by Mary Smith
My baby sister really wasn’t little anymore, as I studied her face. The soft features I remembered were now gone, and had been replaced with a colder look.
How was I going to fix her?
Chapter 13 – Dart
I stretched my legs out in front of me. The sun was bright on the UAB field, and I was pumped to play today. I knew it was going to be tough, but I had a good feeling about this game.
By halftime, thanks to our defense, we were holding strong with a seven-point lead. I was sweating, and my legs were tired, but I knew I could push through the next two quarters.
“Damn, you think you can quit showing off?” Dash slapped my shoulder pads, sitting next to me in the locker room.
“Shut up, you got the touchdown.”
“Oh yeah, I did,” he chuckled.
“Ass,” I teased him as Coach began to talk.
When we hit the field for the last half of the game, I felt my second wave of energy pulse through me. I was ready to win this game.
And we did.
The team was full of excitement when we loaded up on the bus and headed to the airport. We were joking and laughing with each other. It all died down by the time we boarded the plane, heading back to Huntington.
I laid my head back, and I felt Dash flop down in the seat next to me.
“Now, who’s showing off for the NFL?”
“Don’t start, Dash. You know that’s not the case.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he joked, settling into his seat.
I thought he fell asleep when the plane took off, but when it leveled off, he turned his head to me.
“What do you think about Garnet?”
His questions seemed a bit odd. “Well, I think she’s a good person, just trying to find herself since her mom died. She reminds me of how you acted after Dad and Mom passed. Why are you asking?”
Dash closed his eyes, turning his head forward. He didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Dash?”
He remained quiet.
“Dash,” I faced him. “What’s up?”
He shook his head. “I told you I went to that reading and then grabbed a bite to eat with her, right?”
“Yeah,” I was confused where he was going with this. When he told me the next day about his evening with Garnet, I didn’t find anything odd about it. They seemed to connect with each other.
“Well, I didn’t tell you everything.”
“Did you have sex with her?”
“Why do you always jump to that conclusion?” He asked with a slight hurt tone.
I raised my eyebrows at him, because I knew he was faking.
“Okay, okay,” he gave up. “But, no I didn’t.”
“So, what are you telling me?”
“Well, I couldn’t sleep because your girlfriend is loud as hell,” he rolled his eyes.
“Anyway,” I moved him along.
“So, I was sitting on the porch, and I saw her come out of the house. She looked lost and sad. I felt bad, and I went over there. I mean nothing happened, but when she asked me to stay over,” he stopped.
“You wanted to.” I finished his sentence for him.
“Plus, I almost kissed her.”
“Almost? Why didn’t you?”
“I truly don’t know.” He laid his head back, closing his eyes again.
“Well, then ask her out. I mean, if you like her that much, what are you waiting for?”
“Come on, Dart.” Dash shook his head again.
“No, I’m serious. If you like her that much, date her.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?”
“Then you can at least say you tried.”
“I guess.”
I didn’t say anymore, because I was trying to process how Dash was acting. Never in his life had he not been blunt with the girls. To see Dash nervous, or whatever this was, wasn’t something I was used to.
Maybe he really did want something more with Garnet.
Chapter 14 – Dash
Dart and I didn’t wake up until the early afternoon. My body was still sore from the game, but it was Sunday, and I needed to cook.
After a very hot shower to nurse my sore muscles, I slipped into a pair of basketball shorts. I jogged down the stairs to prep the ham. I didn’t feel like breakfast, even if we were just waking up. Once I had it in the oven, I started on the potatoes and other items. Cooking was almost therapeutic for me. It reminded me of my mom.
I was eight when she started teaching me how to cook. I thought it was stupid. I was a boy and cooking was a girl’s job. After Mom slapped me upside the head for my comment, she explained that it wasn’t a girl’s job, and if I kept thinking that way I would have to learn how to cook because no girl would ever cook for me.
From that moment on, she taught me everything about cooking. While I hated it at first, soon it was our time together. I confessed everything to her over preparing food. I told her my dream of being in the NFL while snapping green beans. I told her about my crushes at school when making homemade bread. It didn't matter what it was, I would tell Mom.
I’m sure I sounded like a mama’s boy, but it wasn’t like that. My dad taught me a lot. He would throw the football around with Dart and me. All three of us would work on the cars in the yard. Dad was always piddling around the house and outside. Even though he worked hard at his job as a coal miner, he never said no if we asked him to play with us.
“Dash?” Dart’s soft voice brought me out of my childhood memories. “Are you okay?”
“Yep.” I turned back to cutting the green peppers.
“Okay.” Dart never pushed me to tell him everything I was feeling. He would always wait for me to go to him when I was ready.
Dart finished helping me with the food, when the girls walked in. Garnet’s light brown eyes were the first thing I saw, and my heart raced. I don’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I really liked Garnet. The other night I wanted to kiss her. Her naturally pouty lips seemed to haunt me since the night in her kitchen.
“Hello ladies,” Dart was overly excited to see them. I’m sure that was more for Daisy, because he hadn’t seen her since Friday.
“Dash, that smells amazing.” Garnet stood by me as I finished mashing the potatoes.
I nodded. “Thanks, let’s eat.” I scraped the contents into the bowl and walked over to the table. The smell of cherries and honey filled me again, and I felt myself growing hard, so I quickly sat down.
The conversation was light between the four of us. My eyes wandered to Garnet more than they should. Her hair seemed redder than the last time I’d seen her. She had on another one of her tight tank tops. This one had a picture of one of those Walking Dead characters on it.
As always, we cleaned up together, but I was having trouble concentrating on the dishes because Garnet was so close to me.
Maybe Dart was right; I should ask her out. I haven’t really dated anyone. It seemed like such a waste of time.
“Dash?” Garnet touched my hand.
“Huh?”
“Dash, I asked if you wanted to go lift weights?” Dart chimed in.
“No, I’ve got stuff to do.” I answered, drying my hands on the towel, and headed to my room.
I grabbed my phone, double-checking the text. Tracy was a go-to girl for me, but when she came over last time, nothing had really happened. This time, I needed to keep my mind focused on her and not think about Garnet. Tracy’s text said that she would be over shortly, and I quickly got ready.
When the doorbell rang, I jogged down the stairs. When I opened the door, Tracy’s tall, lean body was waiting for me on the other side. Her long black hair wasn’t as shiny as Garnet’s, and her black eyes aren’t as welcoming as Garnet’s either.
“Dash, are you going to invite me in?”
“Right, yeah.” I shook my thoughts of Garnet away. I stepped back, out of the way.
Tracy had been to my house several times, and she went straight to the couch, making h
erself comfortable.
“So, I guess we’re going to pick up where we left off last time?”
I gave her a small smile, sitting down next to her. “I think so.”
“Good, because I left here unsatisfied,” she pouted.
I glanced at her lips, noticing that they weren’t as pretty as Garnet’s. I leaned in, capturing them with mine. Her strong perfume overpowered my senses and almost choked me. I pushed through the smell and continued kissing her.
“Dash,” I broke the kiss off, hearing my name yelled from the front door. “I’m out of orange juice.” It was Garnet strolling through the house.
“Garnet,” I said firmly. “Why the hell are you shouting?”
“Oh,” she walked into the living room with the carton. “I’m so sorry, I figured you were upstairs. I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to interrupt.” She quickly ran out the door.
“Who was that?” Tracy asked.
“A thorn in my side,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing.” I waved my hand, laying my head on the back of the couch.
“I’m having a déjà vu moment here, Dash.” Tracy huffed. “We’ve never had this problem before.”
I sighed deeply. “I think I have a headache.”
She gave me a small kiss. “That’s the girl’s line. Call me when it goes away.” Tracy got up and left the house.
Dammit.
Chapter 15 – Garnet
I called all around the Huntington area to find a dance studio, and I found one that would allow me some private time. I’d almost passed out when I got off the phone.
Now, here I was.
I cracked my knuckles as I walked to the middle of the dance floor. I slipped on my iPod, and put the buds in my ears. I rolled my neck as the bass began to thump in my head.
After almost an hour, my thighs were killing me. My eyes were puffy from crying, and I had a headache because I kept the music loud to drown out my thoughts.
When I got home, all I could think about was a cold shower and alcohol. I knew Daisy was gone with Dart, and I had the house to myself.
After I got out of the shower, I saw several posts on Facebook about a huge party down the block from the house.
I was going to be there, for sure.
I lay on my bed and tried to comprehend my dancing today. It had been almost a full year since I stepped into a studio. Even though Mom had cancer for almost 2 years, I had kept up my dancing for a little while, before she became sicker.
What would she think about me now?
Would she be proud?
Doubt it, because she would never have approved of the drinking and sleeping around. She was always saying that Daisy and I should conduct ourselves with respect for our bodies. I knew I wasn’t doing that now. Then again, I hadn’t had sex in a month, so I don’t think I can classify myself as someone who slept around.
The sound of a loud motorcycle brought me out of my sexless thoughts. I was accustomed to Dash’s bike sounds. I was still embarrassed at barging into his house when he had company over. I was even a little hurt. I knew I didn’t have any claims to him. I mean, we weren’t in any type of relationship. I had no reason to feel that way, but I did. Maybe it was because I liked our friendship, and I didn’t want to lose that. Dash’s advice was the main reason I’d danced today. I needed to find myself again. I had to.
However, right now, I needed to drink.
The party was thumping. I mean, literally. The bass was pounding so hard, the windows and walls were shaking. I had mingled with a couple girls I knew from my math class, and we were trying to have a conversation, but it wasn’t working out well because of the volume.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and a nice looking guy pointed to the dance floor. I assumed he was asking me to dance. I nodded, and he took my hand.
The first thing I noticed were his hands were super soft, unlike Dash’s, which were rougher. My memory of him holding my hand during the reading made me wish I was holding his now. This guy wasn’t as tall as Dash either, which was one thing I really liked about Dash. The other thing I liked most about Dash’s body was how built he was. This guy was lankier, but he had some rhythm to him.
He held onto my hips as I ground up against him, keeping with the bass of the music. As the song continued, I got a strange feeling that I was being watched, but didn’t search for the source.
When the next song started, I still had that uneasy feeling. As I scanned the room, I saw the blue eyes of Dash Terrance staring me down. His usual hard stare was now full of anger. He looked pissed off, standing there with his friends, but pinning me with his glare.
The guy I was dancing with broke my stare down with Dash, and made the motion to get something to drink. I nodded, and pointed to the front door, letting him know I was heading outside.
When I reached the sidewalk, the music was still loud, but it was the ringing in my ears that was really bothering me.
“You’re not leaving with him.” I spun around to Dash’s stern order.
“What?”
“You heard me.” He crossed his arms, towering over me.
“Enough, Dash.” I gave it right back to him. “If I want to leave with him, I will.” I wasn’t going to back down, and I’ll be damned if he was going to order me around.
“You’re drunk.”
“No, I’m not,” I shouted at him. “I’ve only had three drinks and they weren’t strong.”
“Good, then you’ll be able to understand when I say you’re not leaving with that douche bag.” He narrowed his eyes.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, turned on my heels, and walked away. I’d already had a long day, and I wasn’t going to argue with him.
“Well, you’re not walking alone.” Dash tugged on my arm toward his motorcycle.
“It’s one block.” I jerked my arm from his grasp. “And I don’t need help.” I stomped up the block, but I knew Dash was following. My blood was boiling because he was treating me like a child.
When we reached my house, I faced him. “You can leave now.”
“Not until I know you’re safe inside.”
I growled, unlocked the door, and stepped over the threshold. “Happy?”
“Have a good night, Garnet.”
I slammed the door in his face. Damn him. One minute, I couldn’t get out of my head, and the next second, I wanted to ring his neck.
I paced around the living room for a moment, calming myself down, when I realized I was an adult. Dash Terrance couldn’t tell me what to do. A smile grew on my face, I tilted my chin up high, walked out my front door, and I headed back to the party.
“Hey,” the lanky guy I was dancing with waved at me when I was close to the house.
“Hey,” I smiled at him.
“I was looking for you.” He grinned at me.
“Oh, yeah, I had to run over to my house real fast,” I lied.
“Okay.” I heard the uncertainty in his voice. “I’m Troy.”
“I’m – ”
“Leaving,” Dash’s deep voice cut me off, before I could say my name.
“Dammit,” I turned around to him, giving him the meanest look.
“Hey dude, she’s underage, and has been drinking. So, unless you want to get in trouble, I’d suggest you run away.”
I gasped at him, but Troy left. “You’re an ass, Dash Terrance.” I slapped his shoulder, but it only caused my hand to sting.
“I took you home.”
“And I came back,” I informed him.
“You’re going back home, Garnet.”
“Why do you even care if I’m at this party? Am I cramping your style or something?”
“No.”
“Then what the fuck?” I threw my hands up in the air in frustration.
“You don’t even know that guy and you are shaking your ass all over him.” Dash shouted back at me.
“So what? I was dancing with him in hopes of getting some dick tonight.”
I nearly screamed at him. “And what difference does it make who I shake my ass on?”
Dash didn’t say anything, but his face gave him away. And I knew instantly what the problem was.
“Are you… jealous?” I hesitated on the last word of my question. “Dash?”
“It’s time you went home.” His voice was low, and I could feel that he was avoiding the question.
“No, I want to know, Dash.”
He huffed, pushing his hand through his hair. “Please, Garnet.”
“Fine,” I gave up. He probably didn’t like me in the way I needed him to tonight. I bet he thought we were friends, or I was like his little sister. Even though I had a feeling there might be something between us.
When I reached the house, I went to slam the door, but Dash stopped it.
“Go away.” He stared at me, still silent. “I mean it.”
He stepped right up to me. I barely reached his shoulders as he gazed down at me.
“Dash?” I searched his face.
When he looked down at my lips, I licked them without thinking. He cupped my face, and I stopped breathing. Before I could even close my eyes, Dash closed the gap between our mouths.
I had always thought Dash’s kiss would be hard, but I was wrong. His lips were soft against mine, his touch was gentle on my face, and it was nothing like I had ever imagined.
I moaned when he slid his tongue inside my mouth. He released my face, grasped my hips, and pulled me flush with his body. I gripped his neck, and tried to hold myself up as my legs weakened.
I could have continued to kiss him forever, but he pulled me away. We both stared at each other. My lips felt swollen, and I wanted to kiss him again.
Instead, I asked, “Why did you do that?”
He squeezed my hips. “I needed to know.”
With that, he released me, and left.
Chapter 16 – Daisy
“Oh my God, did you see her Facebook post?”
“I know, right,” I was talking to one of my sorority sisters, but kept my eye on Garnet. She had on large sunglasses, and I watched her chug several beers. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she looked beyond sad, almost depressed.