by A. L. Moore
“With Tonya,” Jayson said knowingly, staring toward the bending branches. “I thought so.”
“I was in the parking lot at the movies.”
“Yeah, I saw you when I pulled in,” he nodded.
I thought he’d be angry. If anything, he looked resigned. I felt sad for him. For all of them. They were so used to using people, it didn’t warrant a reaction anymore.
“I’m not going to tell Robyn,” I offered. Not when her sin was the same.
“Thanks,” he shrugged. “I mean, Robyn’s pretty sharp. She knows what’s up, but it’d sure save me a hassle. I don’t think she suspects Tonya.”
“Don’t thank me,” I said, watching him run his hand through his thick head of hair. It was well on its way to catching Liam, making him look more like the picture in Robyn’s room. “I’m not doing it for you.” As much as I hated Robyn right now, I didn’t wish this pain on anyone. It was one thing to suspect Jayson was cheating, but to have it thrown in your face, was way worse. I couldn’t get the image of Liam’s lips on Tonya’s out of my mind.
I was about to ask Jayson what possessed him to do that to Robyn when the back doorknob turned. Without a glance at the window, I bolted down the dark steps, hugging my chest against the damp wind. I hit the grass in full stride, my hair flying away from my face.
“Justice,” Liam’s deep voice yelled after me, but I didn’t stop. My mom was right; people let you down.
It was childish to run from him, but it was fight or flight and my legs had decided for me. Besides, there was nothing he could say. I had no desire to see an encore performance of him groping Tonya. If I let him off the hook, it was sure to happen again. My stomach couldn’t handle it, and neither could my eyes. I dashed through the open area to the cover of the waiting trees, ducking under a shiny, wet spider’s web. The dark was more inviting than the cabin, even with all the creepy crawlers out for blood. At least the spider’s web wasn’t hidden behind a set of melted chocolate eyes and a sly grin. If the fly had been paying attention, he wouldn’t have been snagged.
The humid air was making my clothes stick to my skin and perspiration swell at my neck. Even the rain that fell was hot. Liam was gaining ground quickly. His footsteps were close behind. I had almost made it to the open area where we had target practice when he caught me.
“I’m sorry,” he said not nearly as winded as I was. He caught my hand, stopping me in my tracks. I couldn’t look at him. If I looked at him, I’d lose it. My lungs struggled to catch up with me.
“I’m so sorry, Justice. I didn’t know she was coming,” he insisted, “not until after I left your house.”
“You should’ve told me,” I said angrily, trying to pry his fingers from my arm. “How hard is it to send a text?”
“You wouldn’t have come,” he said, jerking me to his chest when I pulled away and forcing me to look at him. “I wanted to see you,” he said almost painfully. “Didn’t you want to see me?”
And there it was, the look, formulated from the pits of Hell to obliterate the hearts of teenaged girls everywhere.
“You know I do,” I started, “but not with some other girl’s tongue stuck down your throat.”
“There was no tongue on my part,” he said defensively.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Liam,” I said, rolling my eyes. “This isn’t a game to me.”
“You think this is a game to me?” he asked, tilting his head. “She caught me off-guard. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Not kissing her back would’ve been a good start. You had to know everyone was watching. That I was watching.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, again. “It’s like a reflex at this point. I don’t even think about it with her.” Breathing was a reflex. Kissing Tonya was like inhaling toxic fumes from a nuclear waste explosion.
I tried to jerk my arm away, but he wouldn’t let go. Grabbing my chin, he said, “It’s different with you, Justice.” Even upset, hearing him say my name made my knees weak. “I want to be with you. She means nothing to me.”
A door slammed in the distance, drawing our attention.
Liam’s face changed subtly as if something just occurred to him. “I didn’t particularly enjoy seeing you disappear with my brother.”
“You’re reaching.”
“Am I?” His steady gaze was getting harder to fight. He leaned infinitely closer.
“If you don’t keep Tonya off you, I’ll do whatever I want with your brother,” I breathed, my words coming out shakier than I intended.
“Oh, you will?” he said, close enough for his warm breath to touch my lips.
He gently curved my hair behind my ear, his finger trailing down to my throat. The chills racing down my body chased away what little resistance I had left. I realized that running from him had been a wasted effort. I never stood a chance. He swept me up on to the tips of my toes and kissed me in such a way that there was no way to doubt his argument about kissing Tonya. He was telling the truth. He had to be. If he’d kissed her like this, the cabin would have ignited. I clutched his shirt tightly, my body caving to his, clay in his knowledgeable hands.
It was easy to forget Tyler and Marco with Liam invading my senses. Forgetting Tonya was more of a challenge. The sickening cheap tinge of her perfume lingered on his collar. The smell only added fuel to my fire. I would kiss every cheap memory of her out of his head.
Unlike in my bedroom, Liam was the one who tried to pull away this time. I heard Tyler’s voice in the distance, but I wasn’t ready to let go yet. I held firmly to Liam’s biceps, keeping his arms around me. The closer Tyler came, the deeper I kissed Liam until at last, his hands were pressed firmly into my lower back. It was almost too easy. He was kissing me back now just as intensely, matching me step for step away from our intruder until we met with the hard bark of an oak tree. I gasped as Liam’s hands moved beneath the back of my shirt, creating a cushion.
The next time, Tyler’s voice wasn’t as muffled. I could hear the leaves crunching beneath his feet. I spun out of Liam’s arms.
“What should we do?” I asked flustered.
Liam smirked and pulled me back to his chest. “I thought you wanted to kiss me,” he said, running his teeth along the edge of my ear.
“Liam,” Tyler yelled just on the other side of the bushes.
“Liam!” I said under my breath, pushing him away.
“Stay here,” he chuckled, his eyes playful and teasing. “I’ll take off.”
I grabbed his hand, my eyes growing wide. “You’re just going to leave me here, alone with him?”
“I won’t be far,” he grinned, tucking his hair behind his ear. “Tell him you came out for air and got turned around.” Lies seemed to be everyone’s specialty around here.
I waited until Liam disappeared before turning back to see Tyler. “Justice?” he asked, surprise registering on his face. “What are you doing out here?
I fed him Liam’s story and he bought it hook, line and sinker. Apparently, a girl getting lost in the woods wasn’t much of a stretch for his imagination.
“You should’ve come and got me,” he said. “There are snakes in these woods. John killed a Copperhead last night that was trying to get into the smoker.” I cringed, my eyes searching the dark ground.
“You haven’t seen Liam, have you?” he asked, glancing up when a limb snapped in the distance. I held my breath until his eyes returned to me. “Tonya’s looking for him.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, I can’t help you, but I did hear a bike earlier. Are you sure he didn’t leave?”
He scratched his head and looked back through the trees. “Who knows with those two? They’re fighting one minute and shaking the sheet-rock the next.”
As much as I tried, I couldn’t keep the sickening image he’d just created out of my head. I wondered if he was baiting me. There was a smile in front of my clinched teeth, just in case. I followed him back inside, keeping my hands in my pockets, hoping he wouldn’t touch me. To
nya was standing by the living room window when we came through the door. The mascara was so heavy around her eyes, it was hard to tell if she was upset or if she’d purposely applied it like that.
“Didn’t see him,” Tyler shrugged. “Justice said she heard a bike. Maybe he left.”
Robyn rolled her eyes and shot me a disparaging look from where she lounged on the couch, her dark hair stretched over a throw pillow.
“His bike is right there,” Tonya insisted, pointing out the window.
“I saw him go out the back door,” Robyn spoke up, eyeballing me. “Are you sure you didn’t see him, Justice? He was right behind you.”
I couldn’t believe she was getting involved. What was she trying to do get me killed?
“I was out there, too,” Jayson stepped in, staring daggers at Robyn. “Liam hopped over the railing and disappeared. “Probably just blowing off steam.”
“Steam about what?” Tonya said annoyed, twisting her coarse hair up her orange-tinted neck.
I grabbed my bag and started down the hall to the bathroom, putting my back against the door until I was sure no one had followed. The lock on the door was broken. I put my bag in the sink and fixed my smudged eye liner. It looked almost as bad as Tonya’s. I could clearly see the deck from the window and Liam on the steps. I turned on the sink and tapped on the glass, waving him in. I debated changing into the t-shirt I’d brought to sleep in but decided against it, hoping Liam would figure out a way to get us out of here before I’d need it. After making sure I in no way resembled the mess that was Tyler's sister, I made my way back down the hall.
Liam was sitting at the kitchen table with the other guys, shuffling a deck of cards, while Tonya sat with Robyn on the couch in the living room like they were best friends. Liam smiled over his cards and nodded for me to join him. I looked around the room, but no one else saw him.
“Justice, is it?” Tonya spoke up before I could take a step. “Come sit with us. I’m tired of hearing Robyn talk about Jayson.”
I bet she was. She could probably tell Robyn some things about Jayson.
“Yeah Justice, sit down with us,” Robyn said a little too eagerly, making room between the two of them.
“Maybe in a minute.” I glanced back to the card game. “I think I’m going to get something to drink first.”
I poured a shot of whiskey, watching Tonya and Robyn over the amber liquid. I could do this. I just needed a little liquid courage to pave the way. I waited until Tonya and Robyn were absorbed in each other again before making my move. I pulled out the chair between Jayson and Liam. It screeched loudly against the wooden floor. Ordinarily this move would’ve been a red flag, but since it was the only chair left, no one batted an eye.
“You got to play to stay,” Liam said, hiding a grin, his hand disappearing from the table to my thigh.
All eyes were on me. “Deal me in,” I said, clearing my throat.
Liam whispered some pointers in my ear. The small gesture drew more than goosebumps along my neck; we now had an audience.
“You’ve never played before?” Alec asked, suddenly interested from where he stared at his phone on the counter.
“Not Poker.”
“You got any money?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.
“I’ll back her,” Liam said, laying a twenty on the table.
“Liam,” I started to argue. I didn’t want to lose his money and if I played, it was inevitable.
“It’s fine,” he shushed me, shaking his head as Alec pulled over a stool.
Liam exchanged a loaded glance with Tyler and leaned closer to me. “Alec won big the last time,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. I could feel blood rushing to my face. “It’s time for him to give some back.”
I glanced at my cards, unsure of exactly what to look for. I had two kings, and I knew a pair was good for something, so I didn’t ask for more cards. John doubled the pot, and Liam and Tyler folded. Liam looked over my shoulder, squeezing my leg and adding more money to the pot on my behalf. Jayson and John folded next.
“No helping her, Liam,” Alec bellowed, staring holes into his cards.
Tonya and Robyn were in the doorway now. Everyone was watching the game. I felt Liam start to pull away, so I slipped my hand on top of his.
“Let’s see it,” Alec said, shifting nervously in his chair.
“You first,” I countered, trying to sound like I knew what I was doing.
He looked at me annoyed and laid the cards on the table. “Pair of ladies.”
Liam hit the table and grinned proudly as I showed my hand.
“No way,” I said, shaking my head when Liam pushed the pot to me.
“It’s your money,” he insisted. “I just got you started. “If I were you, I’d take my winnings and run. That’s what Alec over there usually does.”
I pushed Liam’s hand from my leg when Tonya leaned in between us. She whispered something too low for me to hear.
“Are you serious?” he smirked, raising his eyebrow at her.
“All I’m saying is, it doesn’t look right for you to be giving money to some other girl.”
“You need counseling,” Liam countered, shuffling the cards. “We were just goading Alec.”
I slid a twenty his way. “It’s fine, Liam. I wouldn’t want you to end up on the floor tonight because of me.”
Tonya gladly took the money, sticking it in the side of her bra. The hot pink straps were sticking out around the large neck of the black baby-doll tee she wore. My words were not lost on Liam, or Jayson, who had an amused look on his face.
I wouldn’t be able to make it all night if Liam went into a bedroom with Tonya. I would leave, even if I had to walk every step of the way.
Tonya was still edging between us, practically in my lap. When I stood, she nearly hit the ground. I couldn’t stomach the two of them so close any longer. Jayson followed me into the living room, sitting between me and Robyn on the couch. Tonya stayed in the kitchen, perched more centered in Liam’s lap. It wasn’t fair that she got to be with him in front of everyone. Robyn didn’t like her. Jayson was fooling around with her. The whole charade was stupid. I wouldn’t have batted an eye to find out John and Alec had been with her, too.
She leaned her head back against Liam’s chest and kissed him when he won. He grinned, not looking in my direction. It was hard to distinguish the difference between when he was acting and when he wasn’t. I couldn’t see it. The more I watched, the angrier I became.
“You just going to sit here and watch them all night,” Jayson asked.
“I don’t know what else to do, I sighed, clinching my eyes shut. “Why does she have to hang all over him like that?”
“Because. She’s. His. Girlfriend,” Robyn said as if I had a couple screws lose.
“What’s your deal?” I snapped, realizing too late that the words had come out of my mouth.
She reared back at my tone. “Because you are being ridiculous. Liam’s with Tonya. Jayson’s with me,” she said, her hand not so subtly grabbing high on the thigh of Jayson’s blue jeans. “Tonya isn’t doing anything wrong. You are the one screwing her man.”
“According to Liam, he’s not with her like that,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Why is it any of your business?”
“Why don’t you ask him, again,” she challenged, her green eyes sparkling like emeralds. “Ask him, right now, in front of her and everyone else. I’d love to hear his answer.”
“Leave her alone, Robyn,” Jayson sighed. It was clear he was used to her theatrics and drama.
“No, she needs to know,” Robyn said, licking the rolling paper Jayson passed her.
“Look at them, Justice,” she said, motioning to Tonya with the wave of her hand. Tonya was kissing Liam’s neck. “Does it look like he’s with her? Don’t let him play you for a fool. Call him out.
She knew I wouldn’t do it, but it wasn’t for the reason she thought. I wasn’t afraid of Liam’s answer. I was afraid
his answer would get us both killed.
“You don’t even like Tonya,” I argued. “Why are you siding with her?”
“I’m not siding with anyone,” she said simply. “All I’m saying is just because Liam took you for a ride doesn’t make him yours.”
It was when she said "ride" that everything clicked into place. Liam had taken her for a ride, too. That’s why his bike had been at her house at the beginning of the summer and why Tyler had questioned her about him at the store. Robyn wasn’t upset with me because of some sisterly bond with Tonya. She was upset with me because she wanted Liam, too.
Chapter 17. Truth
Tyler drummed his fingers along my arm as he passed, making my stomach queasy. I managed a smile when he caught my eye and waited until he was out of sight before attempting to rub away the icky feeling his spindly fingers had left behind. Jayson followed him out the back door, along with everyone else. I could hear gun shots before they even had time to get off of the deck. Everyone headed to the targets and the image of Liam holding Tonya as he had held me, kept me planted. Robyn stayed inside, too. She grabbed the pillow from the couch and headed down the hall. I debated confronting her. I knew it was trouble, but I was already harboring too many secrets.
The stench of vanilla incense met me in the hall. Robyn was in the main bedroom stretching worn sheets across a mattress that had seen better days.
“If you were hoping to get a visual, Tonya and Liam will be in the other room,” she said amused, not bothering to look at me. “Tonya’s not shy. She might even let you join.”
“You know, Robyn,” I started, leaning against the doorframe. I didn’t want to get trapped by going too far inside. “I used to think you were so cool, with all the guys and everything. I used to try to keep track of who you were dating.”
“How did that go for you?” she asked, trying to bring life back to a flat pillow.
“It wasn’t hard. I could always tell the ones you really liked from the losers you were using.”
She looked annoyed. “Where are you going with this?” she asked, pushing her long hair behind her shoulder. “If you’re about to admit to some lesbian crush, I’m not interested.”