by Claire Adams
"Yeah, and who calls someone’s parents after cheating on them?" Lucinda gave me a look. "We need to wait for him in a dark alley."
"Word." Katelyn shook her head and moved ahead of us. "Someone needs to teach them all a lesson."
"We're not teaching lessons, beating anyone, or egging anything. My mother has always been like this, and I'm not at all surprised that Paul called. He's just like them. He didn't care about me. He wanted in with them, and now that he's figure out how to do that, good for him." I shrugged and moved up to the three large chunks of cake sitting on the table before us. "Let's wait for my sister or I'm liable to eat the cakes in the wrong order and the room will blow up around us."
My friends chuckled as we gathered around the table.
Lucinda poked at me with her fork. "Tell us more about Tate. That's his name, right? The biker mechanic guy."
"Oh yeah, that's his name." Katelyn wagged her eyebrows. "Tell them all about him so I'm not jealous all by myself."
"Why are you jealous? Martin is a great guy." Amy gave Katelyn a look. "You don't get to be jealous. Us single girls get that right."
"Oh Lord, come on already. I want to know more about him." Lucinda grumbled as my sister walked back in.
Allison stopped across the table from me. "More about who?"
"This guy I met." I shrugged. "We'll talk about it later. This day is about you, so tell us what we're doing and what you want from us." I gave my sister a genuine smile.
"This day isn't about me, silly. Tell me about the guy while we try the cakes. Just see which you like best, and we'll vote. It's the bride’s cake we're trying to decide on. I'm not going to spoil it by telling you the flavors beforehand. Just try them." She picked up her fork. "And it's just us, so pig out."
I laughed and took a big bite of the first one, groaning in delight as the sugary goodness rushed over my tongue. I rarely ate treats, but when I did, I realized what I was missing and would usually overdo it for a few days.
"Tell us about Tate." Amy took a big bite of the last one and grimace. "No. That one is gross."
"Really?" Lucinda moved down to the last cake and tried a bite after Amy. "What? This is delicious. I love it."
I rolled my eyes and continued to try the cakes until they badgered me into talking about Tate. There wasn't much to tell, but I figured I'd share what I could.
"He seems like a nice guy. He's a little taller than me, broad shoulders, sandy brown hair. He's got a great smile, beautiful lips, and warm brown eyes." I took a bite of the middle cake and gagged. "Nasty."
"Nasty in bed or like he has a nasty attitude?" My sister glanced up at me.
I laughed. "The middle cake is nasty. I don't know Tate that well. We just went to lunch the day he fixed my tire."
"Oh, a man who's good with his hands. Fun." Amy wagged her eyebrows. "Didn't you say he was a mechanic?"
"Yep, and he has tats all over his neck and arms, too."
Lucinda wagged her eyebrows. "He sounds delicious. Did you get to see him the other day when you took her over there, Katelyn?"
"Unfortunately, no, but Tate is trying out of the swim team. Val got the opportunity for him with Martin by winning a bet." Katelyn smirked at me.
"A bet? Sounds interesting." Lucinda stiffened, and I turned to see why. My mother had walked back into the room.
"It's nothing. I scored the first three points of the intramural games the other night on the boys’ league. Just a quick fake and shot, and I got the tryout opened back up for him." I smiled and mimicked the move that sunk my three-pointer.
"Who's Tate?" My mother asked, and it was as if she'd sucked all the air from the room.
"Just a guy who helped me fix my tire that other night, Mom." I took a bite of the last cake, trying not to get into a conversation with her over it.
"And, you got him a spot on the swim team? Sounds quite self-sacrificing to me." Her tone was less than friendly. Where I used to be embarrassed by the way she talked to me in front of my friends, I was rather used to it now. There was no changing it.
"The first one is my favorite." I glanced up at Allison and smiled.
"Valentine, I'm speaking to you." My mother gripped the back of my arm.
My friends started to give their recommendations to my sister as I turned to face my mom.
"I'm sorry. I was just trying to stay focused on Allison like you asked me to." I kept my tone steady and soft, though I didn't want to.
"By talking about some heathen guy that you're helping out at school? You have more important things to focus on than becoming someone who just hands out random opportunity to charity cases. Understood?" Her brow pulled in tight as she studied me with open disapproval.
"Being nice is free, Mom. Tate's a good guy, and I was happy to help him out as a repayment for helping me first." I shrugged and pulled from her. "He's not open for discussion."
That was obviously the wrong thing to say. She spent the next 20 minutes berating me on my choices and lack of ambition. Allison was kind enough to pull my friends into another room a few minutes into the ass-chewing, but much to my horror, my father walked in at the end of it.
I stood there in stony silence and went to a happy place in my head where neither of them existed. It was the only way to get through any of it. Screaming at my mother would have just made matters worse, and knowing that her blood pressure was causing issues left me defenseless against her. She'd keel over in front of me, and though I hated her with every cell in my body, I loved her just as equally.
Too bad I was the only one that felt that way between the two of us. She didn't care for me then, and I wasn't sure she ever had.
"Do you hear me?" she screamed in my face as I glanced over to my dad.
"See you guys later. Sorry I showed up today." I turned on my heel, collected my friends, and got back in the car as my teary-eyed older sister waved from the front door.
None of us spoke a word back to campus, but then again, there really wasn't much to say.
Chapter Twelve
Tate
I should have called Val sometime during the week, but between dealing with my mother, the cops over Daniel, work, and school, I was beat. She was just a pretty girl who had learned a little about kindness from me. Nothing more. It was better to just let things go between us. Pushing it would only leave her in the awkward position of having to pretend like my poverty didn't matter when she came face to face with it. I didn't care what Jerry said. Rich people were still rich people.
After packing my swimsuit and a towel in my backpack, I drove to the campus with a sense of trepidation sitting heavy on me. Val might have sweet-talked some poor schmuck into giving me the chance to try out, but there was no way they were going to let me on the team. It didn't matter that I was better than most of them and as equally gifted as the rest. I was from the poor side of town and my tats were a sign of rebellion that the rich kids didn't seemed to appreciate. Or at least the guys. Their girls would spend hours tracing them if given the chance.
I parked the bike under the canopy at the natatorium and walked in to the smell of chlorine and the sound of water lapping.
A large group of guys were running drills, and their coach glanced up at me as I walked in with my torn jeans, leather jacket, and shit-kickers. If he was judging me, I couldn't tell. His face was rather expressionless.
Another guy about my size moved from the group and extended his hand. "You must be Tate. I'm Martin, Val's friend."
"Nice to meet you." I shook his hand and glanced around the room. "There a locker room where I can change?"
"Yeah." He turned and pointed to the far side of the room. "Just over there, and that's Coach Dalmoth. He's strict as shit, but a good swim coach."
"Great, thanks." I walked toward the coach and extended my hand again, not quite sure what to expect. "Thanks for the chance to try out today."
He shook my hand and gave me a tight smile. "We'll see what you’ve got and go from there."
&n
bsp; "Sounds good." I turned and ignored the stares and mumblings about my clothes, my hair, who the fuck I was. Guys were worse than girls at being judgmental.
After changing into my suit, I stopped by the mirror and ran my hand over the shadow of my six-pack. I needed to get back into the gym, but if I made the team, they would provide a routine of sorts, anyway.
I grabbed my towel from my bag and walked back into the larger room with my shoulders pulled back a little. I knew I was going to catch some shit over my tats, but it was what it was. They each had an assigned meaning, and I loved the way they looked and made me feel.
"Tate, over there." Martin waved me over with a worried look on his face. "Coach is going to let you try out and then we'll start practice. The guys aren't too thrilled you're here, but I'm sure you're perceptive enough to pick that up."
I rolled my shoulders and nodded. "Yep."
"Tate, what's your last name, son?" The coach motioned for me to move to the front of the group of guys that hovered around the edge of the pool. It was a good damn thing it was warm in the room, or I wouldn't have been much for sporting nothing more than my swim trunks.
"Phillips." I tossed my towel onto a nearby chair and stepped up beside him as my insides turned to mush. I'd been swimming my whole life in the lakes surrounding our small town, but having these guys watch me intently left me unnerved. No one would be the wiser over my internal struggles, but they were there, nevertheless.
"Alright. Let's see what you’ve got, then. I'll time your full lap. You beat more than half the team's times, and you're on." He patted my back. "Take a few warm up laps and tell me when you're ready."
The grumbling got worse around the room, but Coach Dalmoth glanced around and gave everyone a warning look, which shut them all up. It was almost humorous.
"I don't need a warm up, but thank you." I jumped off the side down into the pool and glanced up. "Let's do this so you guys can get back to your practice."
"You sure?" His incredulous look caused my stomach to relax a little. He was being sincere, which was good. The last coach the swim team had was a total dick and wouldn't even look me in the eye.
"Yep. Ready?" I turned and positioned myself. Either I was going to beat the time, or I wasn't.
"I'll hit the timer when you start."
I didn't wait another second before submerging myself in the warm water and pushing off. Thoughts of Valentine filled my mind. I let my desire to reach out and pull her into my fucked-up life push me harder. The want to take her to my bed and touch every part of her raced over my skin as I kicked and worked my arms with efficiency. I needed to call her. I wasn't going to shake her as easily as I had hoped to. It was fucking selfish, which was something that I rarely – if ever – was, but this time I wanted something for myself.
Her.
I came up at the end of the pool after swimming the length of it twice and took a deep breath.
The coach was smiling, which seemed to be a good sign. "Incredible, kid. Martin here is our best swimmer, and you just matched his time. Welcome to the team."
I took the coach’s hand and pulled myself out of the pool with his help.
"No way. I say do it again. There's no way this guy just smashed all of our records. Look at him." A tall redhead beside me gave the coach a scathing look.
I turned and shook Martin's hand as he offered it. "Impressive."
The coach took on the horde of angry guys as I walked back to the locker room with Martin beside me.
"Thanks. Just doing what I love to do." I dried my hair and tried to let the warmth of finally proving myself to someone that could help me get on the team wash over me.
"You do it well. There's a party tonight out at Ben Thatcher's place. He's a jerk and a half, but you're on the team, so you're invited. You're not gonna fit in, but you knew that. These guys are assholes, but they chill out some after you step on their dicks a few hundred times."
I laughed and rolled my shoulders. "Thanks for the invite. I'm not sure about my schedule with work and all, but I'll give you my number, and you can text me the information."
"Sounds good. If you come, just hang out with Val. Everyone loves that girl. They aren't going to start anything with you if she's beside you." He gave me a cheeky grin. “Don’t worry about practice today. Coach won’t require you here until you’ve signed all the forms and been officially added to the roster.”
I nodded and gave him my number. “Sounds good.”
A party later that night with Val beside me sounded like heaven. I couldn't stop thinking about her, which was hazardous to my health.
After dressing, I grabbed my stuff and headed for the exit. Several guys stopped me by the front door and crowded around me as if I was easily intimidated. None of them said a word, which was almost too comical to hide.
I moved past them and glanced over my shoulder as I pushed the door open. "Alright, girls. Have a nice day."
*
"You did what?" Sam paced the floor in my living room later that day, his hands running through his hair over and over. "They're going to find you in a back alley and kick your ass."
"Dude. They're swimmers. They're not going to do anything." I chuckled and took another drink of my beer.
"Maybe, but you didn't have to show off to that extent." He turned and pinned me with a hard stare.
"Yeah, I did. I wouldn't have been put on the team, otherwise. I'm sure Val had to do something to get me that tryout, I just pray it wasn't anything I'd not be happy to find out about." I ran my hand over my chest as an image of her played along my mind's eye. "I hope she's there tonight."
"Me, too. I want to meet this chick that has you getting that far-away look in your eye." He laughed and worked to get his coat on. "Did you text her to see if she was going?"
"No, I'd rather surprise her." I got up, finished the beer, and grabbed my coat. "Take your truck and I'll take my bike. I wanna have it in case she agrees to let me take her somewhere for the night."
"You bringing her back here?" Sam stiffened beside me. He was my best friend and knew my concerns about other people knowing my situation.
"I'm not sure." I shrugged and pulled open the door as the icy winter wind smacked into me. "Fuck. It's going to be a rough ride tonight."
"Just get in the damn truck with me. Your mother would be upset to know you're riding that bike, anyway." He closed the door behind us. "Speaking of...how is she?"
"She's good. Better. She's at work tonight, and yes, she's taking something for her cough. They checked it out in the hospital and hooked her up." I pulled on my helmet and nodded at him before starting the bike and riding toward the party.
My first hope was that Val was going to be there tonight, but my second was that she'd let me take her out to the lake for a little while. It was incredible out there, and even though it was far too cold to be out and about, we wouldn't stay long. I just loved how beautiful it was up there and had yet to get the chance to share it with anyone.
I owed her something for helping me with the swim tryouts – or maybe I didn't.
Either way, I wanted to do something nice for her. It was a bit self-serving seeing that my true desire was to drag her in deep and see her again. The plan was to take it slow and let her warm up to me before I unleashed just how badly I wanted her in my bed – and maybe in my life, as well.
That part would be up to her.
Chapter Thirteen
Val
"I'm really not in the mood to do this," I mumbled as I worked hard to pull myself from the brinks of depression. I shouldn't have taken my friends to my mother's earlier that day. It had all of us in a shitty mood as we headed out to Ben Thatcher's party. It was sure to be a lot of fun, but being in our current state, it was going to take more than some handsome guys and good beer to pull us through.
"Me, either, but we're not letting your mother win." Katelyn reached over and squeezed my arm. She was riding shotgun and my other two friends were in the back, chatterin
g about something.
"True. I just wish I had something to look forward to." I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled into the half-frozen field in front of Ben's house.
"Maybe that cute football player will be here tonight." Katelyn lifted her eyebrows at me.
"Kade? No, thanks. He's a good guy, but I'm going to butter him up for Amy back there." I smirked and turned the car off.
"I'd love you forever and a day if you could do it." Amy squeezed my shoulders from behind me before we all piled out of the car. "Something tells me that you're much more his type than me, though."
"You never know." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let out a long breath and started to chant, "I'm going to have fun. I'm going to have fun."
"Yes, we all are." Lucinda moved up on my other side as we approached the large house ahead of us. All the lights were on and music was blaring from the open front door. Seeing that we were halfway out in the country, there was nothing to be concerned with, nor anyone to really bother. Ben's nearest neighbors were a mile back toward town.
"Woohoo, more pretty girls." Some random guy greeted us at the door and lifted his beer toward us. "The liquor is in the kitchen and condoms in the bathroom. We're sure glad you girls are here."
"Brother." I rolled my eyes as I slipped past him and tried to settle myself. I might be hanging over the edge of a shitty mood, but the party would help. I didn't mind mingling so much, and there were plenty of people in the room that I didn't know.
"There she is!" Dill reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me into a group of basketball guys. "She totally scored the first three points. Tell them, Val. They don't believe me."
I shrugged. "No clue what this guy is talking about. I'm head of the homemaking group at UMN."
He laughed loudly as I turned to find my friends again.
Katelyn was wrapped around Martin in a far corner of the living room. A twinge of jealousy raced through me. I didn't want a perfect match by any means, but it would have been bliss to simply find a guy that I could spend my time with, maybe invest in a little.