Dylan

 

What a freaking loser. What was I doing at a high school football game? Hadn’t the last four years been all about getting away from this place? But the closer my ship out date got, the more I realized I was going to miss it all. Not the bleachers, though. Never once sat in them the whole time I was in school. I was always on the field, Josh by my side. I missed my best friend. For the first time since we were little kids, we were going down different paths. His leading toward law school. Mine, the Army. College was never going to be for me. It must be something inherited from my dad, the complete inability to be still. Always had to be moving. Always had to be outside.

Anyway, instead of the bleachers, I stood along the fence, watching my alma mater kick the trash out of our across-town rivals and fending off flirty high school girls.

“Hey, Dylan,” Jessilyn Spears waved as she walked passed me on her way to sit in the bleachers. Her tight jeans hugged her curves in all the right places and she was sending me all the right signals, but I was avoiding getting involved, even casually, in favor of focusing on getting ready for basic.

I spent hours everyday training at the MMA gym in addition to the running and push-ups and sit-ups that would be part of the physical training tests at Fort Benning. I didn’t need any distractions I reminded myself glancing at Jessilyn again. No matter how tempting they were.

“What are you doing here?” a voice from behind demanded.

“Good to see you, too, Ed,” I teased, turning to face Josh’s sister. I had to keep reminding myself that’s who she was. “Good hell, Eden. What is with you lately?”

I wanted to super-glue my eyelids shut. What was this girl wearing? Where were her parents? Her barely there top fell off her shoulders and rode high on her stomach a couple of inches above her short shorts. Instead of the leather boots, she wore high-heeled sandals with straps that wrapped around her calf all the way up to her knee.  

Eden rolled her eyes and huffed as she cocked a hip. “What is your problem, Dylan?”

“My problem is you, dressing like a-” Yeah, best to stop right there.

Eden’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”

“I didn’t say anything.” But I wanted to. Seeing Eden dressed like that filled me with anxiety. She had no idea what she was doing.

“I don’t need you looking after me, Dylan.”

“Sure. Whatever.” Shaking my head, I turned back to the game, even though I wanted to throw my hoodie over her and drag her home, away from horny teenage guys.

From the corner of my eye Eden stood watching me, her hand still on her hip. Finally, she threw her hands in the air and began making her way toward the bleachers.

Sighing, my chin dropped to my chest. “Eden.”

She paused mid-step. “Yeah?”

“You need a ride home?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m going to JJ’s party with Marshall.”

What? No. No, no, no. “Simpkins?” Forget not dragging her home. Marching up to her, I grabbed her by her upper arms.

“Hey!” She tried to break free from my grip.

“Are you crazy? What are you doing with Marshall Simpkins?” Simpkins was the biggest player in the school. He was heartless.

“Nothing. Just hanging out.” She shrugged like it was no big deal.

It was.

“Eden, Marshall is a prick. He’s the absolute biggest douche. Are you going out with him?” Panic. That’s what I felt- panic. How could I convince her Marshall was not for her? Where was Josh when I needed back-up?

“He’s not like that. He’s nice.”

She was an idiot.

Shaking my head, I tried to get through to her. “No, he’s not. He’s a huge jerk. And not a jerk like I’m a jerk, he’s a complete and utter asshole. He and some of the guys sometimes have these parties so they can get laid after a game.” See, assholes.

Angry, Eden yanked her arms out of my grasp. “Ugh. I hate you, Dylan. Why do you have to go all big brother all the time? I’m not a little kid anymore. I like Marshall and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Turning, she started for the bleachers again.

She was right. I couldn’t do anything about it. She was going to do what she was going to do, no matter what I said. Her mutinous expression said it all. Except-

“Ed!”

She stopped. She didn’t want to, but she did.

“What?”

“Just-” I raked my hands through my hair. “Just call me. If you need me- call me.”

Her expression softened almost imperceptibly. She was listening.

“I mean it, Ed.” I’d drop whatever I was doing. I’d be there if she needed me. At least, until I had to go.

She nodded once before moving away again.

I wanted to go after her with every fiber of my being. I wanted to drag her home and deposit her with her parents, ordering them to lock her up for the next five years even if it meant she hated me forever. It would be worth it. But I didn’t.

 

Eden

 

The party at JJ’s was in full swing by the time Marshall and I pulled up in front of JJ’s house. The air outside pulsed with the sound coming from speakers set up on the lawn. JJ lived outside of town, not far from the high school but far enough away that there weren’t any neighbors to complain about the noise. Marshall wasn’t one to open the door for me, so I didn’t waste any time getting out of his smelly car. Sweaty football pads and strong cologne didn’t mix well.

Marshall stopped on the steps leading up to JJ’s front door and held out his hand. A wave of pride surged through me. I loved the idea of walking into the party with my hand in his. I could get used to this boyfriend thing. Especially with a guy like Marshall.

JJ’s house was filled to capacity. People filled every corner, every spare inch of floor. Bodies pressed together, moving to the beat of the loud music. Couples danced. Groups talked. Most drank from plastic cups filled with bitter smelling beer. Across the crowded room, Connor and JJ held court, Jasmine and Brittany plastered to their sides respectively. Connor caught my eye and raised his cup in silent salute before returning his attention to his very amorous date.

“Want a drink,” Marshall asked as he threaded through the crowd of people, still holding tightly to my hand.

I nodded, and Marshall accepted two cups from Clint who manned the keg. With wide eyes, I watched as Marshall quickly chugged the contents of his cup then held it out for a refill. I still hadn’t even taken a sip and wasn’t sure I wanted to, but the cup was full, and the press of people threatened to jostle the liquid over the rim. I took a sip. My eyes watered. It was horrible. Holding the cup away from me, I made a face.

“Ewww.”

Marshall laughed at my expression like it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. “You’ll get used to it,” he promised.

“I’m not sure I want to. Yuck.” I moved to set the cup down on the counter.

“Hang onto it. I’ll drink it when I’m done with this one.” Marshall gestured to the cup in his hand. I was surprised to realize it was already half gone. I felt a trickle of alarm. It must have shown on my face because Marshall put his arm around me.

“Don’t worry. Clint’s going to give us a ride home.” Marshall held his cup up and pointed to Clint where he continued to fill cups with beer. “The guy at the keg is always the designated driver.”

That was somewhat reassuring, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit like a fish out of water. What was I doing here? Suddenly, I wished I really was at Allie’s house like I told my parents I would be.

“Come on, let’s dance.” Marshall tossed back the rest of his beer and set down his cup with a vigorous shake of his head. Grabbing my beer with one hand and my elbow with the other, Marshall led the way to the edge of the dancing. When he stopped, he placed my arm around his neck and wrapped his both around my waist.

He was a surprisingly good dancer. He kept the beat and moved with an easy grace I wasn’t expecting. Before long, I lost myself to the rhythm of his breathing and the feel of his grip on my hips.

Marshall wasn’t much for talking. We danced like that for two or three songs before another guy from the football team came up and challenged him to a game of beer pong.

“Yeah, dude!” Marshall high fived the guy, I think his name was Matt, before turning to me.

“I think I’ll find the restroom. You go ahead.” Marshall barely waited for me to finish my sentence before he made his way across the room and down a set of stairs.

Glancing around, I decided to try a short hall leading off the kitchen to look for the bathroom. A series of framed photos hanging on the wall caught my attention and slowed my progress. I smiled a little. JJ was a cute little kid. I knew he had one older sister but couldn’t remember her name. She was in a bunch of the pictures as well. There were even a few from what looked like family vacations where Connor must have joined them because he appeared in more than a few of the photo collages.

“Oh, sorry,” I apologized when I turned, bumping into one of the senior girls, I think her name was Jessilyn.

Jessilyn glanced quickly in my direction before turning back to her friends. Shrugging, I continued my search for the restroom. It had to be around here somewhere.

“Wait!”

I turned.

“Don’t I know you?” Jessilyn watched me over her shoulder for a second then took the few steps until she stood in front of me.

“I don’t think so. I’m Eden.”

“Jessilyn,” she responded, her eyes narrowed. “I do know you. You’re Josh Crenshaw’s little sister.”

Inwardly rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Yes, Josh is my brother.”

Jessilyn’s eyes brightened. “That means you must know Dylan Coulter.”

Of course. “Of course, I know Dylan. He’s like a second brother.” A gorgeous second brother who really wasn’t a brother at all.

“Oh, my gosh! Does Dylan like hang out at your house? He is so hot.” Jessilyn grabbed my hand. “Tell me everything you know. Does he have a girlfriend? What kind of girls does he like? Do you think I have a chance with him?”

“Um.” The questions were quick-fired, and I had no idea what to even tell her. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend.” Never seemed to have a long-term girlfriend. He was too big of a flirt.

Jessilyn squealed, a huge smile on her face. “Do you think he’d want to go out with me?”

Uh, this was an awful position to be put in. Jessilyn was a senior and extremely popular. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate her, but there was no way Dylan was going to go out with this girl. He was leaving in a few weeks for basic and I knew he wasn’t interested in a relationship right now. He’d been telling Josh that for the last six months.

“He might,” I hedged. “But he’s leaving for basic training soon. I’m not sure he’s looking for anything serious right now.” How had I gotten myself into this conversation?

Jessilyn’s eyes got all dreamy. “A soldier. Can you just see it? Dylan’s gonna be one smoking hot soldier, right?”

“Pretty much.” It was hard to disagree with that, no matter how much I hated Dylan Coulter.

Jessilyn studied me through narrowed eyes. “Hey, you don’t have a thing for Dylan, do you?”

“Are you kidding? I’m only fifteen. Besides, Josh would cut Dylan’s balls off if he even looked at me.” Jessilyn’s posture relaxed, her lips curving into a smile that made her look like that cat that ate the canary. Jessilyn glanced at me again, her expression changing again to one of speculation.

“You’re here with Marshall, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been hanging out.”

Jessilyn started to turn away and then stopped. “Look, it’s none of my business, but you were cool to answer my questions about Dylan, so I’ll return the favor.” She paused before continuing. “Be careful around Marshall.”

That was not at all what I expected her to say. “What do you mean?”

Jessilyn seemed to debate over how to answer. “You seem like a cool girl. Just- Marshall isn’t always very nice. Just be careful, okay?” She waited for me to answer, one brow raised.

That didn’t seem very helpful. “Yeah. Sure. Okay. I will.” Jessilyn nodded and turned away again to head back to her friends. As a last-minute thought, I called out, “Thanks!”

Jessilyn smiled over her shoulder and waved.

Shaking my head at the weird exchange, I made my way down the hall. At the end there was a half-bath. Thankfully, it wasn’t occupied and there was no line. I made quick use of it but didn’t hurry from the room. Instead, I paused to look in the mirror and study the girl I saw there. The physical me I knew so well reflected back and didn’t hold my attention, but the girl hidden in the depths of my own brown eyes seemed a mystery.

What was I doing here? I didn’t fit in with the people at this party. And Marshall. Well, Marshall was hot and knew how to kiss, but I’d been a little put off by the amount of alcohol he’d downed without a second thought. He hadn’t even asked me if it was alright to get a ride home with Clint.

But this was what I wanted, right? A good-looking, older boyfriend. One with a car and that wanted to spend time with me. I wanted someone to hang out with. Watch movies with. Hold hands with as we walked the halls of the school. Was that so bad?

My thoughts turned to Jessilyn and her warning about Marshall. Quickly on the heels of that thought was Dylan and what he’d had to say about Marshall. Were they right? I didn’t think so.

Determined to enjoy the party and the attention of a popular senior, I left the bathroom and went in search of my date.

I retraced my steps from earlier, down the hall, across the sea of dancing bodies until I reached the steps I’d seen Marshall head down. About halfway down the stairwell cheers erupted from below and voices chanted ‘chug, chug’. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I realized there was no way I was going to go further into the room. The small space was jam packed with people surrounding a ping-pong table. Marshall and Matt battled on either end of the table. Turning to head back up the stairs, I decided I’d catch up with Marshall after he was finished.

“Hey!” a voice called above the throbbing beat of the music playing upstairs.

Turning, I came face to face with Dylan. “What are you doing here?” I wasn’t sure if he could hear me, but he must have read my lips.

Shrugging, he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, so he could talk into my ear. “Nothing better to do.” He glanced around before meeting my eyes again and mouthed, “Where’s Marshall?”

I pointed down the stairs. He must have been familiar with what was going on down there because he nodded and rolled his eyes. “Wanna dance?”