“It’s fine,” she says. “It all worked out in the end.”
“It did,” I tell her, and I can’t help but kiss her again. “But now I want to clear something up.”
“Shoot,” she says, just as I had a moment ago.
“At my old school, I was in trouble for selling drugs. You may have heard that through Taylor.”
“I did,” she says. And then she says, “And honestly? While we’re putting it all out there, I first saw it on my dad’s computer.”
“Oh.”
“I didn’t mean to snoop. It was just… there. And I couldn’t resist it. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know how confusing everything must have been. It makes sense that you’d feel the need to seek out your own answers.”
She nods, not seeming entirely convinced that she’d done the right thing. But I’m sure she’ll get over it.
“Anyway, I want to tell you something I’ve never told anyone. Okay?”
“Okay,” she says, nestling her head back down onto my shoulder.
“I didn’t really sell drugs.”
She turns her head to look at me. “But the contract said…”
“I know. It says I admitted guilt. And I did. But I didn’t do it.”
She’s silent, so I continue.
“I took the fall for my sister.”
“What?”
She sits straight up again and stares at me.
“My sister has struggled with drug addiction for a long time now. And she’d been in some trouble with the law previously so she was facing serious time. She told me that she realized the magnitude of her situation and wanted to change. I agreed to say that I had done it if she would agree to go to rehab.”
“And she went?” Chelsea asks, looking hopeful.
“She did. I paid for what the insurance didn’t cover. So I didn’t have money to pay to stay at Huningdale without my scholarship. And that’s another reason I’m glad your dad agreed to the deal where I could come play at Calton.”
“That was so nice of you.”
“Yeah, well. You know that time you wanted me to meet up with you and I never texted you back? And later you saw me at the Moon Howl Grill with a woman…”
“It was your sister,” she finishes the sentence for me.
“Yes. It was.”
“Oh my god, Wesley. I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot.”
“No you’re not,” I tell her, rubbing her back. “You had no way to know. You’d never seen my sister before. And I wasn’t expecting her. She just showed up at practice saying she needed to talk to me right away. I didn’t want people to talk, so I just rushed off to the restaurant with her, and left in such a hurry that I left my phone in the locker room. So I didn’t get your message until much later that evening after we’d sorted everything out.”
“Of course. That makes sense,” Chelsea says. “So is she okay now?”
“Well, she told me she was dangerously close to using. She had successfully completed rehab and was living with our parents. As I’m sure you can believe, that wasn’t a great environment for her. She was stressed out by their fighting and she had been close to calling her old contacts so she could score. But instead she called me. When I didn’t answer— because I was in practice— she just drove to the campus to see me and tell me what was going on.”
“That was a really wise choice.”
“Yes, it was very smart of her. Rehab really helped her a lot. In fact, after we called them together and explained the situation, they hooked her up with a scholarship to transition to a sober living facility. They hadn’t realized how tenuous her living situation would be after she completed the program.”
“That’s awesome.”
“She’s doing really well so far. The sober living facility is a much more peaceful place for her than our parents’ house.”
“I’m so glad it’s working out. And I’m sorry I jumped the gun and thought you were…”
“…back to my old ways.”
I laugh. She laughs. And then we kiss again, with a passionate intensity stronger than any other kiss we’ve ever shared together.
“I need to be inside you now,” I tell her.
“Take me. Now.”
I love it when she lets me know how much she wants me.
I rip off her clothes and then mine.
“There’s that gorgeous body I’ve been fantasizing about touching again,” I whisper.
I stand by the edge of the bed, my cock hard and throbbing for her.
I pick her up and carry her, with her legs around me, to the wall. Placing her up against it, I tell her, “I bet we have to be really quiet, huh?”
“Probably,” she says, with a hushed laugh. “My dad’s cool with us now, but not that cool.”
“I bet it would drive you wild if I tease you just a little bit.”
I put the tip of my cock at the entrance to her pussy and play with it for a bit as I slowly lick one of her nipples, and then the other.
“Oh my god. Wesley. You’re already making me want to scream.”
I slide my cock further inside her, my elbows beside her head. She holds onto my arms and says, “I can’t believe how perfect your body is. It’s not fair how you’re making me wait.”
“I want you to beg me to fuck you,” I tell her. “Because you’ve made me wait so long to be able to have you again.”
“Please fuck me, Wesley. Please.”
She’s whispering it.
She traces my chest and my abs with her fingers, then kisses my tattoos while I thrust myself all the way inside her.
She whimpers.
My strong, beautiful woman is reduced to weak putty in my hands. I grab her breasts with one hand and her ass with the other while I stake my claim to her, pounding into her so hard that the pictures on the walls shake.
“Shhhhh,” she says, but she soon lets out a soft coo. “Oh my god.”
Her pussy tightens around my cock and I can feel her juices dripping onto me.
“You’re making me come, Wesley.”
I hold onto her hair and pull her head back a little bit, up against the wall, and kiss her neck while she comes all over my cock. I take one of her nipples in my mouth and suck on it as I cram my cock all the way into the back of her pussy.
She squeezes her legs around my ass and says, “Oh my god. Oh my god.”
I can’t take it anymore, and I let myself go with a powerful release of mind and body.
We come together, literally and figuratively, further proof that we fit together exactly right.
Chapter 52 – Chelsea
After an exhilarating night with Wesley, it’s my birthday, and I’m sitting around a campfire with him and Taylor, two of my three favorite people. We’re grilling fish that I caught a bit earlier with my other favorite person, my dad. He’s on a walk with Taylor’s mom.
The police have finished their investigation, and have cleared me of any wrongdoing. They’ve also assured me that Christian is going to be behind bars for a very long time.
“This walk that my dad took your mom on is really lasting a long time,” I tell Taylor.
“I guess it’s extremely romantic,” she replies.
“Well, I’d wanted to wait until they get back, but that might never happen,” Wesley says. “And perhaps it’s a good thing that it’s just the three of us.”
“For what?” I ask, looking at Taylor’s face to see if she’ll reveal anything, but she’s just smiling her wide, beaming grin.
“For your birthday present,” Wesley answers. He reaches into the backpack by his chair and pulls out a wrapped gift. “This is from Taylor and me, together.”
“Oh you guys,” I say. “You shouldn’t have.”
But I’m smiling.
I peel back the paper, and squeal in surprise.
“Oh my god,” I shout. “Is that what I think it is?”
My Spanish still isn’t that great, but Pablo Neruda’s name is the same in
both languages, and I know that a loose translation of the book’s title from Spanish to English is The Lost Poems.
“This is the only book my mom didn’t have in her collection!” I exclaim.
“I know,” Wesley says. “You told me about it. And I happened to know that your BFF Taylor here is a Latin American literature major…”
“…who is doing a research work- study job with a Chilean professor,” Taylor finishes for him. “So it all worked out quite nicely, to be able to have my boss call in a special favor with some family members of his back in Chile. Apparently this book is all over the used bookstores there. All I had to do was ask.”
“Is that all?” I say, with a grin still filling up my entire face.
The missing connection with my mom was right there within my reach the whole time. I just had to have Wesley and Taylor’s help to get it.
“That you guys so much,” I say. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Happy birthday,” they shout in unison.
“Whatever helps you feel closer to your mom,” Wesley says. “We know that she will always be a very important part of your life.”
“And so are you guys,” I tell her. “I never want to not have either of you in my daily life ever again.”
“I’m sorry I got in the way of your happiness with Wesley,” Taylor says.
“I know you didn’t mean it. You were just trying to look out for me.”
“Well,” Taylor says, looking as if she doesn’t know if she should say anything further, but deciding to anyway. “I guess there was an aspect of jealousy there. I kind of went out of my way for a while to find and focus on reasons I thought Wesley wasn’t good for you, instead of the obvious reasons why he was. I guess it’s just hard sometimes and a little lonely, being the third wheel.”
“I understand,” I tell her.
And I really do. For most of our friendship it’s been Taylor who has had a lot of dates and a revolving door of boyfriends. I’ve been the one on the sidelines.
“There were quite a few suspicious things that you had every right to be wary of,” I say. “I’m just glad you came around and realized how awesome Wesley is.”
“And I’m glad you did too,” Wesley says to me.
“Oh my god,” Taylor exclaims. “I just got a text.”
“How weird,” I tell her. “My phone hasn’t had reception.”
“Mine either, but a bunch are randomly coming in now.”
She looks at her phone. “One of them is from Mandy’s mom. She texted me because she hadn’t heard back from her texts to you. She says Mandy is out of her coma and starting to recover. We can go visit her next week, as soon as we get back. She also said that no one knew how serious of a problem Mandy’s partying had become or that it had gotten so out of hand. Mandy has agreed to seek help and stop drinking and doing any other kind of drugs.”
“That’s awesome,” I say. “I’m glad she’ll be okay. And I know she can do whatever she sets her mind to. Her discipline in cheerleading is awesome. But I wonder when or if she’ll be able to come back. I just can’t believe all of this has happened.”
“Me neither,” Wesley says. “I thought I was leaving drama behind when I left Huningdale, but I didn’t realize I’d run right smack back into it at Calton.”
“But you’ve managed to avoid being the one to cause the drama. Congratulations,” I say.
Both Wesley and Taylor laugh.
Then I decide to face the facts and address the obvious elephant in the room, which I hadn’t even had the courage to face last night when Wesley and I were alone, because I just wanted to enjoy being reunited with him, and the hot sex too of course.
“I bet you can’t wait to get back to playing for a good team,” I tell him. “Now you’ll probably be able to go back to Huningdale in time for next year’s season, since you’ve gotten back into the administration’s good graces.”
“I already do play for a good team,” Wesley says.
“What?” I ask, incredulous.
“And that’s why I told Coach Thompson I’m going to stay at Calton for good and play for the Wildcats for the rest of my college career.”
“Really?” I can’t believe it, but from his mischievous, handsome smile I know it’s true.
Just then I hear my dad’s voice, as he and Taylor’s mom come up to us, having finished their walk.
“Did I hear my name?”
“Wesley just told Taylor and me the good news,” I tell him. “That he’ll be staying at Calton.”
My dad beams happily. “And let me just add on to the good news while we’re at it,” he says.
Taylor’s mom holds up her ring finger.
“I want to be the one to tell them,” she shouts. “He proposed!”
“Yay!” says Taylor, and runs over to hug her mom.
Now I see what all her excitement has been about. I’ve never seen her mom so happy. My dad either, for that matter— not since my mom died, at least.
Wesley and I join them for another group hug.
This is the best birthday I ever could have asked for.
Chapter 53 – Wesley
The following week, I go to pick up Chelsea from her house.
I still can’t believe I can walk right up and knock on her front door.
“Hello Wesley,” Coach Thompson says, as he answers it. “I hear that you’ve come to take my daughter on a date.”
“Yes I did, Coach,” I say.
He raises his eyebrows at me and clears his throat.
I quickly correct it to, “I mean, Sir.”
Our first real, out in the open date. No more secrets. No more hiding. This is so fucking great.
“I hope you understand that my daughter is a very precious treasure,” Coach Thompson says. “You break her heart, I’ll break your legs. And then I’ll be one good quarterback short of a football team. So don’t make me do it.”
“Only a good quarterback?” I ask him. “Come on, Coach. I’m better than good.”
“Reynolds,” Coach Thompson snaps. “I’m serious.”
“Yes sir.” I smile at him, and mean it. “I won’t break your daughter’s heart, sir. If anything, she’ll be the one breaking mine.”
“That’s more like it.”
“Dad,” Chelsea groans, coming to the door. “I told you not to get in the way.”
She looks great. A short skirt over those curvy hips, and her hair pulled back into a cute ponytail. I kind of wish we could just stay here and have a different kind of fun than what we’d already planned.
But I’m not going to change my mind about this date.
I’m not going to back down. It’s time to face my fears head on.
“I just wanted to wish you and Wesley well,” Dad says. “I hope you have a good date, Sweetheart.”
“Thanks Dad,” Chelsea says, and rolls her eyes.
“Ready?” I ask her.
“Definitely,” she says. “But I think I should be the one asking you that question. Are you ready?”
“Definitely,” I say.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to do it.”
“I’m sure, Chelsea. I’ve never been surer of anything in my fucking life.”
“Hey. Watch your language,” Coach Thompson cuts in.
“Dad, you’re not supposed to be here anymore. Don’t you and Sherry have something to do? Wedding planning or something?”
“All right, all right, I’m leaving. And the wedding isn’t for a year. What’s the rush? We’re already two old people. Have fun today, guys.”
“I don’t know if ‘fun’ is the right way to describe it,” Chelsea says. “But we’ll definitely have an exciting time.”
Chapter 54 – Wesley
Half an hour later, we stand in line waiting to get into the amusement park as paying customers. Then we walk through the park and stand in line again, this time to ride The Beast.
It still looks menacing, towering over our heads, bu
t I’m not nearly as scared as I was before.
“You’ve already warmed up for this by riding The Rattler,” Chelsea says, as we near the beginning of the line.
“Chels, driving up to the lake cabin with your dad, wondering what had happened to you and if you were okay was the scariest experience of my life. If I can get through that, I can get through anything.”
“Little did you know I had it handled,” she says, grinning.
“Yes you did.”
I grab her, and kiss her before I resume talking.
“And I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I…”
“Hey, Lovebirds,” shouts one of the ride operators. “Break it up. Time to get on the ride, if you really wanna go.”
“We really wanna go,” I tell him, grabbing Chelsea’s hand and pulling her onto the ride.
He had really bad timing in interrupting what I wanted to tell Chelsea, but I know that there will be another chance soon.
“Wow, you really do want to ride this ride with me,” Chelsea says with a laugh, as we sit down and buckle ourselves in.
“I really, really, really fucking do.”
My heart quickens its pace as the ride starts, but it’s more like pleasant excitement than sheer terror. We grab hands and there’s an immediate drop— no nice warm-up portion like on The Rattler.
“Oh. My. God!” We yell together.
It’s scary. It’s exhilarating. It’s perfect.
It’s everything that life should be.
It’s everything I love that I have with Chelsea.
And as the roller coaster comes to an end, I look at her. Her hair is blown all over the place, her cheeks are red and the wind is still hitting us.
I’m glad I didn’t say it back when we were in line.
This is a much better time.
“I love you, Chelsea.”
She looks like she might cry.
But then she smiles and says, “I love you too, Wesley.”
We kiss again, and ignore the same operator who yelled at us to get onto the ride, who is now yelling at us to get off.
“Hold on,” I finally tell him, when I come up for air. “Give us a minute, will you? I just went on the ride of my life. And I fucking loved it. I don’t ever want it to end.”
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