Chapter 2 – Age 15
CHAPTER TWO
Everleigh
Age 15
Lord Heron - The Night We Met
T he chilly wind swept my hair behind my shoulders as I ran through the haunted maze, my heart practically beating out of my chest. Night had fallen, leaving nothing but a blanket of darkness and the anticipation of some person in a costume jumping out of nowhere to scare me to death. I’d lost Briley somewhere in the maze, and guilt gnawed at me for allowing us to get separated. She was absolutely terrified of this kind of thing, and I had to admit, so was I. The game was simple. If you got taken by a monster, they’d put you in a costume and turn you into one, too. It was my family’s favorite Halloween tradition, and the thrill was consuming. The winner got a bunch of candy and a five-hundred-dollar gift card, which was incentive enough for kids my age to want to play, despite the fear.
My legs carried me down a narrow empty path of the maze, my throat tightening as my steps slowed, unsure of what awaited me around the corner. As I passed an opening in the maze, too afraid to get stuck in the dead end I knew was awaiting me there, someone jumped out from that same opening, grabbing me by my arm. A scream got lodged in my throat, my chest beating wildly as I was forced into the shadows and thrown against the wall. The stranger slapped his hand over my mouth to muffle my panicked screams.
“It’s just me,” he whispered, amusement evident in his voice.
I blinked a few times, willing my eyes to adjust to the even darker part of the maze, and slowly, his features became more prominent. I sagged in relief.
Ashton was a newer student who sat with the popular kids at lunch. He’d flirt with me in class every now and then, but it was never more than that. I’d never even seen him outside of school until now.
“You’re trembling.” He laughed. “Did I scare you that badly?”
As the tension in my chest eased at the realization that he wasn’t some monster coming to drag me away, I suddenly realized our position. My back was to the hard planes of the maze wall, his arms on either side of me, caging me in. His teeth sparkled through the darkness, and I couldn’t help but melt into him, my heart beating wildly for different reasons now.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I hate jump scares.”
“Sorry. You were headed right toward a monster.” He motioned with his head, directing it through the wall behind us—the path I had stupidly chosen, scared that there was someone lurking right where we were now. It seemed like the perfect spot for someone to hide.
“Well…um, thanks for not letting me get turned into one of them,” I added nervously.
A chuckle rumbled through his chest and he took a step forward, closing the distance between us. His warmth coated me in its embrace as he pressed up against me and my legs trembled under my weight. I hesitantly brought my hands up to rest against his chest, not sure where else to put them.
“Never,” he whispered, his warm breath fanning over my lips.
I’d never been this close to a guy before, and it made my head spin for several different reasons. He was easily the most attractive guy at school, but he could have anyone he wanted. Why seek me out? I was a nobody.
My thoughts came to a screeching halt when he pressed his lips to mine, my eyes widening at the unexpected kiss. I’d never kissed anyone either or had any idea how to. He was so confident, and I wasn’t. What if I messed up, or it was bad? My body shook against his and he pulled back.
“Do you not want to kiss me?” he asked, a hint of concern tinging his words. That’s when I realized I hadn’t even kissed him back. I just stood there limply, feeling like an idiot. “I didn’t mean to force it on you. I just thought that maybe you’d want to.”
Humiliation burrowed deep inside me, and I clamped my eyes closed, willing my body to react how it needed to. He was extremely hot, and if I messed this up, I’d never forgive myself. I tightened my grip around the front of his hoodie where my hands were now fisting the material.
“I’m going to sound like an idiot.” I breathed. “But I’ve never kissed anyone before.”
He was silent for a few moments and I pried my eyes open, certain that he’d be staring at me with some form of amusement. He’d make fun of me, tell me I was a loser for it, or just tell me it was all one big joke, and he wanted to see if I’d actually do it or not. His jock buddies would be lurking around the corner and then make fun of me, too. Then I’d have to move, change my name to Patricia, and go into hiding.
“That’s actually really hot,” he muttered, catching me off guard. “If I kiss you again, will you kiss me back?”
I hesitated for a moment but willed myself to nod.
When his lips came down on mine again, I parted them and kissed him back as promised. My head spun with the dizzying spell his warmth casted upon me and I had to hold him tighter in fear of tumbling to my knees. He applied more pressure, making it more aggressive and hungrier. A whimper slipped through my defenses, embarrassment snaking through me, but he seemed to like it because he groaned in response, removing his hands from the wall and cupping my face between them instead.
Something electric trickled through my body, and it felt like I couldn’t get close enough to him even though we were pressed against each other. I’d never felt like this before. His grip was firm around my face as he held me in place, devouring my mouth like he couldn’t stop. When his tongue slipped through my lips, tasting mine, I shuddered against him. I’d never even had a regular kiss, and definitely never French-kissed anyone.
After a few moments, he pulled away breathlessly, the moon shining down on the edge of his jaw as he did. His lips were swollen, his eyes dilated with hunger as he stared me down.
“Can I touch you?” he whispered.
I glanced around, the sound of screams echoing off in the distance. “Where?” I asked nervously.
He dropped his hands from around my face and reached out, placing his palm against the front of my leggings, the warmth of his hand seeping through the fabric, right where my private parts were. My heart hammered wildly in my chest. I wasn’t ready for that, but I was terrified that if I said no, he’d find someone who would let him.
Mom always said that if a boy truly wants you, he’ll be patient. But I didn’t care about that right now, because I knew that things didn’t always work out that way. As if sensing my panic, he removed his hand, returning it to the wall behind me.
“Or,” he began, taking his other hand. “I can touch you here instead.” He ran the pad of his thumb over my breast, sending another current of electricity spiraling through me.
I didn’t know why he wanted to touch me inappropriately. We barely knew each other. We joked around at school from time to time and flirted back and forth, but it had never been physical. It had honestly been some kind of game. Make the other lose it first with flirty innuendos and jokes. He usually always won. The things he said were…. intense.
He was so confident, and I had a feeling that had to do with experience. Which was an odd thought at our age. But most of my friends had already lost their virginity, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
I peered up at him, my chest rising and falling as I attempted to catch my breath, to wrap my head around what he was asking me. Sinking my teeth into my lower lip, I nodded.
“Thank fuck,” he muttered, the curse word making my cheeks heat. A lot of my friends cussed, and I was a teenager, so even I did from time to time. But the way he said it was so sexual. “I’ve been wanting to touch you for a long time,” he admitted with a boyish grin that had my heart skipping a beat.
I didn’t say anything, too afraid of how my voice would come out if I tried. He closed his hand around my breast, squeezing it in his grip. A small gasp slipped from my lips, the foreign sensation feeling better than I would have expected. Even through the darkness, I could make out the shadow from his lashes drifting across his sharp cheekbones. His eyes were hooded with desire, something I’d only witnessed in movies I wasn’t allowed to watch.
“Do you like me, Everleigh?” he questioned, removing his hand and toying with the hem of my shirt before allowing it to slip beneath the fabric. His palm rested along my bare abdomen, the heat of his touch doing things to me I couldn’t explain.
I pretended to think about that for a moment, too petrified to admit it out loud and to him directly. “That depends.” I sighed. “Do you like me ?”
He laughed in response, but it wasn’t a mocking one or one full of amusement. It was hard to explain, but somehow, I knew he wasn’t making fun of me. His hand drifted up my stomach and continued to travel until it reached my bra, and then he slipped his fingers beneath the cup and started massaging my bare breast. My head fell back against the wall of the maze, everything around us ceasing to exist. “Yes,” he murmured. “I think I like you a lot.”
“I like you too,” I admitted in a breathy tone.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he leaned in to kiss me again. It was softer, sweeter, and shorter than the last one. “Then be my girlfriend.” His thumb brushed over my nipple, hardening it beneath his soft touch. My back arched involuntarily, confused at how my body reacted to him of its own accord.
“Why me?” I couldn’t help but ask.
We hung out in different social groups, and there were girls at school who were much prettier than me. It didn’t make sense why he’d want to be with me when he could have anyone. The girls he considered friends made my life a living hell there. They often compared me to Samara from The Ring just because I had fair skin and dark hair. If I remembered correctly, Samara was an evil demon child with raggedy hair.
His lips tilted into a small smile; unlike the usual smirks he sent my way. This one was soft, nervous, maybe even vulnerable. “For starters, you’re really hot.” He pinched my nipple between two fingers causing a breathy whimper to flee my defenses. “The girls at school are desperate. If I flirt with them, they just giggle and then proposition me. You dish it back, and I like that. It’s more playful with us. You aren’t after one thing. If you were, I’d already be inside you.” He shot me a lazy grin, the moon highlighting it, making my pulse thunder in my neck.
I didn’t even want to think about how many girls he’d been with. He talked about it so casually, like he was used to it—like it meant nothing. To me, it meant everything. Allowing someone in my most intimate space was more to me than just some hookup. A lot of girls at my school gave up their virginity, just for the guy to either cheat on them or to leave them right after. I wouldn’t be that reckless.
“I’ve also seen you on the soccer field,” he added. “You’re good.”
I’ve been playing soccer since I was two and my parents put me in little kicks. It was my all-time favorite hobby. There was no feeling like it. The adrenaline rush when I scored was intense, or even when I went head-to-head with an opponent—even if I got knocked down. I loved it. Everything about it.
“You like me because I’m good at a sport?” I asked, challenging him.
He snorted. “Not at all. It’s just one of the many, many reasons.”
“If I agreed, how would it work? We’re in two different social groups.”
“I don’t give a shit about any of that. The only reason I’m even considered popular is because of the friends I made, and because of how I look. If they’re true friends, they’ll accept my choices.”
I mulled that over for a moment. He seemed more mature than I’d expected. At school, he just seemed like a flirty jock. It was fun and took my mind off things. Like my parents fighting for example and Briley acting out whenever she could. If he truly meant what he was saying, then fine. “My answer is yes,” I decided.
His smile widened. “You had me nervous there for a second.” He moved in to kiss me again, but a bright light fell over us, making us tense. My breath caught in my throat, and I was partially prepared for a monster to swoop in and lure him away. But the voice that rang out definitely didn’t belong to a person playing dress up.
“Get your hands off my daughter, right this instant,” my mom’s voice ran out.
My face heated with embarrassment, his hand tucked beneath my shirt, covering my breast while his lips were less than an inch from mine. Despite being caught red handed, I couldn’t help but laugh. He grinned back and boldly pressed his lips to mine again, stealing my breath right in front of my scorned mother. When he pulled away, he removed his hand from beneath my shirt, shooting me a flirty wink before sauntering around the corner of the maze.
I was in a daze, completely confused with how I’d gotten in this position. I was the good kid. Mostly. I didn’t do reckless things like let guys shove me into secluded corners and grope me. But I didn’t hate it.
When I glanced over at my mom, she was glaring at me, the darkness making her eyes look like two black holes. Her hands were propped on her hips, my sister standing beside her with a knowing grin. Readjusting my shirt, I pranced over to them, ready to be grounded for the rest of my life. But it was worth it.
“Who was that boy?” Mom demanded as I approached.
“Just some guy from school.”
“Did he force himself on you?” she hissed, her tone becoming quieter so we weren’t overheard.
I reeled back with wide eyes. “No! God, Mom.”
She huffed out a breath, her posture relaxing slightly before she shook her head. “I can’t take you or your sister anywhere. No more of whatever that was,” she stated firmly. “You’re not even old enough to drive by yourself, yet.”
“He was cute, though,” Briley offered.
More than cute. He was hot. Actually, his attractiveness couldn’t be dimmed to a single word. It didn’t feel right.
Mom ushered us forward, her steps rigid as she walked. I almost made a comment about a stick being shoved up her ass but knew that I was already on thin ice. She hadn’t grounded me yet, so maybe she wouldn’t.
During the drive home, I sat in the backseat, staring out the window with a cheesy ass grin. Reflecting on the way his warm hands felt on me, how his lips felt against mine, and when he asked me to be his girlfriend. I figured that he flirted with me at school because that’s who he was, a flirt. I didn’t expect it to actually mean anything. There were a lot of guys at school like that.
When we got to our two-story home, I hurried inside, ready to lock myself in my room to avoid the verbal lashing I was bound to get. Dad was in the living room, rocking my one year old sister to sleep in his arms with my four year old brother passed out on the couch beside him. His eyes narrowed on me the second I barged through the front door.
Mom was on my heels a second later. “Not so fast, young lady. Tell your father what you’ve been up to, and then we’ll decide your punishment.”
Briley giggled with excitement, thrilled to not be the one in trouble for once. “I’ll tell him,” she chirped, moving to stand by our mom.
I shifted nervously from foot to foot while their expectant eyes seared into me. Dad was the chiller parent, but that didn’t always mean anything. Sometimes, he could be just as strict. He made it clear that I wasn’t allowed to date until I was sixteen and could drive myself. But this was more than dating. Mom caught me pressed against a wall with a boy’s hand up my shirt.
When I didn’t say anything, my sister huffed out in annoyance. “Can I tell him? We’ll be here all night if we wait on her to do it.”
“Uh-uh. I want to hear what she has to say for herself.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, I glanced at my dad. His dark hair was a mess on top of his head, bags tugging the skin beneath his eyes. Rough stubble decorated his jaw, making him look even older than he was.
“There was a boy,” I started nervously. “I knew him from school. He flirts with me a lot. He pulled me into the dark part of the maze so the monsters wouldn’t get me. But things escalated, and he kissed me,” I rambled off, staring down at the floor.
“And where was his hand?” she prompted, tapping her foot impatiently.
I chewed on my lower lip, bringing my gaze to my father’s from across the room. “Under my shirt.”
He spluttered, his eyes widening as he choked on his spit. Baby Emma’s eyes fluttered at the noise, but they fell closed again as he continued rocking her back and forth between his arms.
“Did anything else happen?” he demanded once he composed himself.
“He asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Briley giggled again, getting a kick out of this whole thing. “And by the way she was smiling on the way here, I bet she said yes.”
I shot her a glare over my shoulder, and she just grinned innocently at me, like she wasn’t doing a damn thing wrong. I could punch her right now, but that would probably worsen my punishment.
Turning back to my father with my best puppy dog eyes, I inched closer to him. His face was beat red, and I couldn’t tell if it was because we’d given him a clear mental picture, or if he was that angry.
“I really like him, Daddy,” I said sweetly.
He shook his head, blowing out a breath to get his bearings. “He didn’t…you didn’t…you’re still a—” He cleared his throat, a stitch forming between his brows.
“We didn’t hook up, Dad. I promise.”
Briley snorted in response. “Had we given them a few more minutes they might have.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides. Why did she always have to get under my skin? I knew she was just thirteen and was having fun with it, but this was humiliating.
Dad disregarded her, his gaze darting to my mother’s. “Hook up?” he repeated. “Is that what they’re calling it now?” She shrugged, not bothering to respond. “Back in my day, hooking up meant getting together to hang out. Not…fondle each other.”
A laugh fell from my lips before I could stop it, but to my surprise, Dad smiled back at me. I’d expected him to explode after Mom filled him in on what happened at the maze. He’d always been stern on the no boyfriend rule. Not only did Ashton ask me out, but he kissed me, touched me. And then we were caught.
Mom huffed, clearly not impressed with his reaction. She drifted further into the living room, her hair a wild mess in the ponytail tying it together. Probably from having to chase after me and Bry all night. “Seriously, Greg? That’s all you have to say?”
He shrugged, his arms firmly wrapped around Emma’s sleeping body. “She’s fifteen. We knew she wouldn’t stay innocent forever. It was just a kiss and a boob grab. It’s not like he had his hand in her pants.”
My face heated at that reminder. The way he grabbed my crotch, asking if he could touch me there. I wanted him to so badly, to know what it would feel like. But I knew I wasn’t ready for that. If a single kiss could make my head spin the way it had, what would his fingers do to my brain once they were inside me? I probably would have ended up losing my virginity right then and there and crying about it later filled with deep-rooted regret. I was too young for any of that. Hell, I was too young to be touched the way he’d touched me. But when he did it, I felt alive. Like something inside me had awoken, telling me that this was just the beginning.
Mom whipped her head over in my direction, her eyes narrowing. “He didn’t touch you there, right?”
“Nope.”
She searched my gaze for a moment, trying to detect a lie, but she must have been satisfied when she found nothing but the truth. Her shoulders dropped with relief, and she nodded. “I don’t like that boy,” she murmured.
“Oh, that’s right,” Briley chimed in again. “Even after Mom caught them and told him to get away from Eve, he still kissed her before walking away.” She doubled over with laughter, knowing that might very well be the nail in my coffin.
“A little bad boy, huh?” Dad questioned with raised eyebrows, though he genuinely seemed interested in that.
I groaned, throwing my head back in annoyance. “I’m going to bed. I have school tomorrow.”
I darted out of the living room and hurried up the stairs, closing myself in my room. Their voices traveled up to the second floor, an argument brewing undoubtedly. I threw myself on my bed and closed my eyes, my heart pounding furiously with humiliation and embarrassment.
Just when I thought I was safe, footsteps pounded up the wooden staircase, making me wince. It wasn’t enough that they filled Dad in on the entire thing, but now someone was coming to interrogate me again.
When my bedroom door swung open, Mom stepped through. Her expression was softer than it had been which gave me some relief. She closed the door behind her and walked across the room before sitting beside where I lay on the mattress.
“I’m making you an appointment to get on birth control next week,” she began.
My jaw slackened in response. “I’m not sexually active, though.”
She nodded, her dark eyes falling to her lap. “I understand that. But anything could happen. Your dad was right. You aren’t going to be innocent forever. One thing can always lead to another, and I’m sure that’s what happened tonight.”
“But…I’m not even allowed to have sex.”
Her gaze snapped to mine. “No. You’re not,” she warned. “But just in case. The last thing you want is to end up pregnant or with an STD. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious.”
I thought about that for a moment and then nodded. She was right. For the briefest of moments, I’d wanted him completely, even having barely known him. Just to be able to say I did it. With someone I genuinely liked. Lots of girls lost it the first opportunity for similar reasons, only to end up regretting it later on. That would have happened to me, too. Especially if I didn’t even think about protection.
That just proved I wasn’t ready for this. But it still felt nice to feel desired by someone. Even if it was mostly physical. Mom leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” she whispered.
“Of course.”
She shot me a small smile before rising and striding across the room. “Light on or off?” she asked, stopping at the door where the switch resided beside it.
“Off.”
She flicked the light off before slipping out into the hall and closing the door behind her. I wasn’t even close to ready for bed, though. My mind was spinning a million miles a minute.
One thing was certain, though.
I couldn’t wait to see him again.