Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
After a quick shower in the locker room, I threw on a pair of joggers and a cropped white tee paired with white sneakers and got a ride to Piggy’s. My hair is still damp as I walk into the dimly lit bar, and my face is makeup-free—thankfully, because I’ve been in tears ever since my conversation with Kamden. Lucky for me, Piggy’s is dead.
Avery is already seated, alone, at a booth in the back. I go straight to her. As I approach the table, I notice she’s already got us each a drink—our favorite blackberry mojitos.
“B,” she lets out a soft sigh when she notices the tears welling in my eyes. She stands up and wraps her arms around me and I collapse into her embrace. “What’s wrong, babe?”
“Kamden and I got into a huge fight.” I sniffle as I rub my damp eyes on her fleece hoodie.
She rubs circles on my back. “I’m here for you. Drown your sorrows and tell me all about it.”
We sit down and I tell her all about Hayes and how we slept together on the last day of cheer camp in the spring. Then I tell her about my run-in with him last night.
“My phone must have been recording the entire conversation on Kamden’s voicemail.”
“And you’re sure one of you mentioned the time you slept together?”
“I’m pretty sure it came up.” I half shrug, knowing Hayes has no filter and I get too worked up around him to remember the exact exchange.
“You know what?” she begins, and I can tell by her tone she will not be in favor of Kamden. Not that she ever is. “Fuck Kamden.” I called that one. “Everyone has a past. If you knew every girl he fucked, I bet you wouldn’t have touched him with a ten-foot poll. He’ll get over it.”
It’s a typical response for Avery. He’ll get over it. She’ll get over it. This will pass. And she’s right. Most of the time he does get over whatever he’s fussing about. But this time is different.
“He said Hayes is his biggest enemy. Apparently, they can’t stand each other.” I roll my eyes. “And it makes him look bad because he had Hayes’s sloppy seconds.”
“He called you that?” She grabs at her chest as if she were clutching pearls.
“Is it weird that that’s what hurt the most?” I glance up at my friend who looks like she might actually go on a murder spree right now.
“B, you’re not sloppy seconds. Any man that gets between your legs is blessed with gifts from the gods themselves to have a piece of you. If he called you that, he is forever on my shit list.”
I snort because he has already been on her shit list. It started the day we became official and he decided to cancel our plans to have a beer and watch a game with his friends.
“He hasn’t messaged you or anything to apologize?”
Checking my phone, I find no missed messages or calls. I flash her the screen, then lay it down on the table as I bow my head.
“Fuck him,” Avery practically spits.
I scratch my head, a heavy breath flaring my nostrils. “Yeah,” I spit out. “Fuck him. Mr. Judgy Judge can kick rocks if he wants to be pissed about something so stupid.” I grab my drink off the table and stick the straw between my lips, sucking down half of the contents.
My phone buzzes on the table and I quickly set my drink down and pick it up.
“It’s a text from Kamden,” I say with skepticism in my tone.
“So much for ‘ fuck him ’,” she mumbles as I read the message.
Kamden: First I find out you had sex with a guy I hate, then YOU get pissed at me. That’s bullshit, Brogan. I don’t want you anywhere near that guy ever again. I mean it. I don’t want you talking to him or bumping into him on the streets. I can guarantee he put himself in your way just to get under my skin.
Anger burns in my veins as I slam my phone down on the table. “How dare he think he can control me?”
“Oh, hell no,” Avery seethes. “What did he say?”
I push my phone at her and allow her to read for herself. This isn’t the first time I’ve let Avery read my messages. It’s probably why she hates Kamden so much. I share all the bad stuff with her and she rarely gets to see the good parts of our relationship. Even if lately they seem few and far between.
Avery’s thumbs move at rapid speed across my phone as she types out something to him.
“Don’t you dare,” I tell her as I reach across the table and try to take it from her before she has a chance to hit send.
I’m too late when she hands it to me, a smile grazing her cheeks.
“For fuck’s sake, Ave. What did you do?” I ask as I read my response to Kamden.
Me: Fuck you!
Okay. Not as bad as it could have been. And it’s actually what I would have liked to say.
Avery picks up her glass and holds it in the air, so I do the same. A clank rings out and we finish off our drinks.
“Do you remember that time we went to Darell Young’s party junior year and we cheered so hard our glasses shattered in our hands?”
“How can I forget?” We both laugh. “It was the same night we were skipping around the pool and bumped into Addison and knocked her in the water.”
Avery claps a hand over her mouth, giggling. “I felt so fucking bad for that. The girl was beyond wasted.”
“Apparently not bad enough because while you were laughing so hard you peed your pants, I was getting in the pool to help her drunk ass out.”
“Ahh,” Avery sighs. “The good old days where we had no responsibilities.”
“It’s only going to get worse from here on out.”
Avery holds up her glass again. “At least we have tonight.”
I clank mine against hers, softly out of care of repeating history. “I'll cheers to that.”
Two hours later, our booth is cluttered with empty glasses. A warm buzz has settled in my stomach as Avery and I enjoy a carefree evening. She threatened me with a shot of tequila every time I mentioned Kamden, so the topic of him has been off the table. The last time I drank tequila I had sex with Hayes. Ugh. Just the thought makes me nauseous.
I can’t help but wonder if there was any truth to what Kamden said about Hayes purposely inserting himself in my path just to piss Kamden off. Hayes has proven to be a self- centered prick who is only motivated by his own desires, but would he really stoop that low just to piss off someone he doesn’t like?
Doesn’t matter, I have no plans of ever seeing him again. And it’s not because Kamden told me to stay away from him. If it were anyone but Hayes, I might actually do the opposite of what Kamden said. I’m spiteful like that.
I still can’t believe he had the audacity to tell me who I can’t talk to. After my parents’ divorce, I swore I’d never let a man control me. My dad is a great dad, don’t get me wrong, but he had a way of manipulating my mom into doing what he wanted instead of what she wanted.
She was a lawyer who decided to become a stay-at-home mom because my dad thought it was better for us girls growing up. I never saw her smile quite like she did the day she accepted the position as district attorney in Willow Creek. It came with the cost of us moving away from my friends and my dad, but it all worked out the way it was supposed to. Now she’s happily married to Grant and I’ve gained four pain-in-the-ass stepbrothers.
“One more drink?” Avery waggles her brows with her empty glass in the air.
I look down at my phone and see that it’s already after nine. We both have a seven-a.m. class in the morning, so I need to make the responsible decision for us. Part of me wants to go talk to Kamden and figure out where we stand at this point. I’m not about the in-between stuff. I’ve watched season three, episode fifteen of Friends more than enough times to know I will never “be on a break” with a guy.
I really shouldn’t have a serious conversation with Kamden after I’ve had this much to drink. I’ll undoubtedly say something I regret.
Smacking my dry lips together, I say, “I think we should head back to campus.”
With a grunt, Avery sets her glass down. Her red-rimmed eyes look back at me and I’m certain mine are a similar shade of intoxicated. I don’t normally go out when I have classes the next day, but I had to do something to refrain from chasing after Kamden and giving him a piece of my mind, or groveling at his feet. No! I will not do that. Our relationship is definitely not worth a full-fledged grovel. Besides, it’s not in my blood to be a pushover.
Avery sluggishly takes her phone out of her purse and leans into the table. “I’ll order us a ride.” Her words slur and I’m confident I made the right choice, for both our sakes.
“Done,” she says as she slips her phone back in her purse. “Black Honda CR-V. Five minutes. Head out front and I’ll meet ya there. I gotta pee. If he comes, stand in front of the car and don’t let him leave without me.”
I laugh. “You’ll be fine. We’ve got plenty of time.”
She holds up her hand, fingers sprawled. “We’ve got five minutes.”
“Five minutes.” I chuckle. “Got it.”
Avery scoots out of the booth, and her knees knock as she holds on to the back of a chair beside her. “I shall return.” She spins on her heel and heads to the bathroom. Clearly, she's had one drink too many.
I’m one to talk because my head feels like a bowling ball when I stand up. I toss a few extra dollars on the table, even though we’ve tipped our server exponentially after each drink. We don’t do tabs. It’s too risky since we’re drinking underage.
When I step outside, the cool air hits my face and I swear it slightly sobers me up. A row of cars lines the street, so I keep an eye out on the other side to watch for our ride.
A minute later, he pulls up under a flickering lamppost. That definitely wasn’t five minutes.
I raise my hand to signal our driver as I step between two parked cars and onto the street. It’s pretty quiet tonight, and when I look both ways before crossing, there are no headlights in sight.
Suddenly, the screeching sound of rubber on asphalt rings in my ears. The bike swerves to the left, narrowly missing me before coming to a sudden stop next to a parked car. The next thing I know, I’m staring deer faced into a pair of piercing eyes behind a helmet.
I don’t even know where he came from. He had to have been going at least ninety miles an hour.
The sound of the engine dies and I watch in shock as he swings his leg over the seat.
“What the fuck!” I hear him holler as he pulls off his helmet.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I mutter when I come face to face with the devil himself.
His lip curls at the corner. “You really gotta watch where you’re going, Legs.” He points in front of where he’s standing.
“You almost killed me!” I growl. “Again!”
“Actually,” he begins. “I’m pretty sure I saved you… again. I could have easily taken you out.” Hayes hooks his helmet on the handle and drags his leather-wrapped fingers over the smooth surface of his bike. “Not gonna lie, the thought crossed my mind.”
“Saved me?” I laugh dryly. “And let me guess, you expect a thank-you?”
Something about Hayes’s rugged appearance sends a rush of heat through my core. His disheveled hair is pushed back off his forehead, stray strands wisping in the wind. He’s wearing a shiny black leather jacket, matching boots, and torn denim jeans that expose his kneecaps.
Avery appears out of nowhere, running toward us with her hand in the air. “We’re coming,” I hear her drunk ass shout as she walks right in front of an oncoming car. Hayes reaches out and grabs her by the arm, jerking her back to safety.
“I take this to be a friend of yours?” He smirks. “Two peas in a pod.”
“Oh, screw off,” I grumble. “Ya know, this isn’t a race strip. You’re seriously going to kill someone if you don’t learn how to drive that thing. Didn’t you run someone’s foot over the last time I saw you out here?”
He quirks a curious brow. “Ya know, you seem to be at that bar a lot. Do I smell a drinking problem?”
I look at my invisible wristwatch, sneering. “Aren’t you late for work?”
“Actually, due to my extracurricular activities, I had to quit my job.”
I plant my hand on my hip and cock my head.“Lemme guess, drug dealer?”
Hayes tsks. “You and that mouth of yours…”
“Whoa now.” Avery grins. “Am I interrupting something?” She waves her hand between Hayes and me. “Do you two need a minute because the tension is thick as hell right here.”
“No,” I spit out, glowering at my new enemy. “Hayes was just leaving and so were we.” I grab her by the arm, ready to pull her to our ride, but she digs her heels into the pavement and pulls against me.
“Ahhh,” Avery gushes. “So you’re the guy she fucked last spring that her boyfriend told her to stay away from?”
“Avery!” I hiss, throwing my hands in the air. “Why?” She’s such a little shit when she drinks.
Hayes raises a single brow, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Is that so?”
I narrow my eyes. “As if you didn’t know.”
He shrugs lazily. “No idea what you’re talking about, Legs.”
“Legs?” Avery giggles. “Ooh, that’s sexy. And so cute that you two have nicknames already.” She smacks my arm with the back of her hand. “I like him already. Kamden never gave you a nickname.”
My chin drops to my chest and I tap my foot impatiently.
Hayes takes a step back. “Did you say Kamden? As in Kamden Donnelly?”
My eyes shoot up. “Oh, shut up,” I hiss. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly who my boyfriend is.”
Hayes barks a laugh. “Wait a damn minute. You’re seriously dating Kamden Donnelly?”
Part of me wants to believe he really is messing with me right now, but the shock on his face says differently. He actually looks sort of pale. There is some serious animosity between those two guys and now I’m curious as hell why.
They play two different sports and I’ve never seen them interact. I guess it’s possible Hayes really didn’t know Kamden and I are together. That would mean none of our run-ins have been planned. That would also mean fate is a real bitch because the run-ins can stop any day now. I’ve been seeing far too much of this prick.
“You really didn’t know?” I ask suspiciously.
Hayes walks toward his bike, but his skeptical eyes remain glued to me. “Not a single fucking clue. Wow, ” he drawls. “And here I thought you had good taste when you climbed into my bed.” His head shakes disappointedly as he snares his helmet from the handle. “Good luck with that relationship.” He slides his helmet on and swings his leg over the seat of his bike before bringing the engine to life.
“Oh, B. He is hot!”
Our driver lays on the horn and I grab Avery by the hand, leading her safely across the street. “Don’t even give him a second thought,” I tell her as we get into the car. Someone once told me that and I wish I’d have listened.
“You should totally fuck him again.” I glower at her, and she throws her hands up in surrender. “Okay. Okay. I’m done.”
As we drive away, I find myself turning around in the seat to watch Hayes’s taillight disappear into the night. And now, I’m not giving him a second thought.