Rourke
SIX DIDN’T SHOW UP to the game tonight. A part of me wasn’t surprised, she’d said as much, but another part was bitterly disappointed.
I had wanted her here…
“You the man!” Reebo cheered, clapping me hard on the back as we walked back into the dressing rooms after the fourth quarter. “You the fucking man, Owens.”
“Someone get this man a golden fucking pussy,” Mase chimed in. “Woo! You keep playing like you did tonight, Rourke, and we’re heading to state.”
I played better tonight than I had in weeks – seven weeks to be precise – and I had a feeling she had something to do with it. I wanted Six to see me. I’d scored five of our team’s eight touchdowns tonight.
We had creamed Jefferson’s V1 team, and I’d managed to keep my head on the game and my temper in check.
Last year, when we played off against these pricks, I’d been sent off for beating the shit out of their quarterback in the first quarter.
In my defense, I had just found out the asshole had been fucking my girl.
This year, though, none of what they had said bothered me because I didn’t care anymore.
Fuck. I didn’t care…
“You hitting Tee-Gee’s with us tonight?” Reebo asked, sinking down on the bench beside me. “They’re opening especially for us.”
“Nope,” I replied, stripping off my gear. Tee-Gees was an underage club in Dauntan, the next town to Ocean Bay. I didn’t go there often, but my friends did most weekends. “Have at it, man. I have plans.”
“Plans?” Reebo raised a brow. “What kind of plans?”
“The none of your fucking business kind,” I shot back with a smirk, thanking Jesus the guys hadn’t heard about Molly’s party tonight.
“He doesn’t have plans, Reebo,” Mase said loudly, butting in on our conversation. He walked over to the bench and sank down next to Daryl, who was unusually quiet tonight. “We just kicked Jefferson’s ass. We have to celebrate.” Leaning forward, Mase raised a brow at me. “Are you so fucking hung up on your sister that you can’t come out and enjoy yourself with the team?”
I didn’t reply to that.
His stupid fucking comment didn’t deserve a response.
Besides, I knew what Mase was doing; he was trying to get a reaction out of me.
Not tonight.
“She’s not his sister,” Reebo shot back dryly. “Quit trying to get a rise out of him, Mase.”
“She’s as good as,” Mase teased. “Her momma’s married to Gabe. Makes them related.”
“You know what else is gonna be related?” I warned, jerking to my feet. “My foot and your ass if you don’t shut the hell up.”
“Relax, Dude,” Mase shot back with a grin, holding his hands up in retreat. “I aint judging you. Go right ahead and bang your stepsister. Hell, I would too if you hadn’t cock blocked me.”
“Don’t,” Daryl hissed. Jumping to his feet, he caught ahold of me just I was about to lunge for Mason. “Get the hell out of here, Mase,” he ordered, struggling to hold onto me. “Now, asshole.”
“Aye-aye, captain.” Mason saluted us both with hand against his forehead before sauntering out of the dressing rooms, singing his own improvised version of Bloodhound Gang’s The Ballad of Chasey Lain at the top of his lungs – switching the name Chasey Lain to Mercy James.
Asshole.
“I’m gonna kill him,” I snarled.
“Can someone remind me why we’re friends with that douche nozzle?” Bear chimed in, joining in the conversation for the first time. “Mase is such a fucking asshole.”
“Yep,” Daryl added. “Boy is living proof that there are times in life when a woman needs to swallow.”
“Nah, he’s alright,” Reebo defended with a chuckle. “He’s just...”
“Mase?” Bear offered dryly.
“Yeah,” Reebo said with a sigh. “He’s just Mase.”
Mercedes
I SKIPPED THE GAME and went straight over to Molly’s house instead. After my run in with Britt, I wasn’t feeling particularly peppy, and watching that skank shake her ass in front of Rourke was just about the last thing I wanted to see.
Thankfully, Molly wasn’t too difficult to sway. Of course, I had to assure her that Daryl would be making an appearance at her party tonight with Rourke. She believed me because she had heard the rumor going around the school about us. Yeah, our little class skipping hook up had spread like wildfire around the halls of the Academy.
“Are you sure your dad’s cool with this?” I asked, looking around at the forty plus kids from our grade piled into her house, drinking and dancing to their hearts content.
“Absolutely,” Molly replied. “Besides, he’s away on business for at least another two weeks. Here, help me with this, will you?”
“I can try?” I offered, taking ahold of one side of the keg. “But I warn you now, the strongest muscle in my body is my tongue.”
That comment won me a laugh from Molly. “I’m so freaking happy you moved here,” she said as we attempted and failed to drag the keg of beer in through the back door of her house. “I’ve missed this.”
“Missed what?” I grunted, trying unsuccessfully to get the keg over the lip of the door. “Aiding and abetting minors in the consumption of alcohol? Yeah, I’d miss that, too.”
“Having a friend,” she surprised me by saying. “One that doesn’t look at me with pity and discomfort.”
My heart jerked in my chest. Is that how it was for her? “Molls.”
“I’m okay, I promise,” she assured me with a bright smile. “And I don’t want pity. Just answers.”
I cocked a brow. “Answers?”
“That’s right,” she replied in an even tone. “So fess up. Are you with him now?”
“Who – Rourke?”
“No, Axel freaking Rose.” Molly rolled her eyes. “Yes, Rourke!”
“Um, no,” I muttered. “We’re just friends.”
“Just friends?” She raised an unimpressed brow.
My cheeks burned. “With benefits.”
“I knew he liked you,” Molly squealed, clapping her hands in what looked like genuine delight. “Rourke has never chased a girl out of class like he did today. Never. Not even Britt. You are his only exception, Mercy.”
“I’m not his exception, Molls,” I corrected, cheeks hot and flushed. “He just wants to have sex with me.”
Molly frowned. “Is that what you think?”
“It’s what I know,” I confirmed grimly. “He told me.”
“What a douche,” Molly whispered. “Ugh.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, biting down on my bottom lip. “And guess what even bigger douche agreed?”
Her eyes widened into saucers. “You didn’t!”
I nodded in shame. “I did. I freaking did.” Throwing my hands up in the air, I released a pained sigh. “And I have no idea what I’m doing because in case you haven’t already noticed, I’m not the most experienced girl around here.” Not when it came to boys. Not when it came to him! “Help me, Molly,” I begged then. “Tell me what to do?”
Molly opened her mouth to say something to me, but Daryl freaking King chose this exact moment to walk over to us, distracting Molly from my love life. Selfish asshole.
“Hey,” he said gruffly, eyes locked on Molly. The humor in Daryl’s voice I was so used to hearing was absent tonight.
“Hey,” she replied, eyes right back on him. “I’m happy you could come tonight.”
“Yeah, me too,” Daryl replied, though he sounded anything but happy. In fact, he sounded downright depressed. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” He stared hard at Molly. “In private?”
Molly’s face fell. Seriously, her entire expression changed. “Um, I guess,” she whispered, clearly nervous now. What the heck was going on here?
“You okay, Molls?” I asked, feeling a trickle of unease roll down my spine. I didn’t like this. Something was off. And red flags were shooting up in my head like crazy.
“I’m fine, Mercy,” she told me with a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’m going to go speak to Daryl. I’ll see you in a bit, okay?”
With that, I watched as Molly abandoned me and our keg, walking straight over to Daryl, who pressed a possessive hand to her lower back before leading her into the kitchen
“What the hell was that about?” I muttered to myself, staring after them until they disappeared from my line of sight.
Secrets, I decided.
Those two definitely had secrets.
All thoughts on what those secrets were fled my mind the moment two arms came around me and pulled me backwards into the garden.
The scream that was on the tip of my tongue died away when Rourke turned me in his arms and planted his lips on mine.