Natalie
I blink, and all hell breaks loose as Brody yanks back his arm and punches my ex-boyfriend in the face. Reed howls in outrage and lunges at Brody. I scream as people rush forward to break up the fight.
There’s nothing unusual about scuffles breaking out at a hockey party. These guys seem to enjoy a good brawl. I may avoid these parties like the plague, but the aftermath usually makes the rounds on social media the following morning. There are always a ton of pictures and video clips. The only difference here is that the guys from the team don’t usually get into it with each other.
I shout Brody’s name a few times to get his attention, but he’s intent upon fending off Reed’s blows and landing a few more hits of his own before they’re ripped apart. It takes two guys to hold Reed and just as many to pin Brody. Both glare, their breath coming out in harsh pants. Reed’s nose is bleeding, and it looks like Brody will have a shiner in the morning.
How did everything fall apart within a matter of seconds?
I knew coming here was a mistake. I should have listened to my intuition and stayed home. Netflix and pizza sound so good right now.
Brody shakes off the guys holding him. He scowls at Reed and barks, “If you come anywhere near her or I hear you talking shit, you’ll answer to me. Got it?”
I stand rooted in place, unable to believe what I’m hearing.
“Fuck off, McKinnon!” Reed shakes off the guys holding him and glares at the gathered crowd until his eyes come to rest on me. “Just know that he’s dumber than a bag of bricks. It won’t take long for him to bore you.”
Even though I’ve thought the same thing myself a time or two—maybe more—it pisses me off to hear the insult roll off Reed’s lips. Clenching my hands into fists, I step forward. Brody grabs me by the shoulders to halt my progress. “Go to hell, Reed! You’re an asshole.”
He smirks. “If you’ve gotten any better in bed, just give me a holler. I’d be willing to give you another try.”
Brody lunges, and Reed melts through the crowd before he can get his hands on my ex again. Unable to believe what just happened, I stare at Brody in complete shock.
The party, which had been pumping only moments ago, is strangely silent. Only the sound of hushed whispers can be heard. People stand around and openly ogle us. In a stupor, my gaze slides over the crowd. Heat scorches my cheeks as humiliation floods through every pore of my body.
Everyone heard what Reed said.
That I was a virgin.
That I’m lousy in bed.
I just want the sticky floor beneath my feet to open up and swallow me whole. I want to flee, but stand rooted in place, paralyzed by all of the eyes focused on me.
Brody grabs my hand and drags me out of the kitchen and through the living room. I’m too stunned by the situation to question where he’s taking me. The crowd parts as I struggle to keep up. Another ripple of whispers follows in our wake. I stare down at the gawking party-goers as Brody pulls me up the staircase.
My heart sinks.
This is exactly the kind of attention I don’t want. When people talk about the fight that broke out between Brody and Reed tomorrow morning, I don’t want my name associated with it. But even I know that’s unrealistic.
I’m going to be plastered all over this story.
Once we reach the second-floor landing, he leads me down the dimly lit hallway as the revelry downstairs fades. My mind races, trying to process everything that transpired in roughly ten minutes of time. It never occurs to me to untangle myself from Brody’s grasp.
Pulling out a key, he unlocks the door and yanks it open, towing me inside. Once he slams it shut, my eyes find his, and we stare at each other. The mental fog I’m cocooned in shows no sign of dissipating.
“What just happened?” I whisper.
“I just punched Collins in the face,” he says calmly. “You’re welcome.”
Oh crap. That’s what I thought.
“Why?” Coming to my senses, I tug my fingers free of his. Does he have any idea what he’s just done? “Why would you do that?”
Brody stares at me like I’m crazy. And maybe I am. Maybe I’m in the midst of a total mental breakdown. The stress of school, graduation, and my parents’ divorce has finally caught up with me. It’s official. I’ve lost it.
“He was talking shit about you, Davies.” His brows pull down. “What was I supposed to do? Just stand there like a puss and let him do it?” He scowls. “Hell no!”
Both of my hands fly to my temples. Gently I massage the sides of my head as if that will ease the ache growing inside. “I don’t know. But you don’t lie and tell him that we’re going out.” I slide my fingers into my hair and shake my head. “Why do you even care?” My voice climbs as hysteria sets in. “You talk shit about me all the time,” I remind him, in case he’s forgotten that our typical exchanges consist of barbs and darts thrown in one another’s direction.
He folds his arms over his wide chest. “That’s different,” he snaps, looking offended. “I would never say crap like that to you or any girl.”
The hurt that flashes across his face makes me feel guilty. He’s right. Say what you want about Brody, I’ve never heard him humiliate anyone. He would never be that mean.
Aggravating? Without a doubt.
Infuriating? To be sure.
But he’s not vicious.
The guy likes to needle me. But it’s nothing more than that.
Filled with remorse for lashing out, I mutter, “I’m sorry. You’re nothing like Reed.” I swing away from him and gravitate toward the window overlooking the lit-up street below. Tons of people are milling around on the front lawn. Strolling up and down the sidewalk without a care in the world. Laughing, drinking, cutting loose on a Saturday night.
And I’m up here… Feeling like my life just imploded.
“I don’t know how to make this better,” I whisper. “Everyone heard the horrible things Reed said.”
Even thinking about it makes me cringe with embarrassment.
I don’t realize that Brody has come up behind me until his hands settle on my shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Natalie. Reed is an asshole. He shouldn’t have said any of that to you.”
The fact that Brody is referring to me by my first name just proves how dire the circumstances have become. He never calls me anything other than Davies. I bury my face in my hands. “But he did.”
How am I going to show my face around campus Monday morning? This may be college, but it’s more like high school on steroids. People love to talk. What happened tonight will be juicy gossip to be salivated over for days to come because not only is Brody McKinnon involved, but Reed Collins as well.
“It’s my senior year, and I’m going to have to transfer schools.”
“Look, I know this seems like a huge deal right now, but it’s not. Certainly not enough for you to consider leaving Whitmore. Come on, Davies. I never took you for a drama queen.”
I gasp and spin around, not realizing how close he is. My breasts graze his chest. Awareness skitters through me. Ignoring it, I focus instead on the insult. “A drama queen! I’m hardly a drama queen.” I point toward the door. “You heard what Reed said. By Monday morning everyone on campus will know that I suck in bed.”
“You never struck me as a girl who cared what other people thought of her.”
True. But still… “I certainly don’t need people talking about that,” I grumble.
“How about I start spreading rumors that you’re the best, most amazing sex I’ve ever had,” he says. “Like you’re doing things I never dreamed existed before. Would that help?”
I give him an exasperated look. “I don’t need the kind of attention that would generate either.”
We’re both silent before he asks, “What if I knew of a way to fix this?”
“Unless you’re able to travel back in time, I have no idea how you could possibly do that. From here on out, I’m going to be known as the lousy lay who dated Brody McKinnon for one hot minute.”
“My plan is a little less complicated than that. You and I pretend we’re going out. We stay together long enough for the situation to blow over. I’m sure it won’t take more than a few weeks.”
My brows scrunch as I process his words. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. If we’re together, no one will mess with you.” He smirks. “You may not realize this, but I wield quite a bit of clout on this campus.”
For the first time since seeing Reed downstairs, my chest loosens, and I roll my eyes. “Only you would say something like that.”
His expression transforms into a wolfish grin. “Ah, there she is, the Natalie Davies I know and love.”
“Please.” Love…I almost snicker at the idea.
“So, what do you think?” he asks.
“That you’ve lost your mind,” I quip.
Brody chuckles, and his eyes stay locked on mine. “That goes without saying.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so serious. It’s frightening. A little shiver of apprehension scuttles through me. Uncomfortable with the sensation, I rip my gaze from his and mutter, “I don’t know. It seems ridiculous for us to go to such lengths.” I swallow past the growing lump in my throat. “We don’t even like each other,” I add, trying to throw up a roadblock as a way to divert the runaway train barreling down the tracks at me.
We’re constantly at each other’s throats. He makes a comment, and I strike back tenfold. Look at what happened at lunch earlier today. Brody’s main mission in life seems to be to aggravate me. But, I have to give credit where credit’s due—he’s awfully good at it.
And now he wants to pretend we actually like each other? For a few weeks? I’ll end up killing him with my bare hands in less than twenty-four hours.
My words seem to throw him off. His expression falters.
“Of course, I like you, Davies. I wouldn’t mess with you if I didn’t.”
I cock my head at such a ridiculous explanation. “Are you sure you’re not really a fifth-grade boy masquerading as a senior in college?”
One side of his mouth quirks into a half-smile and a dimple winks at me. My heart flutters in response, and I glance away, trying to wrangle my emotions under control. There’s no way I should seriously consider this idea. It has disaster written all over it.
“You can’t sleep with anyone during the time we’re together,” I blurt, wondering if it’ll be a deal breaker. Brody isn’t exactly known around campus for his monkish ways. Hockey comes first. Girls a close second. Academics a distant third. “I’m not going to play the part of dumb, cheated-on girlfriend twice,” I bite out.
Holy crap! Did those words just pop out of my mouth?
“Done. I won’t even look at another girl,” he promises.
“It’s not the looking part that concerns me.”
“You have my word that I won’t touch another woman for the duration of our coupledom. You can trust me, Davies.”
Trust Brody McKinnon…
Ha!
The very notion seems ludicrous.
Contemplating my options, I suck my lower lip into my mouth and chew on it. This can go one of two ways. The first is that we go downstairs and pretend the last thirty minutes never happened.
Fight?
What fight?
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Then I pray really hard that the people who witnessed the fight didn’t overhear Brody tell Reed that we’re together. Or hear Reed say that I’m lousy in bed.
My heart plummets.
The other choice is to pretend that Brody and I are going out for a couple of weeks. Maybe a month. Certainly not longer than that. It won’t take long for someone else to become Whitmore fodder. It could be next weekend when someone else’s life falls apart at the seams and then we can quietly part ways.
Would that really be so bad?
“What’s it going to be, Davies? You in or out?”
“I…” There’s nothing easy about this decision. Tying myself to Brody in any way feels dangerous. But what other choice do I have? None. Squaring my shoulders, I say, “I’m in.”
A slow smile spreads across his face that makes both dimples pop. Even though I don’t want it to, my heart skips a beat.
He arcs his hand in front of him and pretends to look out into the distance. “Can you picture it now? McKinnon and Davies, Whitmore’s new golden couple.” He wiggles his brows at me. “This is definitely going to be interesting.”
“Oh hell,” I mutter, burying my face in my hands. “What have I gotten myself into?”
He chuckles. “I’m just joking around. Everything will be fine.”
“Nothing will ever be fine again,” I moan.
At this point, I just want to slink home, crawl under my covers, and pretend this night never happened. If I’m lucky, when I wake tomorrow morning, this will have all been a horrendous nightmare.
“I think I’ve had enough for one night.” I may have promised Zara I would stick around for a couple of hours, but that’s not happening anymore. “I’m going home.”
He nods. “Okay. Just follow my lead.”
Before I can question what he has in mind, he grabs my hand and drags me out of the room, through the hall, and down the steps. Brody stops on the landing of the staircase and sticks two fingers between his lips. The whistle comes out sounding like a high-pitched screech. I’m not sure what I was expecting—maybe that we would sneak unnoticed out the door—but it definitely wasn’t this.
If we didn’t already have everyone’s attention, we definitely do now.
The music is abruptly cut off, and silence descends. A crampy feeling settles in my belly as I reluctantly survey the crowd.
I try to tug my hand free, but he has a death grip on me. He raises his other hand in the air. More people pour in from the kitchen to find out what’s going on.
“Hey!” Brody tugs me closer until I’m tucked against his side and his arm can slip around my shoulders. “I just want everyone to know that we’ve made it official. Davies and I are together!”
I wince as a loud roar tears through the crowd. Brody’s grin widens. Did I seriously think the fiasco with Reed was the most embarrassing thing that could happen tonight?
This feels worse.
I’m going to strangle Brody as soon as I get him alone. This will be the shortest-lived relationship Whitmore has ever witnessed. Just as I’m about to whisper something scathing, he repositions me in his arms and his lips crash into mine.
I gasp in surprise, and his tongue slips inside my mouth, tangling with my own.
It’s like I’ve entered a parallel universe. If you’d told me yesterday that I would be Brody McKinnon’s fake girlfriend, I would have laughed my ass off and told you to seek psychological help.
Immediately.
And yet, here I am. Doing exactly that.
He pulls away, only an inch or two, and whispers, “Well, this is certainly going to be a perk.”
Not knowing how to react, I can only stare. This night has turned out to be eerily similar to that old black-and-white TV show, The Twilight Zone. How did this happen?
“Come on, Davies. I’ll drive you home.” His lips curve. “You look like you’re on the verge of stroking out.”
I need to get away from all these people and think about what I’ve just agreed to. Then I need to figure out how to undo it. Because there’s no way I can go through with this.
Maybe having everyone think I’m a lousy lay isn’t the worst thing in the world.