He really rubs me the wrong way.
“Shut the fuck up, Devon! Sure, I know Margaux isn't a saint but she's still my sister. She was really upset last night and you weren't the one who had to dry her tears and hold her hair back while she threw up for twenty minutes.”
The guys look at me in an uncomfortable silence and Teague is the first one to talk.
“Sorry, dude. You know I hate slut shaming. After all who are we to talk? You and I have been fucking more girls than Margaux has guys. The thing is that your sister has a real mean streak. Last night she cornered me and told me that Aubrey is a slut and asked me if I knew that she's fucking you and Landon behind my back and that she was upstairs in the bathroom with Devon for a long time.”
Landon chimes in.
“Yeah, can you say something to her? I don't want people at school to say mean stuff about Aubrey. It's already bad enough that Devon and Teague yelled at her in front of the whole team when they thought that she'd fucked with our drinks. I don't want her to start saying that she's fucking all of us. After all, it isn't just fucking, right?”
That's something we can all agree with.
We all know that we’re serious about Aubrey and none of us is looking for just a hookup.
“Right. Dude, you’ve known my sister since kindergarten. You know how she gets when she doesn't get her way. I already told her to mind her own business.”
Teague looks deep in thought and after considering my words for a second, he says that the situation will improve when Aubrey makes a choice.
“At that point she’ll have only one boyfriend and no one will talk.”
There's silence among us and this time Devon shakes his head.
“Well, as of last night she hadn't made up her mind. We had sex and I told her that I love her. And she said that despite feeling the same, she had the same feelings for all of you assholes and she had no idea how she’d ever choose.”
Teague smirks.
“Maybe you didn't fuck her well enough. After all we know you completely missed your mark the first time ...”
Devon snaps at him.
“Judging by the way I made her moan and scream last night, I put things right. And you're one to talk! You fucked her too. And so did Knox. So if anything, either we all sucked or—”
I interrupt him.
“So she’s had sex with all of us?”
Landon shakes his head.
“We’ve done ... stuff. But we haven't gone all the way yet.”
We’re all surprised.
“Why not?”
Landon shrugs.
“I told her that if I made love to her and then she chose one of you, I’d be too devastated and that I’m willing to wait until she's sure.”
Devon doesn't take it well.
“You, motherfucker! Is this your shitty tactic? You don't sleep with her to make her choose you?”
“No, dude! I just—”
We all look at each other, each of us at a loss on how to get out of this uncomfortable situation.
Landon continues.
“I wasn't trying to make her choose me by holding out on her. If anything I almost don't want her to choose because right now, even if we have to share, I know that my heart isn't broken. If it was entirely up to me, I’d rather stay his way than lose Aubrey.”
Teague sounds indignant.
“What the fuck, dude? You’d rather share?”
“Think about it. Like that, none of us will have a broken heart. Would it be so terrible if we all dated her? After all her sister was dating the whole A-Team.”
Devon shakes his head.
“I wasn't here last year but I’ve heard. It’d never work between us. We can't even decide who gets to see her without almost coming to blows. Those guys were best friends. They did everything together.”
Landon insists.
“But we're teammates. We can learn to get along for her sake.”
I put in my two cents.
“Yeah. It would be good not to be dumped for one of you. But I don't know if we could ever share her. For something like that to work, we need trust among us. And we don't have that. Devon fucking thought that I fucked with your drinks to get his QB1 spot and get a better chance with Aubrey.”
Devon reacts.
“I didn't think that. Actually your sister suggested it. And that made me think that you could've been working together.”
I shake my head: I need to have a heart to heart with Margaux when we’re both sober and she isn't bawling her eyes out about some douche not liking her enough to ask her on a third date.
I understand that she feels threatened by my feelings for Aubrey but I wish she accepted that nothing will ever change my love for my sister and tried becoming friends with my girlfriend, rather than spreading lies to split us up.
But going back to the topic at hand, I observe my teammates and rivals to Aubrey's heart and I wonder if we could ever develop a relationship among us that would allow us to coexist as her boyfriends.
Aubrey
THE DOORBELL RINGS and I get my purse and keys and check that I have my phone with me too.
The guys weren't too happy with the arrangement that Tyler will be my ride to this dinner at my parents’ house, but I tried to explain that we're both under pressure to be ‘friends’ and showing up together would definitely appease our parents.
I open the door and Tyler’s standing there in a tailored navy blue blazer and a pale blue shirt.
He isn't wearing a tie and his dark blue jeans make his outfit look classy and informal at the same time.
His black hair skims his jaw and he has a very light stubble making him look more grown up than normal.
“You look stunning.”
He compliments me and I can't help but feel my cheeks heat up under his perusal.
I opted for a blue silk top with spaghetti straps embellished with same tone crystals and a simple white pencil skirt with a golden zipper on the back.
Blue heels and a matching purse complete my look.
Tyler follows me to the passenger side of his Tesla and closes the car door once I get in.
The conversation is casual during the short ride to my parents and I’m grateful that he didn't turn out to be a complete douche or hanging out with him would've been a real chore.
We’re the last ones to arrive and one of the maids ushers us to the poolside dining area at the back of the house where our parents are enjoying a glass of champagne.
Tyler's dad is the first one to shake my hand.
Jason Cohen is a tall, elegant man with an athletic physique and prematurely silver grey hair that somehow give him a sexy George Clooney look rather than making him look older than his mid-forties age range.
Tyler’s mom is a statuesque brunette with vibrant hazel eyes, and an exotic accent.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs Cohen.”
“Oh, call me Giselle. And let's toast to my son’s gorgeous new girlfriend!”
She grabs two flutes of champagne from a silver tray and offers one each to me and Tyler.
I take the glass and my mind is going into overdrive: do I tell her first that I'm underage and my daddy doesn't allow us to drink alcohol in front of him until we're twenty one, or do I address the fact that she called me Tyler's girlfriend and that's definitely not the case?
I open my mouth to say something but Tyler interjects and comes to stand next to me, putting a warning hand to the small of my back.
“My mom's French, Aubrey. And in France people drink champagne way before they're twenty one. In Europe eighteen is old enough to drink legally anyway and my parents don't mind me enjoying a drink or two. Is that ok, Mrs Richmond?”
He looks at my mom and she smiles indulgently.
“I guess we can make an exception tonight, since we're celebrating your father signing a contract with RGS.”
Daddy raises his glass and proposes a toast:
“To our new CEO and shareholder! And to a long
and fruitful friendship between our families. Cheers!”
“Tchin, tchin! (Pronounced ‘chin, chin’ is a common French toast, equivalent to our ‘cheers’)”.
I'm about to address the fact that Giselle is convinced that I’m her son’s girlfriend when Tyler shakes his head and mouths a ‘please’.
What the fuck is going on?
I step aside and grab Tyler's hand, dragging him away from our parents and towards the pool, out of earshot.
“Tyler, what the—”
He puts his hands forward, palms facing me in a defensive stance.
“I know, I know. I can explain. I'm sorry, Aubrey. I didn't say anything, I swear. My mom has been on my case since my ex-girlfriend dumped me. I took it pretty hard at first and she was worried. This is why she had the idea of making Dad ask your dad to hook us up. She thought that if I got someone here, I'd be ok to move and if we moved, I’d move on.”
I shake my head.
“Sure but from that to us ‘dating’, there's a long way.”
“I know. I don't know where she got the idea. I guess I was coming down every weekend to hang out with you and she thought ... sorry. I know I should've set her straight but she looked so happy about it. And so did Dad.”
He says it with a groan, and my fury fizzles out: I totally understand that kind of pressure, it's what made me move out of my parents house.
“Right. I won't say anything but once you guys are moved, could you please make us break up? If we don't set them straight, we’ll find us engaged to one another by graduation.”
I'll have to speak to my parents alone about this, before my daddy gets strange ideas in his head and decides that after all, his match making skills are on point.
I get that in his head Tyler and I are a perfect match but I’ll never let anyone dictate my love life.
And I have enough trouble as it is with choosing among my boys, without adding a fifth guy to the mix.
Dinner is served under a pergola in the still warm fall night and the conversation varies from the stock market, to corporate retreats, to charity events.
Until Giselle asks Tyler if he's already made plans for Prom.
Tyler mutters something about it being still months away but his mother doesn't seem to have any intention to take notice of it.
“It would be so awesome if you two were crowned King and Queen! In France we don't have Prom and I always dreamed of going when I watched American movies. So I have to live vicariously through you two. I'll have the place of honour on my mantle for a Prom photo of the two of you. Especially if you're crowned.”
I don't miss the chance of starting to chip at her marriage plans and observe that we can never be Prom King and Queen since we don’t go to the same school with Tyler being enrolled at Aylesbury Prep.
Tyler's mom has an ace up her sleeve though and her smile is triumphant when she announces that she's succeeded in securing a spot at BHPA for her son.
“It’ll cost us a large donation to the academy's sports program but you guys can go to school together. Tyler starts tomorrow.”
My eyes meet Tyler's and the lack of surprise in his gaze isn't lost on me.
“When did you think of telling me about this? Were you going to surprise me tomorrow morning?”
At least he has the decency to look embarrassed.
“I just heard about it yesterday myself. I —”
His parents are looking at my reaction with perplexed expressions and I decide not to carry on with my interrogation.
I know how much my parents hate being embarrassed in public, so I plan to make sure that Tyler understands that I'm not gonna go along with any arranged engagement plans no matter how much fucking pressure our families put on us.
I don't say much else during dinner and I make an excuse to leave as soon as we’re done with dessert.
Thankfully it's a school night, so no one can consider me rude for wanting an early night.
Tyler takes my hand in his after hugging both our mothers goodnight.
I plan to discuss a break-up with him, because being blindsided into a relationship, even if it's just for his parents’ benefit, left a bad taste in my mouth.
Especially since his mom seems way too excited about it all to leave us alone.
But as soon as I open my mouth, he turns the radio on quite high and I decide to wait until we're home to make it clear that I'm not pretending to be his girlfriend until Prom.
After all Margaux and half the cheer squad would be more than happy to be his date.
Tyler stops the car in Chaz’s driveway and kills the engine, so I look at him and I ask him what's up.
“Why didn't you text me or call me to tell me about you going to school with me and that we’re ‘dating’?”
He looks at me for a second and then he explains.
“At first I was trying to do some damage control and let my mom down gently, but she didn't wanna hear it. Then I thought: would it really be so bad if we were dating?”
“Seriously? Haven't you noticed that I’m taken?”
He shrugs.
“Oh, I’ve noticed all right. You're fucking most the offence team at school. Why not me too? Am I ugly? Or not rich enough?”
I scoff, annoyed by his attitude.
“No, you aren't ugly and I couldn't care less about money. I —”
His mouth comes crashing down on mine, his tongue trying to push its way into my mouth while one of his hands cups one of my boobs.
I instantly try to push him away and put some distance between us and he stops but looks at me with a surprised and wounded expression in his eyes.
We’re both panting hard, and in the confined space of his Porsche our breaths make all the windows fog up.
“What the fuck’s wrong with you, Tyler? I said, I have a boyfriend!”
He tries to take my hand but I jerk away from his touch.
“Come on, Aubrey! Stop being a fucking prude! You're fucking four other guys, so don't act all innocent now! I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you and I swear that I’m an excellent fuck, you can ask Margaux, Rachel, and Macy. I wanna see what has half of the football players at school so crazy about you.”
“Tyler, it's not how you think. I'm not hooking up with half the football team. I'm dating Knox, Devon, Teague, and Landon. I have feelings for each of them. I don't hook up and I honestly don't know how I’ll choose. So knock it off, because whatever you think is going on between me and you, you're fucking wrong.”
Tyler lowers his gaze.
“I’m sorry, Aubrey. I really like you though. I thought that you were just playing hard to get. Will you forgive me? I'll set my parents straight tomorrow. But please forgive me, I was an ass.”
I nod.
“Ok. But no more surprise kisses, ok?”
Tyler nods.
“Can I hug you goodnight? I promise I won't try anything weird.”
I sigh: he acted like a real idiot but he stopped immediately when I said no.
So I nod and let him hug me and kiss my cheek.
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU think you're doing, motherfucker? I’m gonna kill you if you even look at her again, I swear!”
Devon pulls Tyler out of the car and throws him on the paved floor of my driveway.
When Tyler tries to react, drawing his fist against Devon, Knox punches him square in the jaw, sending him back down onto the floor.
“If you wanna walk out of here on your own two legs, I suggest you apologise to my girlfriend, asshole!”
Teague’s voice comes from behind Tyler's back.
The car door on my side opens and Landon offers me his hand to help me out of the Porsche, before wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders.
“Are you all right, sweetie? Did he hurt you?”
The situation keeps escalating among the others.
“Dude! You ruined my shirt! I’m fucking bleeding. Way to punch a guy when he doesn't expect it! Come at me now and I’ll
teach you—”
Devon’s voice sounds like a menacing growl.
“If your ass doesn't leave this driveway immediately and if we even see you look at our girlfriend, you're gonna wish you never came to LA, and that's a fucking promise!”
“Guys, enough! Can we not turn this into a huge fight?”
I roll my eyes.
I had the situation under control but obviously now Tyler wants to pick a fight with the guys.
Knox protests.
“He was groping you!”
“I just tried to kiss her but when she said no—”
“Ha! So you admit it!”
“Can you all shut up? Seriously!”
I raise my voice and they finally all look at me long enough for me to explain what happened.
THE GUYS FINALLY STOP fighting but their expressions relax only when Tyler drives off leaving the five of us standing in the middle of Chaz’s driveway.
When the adrenaline that had flooded my body when I was getting ready to have to break off the Beverly Hills edition of ‘Fight Club’ suddenly abandons my system, I collapse against Landon.
He guides me toward the house and once he has me on the couch, he sits next to me whispering comforting words in my ear.
But when the others enter the room one by one, I wonder if I need to prepare for another fight.
Each of the guys has a possessive look in his eyes and this can't possibly end well.
20.
Together
Aubrey
THE GUYS SURROUND ME all eager to check on me and after reassuring them that I’m fine, I explain what happened at dinner and that our families behaviour must've convinced Tyler that we could be more than friends.
Devon shakes his head.
“That motherfucker! I mean, I don't blame him for wanting you, baby, but that asshole needs to be careful from now on. One wrong look in your direction and—”
Knox agrees with Devon and his gaze is dark and still menacing.
“He tried to put his hands on you. I knew that you going to that dinner with him wasn't a good idea. I should've insisted on driving you. If he’d done something to you, I would've never forgiven myself.”
The Retribution: A High School Light Bully Romance (Beverly Hills Prep Academy Book 3) Page 24