I make a face, which results in Ben laughing. “What?”
“Your expression of horror was priceless. I wish Charlie had seen it.”
I rub the back of my neck. “She’s seen it already.”
“What’s the deal between you and her? Are you dating now?”
I’m taken aback by his question, which is stupid. I told Jane about Charlie and me, so why wouldn’t she have told her brother?
“Yes we are.”
Ben’s expression becomes serious. “If you’re Charlie’s boyfriend now, then I have to come clean about something.”
Gee, what could he possibly want to tell me?
“Okay.”
“The prank with the chickens was my idea. My girlfriend’s parents own a farm.”
I stare at him without blinking for a moment, trying to keep my laughter bottled in, but it bubbles up my throat anyway. Charlie returns, finding me in such a state of amusement that I have tears in my eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
“I told Troy the chickens were my idea. I think he lost it,” Ben deadpans.
Swallowing my laughter, I wipe the moisture from underneath my eyes. “I’m sorry. Your brother gave me the giggles.”
With a half-smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, Charlie shakes her head. Her reaction sobers me up. They’re dealing with a shitty family situation, and here I am, laughing like an idiot.
She turns to her brother. “I talked to Mom briefly. She’s a mess, so you’re coming home with me.” As an afterthought, she glances my way. “That’s okay, right?”
Why would she think I wouldn’t be okay with that?
“Of course, babe.”
“That might mean I won’t be able to come to the party with you.”
I’m disappointed by this turn of events—I was looking forward to introducing Charlie to my friends—but I keep my face neutral. “Hey, there are parties every weekend. It’s no big deal if we miss this one.”
I’d go and wait in the living room while Charlie helps Ben pack a bag for the weekend, but I’m afraid to bump into her mother. To avoid a possible awkward encounter, I stand in a corner and start looking for troll costumes on my phone.
This is definitely not how I envisioned my first date with Charlie would end.
29
CHARLIE
I wake up before sunrise, feeling wretched about what happened last night. My back is sore from sleeping on the air mattress, but stiffness is the least of my worries. I couldn’t get Mom to talk to me, which means I still don’t know exactly what prompted my parents’ fight, only what Ben told me he overheard.
Mom accused Dad of having an affair.
The idea brings bile to my mouth. I always believed my parents had a happy marriage. Growing up, it was rare for me to see them argue, and even when it happened, they made up quickly. I’m devastated by the possibility that Mom is correct in her suspicions.
Ben is still sound asleep in my bed. I tiptoe to the bathroom, and after I take care of my morning business, I head downstairs. My heart is heavy as I prepare coffee like a robot. Tears gather in my eyes, burning them. A few rogue ones manage to escape, rolling down my cheeks. I hastily wipe them dry, refusing to succumb to the sadness. Ben might be mistaken, or Mom could be wrong. It’s too soon for me to fall into despair.
The wooden boards on the stairs creak, alerting me that my solitude is over. Troy is the one who woke early, like me. His hair is a mess, sticking out at odd angles, and he seems to be half asleep as he trudges to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He’s also breaking our rules by only wearing sweatpants that hide nothing and no T-shirt. His pants hang low, emphasizing his delicious V that immediately turns me on. I’d complain, but he’s offering me distraction on a platter, and I desperately need that.
“Morning, babe.” He pulls me to him and kisses me softly on the lips.
Hmm, minty toothpaste flavor.
“Good morning,” I whisper against his mouth, glad I brushed my teeth before coming down.
“Why are you up so early?” we both ask at the same time.
“Jinx,” I say, making him chuckle.
“I couldn’t sleep. And you?”
“Same.” I step back, looking away.
“How are you feeling?”
I take a deep breath before answering, “Awful. I can’t say I’m surprised about my parents’ fight. They’ve been arguing for a while.”
The coffee has finished brewing, so to keep me from going too deep into my grief, I focus on pouring Troy and me some. I know he’s a caffeine addict like me.
“I’m really sorry, Charlie,” he says, and I know he means it wholeheartedly.
“Thanks.”
He understands better than anyone. His parents divorced, so I can imagine there was a lot of fighting as well before they finally called it quits. I hate to think my parents are going in that direction, but if there’s no saving their marriage, then it’s better for everyone if they go their separate ways.
I prepare our drinks, putting enough hazelnut creamer in mine that you could call it dessert and not coffee. Troy drinks his with just a splash of milk.
I offer him a mug. “Here.”
He takes a whiff of the coffee, making a humming sound. “Thank you, babe.”
We don’t speak for a while, getting lost in our drinks and thoughts.
Troy is the one who breaks the silence first. “Do you know what you’re going to do today?”
“No clue. I have to keep Ben distracted.”
“Come to the game with me. It’ll be fun.”
“It’s too late to get tickets.”
Troy gives me a droll stare. “Charlie, I’m on the team. I have season tickets for family. They’re pretty good seats.”
I’m not a sports person, but I’m sure going to a game would be fun, even if Ben and I don’t know much about football. “All right. What time does the game start?”
“At two. We have time to do other stuff, like find me a troll costume.”
I give him a small smile. “Oh yeah. We have to do that. I totally forgot about it.”
“If I don’t have a costume, then I can’t participate. Works for me.” He shrugs.
Narrowing my eyes, I reply, “I’ll get you a costume. Don’t worry. And it’s too late now. I’ve already signed you up.”
He sets his mug on the counter and approaches me, caging me in against the fridge. His right arm is sling free, and he circles it around my waist while he cups my cheek with his left hand. “Fine. Now I want to make your knees go weak and set your body ablaze.”
Good on his word, he kisses me hard, plunging his tongue into my mouth in a deliciously possessive way. I reach for his biceps, needing the support since he has turned my legs into jelly. The temperature in the kitchen goes up, creating a little inferno where clothes aren’t mandatory. He parts my legs with his muscled thigh, creating a crazy good friction between them. His erection presses against my belly, and I want to free his cock and wrap my mouth around his girth, bet be damned.
I’m about to beg Troy to take me right here on the kitchen counter when a throat clearing douses the fire faster than having an ice bucket poured over my head. Troy jumps back, covering his crotch with both hands. He doesn’t turn, just pretends to look for something on the shelf above the counter.
“Ben, you’re up,” I state the obvious.
“Yeah. The smell of coffee was like a beacon to me.”
“Would you like a cup?” I ask, pretending my face isn’t burning up.
I should have known better than to make out with Troy out in the open when Ben could walk in on us anytime.
“Sure, I’ll have some.” He pulls up a stool and then leans his elbows on the counter. “What’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”
I give him a cup of coffee, then go investigate our food situation. Peering inside the fridge tells me what I already guessed—we’re low on food. “We have eggs, but we’re out of bread.”
“Do you have any cereal?” he asks.
“No, I finished the last box yesterday,” Troy replies. “Let’s go out for breakfast. My treat.”
“Oh, we could go to Zuko’s Diner,” I suggest.
Troy cuts me a glance, and I don’t understand his peculiar look until I remember what happened in front of the restaurant. The splash that ignited our feud. It feels like eons ago.
“It’ll be good to reminisce,” I add.
“For the record, I felt awful immediately after I did that.”
“It’s okay, Troy. I’m not mad about it anymore. And I have my share of regrettable acts when it comes to you.”
His eyebrows scrunch together. “I hope not recent acts.”
My lady parts clench, reminding me of those past performances. I glance at Ben, but he doesn’t seem to be following the conversation. Thank heavens.
“No. I have zero regrets about those,” I tell Troy honestly.
His eyes turn to molten lava in a split second, and a small tent appears in the front of his pants. I’d laugh if Ben wasn’t around.
No, Charlie, you wouldn’t laugh. You would be down on your knees, having a different kind of breakfast.
Oh my God. My conscience can be such a whore.
“Can you please stop with the sexual innuendos? It was bad enough to witness you in an act of foreplay a minute ago.”
My eyes turn as round as saucers. “Ben! What the hell?”
“What? It’s true.” He shrugs.
“You can be such a brat sometimes.” I storm out of the kitchen, running to the stairs.
“Charlie, where are you going?” Troy asks me.
“To change.” And that’s all I say before I disappear into my room.
I’m so fucking embarrassed, it’s not even funny. And there I was, naively thinking Ben wasn’t aware of the context of my conversation with Troy. Stupid me.
30
TROY
Besides getting caught by Ben in the kitchen, I’d say the rest of the morning went smoothly. I wasn’t able to find a troll costume that I liked though, so that’s something I’ll need to sort in the coming week. It’s bad enough that my curiosity got me roped into participating; I’m not going to wear something embarrassing.
We’re now just outside the stadium in line to get in. It’s surreal to be with the fans and not in the locker room with my teammates. Technically, I have to head there and get ready with them, even if I’m sitting on the bench, but I want to make sure Charlie and Ben are situated before I have to leave them.
We missed tailgating, but I’m not sure if Charlie would have enjoyed it anyway. I still have hopes I can persuade her to come to the party tonight, and I didn’t want her turned off to the idea beforehand. The issue is Ben. He’s a teen, so technically, he could stay home alone, but I’m sure Charlie wouldn’t want that. And we can’t bring him with us since he’s a minor and it would be bad form to bring a kid to a party where booze was running freely.
As we stand in line, I’m recognized by some people, including fans of the opposing team. They’re our rival school after all; they know my face and hate my guts. The assholes attempt to get me riled up, but their taunts can’t find their mark. They’re on my turf, and soon the Rushmore crowd drowns out their stupid shit. Charlie becomes tense next to me, and with just a glance, I can tell she’s gearing up to defend my honor.
“Relax, babe. It’s okay. They’re gone now.”
“They were awful and so rude.” She seethes.
“I’m used to that. It’s no big deal.”
“Yeah, sis. If Troy cared about what others thought of him, he wouldn’t be dating you.” Ben laughs.
She hits him upside the head. “Quit being a brat.”
“Ouch.” He massages his head, glaring at Charlie. “I definitely shouldn’t have interrupted you two this morning. Now you’re in a mood.”
I chuckle, but when I catch her glowering at me, I try to cover my slipup with a cough.
We’re finally inside, and I make sure Charlie and Ben have everything they want from the concession stand before I escort them to their seats.
On our way down to the front row, I hear my name being called by someone in the crowd. I search the seats until I see Brooke waving animatedly at me. I wave back, but I don’t stop or change course. I can’t talk to her right now, nor do I want to.
“Was that your friend who came by the house when you got hurt?” Charlie asks.
“Yeah.”
“I’m surprised she hasn’t come by again,” Charlie adds.
“We’re not that close.” I almost add “anymore” but that would no doubt result in a string of questions, and now is not the time to go down memory lane.
Eventually, I’ll have to tell Charlie that Brooke is my ex. It was a punch to the gut to find out Blake was her ex from the douche canoe himself. I don’t want that to happen to her.
“Here we are,” I say when we reach our row.
Ben continues along until he finds his seat, but Charlie hangs back. “I wish you could stay with us. We’re bound to not understand a thing and cheer at the wrong times.”
“I highly doubt that’s going to happen.”
I reach for a strand of her hair and tuck it behind her ear. Almost immediately, her cheeks become pinker. I love how Charlie blushes when she’s embarrassed or excited.
“Well, you’d better make sure your teammates don’t lose to those assholes.”
“They won’t. Andreas knows that if they mess up, they won’t hear the end of it from me.”
“Good.”
I swing my arm around Charlie’s shoulders, pulling her to me for another scorching kiss. I swear I try to do sweet and easy, but I can’t when it comes to her. She’s a spark that always ignites me. I’m aware that we’re putting on quite a show for all the cameras surrounding us. In less than a minute, our kiss will be all over social media. It’s for that reason alone that I pull away faster than I want.
“Okay, I really have to go before I kidnap you,” I say.
“Oh, we wouldn’t want that,” she says with a smirk, but then it turns into a frown. “I’m sorry you can’t play today.”
“It’s okay. I needed a break. Besides, Danny is kicking ass. It’ll be good for the team next year to know their new quarterback can handle the pressure.”
“Tell them to break some bones.”
“What?” I laugh.
“Not the right thing to say? In performing arts, we say break a leg, but I didn’t think it would apply here, and ‘good luck’ felt lame.”
I shake my head, fighting the urge to kiss her again. “I love how your mind works.”
Immediately, I realize that was the wrong thing to say. Charlie is now staring at me like a deer caught in headlights, and her lips are making a little O.
To downplay my slip of the tongue, I continue on like nothing is amiss. “I’ll see you later, babe. Have fun.”
My head is whirling as I dissect why I said that. I didn’t say I loved her, but it was pretty close. Regardless, I used the damn L-word in a sentence, and that always gets girls in a tizzy. I hope it doesn’t change anything between us. I like Charlie, but we’re just beginning to get to know each other. There’s no way in hell I’ve fallen in love with her already. I’m not one to get swept up by feelings.
I force those worries to the corner of my mind, and when I enter the locker room and hear the ruckus my teammates are making, my relationship doubts are so far back, they might as well not exist anymore.
“My, my. Look what we got here. Troy fucking Alexander is in the house,” Puck, our giant linebacker, announces.
He walks over and pats me on my back so hard that it jostles my shoulder, making me wince.
“Gee, careful there. I do want to come back sooner rather than later.”
Puck cringes. “Oops. Sorry.”
Andreas comes over, watching me with a thousand questions in his eyes. He wants to know how my date went, and knowing th
e perv, he’ll ask for all the details.
“So?” he starts.
“I have nothing to report.”
“Come on, man. Maybe if you paint me a good picture, I’ll consider sticking to one girl for a while.”
Puck scoffs. “Yeah, right. When hell freezes over.” He turns to me. “Is your girl watching the game?”
“Yeah. She brought her brother too.”
“Cool, man. Nice to see Andy’s heathen ways haven’t rubbed off on you.”
Puck comes from a super religious family and has been with the same girl since high school. He loves to pick on Andreas’s amoral ways.
“Shut your piehole, altar boy,” he rebuffs.
“Make me.” Puck seems to grow in size, towering over Andreas.
Their banter is harmless, so I just head to my locker to put my uniform on.
A few minutes later, Coach Clarkson’s booming voice cuts through the room, commanding everyone’s attention.
His determined gaze finds mine, but all he does to acknowledge my presence is nod slightly. He proceeds to give the team a pep talk, and I usually hang on his every word, but I’m having a hard time getting focused since I’m not playing. I spot Danny next to Andreas, and a pang hits my chest that he’s going in my place. I told Charlie I was fine with not playing, but being here with my teammates makes it harder to pretend that’s true.
I hear my phone’s text tone inside my duffel bag. Since I’m not invested in the coach’s speech, I fish the device out. It’s a message from Brooke.
When were you going to tell me you had a new girlfriend?
What the hell? Is she mad at me? It sure as shit sounds like it. Damn it. She picked the wrong time to annoy me with her bullshit.
I didn’t think I had to.
I click Send, even knowing my reply is harsh. Her reply comes through a few seconds later.
Wow. Just wow.
It’s pointless to continue the convo, so I just shove my phone back in the duffel bag and try to forget my ex is acting like we just broke up yesterday and not two years ago.
Heart Stopper: Rebels of Rushmore Book One Page 17