Rush

by Samantha Towle

  I haven’t spoken to him since our little chat in the viewing room.

  And, apparently, we’re not speaking now.

  He’s currently scowling at me like I’m the spawn of the devil. And I’m staring back with a mixture of hurt and anger in my chest.

  “What are you doing here?” he asks in that hard tone he always uses when he’s forced to speak to me.

  What?

  “Um, the same thing you’re doing here…shopping.”

  His eyes go down to my empty hands. “You haven’t bought anything.” His tone is accusing, and my back is instantly up.

  “Because I literally just got here!” I’m exasperated. God, this guy is a dick.

  He stares down at me, those intense eyes narrowing. “Are you following me, Jailbird?”

  “What?” I sputter, my eyes going wide. “Why in the hell would I be following you?” Honestly, I’ve been doing my best to avoid him. “God, you’re a jerk,” I hiss. “For your information, I just finished my yoga class, which is the next block over, if you’d like to check, and I came here straight from there to pick up some cheese.” Why am I telling him this? I don’t have to explain myself to this goober.

  He smirks. “Oh, yeah. I forgot that you liked to do yoga.” The tone in his voice hints at amusement and actually stuns me into silence.

  I part my lips to speak, but nothing comes out. I’m like a goldfish, just opening and closing my mouth, no sound coming.

  “Hey,” I hear a sweet female voice say.

  It yanks my eyes from his to her, and standing beside him is a tall, beautiful woman. Long, dark hair. Sunglasses covering her eyes. Looks to be about my age.

  I must look like a toddler, standing here with these two gorgeous skyscrapers.

  She’s wearing cutoff jean shorts, showing off her long, tan legs—I’m not jealous at all—and a T-shirt that says, I’m Not Smart for A Girl. I’m Just Smart.

  I like her immediately. Any woman who wears a shirt saying that has my admiration.

  She’s looking between us.

  She must be wondering who the hell I am and why he’s looking at me like he would like to strangle me with his bare hands.

  “A, are you going to introduce me?” she says with curiosity in her voice.

  She called him A. She’s clearly familiar with him.

  I wonder if she’s his girlfriend.

  My stomach fills with battery acid.

  I choose not to think about why.

  But, if she is his girlfriend, then she deserves a medal for putting up with him. Although I imagine he’s nice to her.

  She pushes her sunglasses up to the top of her head, revealing her eyes. Bright blue. Exactly like his.

  Maybe she’s not his girlfriend after all. Maybe they’re related.

  Ares lets out an aggravated-sounding sigh and folds his arms over his mammoth chest. The fabric of his shirt stretches over his huge biceps. “She’s Coach Petrelli’s daughter.”

  Coach Petrelli’s daughter.

  Wow, don’t go overboard there with the introduction, Mr. Perfect.

  Seems I don’t even deem worthy enough to have a name. Actually, come to think of it, I can’t remember him ever calling me by my name. He’s called me Jailbird, but that’s it.

  I get that he has a strong aversion to alcoholics, but his hatred for me is something else altogether.

  “Well, hey there, Coach Petrelli’s daughter,” she says in a teasing voice, which is aimed at Ares and his lame introduction. “I’m Missy. This grumpy ass’s sister.” She thumbs in his direction.

  Ares frowns in her direction.

  And I smile. My smile has nothing to do with the fact that she’s his sister and everything to do with her calling him a grumpy ass and the fact that her expression hasn’t dropped at the introduction of who I am. I can’t imagine he’s talked about me to her. Either that, or she’s not a hater of ex-alcoholics.

  And my stomach most definitely has not emptied of the battery acid it is filled with.

  “I’m Arianna,” I tell her.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Arianna,” she says, sounding like she actually means it. “Guess I don’t need to ask how you know my brother. Coach Petrelli being your dad and all.”

  “We actually only met recently,” I tell her, avoiding his hard stare. And he hates my guts. “I just started working for my dad.”

  “Cool. And how’s that going?”

  Um…

  You know, aside from my dad, she’s the only other person who’s asked me that question.

  “It’s…” I risk a glance at Ares, and his eyes are staring off into the distance, his jaw clenched so tightly, it looks like it might shatter. I look back at Missy, and her eyes are sparkling with something that looks a lot like mischief. “It’s okay, I guess.” I shrug.

  “Mmhmm. I can imagine, being surrounded by all those big, strapping football players—barring my brother, of course—must be a real hardship.”

  She gives a teasing roll of her eyes, and I laugh.

  “I’m just not a big fan of football,” I say.

  “You’re not?” That’s Ares, and the sound of his voice surprises me. I thought he was done with his participation in this conversation.

  “Oh Christ, don’t say that.” Missy laughs. “Not if you don’t want to endure a lecture on how football is the greatest game in the world.”

  I’ve had enough of Ares Kincaid’s lectures to last me a lifetime, so I’ll pass on that one.

  “Got it,” I say. “Well, I should head off. It was nice meeting you, Missy—”

  “Hey, we were just about to go for some gelato, if you want to join us?”

  My eyes dart to Ares.

  He shakes his head ever so subtly, ensuring his sister doesn’t see.

  My face goes hot with embarrassment.

  I knew he wouldn’t want me to go, but I never thought he’d be so cold and actually tell me to say no.

  That feeling of being disliked and my complete and utter loneliness hits me at a whole new level.

  “I, um…” I’m stumbling over my words. “I can’t. I have to…” I can’t think of anything to say; my mind has gone blank. “Cheese,” I suddenly blurt out. “I need to buy cheese.”

  Missy chuckles. “So, we’ll get your cheese on the way to the gelato place. We’re not taking no for an answer, are we, A?” She nudges him with her elbow.

  He frowns at me. “Apparently not.”

  And this is how I find myself sitting on a stool in a gelato shop across from a scowling Ares with his smiling sister, Missy, next to him.

  Aside from the pissed off football player there, throwing daggers at me, it’s actually nice, talking to his sister. I can’t remember the last time I did this…just hung out and ate ice cream.

  Probably before my mom died.

  “So, you guys have another brother?” I say to Missy. “The boxer. Zeus, right?”

  “Yep. Zeus is our big brother. And there’s also my twin brother, Lo,” Missy tells me.

  “Wow. You have a twin. So cool.”

  “Not as cool as you’d think. He’s like a menstrual cycle—”

  “For fuck’s sake!” Ares groans.

  She rolls her eyes at him, and I laugh.

  “A menstrual cycle?” I cough out.

  “Yep. He’s like this thing I have, and I wouldn’t function right without him, but he gives me serious cramps.”

  My eyes are watering with laughter by this point. I can’t think of the last time I laughed this hard. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I laughed for real.

  I wipe at my eyes, my laughter dying down.

  “What about you, Arianna? Any brothers or sisters?” Missy asks me.

  “No. No brothers or sisters. And call me Ari. Everybody does,” I say. Well, people who actually call me by my given name.

  “An only child. I’ve always thought that would be incredibly lonely,” she says, sounding genuinely concerned for me.

&n
bsp; You have no idea.

  “It was okay.” I shrug. “It meant I didn’t have to share any of my stuff.”

  “Well, I was reading this article the other day, and it said that only children are overachievers, and they tend to be leaders.”

  “Yeah, and they’re also selfish and spoiled.”

  “Ares Kincaid!” Missy cries out. “Ari is not spoiled.”

  My cheeks are hot with embarrassment.

  “I never said she was. But you don’t even know her to make that assumption,” he tosses back at her before his eyes shift to mine. And those judging eyes of his are saying, But I know you. I know who you are. A worthless drunk.

  I want to tell him that he doesn’t know a thing about me, but what would be the point? He’s already made his mind up about me.

  “I’ve seen enough to know that she’s a sweet person,” Missy says, smiling kindly at me.

  I try to return her smile, but it feels off.

  Ares stares at her, his eyes softening in that way only a sibling’s can. Then, he wraps an arm around her neck, pulling her to him, and presses an affectionate kiss to her forehead.

  She pushes him away, feigning irritation, but I can tell she secretly loves it.

  I know I would if I had a brother who cared for me like he clearly does her.

  “Ignore my brother. He’s being a butthead today.” She turns back to me. Elbow on the table, she rests her chin in her hand. “Tell me about you,” she says to me.

  “Uh…there’s not really much to tell,” I say around a spoonful of salted caramel gelato, trying to cool my heated face down.

  She is so bright and positive, like a ray of sun, and her positivity is infectious, unlike her asshole brother.

  I’m sitting here, trying to soak up as much of her zeal as I can. I really don’t want to bring down the mood with tales of my miserable existence.

  “Sure there is!” She rings out a laugh. “Okay, I’ll ask questions. Are you from New York?”

  “Nope.” I shake my head.

  “Didn’t think so. You don’t sound like a native.”

  “I’m from Atlanta originally,” I tell her. “But we moved around a bit with my dad’s job, so I’ve lived in quite a few places. My accent is a bit of a mixed bag.”

  “Best place you’ve lived?” she asks.

  “Here.” I smile.

  I jolt when I hear Ares’s voice talk in my direction. “Makes sense. There are a lot of bars in New York. Plenty of places to party.” The dig is blatant and cruel.

  My eyes flash up to his. His are on me. Steady and hard and judgmental.

  My face burns with humiliation. I dig my spoon into my gelato, staring down at it.

  “Speaking of bars,” Missy says, obviously unaware of the tension between us, “we’re going to check out this new club tonight. Ares got VIP tickets. You should come with us.”

  Shit.

  “Oh. Um…”

  “If you don’t have plans already, that is.”

  I could say I have plans. I should say that. But I don’t want to lie to Missy. She’s being so nice to me. And it’s not like Ares won’t tell her anyway after we’ve left here.

  Honestly, I’m half-expecting him to say it now and beat me to it.

  But I won’t give him the satisfaction.

  I am who I am, and I shouldn’t be ashamed of that.

  I’m sober now, and that’s what matters.

  I look up at Missy and try to smile, but I’m not sure that I pull it off. “Bars aren’t my scene anymore. I’m in recovery. Six months sober. But I really do appreciate you inviting me.”

  “Oh,” she says, her bright eyes dimming a little as they move to Ares, who’s surprisingly staring at me.

  When she looks back to me, the expression on her brow…it’s like she’s just figured something out.

  That I’m a mess. A loser. And definitely not the kind of person she wants to befriend.

  Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

  “That’s amazing, Ari. Not the drinking problem, of course.” She slaps a hand to her head. “Sorry. That came out sounding wrong. I meant, you being sober. That’s a big deal. You should be really proud of yourself.”

  Warmth glows in my chest. The only other person who’s said that to me is Luke.

  “I am.” I smile.

  I don’t look at Ares, but I can practically feel him burning holes into my head with his fire eyes.

  “Have you celebrated the milestone?” she asks me.

  “Um…no. Well, Luke, my sponsor, brought in a cupcake for me when I received my six-month chip, so there was that.”

  “Okay, so we’re totally doing something. Oh, I know! We should go to the movies. Have you seen The Greatest Showman?”

  I shake my head.

  “Me either, but I’ve heard it’s amazing.”

  “Honestly, you don’t have to change your plans on my account.”

  “She’s right. Listen to her,” Ares says low.

  Missy gives him a dirty look. “It’s just a club. It’s not going anywhere. You can use the tickets anytime, right?”

  He folds his arms. “It’s not the point.”

  “It’s totally the point. But, if it bothers you so much, you still go. Ari and I will go to the movies together.”

  His eyes flash to me, a look of distrust in them. Then, he heaves out a sigh. “Fine. We’ll go to the movies.”

  He doesn’t trust me with his sister.

  That cuts me to the core.

  What does he think I’m going to do? Turn her into an alcoholic?

  “Really, it’s fine,” I say quietly. “You should totally go to the club.”

  “I’m not really in the mood to go clubbing tonight anyway. A date with Zac Efron sounds so much more appealing.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Ares grumbles.

  “And I’m guessing you don’t already have plans,” she says to me, ignoring Ares. “Otherwise, you would have said so by now.”

  “I don’t have plans,” I admit.

  She grins. “Then, it’s settled.” She claps her hands together. “We’re going to the movies.”

  I’m standing outside the movie theater where I arranged to meet Missy and, unfortunately, Mr. Perfect at seven thirty. My hair is down and wavy. I’m wearing a little makeup, my black skinny jeans with ripped knees, a gray sweater, my leather jacket, and my pink Dr. Martens. I have my bag slung over my shoulder, containing all the usual stuff, plus an umbrella because my luck with rain recently has not been good.

  I’m stupidly excited for this evening. I spent way too much time getting ready for a night at the cinema. But, when you get out as little as I do, you have to make the most of it.

  I got here a bit early, so I’ve been waiting a while. But they are a little late. I check the time on my phone again. Seven forty.

  The movie starts at seven forty-five; that’s why we agreed to meet at seven thirty. Give us time to get tickets and food.

  A sinking feeling of being stood up starts to take root.

  Maybe Ares told Missy what I did. The drunk-driving, crashing my ex’s car into that wall. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did tell her. It’s no secret that he hates me, and I got the distinct impression he doesn’t want me spending time with his sister.

  Maybe he told her all the bad things about me, and she changed her mind about coming. I wouldn’t blame her.

  No. She’s a good person. She wouldn’t do that—stand me up like this. Ares would. But not Missy.

  And she’s only ten minutes late, for goodness’ sake. Chill out, Ari.

  A gust of wind blows past, kicking up my hair. I wrap my arms around my chest and shift on my feet, trying to ward off the chill.

  “Jailbird.”

  I turn at the sound of Ares’s voice saying my name. Christ, not my name! The jerk even has me responding to it now.

  “Please don’t call me that.” I frown at him, not even able to feel relief that he’s here and I haven’t been s
tood up, like I feared.

  He doesn’t say anything, just stands there in front of me like a big tree.

  I glance past him. “Where’s Missy?”

  “She’s not coming. She had me come tell you that she’s sorry, but her best friend’s having a baby, and she went into early labor a few hours ago. She tried to call you on your work phone, but it went straight to voice mail.”

  “Oh…” Disappointment swells inside me. “My dad told me to turn it off when I’m not working, so I don’t get calls from any of the players at stupid times of the day.”

  “Well, whatever. She left you a voice mail, explaining.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, thank you for coming to tell me. I know you probably didn’t want to. But I appreciate it all the same.”

  He’s staring down at me, arms folded over his chest.

  “Well”—I step back away from him—“bye then.”

  I turn to leave, but his voice stops me.

  “Where are you going?”

  I glance back at him. “Home.”

  “Didn’t you want to watch this stupid movie?”

  “Well, yes…”

  “So, why are you going home?”

  Good question.

  I can still watch it even though Missy couldn’t make it. I’m an independent woman. I can go to the movies alone. If I don’t, I’ll just go home and probably watch a movie on Netflix. I might as well watch a movie here, where I’ll be surrounded by other people for a few hours even if they are strangers.

  “Yeah, I think I will still watch it,” I say more to myself than him, turning toward the cinema. “Thanks again for coming to let me know about Missy. And would you please tell her that I said congratulations to her friend on her new baby?”

  I don’t wait for his response as I turn to go inside the theater.

  I reach the door when I realize that he’s behind me.

  I stop and glance back at him. “Um, what are you doing?”

  “Same thing you are. Going to watch the film.”

  “You want to watch this movie? You just said a few minutes ago that it was stupid.”

  “I have no desire to watch this movie at all. But I promised my sister that I wouldn’t let you watch it alone. So, here I am.” He spreads his hands out, and I frown.

  “Seriously, you don’t need to do me any favors.”