Chapter 32
32
RUE
“H ey, Rue, come over here and give me the 4-1-1 on what you’ve been up to.” Tyler Moretti waves to me from the wet bar. We’re at Midnight’s Friendsgiving party.
Tyler inked my right inner thigh for my sixteenth birthday.
Mom wasn’t around, so Riley became my default guardian and signed the paperwork for me to get the devil and angel tattoo done. I’m the devil. Malice is my angel. He thinks it should be the reverse, but we all know he’ll go to heaven while I have a spot reserved in hell.
Malice is out back talking to his cousin, Midnight. Midnight is twenty-three with spiky jet-ink hair and deep blue eyes. He has a bad obsession with my sister. Enough of one that he failed his senior year so that he could graduate with her.
His craziness is kind of scary, but he’s also the nicest guy. He’s one of those book heroes who would burn down a town or the world, for that matter, should anyone hurt the woman he loves, and Midnight Sterling loves my sister, Riley Lee.
I sit on a barstool at the bar in Midnight’s huge gourmet kitchen. Tyler hands me a cup. I look inside the red Solo cup. There are chunks of pineapple and coconut shavings. I take a sip. A virgin pina colada. Yum.
“You remember.” Smiling, I tap my cup to his.
“I remember all my favorite girls’ drinks.”
I look around for his favorite girl, Asher Tran, but she’s not here. She’s probably with her hot-as-sin rugby player boyfriend, Ezekiel Harrington. I don’t know Asher personally, but one of her best friends is at the party.
Nora Sanchez. Quiet. Beautiful. Hanging onto her boyfriend, Galley Rutherford’s, arm. Missing from the party is their other best friend, Allie Allistar. She is dating Galley’s best friend and teammate, Xander Brody. Those three are so lucky. They snagged the hottest rugby guys on campus.
“How’s my girl doing?” Tyler leans close with a twinkle in his blue eyes.
I shrug. “Alive.”
He chuckles. I sip more of my yummy drink.
The last time we saw one another was a year ago when I was the target for his and Mason’s target practice with BB guns.
“How’s your crew?” I ask.
Tyler’s friend group is more like a gang slash dance group who are nice one moment and scare-your-pants-off-with-their-savagery the next. I would not want to mess with anyone from his “crew,” and I haven’t since Riley introduced me to Tyler when I was sixteen.
“They’re wanting another round of target practice.” His eyes crinkle at the corners.
I laugh. He’s joking, but I’m serious when I tell him I’m in. He can make arrangements with Mason. “But I’m in only if you’re also a target.”
“Would that make us a couple? If so, I am so in, baby.”
His smile widens. What a flirt! I swat his shoulder as he leans in closer. “Ew. As if. You’re old.”
He belts out laughter. “Sixty is old. I’m twenty-six.”
“Who’s a couple? Who’s old?” Malice comes over and sits on the barstool next to me.
“Tyler is,” I say. I make introductions. “Tyler drove from Montgomery.” I reach for Malice’s hand. He intertwines our fingers. “Malice and I are planning a weekend trip there sometime after the new year. I spoke with Arie earlier, and she said she would introduce me to her brothers.”
Arie showed up and then left the party an hour in, saying something about doing reconnaissance for a class project.
“The guys who flip houses for a living?”
“Yes. Have you met them?”
“Yeah, they’re cool. Montgomery might be a big ass city, but owning and running a business is a small world. Cool, Nine Lives. Let me know when you’ll be there, and we’ll plan on hooking up.” He shows me his pinky. I wrap my small one around his thick finger. Malice tightens his hold on my hand and says low in my ear, “Nine Lives?”
“I’ll explain later,” I say out the side of my mouth. Maybe. But if I tell him about my patrol with Mason and how we use BB guns to chase away the bad guys, he’ll wonder whether it was Mason who shot out the cameras.
I’ll text Mason later to see if any of his friends have anything against the Sterlings, especially Malice’s family.
Tyler stares at Malice and then at our hands intertwined against my side. He arches a brow but doesn’t say a word. The front door opens and closes behind us. Tyler’s eyes light up.
“My little sis is here.”
I’ve never met Ever Moretti. Riley said she is the nicest person and has the most protective brother. Tyler loves his little sis so much that he hired a bodyguard to keep an eye on her. He must be the tall, hulking, muscular guy standing behind her. Tyler waves his sister and her bodyguard over.
“Hey, sis, Gage, meet Nine Lives, Rue Lee, a.k.a Riley’s little sis, and Malice, Midnight’s cousin from Cambridge.”
Me and Ever hug. The guys bump fists. I steal a glance at Gage. He is as tall as Mason and just as scary looking with his tattoos. He’s wearing a gray T-shirt that hugs his impressive upper torso and brings out the gray in his light blue eyes.
Tyler slings his arm across Malice’s shoulders, tips his head at Gage, and leaves Ever and me alone after he says, “Malice, my man, let’s play a game of I ask a question about Rue, and you answer truthfully, or God help us…”
He steers Malice outside the sliding glass door toward the heated pool. Malice looks back with his eyebrow raised. I shrug. I have no clue what kind of game Tyler is playing. Or what questions he plans on asking Malice.
“Finally, I get to meet Riley’s little sis. Where is she by the way?”
“She’s here somewhere.” I glance around the first floor of the three-thousand-square-foot house. “She’s probably playing hide and seek with Midnight.”
Ever laughs. “And here I thought that was a rumor spread by Midnight for funsies.”
“He wishes. Riley came up with the idea. A way of losing him quick when she needed to make a clean getaway.” I lean in and say in a low voice, “It was usually after she stole something of his. Payback for whatever it was he did to someone else because of her.”
Ever shakes her head. “Those two. Can’t live with one another and can’t live without the other.”
“Yep,” I agree. “It’s been like that for I don’t know how long. I can’t think about Riley without thinking about Midnight.”
Ever sighs. “True love. Toxic but endearing, right?”
I nod. She hit the nail on the head. Hopefully, what Riley and Midnight have is more endearing than toxic, or else I will kick Midnight’s ass for hurting my sister.
“How do you like Dumas?” I change the subject. Talking about my sister and Midnight’s relationship has me thinking too much about me and Malice. Will he ask me to be his girlfriend? Or did we go from enemies to friend zone to friends with benefits?
“Glad I’m there; otherwise, I wouldn’t have met your sister and made friends for life.”
“The Sass Squad.”
“That name.” Ever laughs. “Is true for all the girls. They are quiet for the most part, but test them, and they will go sass on you.”
Her eyes sparkle. She flips her long brown hair over her shoulder. Ever is thin, and she is my height, five foot five. She is so pretty with her angelic face and beautiful name. Whenever my sister brings up Ever’s name, I think of a fairy princess.
“Are you thinking about going? If you haven’t decided or applied, there’s still time. And there’s an Immerse-In-the-DU experience the first week of February for those who want to start winter quarter rather than fall.”
“Really?”
“Yep. The others and I can host you. It’s an entire week. You can take turns going to our classes. Then on Friday, there’s a huge party.”
“Sounds like fun.” It really does. “Do I register online?”
“Yep. Search it up on the DU website. You’ll have the option to put in a student or students’ names for hosting. You can put down mine, Arie, Gwen, Syn, and your sister.”
“Should you ask them first?”
“I’m their informal leader, so what I say goes,” she says, hands on her hips and a smile on her face.
I smile back. “I’ll register as soon as I get back to Cambridge.” I’m normally not a hugger, but Ever is so nice that I hug her. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” She puts me at arm’s length. “You’re from Cambridge?”
I nod. It’s easier to agree than get into the long story of how I used to live in Delridge but am now living with Malice in Cambridge.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anyone looking for a job, would you?”
“Actually, I do. Is it in Dumas?” The one-hour drive could be an issue—or not, with as fast as Malice drives, though he did the speed limit our entire drive here.
“I’m not jeopardizing my girl’s life for a Friendsgiving get-together,” he had said.
“McMillan. My other half is moving to a different state with her military husband, and Ben, my boss, is looking to add one additional person for the upcoming holidays, Valentine’s Day, and spring break when the bakery gets busy.”
“You work at a bakery? Would that happen to be Sweet Creations? We have Sweet Creations Two at our town center. I love baking.”
So does Malice. He’s been on a baking spree ever since the dreamy night we made love.
“It is. Would you like to meet Ben, the owner? I can set up a meet and greet for the two of you.”
“Do you mind if I bring the extra person with me?” I look toward the pool.
Malice is listening to something Tyler is saying with a contemplative expression. Ever sees where I’m looking.
“He’s great with the desserts, knows his way around a kitchen, and is easy on the eyes. All the college girls will go gaga over him and flock to the store.”
In what world do I use the words “gaga” and “flock” in the same sentence? But my body is light, and my heartbeats are tap-dancing in my chest.
“I am sold, and Ben will be too.” We exchange numbers before heading outside.
Midnight waves me over. “Rue, come say hi to Xander and his girlfriend, Nora.”
I head outside with my arm looped through Ever’s. “Thank you for everything. You’ve given me so much hope in ten minutes than I’ve ever felt in the past two years.”
“Aw, Rue, did something bad happen?”
“My entire life,” I admit.
“I see. How old are you again?”
I tell her.
“That’s a difficult age. Still a girl but becoming a woman. High school can be rough.”
“It is.” Ever isn’t my sister or one of my best friends, and that makes it easy to tell her what is in my heart without her worrying too much.
Will I be able to talk with Malice like I’m talking with Ever, sharing my innermost thoughts and heartache?
I look at him. He is still listening to Tyler. Tyler is a talker, but only if he likes you. He definitely likes Malice, and that makes me happy. I like that my friends like my guy. Malice must feel me staring at him. He turns and gives me one of his dimpled smiles. I am one lucky girl to be on the opposite end of that gorgeous smile.
Ever leans into me and squeezes my arm.
“My best friend died two years ago. We were together when I was a junior in high school. No one knew about us, and back then, I wished they had. I had so many things to tell him, and now I’ll never have the chance.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Like me, she is still hung up on her first love. Except my guy is alive, while hers is keeping an eye on her from heaven. My heart aches for her.
“I’m not sure I can speak the words to the guy I like,” I admit.
“Being vulnerable is a risk we all take. Taking risks means we’ll make mistakes and say the wrong things, but we’re only human, and hopefully, we’ll learn for the next time. Practice makes perfect, you know?” She smiles.
“How did you get so wise?”
“My father.”
“He’s a good father.”
“He’s in prison for murder.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too. He could’ve been something wonderful had he tried harder to clean up his act; instead, breaking and entering became robbery, then grand theft auto, and finally murder. He took the wrong risks and didn’t learn from his mistakes. What a waste,” she says with sadness in her voice. “But I love him. He’s my father.” She shrugs.
I wish I knew where mine was.
“Call or text me if you need anything. I’ll talk to Ben and give you days and times, and you tell me which ones work for you and Midnight’s cousin.”
“Thank you.” I unloop my arm from hers, and we hug again before she heads inside the house.
I take a seat on the lounger. Malice walks by, drops a kiss on my forehead, and says, “I’m heading out with Midnight for more booze,” before he leaves with his cousin.
Great, I am on my own with Nora, Galley, and Tyler. Galley and Tyler excuse themselves to go get food and drinks for us.
“Any special requests, Rue?”
“A slice of pepperoni pizza, two eggrolls, a bowl of fruit, and more virgin pina colada.”
Tyler bends at the waist and rolls his arm. “A girl who knows exactly what she wants, and that is the reason you are my favorite girl, Rue.”
He smiles. I smile back. I can get used to all this niceness and attention directed at me. It beats the glares and harsh words from kids my age.
Nora sits with one knee crossed over the other. She is beautiful with her long black hair, tan skin, and bright brown eyes—as dark as Leigh’s.
“Hello, I’m Rue Lee, Riley’s little sister.”
“Hi, Rue. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nora. I’ve had a few classes with your sister. She’s cool.”
“Are you new to her friends’ Sass Squad?” I don’t remember Riley mentioning Nora.
Her brown eyes sparkle. “I’m not sure what that is, but no. We have different friend groups.”
“Oh. Are you Midnight or Dare’s friend?”
She shakes her head. “My boyfriend, Galley, is friends with Midnight. Their parents are friends.”
Translation: Galley’s parents are loaded if they are friends with the Sterlings, whose family’s wealth is in the billions.
“Do you go to DU?” I ask.
“Yes. Senior. Are you from here?”
“Visiting from Cambridge.”
“That’s a half hour from McMillan, right?”
“Yes. Ever was just telling me about McMillan and job openings at the bakery she works at.”
Nora smiles. “She must be speaking about Sweet Creations. My friend, Ben, owns the store.”
“That’s awesome. He must be great if you’re his friend and Ever works for him.”
“If you decide to attend DU, working in McMillan isn’t bad. The drive is short, plus less competition from the other students. They like to do work-study jobs or work in Dumas. But if you like sticking close to DU, my friend Tony is always looking for someone to help him with projects here and there. The last project I worked on with him was painting a three-thousand-square-foot house inch by inch. It was hard work but worth it.”
“One of Arie’s brothers’ names is Tony. He flips houses for a living, along with his other brother. They go between living in Dumas and working on houses in Montgomery.” What Riley told me. “Is it that Tony?”
Nora shakes her head. “My Tony is strictly in Dumas.”
“Who is this ‘My Tony,’ and when can I punch his face to the back of his skull for hanging with my girl?”
Nora’s boyfriend hands her a plate loaded with fruit.
“ Our friend Tony.”
“Gotcha. I take back my words.” Galley smiles at me, and I nearly fall backward off the lounge with how good-looking he is.
Tyler hands me my plate and a red Solo cup that he’s holding onto with his teeth. I wipe the spit from the cup and drink on the opposite side of where his mouth was.
For the rest of the night, I make my rounds, meeting Riley and Midnight’s friends before I wait for Malice by the pool and watch Seven and Leigh swim laps in the heated pool.
They must’ve made a bet on who could swim the most laps or something because on the last lap, Leigh pumps her fists in the air and shouts, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!”
I laugh. So does Seven. They are so cute when she throws herself into his arms, and he spins her in the water, making a whirlpool. I shake my head, my smile lingering. Those two have it bad for one another.
I glance at my peek-a-boo view of the staircase leading to the upstairs bedroom. Trace and Sorrow are in one of the bedrooms. Trace said she didn’t feel well, and he would stay with her until it was time to gather around the dining table. I hope Trace is nice to Sorrow. Ever since we broke up, he’s been moody and hasn’t spoken a word to me at school.
What gives?
Soon, Midnight and Malice return from their beer run. After everyone has had time to chat and eat more food, we gather around Midnight’s huge dining room table, hold hands, say grace, and share a second dinner at my first Friendsgiving get-together.
During grace, I sneak a peek around the table. Riley is lucky that she has great friends who love and care for her. They will never abandon her in her time of need.
I hope to someday be as lucky as my beautiful and smart sister.