Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
“Go away!” I holler as the knocks on the door continue. This is the fourth time today and I still don’t even know who was out there. It could have been someone from the squad. Could have been one of my coaches. Or it could have been a guy thinking I’m easy and down to fuck.
I pull the pillow back over my head, drowning out the rhythmic pounding, but the thuds grow relentless and urgent.
It’s only been half a day and it already feels suffocating in here, as if the walls are slowly closing in around me.
Knock. Knock. Knock. “Open the door, Legs.”
Springing up, the pillow falls beside me. Did I hear what I think I heard?
“Who’s there?” I call out, eagerly waiting for a response.
It comes immediately. “It’s Hayes. I’ve got something for you.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s referring to his nine-inch pierced cock. He probably saw the video and thinks I’m just gonna fall back on the bed and spread my legs for him… again.
My shoulders slump and I roll my eyes. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”
“Even if it’s a chocolate croissant and an oat milk mocha latte?”
How the hell does he know I love chocolate croissants and the way I drink my coffee?
My brow furrows and I tilt my head to the side. “Who have you been talking to?”
I slowly peel the blanket off me and stand up, moving at a snail pace as I creep toward the door.
“Talked to Avery and she told me you weren’t feeling well. I thought maybe I’d stop by and cheer you up.”
“You’re the least cheerful person I know, Hayes. What are you up to?” I’m at the door now and I could open it if I really wanted to. But I don’t. That latte and croissant sure sound tempting, though. I can almost smell the sweet goodness.
“Just trying to help out a friend.”
“We’re not friends.” I bend down and look in Avery’s vanity mirror, running my fingers under my eyes to erase the smears of mascara.
“Just open the damn door. Your coffee is getting cold and I know how much you hate that.”
For the first time all day, my lips twitch with a smile. “For being a complete stranger, you sure do know a lot about me. Should I be concerned?”
“Probably,” he deadpans.
I click the lock and drag the chain then wrap my fingers around the door handle. Drawing in a deep breath, I pull the door open and come face to face with Hayes, who isn’t looking so hot. His eyes are bloodshot and glossed over and his lips are redder than usual. He’s dressed down in a pair of gray joggers and a black Devils hoodie.
I press my hand on my hip and narrow my eyes. “Didn’t I tell you last night to leave me alone?”
Clutching a brown paper bag from Clara’s Cafe under his arm and holding a hot latte in his hand, Hayes leans into the doorframe. “I think your exact words were, lose my number, please .” The corner of his mouth tugs up in a grin. “I will say, I did appreciate your manners in that text.”
“In that case, can you please go?”
His eyebrows pinch together as he straightens his back. “Why are you so mean to me, Legs?”
I tap my chin. “Oh, let me count the reasons. How about if we start with the fact that you call me Legs.”
“What’s wrong with Legs? It’s not insulting.” His eyes drag down my body and I feel the heat of his stare between my thighs. “If anything, it’s a compliment.”
“Okay then. I’ll let that one slide for now. Let’s go back to the first night we met. It all started when you stole a cup from me…”
“Ahh…” He holds up a finger. “Now, if I remember right, you were gawking at me for, like, ten minutes with your hand on the stack of cups. Can you blame me for getting impatient? I needed a beer to deal with all the drama in that room and you were in my way.”
The sound of voices hits my ears and I poke my head out in the hall to see a group of girls walking in our direction. One of them has her phone in her hand and she lifts her eyes to mine.
“That’s the girl in the video,” I hear her say. “I told you her room was down here.” Laughter echoes down the hall and in a swift motion, I lunge forward and grab Hayes by the pocket of his hoodie and jerk him into my room. The door slams shut behind us and as we stumble, hot coffee splatters onto my shirt.
I hold my arms out as the liquid seeps through the fabric and hits my stomach. “Now look what you’ve done.”
“Accountability isn’t your strong suit.” With his hand held out to keep the coffee from dripping down his arm, Hayes scoffs. “What the hell was that all about anyways?”
“Those girls, umm, we don’t get along.” It’s a lie. I don’t even know who those girls are, but it seems my dorm room has become a museum for video sluts and everyone wants to see the main piece.
Hayes bites the corner of his bottom lip. “Hmm. Okay.”
My defenses kick into high gear. “You think I’m lying?”
Best-case scenario, Hayes hasn’t seen the video and never will. Worst-case scenario, he’s here out of pity because he has seen it.
“Considering I heard one of them say, ‘that’s the girl in the video’ and another say, ‘I told you her room was down here.’ Yeah. I think you’re lying.”
Defeat hits me all at once. My shoulders drop and I sink my ass into my mattress. “You heard that?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “I heard that.”
“I assume that means you know? About the video, I mean?” My face heats, my ears getting hot as the tears I thought were gone fight to come back. I won’t cry in front of him, though. I won’t.
His face scrunches as he says, “It’s sort of why I’m here. How are you holding up?”
I scoff. “As if you care.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” The way he says the words, as if he is disarming himself and actually trying, it makes my shoulders slump a little. If Hayes Madden feels bad for me then this really is bad.
My cheeks feel flushed, followed by a sharp jab to my chest. I look down, unable to make eye contact as I ask the burning question, “Did you watch it?”
His silence has my eyes shooting up. “Hayes! Tell me you didn’t watch it!”
He brings his hands to his chest, bag and coffee still gripped. “I’m a man, Legs. A man with the curiosity of a cat. But in my defense, it was only a peek. In fact, I even stopped a few other guys from watching it.”
Hands folded in my lap, I lift a brow. “Oh yeah? What’d you do?”
“Beat the fuck out of ’em with a hockey stick then shoved a puck in their mouths.”
Always a comedian.
I blow out a heavy breath of air before falling onto my back. “Honestly, I’m not even mad that you saw it,” I tell him truthfully. “I wish nobody had watched it, but there is only one person to be mad at in this whole situation.”
Hayes comes closer and I lift my head to meet his gaze. “Kamden?”
“Yup.”
Cautiously, he takes a step forward, though he looks like I might bite his head off for it. Now, I’m considering it. But he brought treats and if I kill him now, he could drop them and that would be a waste. “I take it that was him in the video?”
“Well, yeah,” I say with a bite of sarcasm. “He is my boyfriend.” Blinking back tears, I try to keep my composure. “At least he was.”
“Hey,” Hayes says softly as he comes closer. He sets the bag and cup down on my nightstand and runs his hand over the spilled coffee on his sleeve. “It’s his loss. The guy’s a prick.”
My throat tightens and I struggle to swallow around the lump that feels like it’s the size of my fist. “I just wish I would have realized it before I let him in.”
“Before you let him in your…” He looks down between my legs and I pin him with an intense scowl. “Sorry. The mind of a man.”
“No, not that .” I grimace. “Before I let him in my heart. I guess that’s what I get for wearing it on my sleeve.”
I don’t even know why I’m saying all of this to Hayes. I don’t even know why he’s standing in my room right now. I don’t even like him.
He falls silent, clearly not comfortable talking about emotions, or any serious matters. I sort of pegged him that way. Every word that falls from his lips is either laced with dark humor or coated with teasing insults.
I feel that, though. Talking about feelings isn’t really my thing either. It’s just that right now I’m feeling so much and if I don’t get some of it out, I might literally go crazy. These four walls have been staring at me all day as I try to wrap my head around everything that’s going on. It’s tumultuous enough to make anyone spill their guts to the first person that walks through the door.
“Anyways,” I say as I sit up and crack a smile to lighten the mood. “Thanks for the croissant and the coffee. It’s like you read my mind or something.”
“No worries.” He slices his hand through the air. “Though, your friend warned me you wouldn’t drink it if it was cold, so it’s probably no good now.”
I reach for the cup and when I grab it, I notice it’s still fairly warm. Giving it a soft blow through the lid, I take a sip and while it is cold, I say, “It’s perfect.”
Wait. Am I being nice to Hayes? By golly, I think I am.
Hayes looks around the room rabidly. “Who is this show for?” He quirks a brow with a glint of a smile on his lips. “Is Brogan Astor actually being nice?”
Dammit. I knew I should have just spit the coffee out and told him it was gross.
“Hey now, I happen to be a very nice person.”
He gives me this squinted look that happens to make him appear even more devilishly handsome, even in his state. It’s not fair. “I’m almost positive you were in the middle of listing all the reasons you’re mean to me, when you abruptly pulled me into your room like you were ready to ravish me.”
I nearly choke on my cold coffee as I spit, “Ravish you?”
“You were pretty aggressive.”
“I was desperate.”
“Rigggght,” he drawls. “Desperate to hide from those girls you don’t get along with.”
“Something like that.” My tone shifts to a more serious note. “I’m mortified, Hayes. Things have been rocky with me and Kamden, but I had no idea he’d stoop so low. My reputation is completely destroyed.”
“Ever heard the saying, bite the bug that bit you?”
“Yes.” I laugh. “But doesn’t that pertain to a hangover?”
“It does and I’ve got a killer one right now. But I think that saying can take on another meaning. Kamden bit you.” He shrugs. “So bite him back.”
“Oh, I’m gonna bite him. I’m gonna bite him so hard my teeth marks will become a permanent tattoo on his skin.”
He smiles, but it’s not one full of his normal sarcasm. This one looks like he is actually concerned for me. “That works too, but hear me out. What better way to get back at your ex who wronged you than by getting with… ” He air quotes. “…his biggest enemy?”
Now I’m really laughing. Full-blown hysterics. “You’ve officially lost your mind.” The serious look on his face is a little unnerving. “Wait. You’re joking, right?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
He doesn’t and that’s a little scary. I need to end this conversation before I’m sucked into another one of Hayes’s horrible ideas. The last time he had a spontaneous suggestion, I ended up naked in his bed.
“Okay, Mr. Comedian.” I drop my feet on the floor and stand up. “You probably have classes to get to, yes?”
He shrugs, lying on my bed as if he owns it. “Skipped ’em all today.”
“To come here to bring me coffee and to offer yourself up for revenge against my ex? I think you wasted your time.”
“I think you speak too fast. Think about it, Legs. This could be good for both of us. We both want Kamden to suffer and he will if you just say yes.”
I laugh, though there is no humor in the sound. “Say yes to what, exactly? Sleeping with you?” God, just saying it makes my skin crawl. It’s not that I find Hayes hideous—the exact opposite, actually. Part of me is a little afraid that if I did sleep with him again, I could potentially fall for him, and that’s the most honest I’ve been with myself throughout this entire situation.
I can’t fall for Hayes. Not only is he a player, but he’s…Hayes. He’s annoying and cocky. He is oddly charming, though, even if his charm is followed up with a sexual innuendo or an arrogant remark.
“Not exactly,” Hayes continues. “I mean, I’m down to fuck if you are, but that’s not what I was implying.”
“Who just casually asks someone if they’re down to fuck?” I shake my head at his forwardness. Doesn’t he ever get embarrassed by the shit he says? And why am I suddenly embarrassed? I’m not the one who said it, but I definitely feel heat rise in my cheeks.
“I mean, isn’t it better to ask than assume? I prefer to have a conversation about it first to make sure both players are on the same team.”
I clutch my heart, sitting back on the bed. “Such a romantic.”
“You want romance?” he asks, and I immediately shake my head no. “Oh, I can romance you, Legs.” He sits up, leaning in like he’s gonna kiss me and I back away so fast I bump my head on the headboard.
“Don’t ever do that again,” I growl, though I can’t help but smile. He’s so…weird. But right now, I sort of like his quirkiness. For a sliver of a moment I actually forgot all about the video and how my life is in shambles.
Hayes laughs. “Chill out, Legs. I’m not really gonna kiss you.”
I’m not sure why there’s a pang of disappointment in my chest. I don’t want him to kiss me. Hell no. So why am I looking at his mouth right now? His lips curve upward and my eyes shoot up to his to find him staring back at me. Fuck. He noticed. And knowing him, he’ll call me out for it.
“Unless you want me to,” he continues.
“Easy pass,” I quip as I grab my coffee and take a sip. I need something to do with my hands—and my eyes. I can’t look at him right now.
“Lemme know if you change your mind.”
He just never stops. I smile behind the lid of my cup but don’t say anything.
“Anyways, as I was saying. You wanna do this? Stick it to Kam where it hurts?”
He called him Kam. Only people who are close to him call him that. Most everyone calls him Kamden. I’m probably just overthinking it, but it’s a little strange.
“Tell me this plan you concocted again.” I know I’m going to regret even asking, but I might as well hear him out. He did come all this way with food and coffee.
“Let’s make a video.” His hands fly in the air before smacking down on his thighs. All the while, my jaw is sitting in my lap.
“A video?” I pick up my jaw before I burst out laughing. “Yep. You’ve lost your mind.”
“Do you have any idea how much that would piss Kamden off? Not only would he be angry, and a little hurt, but he’d also be embarrassed as hell that his own video was followed by something so much sexier. You can’t deny we’ve got chemistry in bed. He’ll wanna crawl in a hole when he sees how hot we are together.” Is it bad that equal parts of me want to give in to this idea, but also want to slap him across the face for it.
“It’s really sad that I can’t even tell if you’re joking or if you're serious. But I hope like hell this is a joke.”
His shoulders lift and the expression on his face isn’t one of humor. “It’s a solid plan.”
“Let me get this straight.” I set my coffee down and stand up to pace in front of him. “You want me and you to make a sex video and share it with the entire school?”
“Or we just send it to Kamden and see where it goes from there.”
I freeze, turning to him like a fucking robot because my body just went that stiff. “You really are serious right now?”
He holds out his hands as if he is the picture of innocence while we talk about making a sex video and sharing it publicly. “Hey, I’m just trying to help.”
“Noooo,” I drag out the word. “You’re trying to send Kamden into a fit of rage. Do you want him to kill you or something? Because he probably would if we did…that. Which we’re not .”
Hayes drags his fingers through his hair, silently staring at his feet. “You’re right.” He lifts his head. “It was a stupid idea. I’m hungover as fuck. Maybe even still a little drunk.”
“It was a stupid idea,” I tell him, but to save his dignity a little, I add, “don’t worry, Hayes. Karma is a bitch and Kamden will get his.”
He nods as he takes steps toward the door.
This sudden shift in his demeanor is a little unsettling. There’s some real animosity between him and Kamden and I think it goes deeper than I could ever imagine.
“Hey, Hayes,” I say, stopping him in his tracks. “What happened with you two anyways?”
I doubt he’ll tell me, but it’s worth a shot.
“That’s a story for another time. You gonna be all right?”
“Oh yeah.” I smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m like a rubber ball. I always bounce back.”
“I believe that.” He shoots two fingers in the air before pulling the door open. “Later, Legs.”
The door closes behind him, and I whisper, “Later, Hayes.”
I’m not sure who that decent human being with terrible ideas was, but it sure as hell wasn’t the Hayes Madden I’ve grown to love to hate.