I mean, shit, yesterday I couldn’t even watch her do her math homework, because the pensive expression on her face was so adorable that I had a strong urge to haul her into my lap. Not touching her downright sucks.
“Alright, I can’t take it,” I blurt out and get off the bed to turn off the music. Any distraction to kill the hard-on that’s growing in my pants.
“No!” she screams, but I can hear the laughter in her voice as she grasps at my arms.
I shoot out and lightly jab her under the arm, because I know how ticklish she is. She squirms, but now I’ve touched her, and I don’t want to stop. We nudge each other back and forth, each of us trying to get to the CD player.
“Alright, I’ll turn it off!” she yells through a fit of laughter as I move my fingers into her stomach. “Just stop!” she giggles, falling into me, and I close my eyes as my hands linger at her hips and my nose in her hair.
What I want from her scares me. And I’m afraid it would scare her, too. I know it will definitely scare her father.
But I’ll wait, because there is no other choice. For the rest of my life, I won’t want anyone else.
It’s time to man up and tell her.
“Let’s go to the pond tonight,” I say softer than I want. My voice cracks, and I’m not sure if I’m nervous or frightened. Probably both.
Our fish pond is where it needs to happen. It’s where I want to tell her that I love her. We go there a lot. Picnics or just for walks. It’s not unusual for us to sneak out and ride our bikes up there at night.
She leans back and looks at me with a casual smile. “I can’t. Not tonight.”
My shoulders slump a little, but I recover. “Why?”
She doesn’t look at me but pushes her hair behind her ears and walks to the bed to sit down.
Dread stomps into my brain like a big, fat rhinoceros. She’s going to tell me something I don’t like.
“I’m going to the movies,” she offers with a close-lipped smile. “With Will Geary.”
I swallow, feeling the thump in my chest damn near break a rib. Will Geary is in our class, and I hate him. He’s been sniffing around Tate for a year. His father and Tate’s dad play golf together, and that’s one part of her life that I’m not involved in.
Will Geary doesn’t have anything on me. His family doesn’t have more money or a better house. But his family is involved with Tate’s, and my parents are…well, not involved with anything. Tate’s dad had tried taking me golfing once or twice, but it’s never stuck. Fixing cars is where we bond.
I narrow my eyes, trying to reel in the anger. “When did that happen?”
She only makes eye contact with me for a second at a time. I can tell she is uncomfortable. “He asked yesterday when our dads played golf together.”
“Oh,” I almost whisper, my face rushing with heat. “And you said yes?”
She folds her lips between her teeth and nods.
Of course she said yes. I took my damn time, and another guy swooped in.
But it still hurts.
If she wants to be with me, I guess she would’ve told him no. But she didn’t.
I nod. “That’s cool. Have fun.” The pitch in my voice probably gives away how hard I’m trying to sound like I don’t care.
I start walking for her bedroom door. “Listen, I have to go. I forgot Madman needs some food, so I’m off to the store.”
She’s mine. I know she loves me. Why can’t I just turn around and tell her? All I have to do is say ‘don’t go’, and the hard part would be over.
“Jared?” she calls, and I stop, the air in the room almost too thick to breathe.
“You’re my best friend.” She pauses and then continues, “But is there maybe any reason you may not want me to go with Will tonight?”
Her shaky voice is hesitant like she’s scared to speak, and the moment fills the room like a broken promise. It’s the moment when you know that you can have what you want if you’re only brave enough to say so. It’s a split second when everything can change, but you pussy out because you’re too afraid to risk the rejection.
“Of course not.” I turn around and smile at her. “Go. Have a good time. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
That night I saw Will kiss her, and the next day my dad called and asked if I wanted to come visit him for the summer.
I’d said ‘yes.’
Chapter 5
“Eat.” James pushed a plate of meatloaf and potatoes in my face as soon as I sat down on the barstool.
I’d fallen asleep on Tate’s bed listening to Silverchair and hadn’t woken up until two in the afternoon. Her dad pounded on the door to wake me.
After I’d showered and gotten dressed in fresh clothes, I’d come downstairs to an even better smell than Tate’s shampoo.
I sat at the center island in the kitchen and stuffed the food into my mouth like I hadn’t eaten a home-cooked meal in years. Well, I guess I hadn’t. Before the summer with my father, my alcoholic mother wasn’t very nurturing. And after that summer, I wouldn’t let her be even if she’d tried.
“Don’t you have work?” I asked before taking a drink to wash down the food.
It was Friday, and I was missing school as well. I’d skipped yesterday when Madoc and I went to get tattoos, too.
That seemed like so long ago now.
“I took the day off,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
To deal with me.
“Sorry.” And I honestly was. Mr. Brandt was a good guy, and he didn’t deserve drama.
Leaning against the counter opposite the center island, James crossed his arms over his chest, and I knew a talk was coming. Fixing my gaze on my plate of food, I braced myself, because with Mr. Brandt, it was best just to shut up and take it.
“Jared, your mom will be gone for at least four weeks. You’re going to stay here while she’s away.”
“I’ll be fine at my house.” It was worth a try.
“You’re sixteen years old. That’s illegal.”
“Seventeen,” I corrected.
“What?”
“I’m seventeen today.” It was October second. I hadn’t realized until they’d dated my paperwork this morning at the jail.
That information didn’t give James any pause, though. “I spoke to a judge. One that I know well. I worked out a treatment, of sorts, in order for that mess from last night to stay off your permanent record.”
Mess from last night? That’s a strange way to describe it. “I nearly beat a guy to death,” I spit out sarcastically. How the hell were they going to keep that off my record?
His dark blonde eyebrows pinched together. “If that’s true, then why haven’t you asked how he is?”
I’d nearly beat a guy to death.
Yeah, even saying the words, I still didn’t care. Would I care if he were dead?
James continued. “In case you did care, he’s fine. Not great, but he’ll survive. Some broken ribs, a little internal bleeding that he went into surgery for last night, but he’ll recover.”
He’d be in the hospital for a while, but I was glad I hadn’t hurt him that badly. To be honest, most of last night swirled in my head like water down a drain. The more it moved, the more I lost. I could barely recall most of the attack. I remember hitting him with the lamp and kicking him in the stomach several times. He threw some shit at me, but in the end, he was the one on the ground.