Clutch (Custom Culture)

by Oliver, Tess

  “Don’t get wasted and ride that bike.”

  He reached for the doorknob. “Why don’t you just worry about your life and let me worry about mine.” I stepped aside. He flew out and slammed the door shut behind him.

  ***

  Scotlyn was deep in concentration as I walked into the shop. I’d stayed up late watching mindless action movies, mostly because my head was still so wrapped around the moments with Taylor. It had only been seconds, but it had had huge impact. It had left me completely confused and pissed for giving in to something I’d denied myself forever and at completely the wrong time. Her reaction had been so mixed, I had no idea what to think. Typical for me when it came to women. In between thinking about Taylor, I’d wondered if Barrett would make it home alive. He’d left in a rage and on his wreck of a bike. Not a good combination. I’d finally fallen asleep on the couch when he crept back into the house. Without a word, he’d walked straight into the back bedroom.

  The shop had just opened and there were no customers yet. “Hey, Scottie.”

  She lifted her hand to wave as I headed to the office.

  I stopped. “Is Jason in back?”

  She nodded.

  “We’re going to the bank at ten, so I’ll need you to watch the place.”

  She flashed me a thumbs up.

  Something was wrong. Scotlyn always reverted to hand gestures and facial expressions when she was upset. I walked over to her, but she didn’t look up from the keyboard.

  “What’s the matter?”

  She looked up questioningly, which only confirmed my suspicions.

  “Come on, Scottie, you always get really quiet when you’re upset. What happened?”

  She bit her bottom lip. I was sure she wasn’t going to tell me but then she peeked quickly toward the office door. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Jason is mad at me.”

  “For what?”

  She opened her mouth to speak just as Jason stepped into the room. He saw me and the serious expression on his face hardened more. He brushed past me to Scotlyn. “Look, Scotlyn, I’m sorry I got so angry. I know you were just trying to help by letting Taylor stay on the boat, but my parents are having a terrible time with her again—” Jason glanced back at me as if to say none of this was for my ears, but I shot him a look that assured him I wasn’t going anywhere.

  It was rare to see Scotlyn mad, and it was amazing how stunning she could look even in anger. “I think you should stop siding with your parents and take your sister’s side for a change. Talk about being ganged up on— maybe your parents are being terrible.”

  “You don’t understand, Scotlyn. Taylor has you charmed, that’s all. She’s really good at that. My parents just want her to stay out of trouble.”

  Scotlyn may have been silent when I walked in, but the gates had opened now. And I liked it. “Seems to me that she could have definitely gotten into trouble last night, but, instead, she got on a bus and came to the houseboat. We had cocoa and girl talk and then she slept on the couch. Doesn’t sound too rebellious to me. And I talked her into calling your parents so they wouldn’t worry. She’s eighteen now. Next time I’ll let her decide whether to call or not.” Scotlyn returned to her keyboard, leaving Jason speechless. There wasn’t much to argue. She’d been right. My stunned and silenced partner returned to the back room.

  Scotlyn handed me a list of phone calls to make. I took my cue to get to work and headed to my desk. It was obvious Taylor had broken out of the mold Jason and his parents had made for her and, of course, I immediately wondered if it meant that her perfectly appropriate high school boyfriend was no longer in the picture. The way she’d kissed me back, for the brief seconds before remembering that she hated me, had been hot enough to let me believe that things weren’t that terrific with the polished school boy.

  I was in the middle of a phone call with a possible buyer for the Corvette I’d restored when I heard Barrett’s distinctive laugh from the front room.

  I finished the call and walked out of the office. Barrett was wearing his flashy white smile as he leaned over the counter chatting with Scotlyn.

  “Hey, Bro,” he called across the room brightly as if he hadn’t left the house last night ready to kill me. Pretty girls had that effect on him. He was good at never letting them see his darker side . . .unless it worked in his favor.

  “You’re out and about early. Where are you headed?”

  He lifted his hands. “What? Can’t I just be out visiting my big brother?”

  “Cut the shit, Rett. You’re up about three hours earlier than usual.”

  He leaned one arm on the counter and managed to shoot off one more flirtatious grin at Scotlyn before looking back at me. “I was wondering if the old Chevy truck was running. I need to pick up a friend at the airport.”

  “It’s running. What friend?”

  He hesitated. “Gus, the guy I worked with on the fishing boat.”

  “You mean the guy who got you high and then kicked off the boat?”

  Beautiful girl standing nearby or not, some of the rage from the night before returned. “It wasn’t as simple as all that. And besides, he thinks he’s got a job for me on another boat.”

  “You rode all the way over here to ask me for the truck? Why didn’t you just call?”

  He snuck a peek at Scotlyn and then twisted his mouth as if he was deciding whether or not to answer. “I left my phone at a friend’s house last night.”

  It was all quite clear now. “So you hooked up with some girl and you left your phone at her house?” I knew my brother too well. “And you snuck out without saying good-bye, and now you’re stuck without a phone because you don’t want to see her again.”

  Scotlyn pretended to busy herself with work, but she was holding back a smile.

  “Jeez, Jimmy, you make me sound like a man-slut.”

  Scotlyn pressed her hand against her lips to suppress a laugh.

  “I don’t make you sound like one,” I said. “You are one.”

  “Yeah, maybe I just like to have a good time. So can I borrow the truck or not?”

  Jason walked out from the back with some boxes. “I’m going to ship these. I’ll be back in time to go to the bank.” He nodded at Barrett and walked out.

  Seeing my partner made me realize that I was being just as much an asshole to Barrett as Jason had been to his sister. I needed to lay off and let him make his own decisions, as stupid as they, no doubt, would be. “The keys are in the kitchen cupboard at home, but you’ll owe me for gas. That truck gets about five miles per gallon.”

  My sudden change of tone shocked Barrett, and he stared at me for a second before gracing Scotlyn with another smile and leaving.

  Scotlyn was still holding back a laugh as he hurried out. I was glad to see that her mood had lightened.

  “Not you too,” I said.

  Her blue gaze lifted from the monitor. “Me too, what?”

  “There isn’t a female on this planet who doesn’t find my kid brother adorable.”

  She glanced out the window as Barrett pulled away from the curb on his loud bike. “I’ll bet the girl he snuck out on this morning doesn’t think he’s so adorable.”

  “Good point. And if she’s smart, she is texting every girl in his phone list with some rude comment to piss them all off.”

  She nodded. “That sounds like an appropriate punishment. And, yes, to answer your question, he is adorable. There is something about him that reminds me of—”

  “A stray puppy?” I finished for her.

  She laughed. “Yes, I guess that’s it.”

  Chapter 12

  Taylor

  I’d never been big on having a lot of close girlfriends growing up, but the two that I had spent most of my spare time with had basically threatened to shun me forever if I didn’t meet them after school at the ta
co stand for a gossip session. I knew the only real gossip they were interested in was my break-up with Adam. Rumors had been swirling through the hallways all day— another one of a million reasons why I was anxious for high school to be over. But at the risk of not having anyone to eat lunch with, especially now that I was the bitch who broke Adam Gray’s heart, I’d agreed to meet Jasmine and Kiley.

  Unfortunately, it seemed that everyone else from high school had gotten the taco urge too. The senior class president had backed his truck up near the eating area, and his music was blasting over the wobbly fiberglass tables that were too hot to sit on in summer and cold on the butt in winter. Today had been perfectly warm, and, it seemed, half the student body had swarmed the place for cheap tacos. The owners never minded because they sold a crapload of tacos and cokes and most of the time there wasn’t any trouble.

  I shuffled past a repeat of the chorus line of cold glares that had followed me along the line of lockers that morning. Adam was greatly loved on campus, and overnight, I had become the harsh witch who’d hurt him. He must have been spreading a massive sob story around campus to drum up sympathy from the bevy of girls who already worshipped him.

  “Taylor!” Jasmine yelled to me from across the way. I walked over to her. She could have cared less if everyone was pissed at me. Not giving a shit about what other people thought was one of the reasons I’d stayed friends with her. Kiley was the opposite, but she’d obviously decided that hearing the juicy story of the break-up was worth a few scowls from her classmates. They’d saved me a spot at the small table that butted up to the parking lot. I scooted in between them.

  Jasmine slid a soda in front of me. “We want to hear every detail so don’t leave out a thing.”

  I took a long sip of the drink for dramatic effect as if I was about to divulge the juiciest break up story in the world. Then I swallowed and relaxed with a sigh. Jasmine and Kiley both stared hungrily at me as if I was a blueberry cheesecake. I took a breath. “Adam and I broke up.”

  Jasmine shifted on the bench anxiously. “Yeah, the entire school knows that but the details, Girl, the details. Was there a hideous fight? Did he catch you with someone else?”

  My mouth dropped as I turned toward her. “Why do you assume that I would be the one cheating?”

  She paused but only for a second. Jasmine was also brutally honest— another thing I liked about her. “Oh, come on, Taylor, out of the two of you, you would be the one to mess around. Not Adam.”

  She was right. It might have been one of the reasons behind me not falling madly and passionately in love with Adam. He was too damn safe.

  “I guess you’re right.” I tapped my chin. “Detail? Let me think. Well—”

  They both leaned toward me.

  “Well, we decided not to see each other anymore and then I got out of his car and I walked inside my house.”

  “Oh, come on,” Kiley said disappointedly and probably regretting that she’d risked being seen with me for an uneventful break up story.

  “Seriously, nothing exciting happened.”

  “But you broke up with him, right? What was your reason?” Jasmine was putting forth her best effort to make the story juicy even if it wasn’t.

  I shrugged. “It was sort of mutual, but I knew I was just dating him to please my parents. The guilt of it got to me.”

  Jasmine’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “That just sucks. And only you, my friend, would date the most popular guy in school to please your parents. Do you know how many girls have crushes on him?”

  “I know. That’s why I figured he’d get over it quickly.” I glanced around. Most people had returned to their tacos and conversations, but there were still a few icy glares from the table of cheerleaders. “And you’d think girls would be thanking me for making him available again.”

  “I think the bad vibes are mostly Adam’s doing,” Kiley said. “They do love to protect their own at our silly little high school. I’m so done with it all.”

  I took a sip of my drink. “That makes two of us.”

  Jasmine picked up her cell phone. “I think I’ve gotten one text all day, and it came from my mom so it doesn’t even count. Speaking of moms,” she said, and I knew what was coming next. “What’s yours doing now that you broke it off with Adam? Or does she know?” She grabbed my arm. “You aren’t going to be shipped off to Florida again, are you?”

  “She’s taking the break-up hard, almost as if she’d been dating Adam instead of me, but no, I’m not going back to my aunt’s.” Nix had dropped me off at my house before school. My parents were, of course, waiting with tight lips and flared nostrils. But I was ready for them. “I told my parents that if they wanted me to get a high school diploma, they had to leave me alone and let me finish school here. Otherwise, I’m not going to graduate.” I’d formulated the threat while tossing and turning and fighting off seasickness on Nix’s couch. I was sure they wouldn’t go for it, so I had a plan B. I would leave home but this time I wouldn’t chicken out. I’d stay gone for good. Surprisingly, my parents had agreed to my deal.

  “So,” Jasmine spoke up, “have you seen him yet?”

  There were few people who didn’t know about my obsession with Clutch, and I wished I’d been more discreet. But it had been too hard to hide. “I’ve seen him a few times,” I said casually as if each time hadn’t hit me like a high speed train. “But I’m moving on to new things. Clutch was my high school crush, and we’re not suited for each other.” Every word sounded like a laughable lie in my head, but I needed to persuade myself that I was done thinking about him.

  Kylie elbowed me. “Speaking of Jimmy Mason, isn’t that Barrett?”

  A subtle hush had fallen over the crowd as Barrett walked through the maze of tables to the order window. Jason had told me he was back in town, but I hadn’t seen him yet. He commanded his usual attention with his long blond hair, wide shoulders and Hollywood face. A tall, lanky guy with a mosaic of tattoos on both arms and long black hair was with him. He looked like a guy who’d been around the block more than once and quite possibly the block had been a jail block. Barrett always migrated toward the dark, edgy types as if he was always hoping trouble would find him. Which it often did.

  Kiley nearly fell off the edge of the bench watching Barrett walk to the order window. “I was in total and complete mourning when that boy got expelled from school. There wasn’t anything to wake up for and drag my ass to class knowing he was no longer going to grace the halls with his presence.”

  I looked over at her. “I didn’t realize you had such a big thing for him.”

  She shot me a disgusted look. “That’s because you were so absorbed with your own crush on his older brother, you never paid my wants and needs any attention.”

  I stared at her. “Wants and needs? God, you’re dramatic. And, besides, if you wanted him so badly, why didn’t you just go for it?”

  “Because that would have been about as successful as your attempts to catch his brother.” When Kiley’s claws came out, they were always extra sharp.

  “Damn,” Jasmine gushed, “he’s just as dreamy as ever.” She looked over at me. “I thought he was out on a fishing boat somewhere.”

  “Yeah, I think he had a problem and came back home. I don’t really know. Jason doesn’t talk about stuff much.”

  Kiley drew a loud slurp through her straw. “Come to think of it, how come you never dated Barrett?” she asked.

  “Because he’s not Clutch,” Jasmine answered for me, and she was right. I’d always gotten along well with Barrett. We were both the irritating younger siblings, but that had been our only common bond. And, Jasmine had phrased it perfectly, Barrett wasn’t Clutch.

  Kiley broke into a coughing fit as she sucked in a big sip. Barrett and his friend were headed to our table, once again we were drawing unwanted attention from the rest of the taco eaters.
/>   Barrett smiled. Kiley and Jasmine stiffened next to me. “Hey, Tater Tot.”

  “I’d forgotten about that stupid nickname,” I groaned. “I heard you were back, Rett. Couldn’t hack it out on the fishing boat?” I hadn’t seen him for awhile, but we’d always spent most of our time together harassing each other.

  “I hacked it just fine, Tater Tot.” He sat down and I was sure I heard Kiley suck in a breath. His friend scooted in across from us too. He was inked from his knuckles up to his neck.

  Barrett lifted his chin toward Jasmine and Kiley. “Girls, how are you doing? This is my friend, Gus. We were out on the Bering Sea together.”

  “And what are your names?” Gus asked staring straight at me.

  Jasmine shifted on her butt and straightened. “Yeah, Barrett, what are our names? Or do you even remember?”

  “This is Taylor.” Barrett lifted his sunglasses, and Kiley sucked in another breath. I was certain she would collapse into a dead faint if he so much as spoke to her. He squinted at Jasmine as if that would jog his memory. “Yeah, I remember you—” Barrett had no real reason to remember her name. She was three years younger and hadn’t any contact with him except to drool over him along with the other freshmen girls. “You’re that girl who always wore the jeans that were ripped along one thigh. Best pair of denims I’ve ever seen.”

  I could almost feel the heat of Jasmine’s blush radiating from her skin. Her tough exterior melted, and she giggled in a fashion that I’d never heard from her. Barrett always knew exactly what to say. If only his brother had learned that skill.

  Kiley reached across the table. “I’m Kiley.” Amazingly, she’d managed to speak and even shake his hand without passing out.

  He squinted again and pointed at her. “You used to have a bottom locker in the same row as me. It was always a pleasure watching you dig out your textbooks.”

  A tiny, shrill sound chirped from Kiley’s mouth, and her hand flew to her lips to make sure nothing else escaped.

  I looked at Barrett. “I see you haven’t changed a bit.” Aside from his incredible looks, it suddenly came back to me that he had an unsurpassed talent for winning people over, even if he didn’t remember names.