one fucks with our Shay. She is mine as much as she is her brothers’.
The sound of sirens coming closer has Shay perking her head up. My body goes tense, making our reality front and center of my worries.
“Go before you get caught out here with me.” I nudge her forward with my arm. I see the hesitant look in her eyes. “I’ll be fine out here.”
Then she leans up on her tiptoes and pecks me on the lips, shocking the hell out of me. Those soft, sweet red lips mold to mine for less than a fraction of a second. We break but before she can run back into the shadows I pull her in snug against me. Dipping my head down, I flick my tongue against her lips. She responds instantly and I’m rewarded with that sweet taste of hers. I can feel my dick grow harder each second I kiss her, wanting more. I can feel her nipples harden, scratching my shirt as her hands round my shoulders and go into my hair, pulling at it, keeping our bodies tight against each other. Taking control, I cup her jaw, tilting her head for the perfect angle for me to devour her. We end the kiss breathless and slightly dazed before hearing the sound of a car coming down the driveway. Reminding me that I have to let Shay go.
&
nbsp; Staring down at her, I give her a nudge in the direction of the house, this time she goes. I watch her until she is swallowed by the darkness.
I’m still staring into the space she disappeared into when the sound of a car door shutting breaks the silence. “Luke Rogers.” I turn to see two uniformed police officers. Nodding toward them, I acknowledge their presence.
Fuck, this is bad. “Kellen is inside already,” I tell them.
“You might as well stay here until we talk to Kellen.” The one I recognize as Officer Rhodes demands.
Nodding, I move to sit on top of my hood, knowing that we are screwed. Their loud banging has the house coming to life. I watch as one upstairs light gets turned on, then another in continual sequence before the main level is lit up.
CHAPTER 8
I sit listening to the commotion in my house. My father’s angry roar calls Kellen while my mother tries to navigate between calming my dad down and speaking with the cops at our door.
My fingertips keep going to the tingle of my lips, remembering how they felt when Luke pulled me in for that earth-shattering kiss.
All weekend my thoughts run between that kiss and the scene with Sam. Unfortunately, my mom keeps reminding me that both Kellen and Luke could have been seriously hurt by me being there. They don’t know the whole story; otherwise, I would never have my mother stop lecturing me about the dangers of sneaking out and being a girl in the dark by herself.
Walking into school Monday, I assess everyone in the halls, trying to determine if the party has been forgotten.
“Hey, girl.” One of my classmates greets me immediately, flashing me a way too big smile before whispering back to her best friend.
“So can you tell me what I need to do for Kellen to go all alpha for me?” Molly eyes are wide as she fantasizes about my brother before blowing a large Hubba Bubba piece of gum into a bubble.
I pop it, hoping that it will go all over her face. “Stop being gross,” I tell her, slightly sad that the gum falls neatly back into her mouth.