Chapter 48
CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT
EMERSON
The Uber pulled into the driveway, and I barely stayed still until it stopped. The second it was stationary I took off. The door opened simultaneously, and a leggy brunette climbed out. We collide in a hug and squeals.
“You’re here!”
“Mer! I’ve missed you so much!”
We jumped up and down, squealing at each other as we hugged. Holden grabbed her suitcase from the trunk, and the car pulled away, leaving us in front of my house.
“Taylor, this is Holden,” I introduced once we were done hugging.
“Oh, I remember you, Mr. Sexy Stare. It’s good to meet you,” Taylor said, offering her hand.
Holden smirked, taking her hand. “It’s nice to meet someone who means so much to Wildcat.”
“Wildcat,” she mouthed to me, fanning herself. I rolled my eyes, but internally, I loved it. Taylor had been a great friend to me, and I’d missed her so much. We’d kept in touch via text, but it wasn’t the same as seeing her. “Where’s the other one?” she asked as we headed inside .
“He should be here soon. Classes were canceled for Homecoming, but he still had to work.”
“Yes! Homecoming court! How have the rest of the festivities been?” she asked, following me into the house.
“I’ll set this in your room,” Holden said, kissing me on the cheek.
Taylor’s eyes glittered with amusement as he walked off. My cheeks heated, so I grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and led her out to the pool. It was sunny out, so it wasn’t too cold to sit outside today. We took a seat on the big lounger, the same one I’d made into my second home over the summer. So many things had changed since then that it was hard to believe it was the same year.
“Festivities… right. The food drive went well. The other court nominees have suddenly been super nice to me.” I rolled my eyes, and Taylor laughed. “There was another Zeta issue during parade prep, but Mandy told them they’d be banned from Homecoming moving forward if there was one more infraction against their house. Surprisingly, since then, they have been angels. Holden and I have obtained the most points from all the events so far. There’s still the parade tomorrow before the game and the actual vote, but the points go a long way.”
“You’re gonna win, Mer. I have a feeling.”
I shrugged. “It feels possible. Something I didn’t believe would ever happen.”
“I did.” Taylor nudged me with her shoulder. “It’s about time everyone else discovers how awesome you are.”
“It’s surreal how different groups on campus have chosen me as their champion. At first, I felt overwhelmed by it all—I still do, actually—but I realized I wasn’t alone anymore. I couldn’t care less about winning, but I want to for them—to show all the mean girls that beauty isn’t skin deep.”
“Hell, yeah!” Taylor shouted, throwing her arm in the air, and we laughed .
“Emerson, oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you had company.” Hope stood awkwardly staring at us. A flashback of that first day raced across my mind when she’d confidently stared at me. It was such a contrast to how she was now.
“Hope, this is my best friend, Taylor. She’s in from Brighton for the weekend.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“Not sure I can say the same,” Taylor said, eyeing her.
“No, I don’t suppose you can.” Hope straightened her spine, some of her confidence returning. I had to give it to her. She owned her faults.
“Hmm.” Taylor studied her. “If Mer can give you a second chance, I’ll follow her lead. But don’t think I won’t cut a bitch if they step across that line.”
Hope nodded. “That’s fair. I’m glad Emerson had you as a friend. She deserved one.” Her eyes fell on me. “Mom wanted me to remind you she wants pictures tonight of everyone at the dinner so not to run off before she gets them.”
“Got it. I’ll corral Holden and Colter.”
She smiled slightly. “Good luck with my brother. He’s the worst when it comes to family photos.”
“I have my ways.”
“Oh, I’ve heard.” She shuddered. “Thank goodness my noise-canceling headphones finally arrived.” Taylor and I laughed as Hope waved bye and returned to the house.
“How’s that going?” Taylor asked.
“Better. It’s still weird. Not sure if it will ever not be.”
“You’re a better person than me.”
“Seeing her in the hospital changed things for me. I still don’t trust her, but seeing her injured because of me felt like enough karma.”
Taylor sighed dramatically, smiling at me. “Like I said, you’re better than me. Now, show me the rest of the house, and then let’s play dress-up. ”
I guided Taylor through the house, showing her my dance studio and then my room. Her suitcase was on the bed, and she ran to it, opening it. I opened my closet and pulled out a few dresses I thought might work while she got hers out. Over the next hour, Taylor had me try on everything until she decided. We caught up on the dance crew and which guys she’d been hooking up with this semester while she did my hair and makeup.
“Perfect, now, go and put on that dress. I need to see my handiwork.”
“Yes, ma’am!” I stepped into my closet and pulled on my shapewear. It felt like wrestling a crocodile into pantyhose. “I can’t believe you hooked up with Trent. You’ve been trying to get him to notice you since Freshman year.”
“I know! He was finally single and realized the brilliance that I am. And the things that man can do with his tongue.”
“Is Trent someone you might want to date?” I asked, pulling out the dress we’d decided on for tonight. It was a black form-fitted dress with a sheer black overlay. It showcased my curves, something I usually shielded myself from, but now embraced.
“Fuck, yes, date, no. Besides, I’m in a whole new zip code. I couldn’t deprive all the Hayward girls and guys of my presence.”
“You’re gonna leave a trail of broken hearts when you leave.” I stepped out of the closet, smoothing the dress down.
“That’s my calling card, darling,” she teased, looking up from her phone. “Holy shit, Mer! You look so hot.”
“Yeah?” I couldn’t quite believe it was me standing before the mirror. Taylor had curled my hair in big ringlets and pulled half of it up. The makeup accentuated my cheekbones, and she’d used dark eyeliner to make the green pop. I looked beautiful, but most importantly, I felt it, too.
“Your guys are gonna go bananas. In fact, I might have to find myself another place to stay tonight. ”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Oh, honey. There’s nothing silly about wanting to test out Hayward dick.”
I rolled my eyes. “You better get dressed then. We wouldn’t want to deprive your future conquests of their chance to see you at your best.”
“You are a wise woman.” She stripped out of her clothes, her hair and makeup already done. She’d picked a red mini-dress with sky-high heels, and her long brunette hair hung over one shoulder. Her signature piece was the bright red lipstick to match her dress. She looked gorgeous, and I knew she’d have no problem finding someone to go home with.
We grabbed our clutches and headed down the stairs. Colter had popped into my room when he’d gotten home so he could meet Taylor, and I’d told them we’d meet them downstairs. I wouldn’t deny I had a fantasy of descending the stairs while the guy I liked stared at me in awe.
Taylor squeezed my hand and then went first. “You’re not ready for the main attraction. If you weren’t already in love with my girl, you would be after this,” she said, making me blush.
Taking a deep breath, I walked around the corner and down the stairs. For the first few steps, I focused on my feet. It would be just my luck to fall and break my ankle before I had my moment.
When I was halfway, I looked up and met Holden and Colter’s eyes. They both stared at me, their jaws slacked with heat in their eyes. It was everything I had always wanted it to be. My pussy throbbed as they looked me up and down. Colter licked his lips, and my knees buckled. Thankfully, I was only a step from the bottom, so I fell into his arms.
“You look gorgeous, Mer.”
“I’m half tempted to tell you to put on something else,” Holden whispered, pushing my hair over my shoulder.
“Nah, man. Remember. It’s knowing they’re looking, but she’s coming home with us. That’s where the power is,” Colter said, smirking at Holden. He shook his head, pushing his best friend away.
“Just make sure I don’t kill any of our teammates for looking at her, then.”
“Pictures! Let’s get some of everyone before we forget,” Rose said.
I stepped out of my boyfriend’s arms. My dad smiled at me and stepped in to kiss my cheek. Rose motioned everyone over to a wall that would provide a pleasant backdrop.
“Okay, first, let’s do a family photo. Taylor said she’d take the photos for us.”
Colter squeezed my hand and stepped beside Taylor. My dad and Rose stood in the middle, with Hope on Rose’s side. I went to my dad’s and was surprised to find Holden standing next to me. I lifted an eyebrow, and he only narrowed his.
“Smile, everyone!”
Taylor took a few, and then we traded out for Colter and Holden with me, then one with each. We took a few doing the classic dance poses and then real ones. My cheeks burned when we finished, and I couldn’t wait to see them.
“I’ll send them to you,” Rose said, reading my mind.
“Thank you. We’ll see you there.”
Hope climbed into my dad’s car with Rose, and we walked over to the new SUV my dad had gotten yesterday. He’d been able to get the insurance money for my car to come through quickly, and I’d decided to get something with more room for the tall men in my life, much to Cody’s dismay. He’d really loved my Audi.
The drive was nice, and the guys took time to talk to Taylor and get to know my best friend. However, when she decided to share embarrassing stories about me, I regretted introducing them .
“I can’t believe you’re sharing this.” I cringed, hiding my face.
“It’s what best friends are for, Mer!”
“Ugh.”
“What happened next?” Colter asked. I turned and glared at him, but he smiled and winked at me, not caring in the slightest.
“So, our crew went to this club after a competition. We were all decked out in the clothes we’d worn to perform in. Mer had on these hot pants that sculpted to her. They were difficult to put on, meaning going to the bathroom was nearly impossible.”
“Seriously, you can go back to Brighton now.” Taylor ignored me, continuing.
“We’d been dancing for a few hours when she begged me to help her get her pants off because she had to pee.” Taylor laughed, struggling to find breath to finish. “We go into the stall and try to pull them down, but between the sweat and hours they’d been on, they’d become stuck to her.”
“It was awful,” I said, whining as she laughed. “I was about to pee my pants.”
“So, in desperation, she bends over and tells me to rip them open. She was all, ‘Just do it. Rip them, Tay. I need it.’ Well, you can imagine how that sounded in a bathroom stall.” She laughed more, Holden and Colter joining in.
“Just as I finally get the damn things down enough to pee, the door is kicked open by some beefy bouncer, nailing me in the head.”
“She’s trying to squat over the toilet to pee in the small gap she made, clasping her forehead where the door hit her, and this guy just stares at her.”
“Apparently, not finding us in the throes of passion like he assumed, just a girl with sweaty fake leather pants barely over her hips, makes him freeze,” I huffed.
Taylor cackled, wiping her eyes. “So Mer goes, ‘If you’re going to watch me pee, it’s gonna cost you because I worked so hard to get these damn pants down that I’m not stopping now.”
“Which made the guy realize he was staring at a woman peeing. His face turned bright red, and he stuttered, spinning to flee and smacking right into the same door he’d thrown into me.”
“He went down, falling right into the bathroom at Mer’s feet, and she just shrugs and pees while everyone else in the bathroom freaks the fuck out.”
“I ended up with a knot on my head and had to cut myself out of those pants when I got home, and this one,” I said, pointing to Taylor, “went home with Peeping Tom.”
“Someone needed to monitor him for a concussion,” Taylor laughed.
“I don’t think they meant with your vagina.”
“Their loss.” Taylor shrugged. I loved how unapologetic she was about her sex life. She’d taught me a lot over the two years I’d lived with her about being sex-positive.
Holden and Colter both howled with laughter, wiping their eyes of tears. As embarrassing as it was, I knew neither would think of me differently. They loved me, mortifying moments and all.
Holden pulled into the school parking lot a few minutes later. The dinner was being held in a ballroom in the Fine Arts Building. Several people were walking in dressed in suits and dresses. I rubbed my arms, wishing I’d thought of grabbing a jacket. It had been warmer today, but it had gotten colder now that the sun was gone.
“So, which of your teammates has the biggest dick without being the biggest dick?” Taylor asked.
Colter stumbled, and Holden snorted. “Um, excuse me?” Colter asked.
“She wants to know which guys to ignore,” I added for clarity .
“Oh. Well, I don’t really check out my teammate’s junk,” Colter added.
Holden stopped and pointed at two people. “Those are your best bets. Both single, not assholes, and have decent girth and length in the cock department.”
This time, I was the one who gaped at my boyfriend. Colter joined me while Taylor smiled and patted his arm.
“Thanks, Mr. Sexy Stare. I knew I could count on you.” She hugged me. “Time for me to hunt for my dinner.” She smirked as she sauntered off, heading for the two guys Holden had pointed out.
Holden rolled his eyes at Colter and me, taking my hand and leading us to a table. When we sat down and hadn’t stopped staring, he huffed, crossing his arms. “Was I wrong?” he asked, daring his friend to deny he looked at his teammate’s dicks.
Colter’s shoulders dropped, and he smiled, sitting back in his seat. “Nah. I guess not.” Holden lifted his chin triumphantly, and I laughed, loving moments like these. Rose, Hope, and my dad joined us at the table, and a few people stopped to talk to Holden about the game. Taylor sauntered over later, smiling like she’d gotten exactly what she wanted and taking her seat as dinner was served.
The next hour was boring as hell as different alumni spoke about Hayward’s legacy and what Homecoming meant, blah, de, da. I was ready to get out of this dress, and the dreaded need to pee had emerged. At least this time, I wouldn’t embarrass myself in the bathroom. I nodded to my guys; I needed to slip away, and Colter stood up to join me.
People looked at us as we walked off, and I ignored them as best I could. The bathroom was full, as usual, so I stood in line, shuffling on my heels. When I was only a few spots from the front, two girls walked in, their voices carrying as they gossiped .
“I can’t believe that fat cow is with Holden. There’s no way she’s going to win Home?—”
“If you spent more time being nice to people instead of tearing others down, you’d understand exactly why he’s with her. Mer’s beautiful inside and out. She’s kind and smart, and I can’t wait to see her win Queen. It’s time for someone else to rule this school, and it’s not you,” someone said behind me.
Stunned, I spun around, seeing a girl I’d never even talked to before defending me and two other girls I didn’t know.
“Thank you,” I said, shocking all three as they faced me. I lifted my chin, accepting her praise. The girl nodded, smiling at me while the other two looked appropriately chastised. I slipped into the bathroom stall, confidence surging in me.