When they first knocked on the door, Blake had freaked out thinking that it was the police coming to take all of us underage kids to jail. When he saw that it was my parents, he hid Lena in the bathroom and helped a few other guys hide all of the liquor in one of the kitchen cabinets while Brianna invited my parents into the house. Like usual, my mom embarrassed me as she went around to some girls and asked them if their parents had let them leave the house looking like they were half naked. The only embarrassing thing that my dad did was ask if he was allowed to stay at the party. Despite the fact that he promised to stay out of our way, we managed to get him to leave. He told us that we had to all be home by two o'clock at the latest since we were only next door to the house and to call the house phone if we needed anything.
Both Brianna and Lena were staying the night at my house again, despite the fact that Brianna had begged to stay at her house. My parents had said no to that, but I didn’t see the problem with it. She was right next door to us. I was just thankful that there was only one more week until her parents got home from their trip and she leave my house. In only one weeks’ time Brianna and I could go back to hating each other without having to put up with and see each other outside of school.
After the party was over Blake was going to walk home. He had already spoken to his parents, who weren’t keen on him staying out late, but had allowed it this one time since he hardly ever went out. They wanted Blake to stay at my house for the night just to be safe, and my parents had even cleared it as long as he slept in the living room, but he wanted to head home. Personally, I thought that he was crazy for wanting to walk home at such a late time of night, but when I protested, he just countered my argument with the fact that he only lived less than three blocks away.
A soft snore grabbed my attention, causing me to turn my head in Lena’s direction. She looked so peaceful lying there. With every soft snore, her chest rose and fell lightly. Watching her sleep, I realized just how tired I was and immediately decided that when Blake came back, I would tell him that I was ready to go home.
After a few minutes of standing around, Blake returned with a Sprite in one hand and the perfectly manicured hand of a sour-faced blonde in the other. Brianna’s mouth was pinched up and she had the expression of a child after they had just sucked on a lemon. Her outfit matched her personality perfectly. She was dressed in a short red dress with matching red pumps and two red, light-up devil horns that sat on the top of her head. Her hair was in ringlet curls framing her face that was surprising au naturale, with the exception of her blood red lipstick. If I was friends with her, I may have told her that she looked pretty, but I wasn't, so I didn't.
Brianna’s eyes looked me over from head to toe before she stopped and met my eyes, then gave me a forced a smile. “You look very…evil. Not that that’s new.”
Blake handed me my soda with a smile on his face and dropped Brianna’s hand. “I know right! Her costume looks so real doesn’t it? She’s goth.”
Ignoring Blake’s oblivious comment, I smiled weakly at Brianna. “I see you chose to dress as a devil. That’s very fitting.”
“At least my costume fits me.”
“Barely.”
Blake’s smile faded a little as a confused expression passed onto his face. It was as if he was just beginning to notice that all though our small exchange was spoken in friendly tones, it was anything but kind. For a smart guy, he was really slow.
Brianna rolled her eyes. “When something is tight on me, it shows off my curves. If something was tight on you it would just show everyone your underdeveloped body figure.”
I was silent for a second, not having anything to say to that. I knew that I was a little undersized in the chest area for a soon-to-be eighteen year old, but that didn’t give her any right to point that out to everyone.
Brianna realized that I didn’t have anything to say in reply to her statement and was about to say more before I jumped in and said, “I see you didn’t wear your mask to the party tonight. Did you think that someone was going to mistake your face for a cake?”
Blake laughed, but received a glare from Brianna which shut him up.
“At least my mom allows me to wear makeup.”
“My mom lets me wear makeup. I just choose not to. I don’t need to cover my face in makeup just so that I’ll feel good about myself.”
“See, that’s the difference between me and you. I look good in just about anything, and I can go natural or put on makeup and I’m still ten times prettier than you or your little slob of a best friend could ever be.” Brianna gestured at Lena who now had a trail of drool coming from her open mouth and running down her cheek. The fact that she was snoring didn’t help either.
Feeling the need to defend my friend who was far too out of it to defend herself, I stepped closer to Brianna so that I was right in front of her. I was usually about an inch shorter than Brianna but with her heels on and my platform boots, I was just barely taller than her, but the size difference didn’t go unnoticed. She glared up at me with her red lips pursed.
“Lena is by far prettier than you or any of your friends could ever hope to be. She’s funny, outgoing and the sweetest person that I’ve met in a long time. She doesn’t judge people by the way they dress or even by who they hang out with. You’d be lucky to have a friend who would stick with you through thick or thin and would be there for you whenever you needed her.
“But do you know what Brianna? You’re a bitch. That’s the real difference between me and you. I have a friend who will be there for me, despite the short time that we've known each other, and what do you have? A group of girls who just follow what you do because you’re popular. Did you ever think about what would happen if you weren’t around or something happened to you? Do you think that your so called “friends” would be there for you? Well, they wouldn’t be. They’d just replace you and find someone else to follow. So the next time you boss someone around, think about how easily you could be replaced. They don’t need you, you need them. You’d be nothing but a lonely bitch without them.” Sighing, I took in a deep breath and smirked as I regarded Brianna's shocked face in front of me.
Ever so slowly, Brianna took a deep breath and did something that I never thought she was capable of doing. She clenched her fists together turned around, and began to walk away. She got about two feet from where she had been standing before she turned back around, kicked off her heels and ran full speed toward me.
Chapter 18
It was as if my world was playing in slow motion. Brianna’s mouth dropped open, exposing a mouthful of perfectly lined teeth. A battle cry that sounded a lot like a snarl, escaped from her mouth. As her devil horns flashed a bright red, she leapt at me—grabbing me by my shoulders and causing me to stumble backwards until I was lying flat on the ground. Brianna’s hair hung in a canopy around my face for a moment until she sat up, straddling my waist. I cringed automatically as she lifted my head up by my ponytail and smashed my head down into the grass.
As the pain shot through the back of my skull, I clenched my teeth. I could hear faint yells coming from all around me, but all I could focus on was the fact that Brianna’s hands were still snaked into my hair. Wrapping my fingers around the unopened can of Sprite that was still in my hand, I reached up, and using all of the strength that I could muster up, I slammed the can into Brianna’s temple. Her hands unclenched from my hair and immediately went up to cover the spot where the can had made contact. As soon as she let go of my hair, my head dropped down onto the grass and her body was lifted off of mine.
Now that Brianna was no longer sitting on my stomach, I could see that people were gathering around me, staring down into my face with wide eyes. Blake was holding back a struggling Brianna with an unreadable expression on his face. He handed Brianna off to a guy I didn’t recognize before coming back over to me.
“Back up!” he yelled as he came toward me.
Everyone took a few steps back except for one red headed girl
. Ella squatted down next to me, smiling up at Blake. “Need any help lifting her?” she offered.
Blake shook his head, looking uncomfortable. “I got it.”
Ella shrugged, her normal disposition falling back into place. “Whatever,” she said as she stood and walked toward where Brianna was now being taken.
Blake squatted down next to me, balancing himself on his toes. He brought his hand up to my face and brushed a few strands of hair out of my eyes. “Do you want me to lift you, or call your parents over?”
My vision was becoming slightly blurred so I let my eyes slip closed as I tried to ignore the pain that was bursting in the back of my skull. “Don’t tell my parents.”
I heard the rustle of Blake’s clothes as he leaned over me. I could feel his arms slip under my body as he scooped me up off of the hard ground and lifted me into his arms easily. I smiled up at him, keeping my eyes shut tight. “My hero,” I joked weakly.
“I tried to pull her off of you, Vi. She just wouldn’t let go.”
“It’s all right,” I whispered up at him. “I should have hit her sooner.”
He chuckled causing my head to bounce a bit. I felt his arms tighten around my body as he sat down somewhere. “That was quick thinking on your part. Who knew that a Sprite could double as a weapon?”
“You’re the one who gave it to me.”
“It’s a good thing I did.”
I squinted up at Blake, a smile parting my lips as I thought about something. The pain in my head was a bit duller now, but I knew that I would wake up tomorrow with a headache. Brianna on the other hand was hit in the side of her head. That had to hurt. “Do you think that I left a mark?” I asked hopefully.
Blake smirked down at me, “Judging from the size of the dent that her head left in that can, I’d say that you did.”
“Good. She deserves it.”
“Who knew she had such a short temper?” he mused aloud.
“I did.”
Blake leaned over, placing his lips on mine for a moment before pulling away. “I think we should go to your house. I’ll have to find someone to carry Lena over.”
“Why?” I brought my hand up to cover my yawn.
“She can barely stand straight. I doubt that she can walk.”
I nodded. Suddenly I was a lot sleepier than I had been a few minutes ago. My eyelids were growing heavier with every passing moment, and it was slowly becoming harder and harder to keep my eyes open.
Blake shook me gently as my eyes slipped shut. “Wake up, Vi. Maybe you should wait a bit before going to sleep. Just in case you have a concussion or something.”
I closed my eyes again, ignoring his statement. “Sleep at my house tonight,” I mumbled.
Blake lifted me with him as he stood up. When he was standing, he readjusted my body into a more comfortable position. “Only if I can stay in your room with you.”
I smiled, “My mom would kill you if she found out.”
“I can take your mom. I’d just tell her that I caught some strange sickness that was airborne and I’d start coughing. She wouldn’t come near me for a month.”
“Like when you got chicken pox last year?” I laughed at the memory.
“Exactly. She wouldn’t let me come into your house for a month after I had already gotten better!”
I shrugged, opening my eyes to look up at him. “Well, that’s my mom for you.”
His eyes reflected in the light from the street lights overhead. Blake had taken the shortcut to my house, walking out through Brianna’s back door and cutting across my lawn. I reached into my pocket and handed him the key to open the front door. Shifting me in his arms so that he could hold me with one arm, he quickly unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Pulling the key out, he pushed the door shut behind him without even locking it.
“Where’s Lena?” I wrapped my arms around Blake’s neck as he started walking up the stairs.
“I’m going to go and get her after I put you in bed.”
I yawned loudly, my eyes watering a bit as I did so. “Oh.”
He smiled but shushed me as we got to the second level. Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Blake slowly made his way into my room, where he walked me over and placed me on the bed gently before going to shut the door and flick the light on.
Walking over to my dresser, he opened a few random drawers before finding the right one and pulling out a pair of pajama bottoms along with a plain white tank top. “Here, put these on,” he whispered as he walked toward me. He placed the clothes down next to me, and pulled me up in a sitting position.
“Come on. I have to go get Lena.”
“Okay,” I grumbled. When Blake squatted down to take my shoes off, I began to tug my shirt over my head. Once it was off, I tossed it to the floor, just barely hitting Blake with it as I did so.
“Hey, watch it!” He whisper yelled as he yanked off one boot. He glanced up at me but quickly averted his eyes, a pink blush spreading over his cheeks. “Sorry.”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help not to blush as well. His reaction was just too adorable. “It’s all right. I mean, it’s not like you haven’t seen me shirtless before already.”
He tilted his head up slightly, looking me straight in the eye with a confused look on his face. “I have?”
I nodded as I grabbed the white tank top and slipped it over my head. “You’ve seen me in a bikini plenty of times.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“Why not? It’s the same thing. My bikini is more revealing than my underwear is.”
His cheeks burned.” It’s not the same.” He pulled off my other boot and set it down next to the other one.
“Sure it is.”
Blake pulled me to my feet and shook his head. “Not in my opinion. Get dressed. I’ll tuck you in before I go and get Lena.”
Blake sat down on my bed and waited patiently as I undid my pants buckle and slipped them off, leaving them in a small pile on top of my shirt.
“Pass me my pants?” I asked as I held my outstretched hand toward Blake.
“Uh, sure.” His cheeks were flaming a bright red and as he passed me my pajama bottoms, he didn’t take his eyes off of my legs once.
“Stop perving on my legs,” I joked as I slipped the fuzzy bottoms on and immediately climbed into bed.
Blake smirked and stood up so that he could tuck me into bed.
“Are you going to wipe off your eyeliner?” He asked.
I shook my head and buried myself farther under the covers. Before I closed my eyes, I watched Blake walk toward the door and flick the light off on his way out. As soon as he had walked out, I let my eyes droop until they slipped shut, and I was almost instantly asleep.
Chapter 19
I felt the bed dip slightly, and as the irrational side of me took over I sat up and prepared to fight for my life from the murderer who had just joined me in bed. When a shaggy haired brunette stared at me as if I had lost my mind, I quickly dropped my arms down to my sides in embarrassment.
Blake furrowed his eyebrows at the top of his head and gave me a look that seemed to say, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I shrugged my shoulders before falling backwards onto my pillow. Blake removed his shirt and slipped under the covers next to me. I couldn’t help but to shiver as his cold arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I could feel his warm breath as it blew against my shoulder.
“Did you put Lena in the guest room?” I asked in a whisper. Brianna had most likely decided to go against my parent’s and stay at her house after what had happened between us. I had no doubt that she would be here in the morning though, pretending like she slept in the guest room.
“Mmhmm,” he murmured.
“Did you tuck her in?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Do you think she’ll be all right all alone in there?”
“Mmhmm.”
“I’m serious, Blake. What if she vomits in her sleep and d
rowns in a puddle of her own puke?” I was worried. Now that I knew that drowning in your own vomit was possible, I was scared that it would happen to Lena.
“Violet, I’m sure she will be fine. Now go to bed.” Blake moved his arm from where it was casually tossed over my torso and brushed some of my hair off of my shoulder before moving his arm to rest on my waist again. “I love you.”
My spine tingled where he touched me. “I love you too.” I felt his lips press against my shoulder for a moment, causing me to shiver with desire. Butterflies flew in circles around my stomach and I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off of my face. I laced my fingers with his and let my head sink farther into my pillow. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the smell of lemon scented fabric cleaner as I did so. Blake’s hand began to trace small circles on my hip and after a few minutes, I could feel my eyes drifting shut again. I scooted closer to Blake’s body, pressing myself against his chest as I slowly fell asleep to the rhythmic sounds of his breathing.
***
Morning came faster than I wanted it to. As I opened my eyes, I saw that the light outside of my window was still dark, signifying that it was early morning. I brought my fist up to my face and rubbed my eye slowly before allowing it to drop back down to the bed. I snuggled farther under the covers, scooting closer to Blake’s sleeping body. The heat from his chest was enough to make me never want to get up. Especially when room was filled with a slight chill that came every morning. I didn’t ever want to leave the comfort and warmth that my bed and Blake provided.
Crush: A YA Romance Collection Page 37