Chapter 14

Stevie McGabe

“Ugh! He’s so infuriating!” I vent to my best friend as I drop down onto the lumpy couch that we commandeer every lunchtime. Rhea smirks up at me through the dark strands of hair which have escaped her messy high ponytail.

“You know, if you hated him as much as you claim to, you wouldn’t be getting so worked up over him flirting with Brie.”

I stick my tongue out at her, grabbing the sandwich she offers me—my sandwich which she has stolen because all she bought for her lunch today was a jar of hotdogs.

“I only hate him because he’s being so stubborn. I know he wants to be friends again…I can feel it in my fucking bones! I mean, he let me snuggle up to him and watch my favorite movie…that’s gotta mean something, right?”

“Hmm…maybe, but he was still fucked up from whatever he took, right? Maybe he just didn’t have the strength to tell you to fuck off.” I shrug. I hadn’t confided in Rhea what had happened when I had woken up.

It was too embarrassing to admit how much I wanted him to kiss me. It was even more embarrassing to admit I was eighteen and had been holding on to my first kiss in the hope it would be his to claim. “So, are we going to this party on Friday?”

“Yeah! I’ve got a new dress which needs showcasing. Speaking of which…what exactly are you wearing today, Re?” She looks down at herself with a raised eyebrow.

“Eh? It’s Angelo’s pirate costume from last Halloween.”

“Yeah, I recognized the belt…but what the heck are you wearing on your bottom half?!” The billowy white peasant-type blouse was tucked into a pair of baggy old man chino shorts, her feet covered in ratty looking chucks.

She picks absently at the faded khaki material. “I think they were my papus’ from when he and my yaya came to stay.”

“You’re seriously wearing your grandfather’s shorts to school?!” I chuckle as she shrugs, flashing me a quick grin. “You’re crazy, girl.”

***

“Ohmigod! I can’t believe I’m going to my first high school party!” I can’t help but grin at my overexcited little brother who is all but bouncing in the back seat of the car.

“You better behave, little brother. I’m not dragging your drunk ass home and keeping secrets from mom and dad.” I try to give him my best stern look in the rear-view mirror, and Grayson just rolls his eyes.

“I’ve already had the talk from dad…even though I know he and his friends were my age when they started getting into trouble,” he grumbles, and I can’t help but laugh.

Dad and his two best friends from high school, PJ and Drew, had had somewhat of a reunion a few years ago, and once they’d sunk a few beers, the stories had all come out about how they snuck into college parties, and lost their virginities to older girls. “Besides, I’m not sure I even want to drink after seeing what happens when you do.”

“Who have you seen drunk enough to put you off drinking?” Rhea twists in the passenger seat to look at Gray, who pouts a little as he looks out of the window.

“Darryl.”

I swallow as Rhea glances at me. “You’ve seen him?”

“Yeah…it’s not like he’s exactly quiet when he gets home. And the other day he was actually puking in the trash can,” Gray pulls a face. “I don’t get how drinking like that is enjoyable.”

The car falls into silence. I thought Grayson hadn’t been aware of Darryl’s self-destructive behavior, but recently I had given up sneaking down to scrape him off the driveway. He was digging his own grave; he could lie in it by himself.

The house where the party was being held was already overflowing with people. I manage to find a space to park the car, handing the keys over to Rhea as she was tonight’s DD.

Gray spots a gang of his friends, and waves us off as he makes his way over to them. I’d already told him to call me or Rhea when he was ready to leave and made him promise to answer his phone if we rang him.

Rhea links her arms through mine as we make our way up to the front door. “Let’s go show these fuckers how we do.”

“Pappas-grass!” Smit sings out, grinning at us both from his position just inside the house. Without looking at him, or breaking the conversation we were having, Rhea reaches over and tweaks his nipple—hard—making him squeal and drop to the floor.

Shaking my head, I laugh at her as she steps over him and continues her path towards the music. I give Smit an apologetic smile as I step over him too.

Squeezing through gyrating sweaty classmates, we manage to get to the center of the make-shift dancefloor, and I feel the stress of everything going on start to melt away as I move my body to the beat of the music.

After a couple of songs, I feel the body heat of someone behind me, and hands slowly grip my waist. Looking over my shoulder, I find the grinning face of Brodie, the starring QB of the senior team. “Hi!” I smile back.

“Thought you looked like you could use a dance partner,” he leans down slightly, so his mouth is level with my ear, raising his voice slightly so I can hear him over the music.

I twist slightly, making his hands drop, and start dancing with him—close enough to be friendly but hopefully not close enough to encourage him. Brodie had been very clear with his advances over the years, but I wasn’t interested in anyone but…

“Darryl is staring so hard I’m surprised you haven’t burst into flames with the heat yet,” Rhea pulls me forward, leaning her forehead against mine.

I look over my shoulder and there he is, looking like sin—somehow innocent and sweet but hard and devilish at the same time. His green eyes glint as he narrows them at us, focusing in on where Brodie was touching me again, making me stiffen slightly.

Noticing I’m looking at him, he smirks a little, shaking his head slowly as I roll my eyes.

“Is that guy bothering you, Stevie?” Brodie frowns when he realizes where I’m looking. “Fucking freak.”

I don’t know if Darryl can lip read, but at Brodie’s words he pushes himself off the wall he was leaning up against and stalks towards us, scowling.

I go to step forward, but Brodie pushes me behind his body, squaring up to Darryl. Now the two boys are facing off, I can see that Darryl has the height advantage, but Brodie is broader.

Unfortunately, I know that under his baggy t-shirt, Darryl is all toned muscle and strength from all his hours playing drums. “This asshole jock bothering you, Stevie?” Darryl sneers, not dropping his gaze from Brodie’s.

“She’s just fine,” Brodie jumps in before I open my mouth. “So, you can fuck off back to whatever rock you crawled out from under…and leave my sister alone too.”

“Sister?” Darryl scrunches his nose somewhat adorably, then grins as he figures it out. “Oh, you mean darling little Brie? Yeah…I’ve been enjoying snacking on her recently. She spreads nearly as easily as her namesake…

I flinch as Brodie’s fist connects with Darryl’s jaw, snapping his head to the side.

“You motherfucker!” he growls, throwing another punch towards Darryl, who this time avoids the contact, winding back his own arm in retaliation.

I scan the room, spotting Smit engaged in some heated discussion with some other rocker. “Smit!!” I scream, and his head spins round to me instantly. I wave my arms wildly at the all-out fight which has now broken out between Darryl and Brodie.

Smit and a couple of his friends run over, pushing gawping bystanders out of the way, and manage to disentangle the two boys who are still spitting out insults at each other.

Darryl manages to twist himself out of the grip of Smit and some other guy I’ve seen them sit with at lunch. “I’m fine! Let me the fuck go!” He looks Brodie up and down, spitting a bloody gob of spit at his feet. “That’s the last fucking time you get to touch her.”

Spinning on his heel, he soon disappears out of the front door, and I stand staring after him until I feel Rhea pushing my back gently. “Well…go after him!”

I step forward before turning back to her. “Can you please make sure Grayson gets home okay.” She rolls her eyes, nodding.

“Of course! Now go, bitch!”