Chapter 25
Jack
My forehead burns from how long I spent trying to scrub the permanent marker off my face, but all it did was make it more noticeable.
I’m going to kill Dylan. What the fuck was he thinking pulling this shit when I fell asleep in the bathtub?
What makes it worse is he got Al to go along with it, and she didn’t even say anything while we were talking afterward. I give her a side-eye, wondering what else he could’ve talked her into since they’ve become such good friends.
I couldn’t even begin to explain how pissed off I was to see it in the mirror, waking up from the haze of a fever dream alone.
“I can’t believe you let him draw on my face,” I say, and Alondra sputters, much to the delight of my former friends.
“Woah, it wasn’t my fault you fell asleep in the tub. I even tried to stop Dylan,” she says, trying to defend herself, but as someone who’s been on the other end of an argument with her, I don’t think she tried very hard.
“She did,” Dylan adds, and I flip him off.
“Count your days, Jones,” I warn, and Ellie giggles at the counter, working on her homework.
I know I started this shit with what I did to Coop’s hair, but in my defense, how was I supposed to know a gloss meant it would be semi-permanent?
“You know, normally I’d agree with you, Jack, but you did start this shit with Coop’s hair.”
Coop tugs a hand through his blond waves. “Do you remember how long it took for this to grow back? Too fucking long considering I never would have had to buzz it in the first place, asshole.”
He’s being dramatic. He should have noticed the color difference when he put the shampoo in his hands. I was sick and defenseless.
“But I’m sick,” I argue, and Dylan mimics a crying baby. He has no idea what kind of hell he’s just opened himself up to. I have a feeling it’d be really easy to get Al involved, and she seems to be an evil mastermind.
I wince, the pressure in my face somehow less than it was earlier, but it still feels like my head has its own heartbeat.
“Guys, I’m bored,” Sara whines from her spot on the floor, and it’s tempting to go upstairs because her worst ideas seem to stem from moments of boredom. With Al here, there’s no telling what kind of unhinged shit she could come up with.
“What do you want us to do about it?” Nate snorts without looking away from the video game he and Dylan are playing.
“Suck a dick, Nate,” Sara says, and I chuckle, pulling more of the blanket I’m sharing with Al, hoping she’ll somehow get the hint to come closer.
It sounds dumb, but everything feels a little better when she’s near.
“What do you want to do?” I ask, and Al doesn’t get the hint, yanking some of the blanket back onto her. “Just move closer, Al, I’m cold,” I grumble, and Alondra sighs, moving closer to me.
It’s not close enough, so I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side. Al tenses for a second, relaxing into me, and I wonder if she’s second guessing whether she’ll end up sick now.
Odds are she’s probably going to end up with whatever plague I have, given how often we’re together—unless, by some miracle, she really does have the world’s best immune system.
Still, I’m grateful Alondra stayed to take care of me. It’s nice to have someone want to take care of me.
With Alondra tucked against me, it’d be easy to fall asleep again, but as if Sara can tell how peaceful I am at the moment, even sicker than a dog, she has to throw out the most unhinged option.
“Strip poker. First person naked has to run out in the cold,” she suggests, and I have zero desire to see anyone except Alondra naked. But, at the same time, if I’m seeing Al naked during strip poker, then so is everyone else, and that sounds like my version of hell.
Dylan shrugs, and I bet the fucker hasn’t thought it totally through, blinded by the idea of getting to see Ellie naked. “I’m game. You can all help me decide which cheek I’m getting Jack and Coach Brown’s names on.”
“Since when is your name a contender?” Alondra asks, tipping her head up to see me.
“Because I’m his best friend and a hockey god,” I say, winking.
“Literally anything else please,” Nate begs, thankfully being the voice of reason since I’m out of commission, setting his gaming controller down. “I see enough of Dylan’s ass in the locker room.”
“It sounds like more fun than homework, so I’m game,” Ellie says, coming alive, and Coop shakes his head.
“Nope, I’m not playing strip poker with my sister,” he says, and I relax, glad this has been settled.
“What about truth or dare? If you pass on something, you can take a shot or take a piece of clothing off to make it interesting,” Nate suggests, and Sara sighs, nodding her head.
Why does it have to involve taking clothes off at all? If you pass on something, why can’t the other option be presented, and then you pick the lesser of two evils at that point?
“Sounds better than whatever we’re doing now,” Sara says.
Great.
The game starts out innocent enough, everyone taking little jabs at each other.
Sara dares Dylan to try and fit his fist in his mouth—it doesn’t work, but I think he deserves an A for effort.
Coop spends five minutes trying to lick his elbow while Ellie has to tell us about the time she got caught skinny dipping back home in her neighbor’s pool.
I’ve spent most of the game laughing, having recovered from my heavy dose of embarrassment earlier, but Dylan better watch his back. Al seems to be having a good time, even after Ellie dared her to eat a spoonful of hot sauce.
I didn’t know it was possible for that combination of cuss words to come out of someone’s mouth, and I think Ellie and Alondra are the perfect match for each other.
Dylan decided he’d be the first one to skip a dare tonight, pulling off his shirt instead of licking the inside of a toilet. I’m not sure I can fault him there, but I barely have enough energy to stay awake right now.
“Sara, truth or dare?” I ask, after settling back into my place on the couch while Al puts on the sweatshirt I just took off.
I chose to shed an item of clothing to avoid answering Dylan’s truth when he asked who gave me the hickey on Halloween.
None of them would understand the significance for Alondra, but I do, and I was happy to be the person she trusted in that moment.
I slide my arm around Alondra’s side after she curls back into me, and damn if it doesn’t make my heart spin around and around in my chest seeing Al in my sweatshirt.
“Dare,” Sara answers without missing a beat.
Al rests her head against my chest, and I’m stupefied by how lucky I am to be trusted by this girl when she has every reason not to trust another guy again. “I dare you to jump in the snow,” I say, and she stands without a single complaint.
“It’s way too cold for that,” Ellie protests, shooting me a look, but if Sara doesn’t care, then what does it matter?
It’s hard to think of anything better when all I can think about is Alondra.
“Nope, I’m not a chicken like Dylan,” Sara says, throwing a jab at Dylan who scoffs.
“Jumping in the snow is very different from licking the inside of a toilet, and I stand by my decision.”
Nate stands, walking toward the kitchen. “She’s crazy. I’d just take a sock off,” he says, chuckling, but Sara doesn’t even hear him because she’s already stepped outside.
She runs back in a moment later, her teeth chattering. “Not a chicken, but it’s really fucking cold outside,” she says, plopping on the couch next to Ellie, grabbing her blanket to wrap up in. “Al, truth or dare?”
“Dare?” Al answers, sounding uncertain, and I can’t blame her after the last dare she got.
“I dare you to kiss . . .” Sara grins, and her gaze jumps around the room, landing on Coop, who is staring at his phone. “Coop. Ten seconds, and with tongue.”
Did I hear her right?
“Really, Sara?” Coop asks, looking up, but I’m too busy trying to let it sink in.
The last thing I want to happen tonight is to see my girl kiss one of my roommates, and Sara fucking knows it.
Ellie groans, and I’m glad I’m not the only one against this. “Maybe don’t dare my roommate to kiss my brother?”
Nate chooses this moment to step back in the room, taking his seat again.
“Fine. I dare you to kiss Nate then—same rules,” Sara says, and I clamp my jaw shut.
“Who am I kissing?” he asks, taking a drink of his beer.
I know she’s not really mine, but I hate this. I’ve denied that anything is happening between us, and if I protest, it’ll only make them ask why.
Al still hasn’t said anything, and it makes me hopeful she’ll take off the sweatshirt she borrowed from me instead, but she shrugs, sliding out from next to me as the voice of reason in my head begs me to say literally anything.
“Fine,” Alondra says, and I have never hated a word more than I do right now.
I’ve been doing my best not to act like things are different between us since Halloween, but I can’t get her out of my fucking head. It’s bad enough she walked in on me fucking my hand thinking about her grinding against my thigh, but I’ve just gotten her to stop running from me.
Sara has no idea what she’s just set into motion.
Nate looks at me, but I’m caught between the lie of friendship and the fear of Alondra meaning more to me, making it impossible for me to say anything.
Alondra pulls her braid over her shoulder and lands in his lap. I think I’m going to be sick, but I can’t look away, hating every second she’s not next to me.
Al rests her hands on the back of Nate’s neck, leaning forward to kiss him, and I’ve never felt blinding jealousy like this before.
He reaches to cup her cheek, kissing her back while I clench the blanket in my fists.
Dylan actually looks a little worried when he glances at me, and I need a fucking break.
She pulls away first, standing up, but everything feels wrong right now.
“Nine seconds, but it looked like you were swallowing each other, so I’ll let it slide,” Sara teases, and Al’s cheeks are a rosy color as she walks toward the other end of the couch without looking at me.
“Ellie, truth or dare?” Alondra asks, tucking her arms around her knees pulled up to her chest, and I’m not sure I can sit here and wait for someone else to try using Al against me.
I’m aware my views of love are fucked up, but if I could be different, don’t they think I would be?
“Truth,” Ellie replies, and I can feel the weight of her stare on me. The energy in the room has shifted, and Sara has the damn nerve to look apologetic now that the dare is complete.
“I’m tired. I’ll see y’all in the morning,” I blurt out, standing up to walk away. I need to get my shit together before I say or do something I’ll regret.
Nate is one of my best friends, but I’m not going to high five him for kissing Alondra when it should have been me.
I know it’s not fair, but all I have to offer are pieces of a defective heart. After the hell it’s been through, I’m not sure they can fit back together.
The only thing I know for certain is Alondra deserves better than my heart as cold as ice.