Heart Stopper: Rebels of Rushmore Book One

by Hercules, Michelle

  23

  CHARLIE

  Can women get blue balls? I feel like that’s what I have. After the sex marathon of Saturday night, followed by the exact opposite on Sunday, I’m going through withdrawals. My pussy is in pain and missing Troy’s magical wand. He might have ruined me for other men, and at the same time turned me into a nymphomaniac.

  I haven’t seen him this morning. He did say he had an early appointment with the team’s physio. To be honest, I’m glad I missed him. I’m not used to the idea yet that I’m dating Troy. The situation is too surreal. But I can’t keep obsessing about him. It’s Monday, and I have to focus on the myriad of projects and tasks I’ve lined up for this week. I’m glad I finished my last editing job. The last thing I need is to read about a fictional character’s sex life when I’m purposely denying myself the best sex I’ve ever had.

  I spent an hour talking to Ben yesterday. He was still pretty sad about Bailey, just like me. But thankfully, his girlfriend was there to support him when I couldn’t. I still feel guilty as hell for ditching him last weekend. I have to make it up to him.

  My first class on Monday is two hours of Italian, which to everyone else seems like a curse. It never bothered me until today. My concentration is shot no matter how hard I try to pay attention to Professor Mantuano. I should be thankful he didn’t give us a quiz today. But two hours later, I have a headache that could bring down an elephant. I would have taken painkillers when it started, but I had no water with me, and I’m not one of those people who can swallow pills dry. I’d probably end up throwing up.

  As soon as the class is over, I make a beeline for the nearest cafeteria. I get distracted at the checkout line and hardly pay attention to the noise surrounding me. It’s not until the girl in front of me mentions the name Troy to her friend that my attention piques. I follow their line of sight and see that the ruckus was caused by the football team, who is taking up three tables in the middle of the room.

  My eyes immediately find Troy in the group, still wearing the sling. Andreas is sitting next to him, laughing at something someone said. Danny, the freshman who’s temporarily replaced Troy as the quarterback, is on Troy’s other side. He doesn’t seem to be into whatever it is that sent the entire table into a fit of roaring laughter.

  I can’t keep my eyes off Troy. He’s so fucking beautiful and sexy, more so now that I know what he’s capable of in the sack. Suddenly, he turns his head in my direction, and our gazes connect. The amusement vanishes from his face, replaced by pure heat.

  Fuck me. Even with the distance, I’m falling prey to his come-hither look.

  Someone taps me on the shoulder. “Hello? Do you mind moving along?”

  I realize then that the line has moved, and I’ve just been standing there like a moron, drooling over the quarterback like a football groupie.

  “Sorry,” I mumble.

  It’s my turn to pay, so I do so as quickly as possible, then hurry out of the cafeteria. I purposely avoid looking in Troy’s direction even if it’s hard. I’m glad he didn’t come talk to me. We haven’t discussed how we should behave in public. We agreed to date, but is he my boyfriend? Shit. Why didn’t we talk about that beforehand?

  I stop under a tree to finally take the painkillers, hoping they’ll start to work right away before I have to suffer through the next class. After that, I have to stop by the newspaper and then ho—

  A strong arm wraps around my waist, interrupting my train of thought and scaring the crap out of me. I shout, but a second later, Troy’s aftershave scent reaches my nose.

  “Troy, what the hell!”

  He laughs but doesn’t let go. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. You looked pretty distracted.”

  “I was.” I turn in his hold so I can properly glare at him. “What are you doing?”

  “You left the cafeteria so quickly. You didn’t even give me the chance to say hi.”

  “I have class in five minutes.”

  His eyes take on a mischievous gleam. “Good. Plenty of time for a proper greeting.”

  He pins me against the tree and then kisses me long and deep, melting me on the spot. His entire body presses against mine as his right leg nudges mine apart. We would be melded together if the sling wasn’t in the way. I should put a stop to it. We’re pretty much engaging in foreplay in front of everyone, and my panties are already soaked through. But I’m too weak to stop. I want more. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to win our bet after all.

  “Get a room!” a random guy yells.

  Troy chuckles against my lips and then steps back, leaving me breathless. At least my headache is gone, and I don’t think it was the painkillers’ doing.

  “Why are you laughing?” I ask, caught between arousal and embarrassment.

  “Because your face is redder than a tomato.”

  “Of course it is. You were dry-humping me against a tree!”

  He places a hand over his heart and makes a phony expression of indignation. “I was not. My, my, Charlie. You have one dirty mind. I guess you should declare defeat now because it’s clear to me who is going to lose the challenge.”

  I narrow my eyes to slits. “Aha! I see what you’re doing. You might have gotten me hot and bothered, Troy, but I’m not the one who has to return to my friends sporting a major boner.”

  The mirth vanishes from his face in an instant. He glances down, then puts his hand on his hip. “Shit. I guess I didn’t really think things through.” He looks up again. “That’s what I get for having such a sexy girlfriend.” He rewards me with a toothy grin. “You’d better hurry up or you’ll be late for your next class.”

  Crap. I lost track of time.

  I run across the quad, forgetting to give Troy a smartass retort for making me late. It’s okay. I can give him grief later at home. Maybe. Right now, I’m still processing the fact that he called me his girlfriend like it was the most obvious thing. Never mind that I had been agonizing about it not too long ago. How can he make everything so easy?

  Because he’s not overthinking everything like you, Charlie.

  A necessity because I’m traveling in uncharted territory. I like adventure and quests in fiction. In real life, I’m content to remain in my safe zone. And Troy is the opposite of that. In fact, I should probably program “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins as the ringtone for him.

  Troy is my boyfriend.

  A smile blossoms on my lips despite the fact that I hate being late.

  When I finally arrive to class—breathless and sporting a sheen of sweat on my forehead thanks to running here—I don’t care. Not even when Professor Ross glowers at me and calls me out for my tardiness in front of the entire lecture hall. I quickly take my usual seat and pretend to give a damn about the class, but I’ve already accepted the fact that I’m getting nothing done today.

  * * *

  It was easy to blow off my classes, but newspaper time is a different matter. Blake will never allow me to skate by and not do actual work.

  On my way to the office, Fred finds me, which is good because I do need to ask him for a favor.

  “Hey, Charlie. What’s the crack?”

  I snort. “What’s the crack? Are you Irish now?”

  “Ha, sorry. We have a new hire at the shop straight from Ireland. I’ve picked up a few things from him.”

  “That explains it. What did he have to say about your green hair? I bet he dug it, huh?”

  Fred quirks a brow. “Why? Because he’s Irish? Gee, Charlie, that was weak. You’re losing your mojo. That doesn’t have anything to do with a certain jock you were spotted sucking face with earlier, does it?”

  I stop in my tracks. “What? Where did you hear that?”

  “Through the grapevine. You’re trending on Twitter. Someone shot a video. Wanna see?”

  “No, I don’t want to see.”

  I turn around and continue toward the office. My face is in flames now. Curse Troy for kissing me like that in public.

  “So, you and
Troy, huh? When did that happen? I thought you hated his guts.”

  “I never hated his guts. I had an intense dislike for the guy.”

  “You have clearly moved on from that.” He chuckles.

  “Clearly.”

  The newspaper office finally looms closer. I was hoping Fred would just go on his way and leave me alone, but the pest follows me in. I should have known. He’s a dog with a bone and he won’t stop teasing me until something else catches his attention.

  Blake is already at his desk, typing away with determination, but he stops to glance at us. I can’t tell if he knows about my faux pas or not. He’s pretty good at keeping his expression guarded.

  “Are you two dating now?” Fred asks loudly in front of him.

  Great.

  “Who is Charlie dating?” Blake asks.

  I groan, rolling my eyes as I take my seat. “Why are you two being such busybodies today?”

  “If you didn’t want anyone butting in your business, you should have kept your affairs private,” Fred retorts with a smirk.

  The last thing I want is to tell Blake I’m dating Troy, but keeping it secret will be impossible considering the biggest gossiper in our group already knows. Besides, if it’s on Twitter, it’s only a matter of time until Blake stumbles across that.

  I open my mouth to give him the news when Angelica comes into the office and blurts, “You’re dating Troy Alexander?” Her voice is high-pitched, and she has manic eyes, like a small dog that just spotted a ball.

  I rest my head in my hand, sighing loudly. “Fantastic.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Blake asks her.

  “Oh my God. What kind of newspaper editor are you? Charlie’s make-out session with Troy in front of the cafeteria building is trending like crazy on Twitter.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” he replies.

  I glance at him. “It’s true. Troy and I are together.”

  Blake’s eyebrows shoot to the heavens. “Since when?”

  “Since this weekend.”

  “But he’s an asshole. You hate him.”

  “Why do you guys keep saying I hate him? That’s not true. I had a deep dislike for him. It’s different.”

  “Not really,” Fred pipes up. “But what made you change your mind?”

  “Several things. I don’t want to get into it now.”

  Blake shakes his head, then returns to his computer screen. “I could tell you that dating Troy is a big mistake, but you’re a smart woman. You know that already.”

  His snide remark does what he intended. It pisses me off. Not because he thinks I’m making a mistake, but because he knows I do believe that. That’s what happens when your friend knows you inside and out.

  “Why is she making a mistake?” Angelica asks. “Troy is hot as hell. Any girl on campus would die to go out with him.”

  “And yet he’s a senior and has never dated anyone,” Blake points out.

  “Are you implying he’s a player? If so, you’re dead wrong. That’s his best friend, Andreas Rossi,” Angelica replies.

  “Oh yeah, that Neanderthal who almost punched Fred for just talking to Troy’s sister. You can tell a lot about a person simply by the company they keep.”

  For fuck’s sake. I’m done with Blake’s bad attitude. “Really? So what does that say about me? Because you’re being a real jerk right now,” I snap.

  “He must be jealous,” Angelica chimes in.

  “Oh, that’s not it,” Blake refutes.

  “Ignore him, Charlie.” Fred sits on the edge of my desk. “I don’t think Troy is that bad. He was pretty friendly at game night. His hothead friend was the one who kind of ruined the evening.”

  I nod. “Yeah, Andreas can be a prick. Speaking of which, I need your help with putting him in his place.”

  His eyes widen. “Oh? I’m all ears.”

  “I was wondering if I could get a custom prop from you.”

  “You mean a freebie?” He smirks knowingly.

  I’ve hit him up before for free stuff for our LARP events. He’s usually pretty chill about it since he also benefits from it.

  “Yeah, you know I can’t afford to pay. I wouldn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars only to prank Andreas either. He’s not worth that much trouble.”

  “It really depends on what kind of prop you have in mind.”

  “Nothing major. I just need a head.”

  “A head?”

  “Yeah, a severed head.” I smile wickedly.

  “Oh my God. You want to pull the severed head in the fridge stunt on him. Awesome!”

  “Yep. So, can you help?”

  “You bet I can, girlie. But on one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “You have to record the whole thing.”

  I lean back in my chair, smiling from ear to ear. “That goes without saying. If it’s not caught on film, it didn’t happen. We’re pulling the prank at his Halloween party.”

  “Awesome! Man, I wish I could come, but I already have plans.”

  “You can’t possibly mean that after that douche Andreas almost punched you in the face for talking to Jane.” Blake glowers at Fred.

  He scoffs. “I’m not afraid of him.”

  “Oh, I want to come. Andy is such a dreamboat.” Angelica makes googly eyes.

  Oh crap. I forgot she was in the room. I shouldn’t have talked about the prank in front of her.

  “Sure, you can come, but on the condition that you won’t say a word to anyone about the prank.”

  “Yeah, Angie. Don’t be a party pooper,” Fred adds.

  She widens her innocent eyes. “I won’t say a word. Promise.”

  24

  TROY

  “You have gone fucking mad.” Andreas shakes his head. “You literally have dozens of hot girls throwing themselves at your feet and you pick Charlie to date? Madness.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Why the hell do you care who I do or don’t date? I like her. She’s different.”

  “Why? Because she wants to castrate you when you’re sleeping?”

  “What’s with the drama? You’ve been watching too many daytime soap operas.”

  “More like those dark series with serial killers,” Danny pipes up from the back seat. “Charlie seems cool.”

  “She called you Pringles Boy,” Andreas retorts.

  “Well, I was destroying that tube of Pringles.” He laughs.

  “Trust me, guys. Charlie is awesome.”

  “Oh my God. Please don’t tell me you’ve gone and fallen in love with her. That’s not you, bro.” The indignation in Andreas’s tone rubs me the wrong way.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not in love with her. Like I said, she’s different than any of the hot chicks you mentioned. She’s… exciting.”

  And that’s what I crave the most in anything I do. Excitement, adrenaline. I can’t do calm, quiet, boring. I can’t let my mind have time to think about the shit I’ve done, the lives I’ve destroyed.

  “Who are you, and what did you do with my friend? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when you had your accident?” Andreas peels his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.

  “I can’t believe she didn’t seek revenge after the blue-dye incident,” Danny chimes in.

  “Oh, she was livid about it. But now she knows who the responsible party is.” I glower at Andreas.

  “Great. Now she’s going to turn her psycho act on me. Fantastic.”

  “Hey, you brought that on yourself.” I glance out the window, trying to hide my half-smile.

  Charlie sent me a message earlier saying her prank idea was on. She’s going to tell me in person tonight.

  “Enough about the sexy nerd. You’re coming to the next game, right? Coach wasn’t happy that you didn’t come last Saturday.”

  “I had a family function I couldn’t escape from. But yeah, I’ll be there this weekend. I miss the field too much. I can’t wait to get rid of this
damn sling.”

  “What did the physio say?” Danny asks.

  “That I could potentially return in three weeks instead of four. Coach wants me back to training next week already.”

  “That’s awesome news. Well, not for Danny boy though. Sorry, buddy. Your time will come.” Andreas glances at him through the rearview mirror.

  “No worries. It’s Troy’s senior year. It’d be a shame if he didn’t finish the season.”

  “We’re doing well. We have a chance at winning the championship,” Andreas continues.

  “As long as none of us gets injured during winter break,” I joke even though I know it’s a possibility with us.

  “Before I forget, we’re going to a party after the game. Your fans miss you.”

  And by fans, he means the football groupies who are only concerned with screwing one of us. Andreas is more than happy to oblige, but I value quality over quantity.

  “I can’t wait.” I roll my eyes.

  “Sarcasm? Really? Come on, man. It’s our senior year.” He turns onto my street, and I’ve never been happier for a ride to end. Maybe I can get Charlie to drive me instead from now on.

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t coming.”

  “Good. For a second, I thought that was your train of thought.”

  “Are you bringing Charlie?” Danny asks.

  “I don’t know. I’ll ask her.”

  Andreas parks the car right behind mine and then turns to me. “Are you serious about dating this chick? I mean, I understand fucking around. Psycho or not, she’s a hot piece of ass.”

  I glare at him through slits. “Tread carefully, buddy.”

  He gives me a droll stare. “Please. Like I’d ever go after a girl you were seeing. I have plenty at my beck and call. I don’t need to go through your leftovers.”

  “I was wondering when the food reference would come up.” Danny laughs.

  “Whatever. I’m serious, Troy,” Andreas presses.

  “I’m serious too, Andy. You’d better drop the Charlie subject. You’re starting to piss me off. I don’t fucking meddle in your affairs, so stay out of mine.”

  “Fine. I won’t say another word about her. But don’t come crying to me when she rips your nut sack off and feeds it to the sharks.”