Chapter 34 #2
I kiss her forehead, and then her mouth.
She laughs against me while I peck her over and over.
It’s just a few days, but I’m going to miss this girl like crazy.
I grab my hoodie off the back of her desk chair and pull it on.
I walk out of her bedroom and out of the apartment.
I take the stairs two at a time because the captain part of me already knows that I’m two minutes behind, and I have five minutes to run like hell to the house.
The sprint to the Hawthorne House is four minutes. I have zero time to process what I’m about to walk into, but if Blue is calling a May Day, then I need to come in and bark orders as captain of the team.
There is a car in the driveway I don’t recognize.
I walk through the front door. Stanley is on the couch in the living room pretending to watch the TV with his head angled forty degrees toward the kitchen.
Percy is at the kitchen table on his laptop with the volume up too loud, which is Percy’s way of giving people privacy.
Rowan isn’t home yet. Blue is at the kitchen island with a glass of water in front of him.
Across the island from him is this mysterious girl named Melly.
She’s small, maybe five-three, but long legs. Her torso is short. Maybe it’s the pants, but I don’t look for too long to know. Her dark hair is pulled back in a low knot at the nape of her neck. She is in a thin sweater the color of butter. She turns when I come through the back door.
Her face is a face I know. Not personally, but I know it from somewhere. I will figure that out later, but I look at Blue. He’s on edge with her here, but I find it a bit funny because he’s the fucker who invited her in. May Day, my ass. He’s in over his head for this girl.
“Reeve,” Blue calls out.
I don’t actually know if I want to save him from this. Maybe I can mess with him a little bit since Stanley over there seems to know more about my boy than I do.
Blue says, “This is Melly.”
She looks over at me with icy blue eyes. “Hi.”
Blue widens his eyes at me like I need to start talking right now to save him. I can see him telling me to make something up. Anything.
“Hi,” I say back. “I’m Benson.”
She nods. “Yeah, Captain of the Wolves.”
I nod. “You know hockey?”
She nods. “I grew up in it.”
“Oh,” I turn to Blue and then look back at her confident meander. “Look at that.”
Blue’s eyes are sending daggers straight to my chest. Jesus Christ. I look over at Stanley and then Percy. “Where’s Row?”
“Probably grabbing groceries for tonight’s special dinner.”
Stanley raises his brows. “Special dinner.”
“Shit, well, sorry to bust everyone’s balls here, but Coach changed a last-minute thing for Saturday, and he’s called a meeting.”
Stanley is the first one to make this shit obvious. “No,” he prolongs. “Why is he changing it?”
Percy says, “I bet it’s because you can’t play your line.”
“Shut it, Pers,” Stanley barks.
“Blue?” I say. “You got two minutes.”
He stills like what I said isn’t enough. I look down at Melly. She looks back at Blue. “I guess I should go.” She pauses. “But I still want to talk.”
“He can,” Stanley says. “After the meeting.”
Blue looks like he’s sweating.
I can’t help myself. I ask, “Are you still in high school?” She better not still be in fucking high school.
She turns around and looks at me like she’s offended. “No, I go here. I’m a junior.”
I look back at Blue and then at her. They make a cute couple. Matching eyes. He towers over her in a normal way. She seems genuinely interested in him, and he’s squirming.
“Boys?” I say.
Stanley stands up and says, “Eyes over here, Blue. See these house rules?”
“Fuck’s sake, Stanley. Drop it.”
Stanley shrugs. “Hey, I can’t be the only one following the rules.”
I grin towards Melly. “Don’t mind him. Blue’s not Camdenking any rules. Let’s go.” I grab Stanley and massage his shoulders as rough as I can.
He tenses under and waves at Melly. I flick my head at Blue.
Percy closes his laptop and plays along with this bullshit. We’re all about to sit inside the truck like a bunch of assholes.
We get into my truck, and Stanley mutters, “That’s the second girl to come over here like she has the right to.”
“I don’t want to hear you talk about Lucy.”
“You broke the number one rule of the Hawthorne House, Reeve. What happened to the Hawthorne House Boys? We had a pact.”
“Yeah, well, tell my heart that.”
Percy blows out hot air as we walk towards my truck. “At least some of us are getting action.”
We reach the truck and open the doors as Stanley throws his hands. “Blue’s not getting action in there. The man’s terrified.”
I get in the driver’s seat. “Probably because of your dumb fucking rules.”
Stanley hops in and says, “Look at us getting in the truck like a wagon of donkeys.”
“You just said it yourself, we’re the Boys of Hawthorne, we stick together. You should be happy he’s kicking her out. He was sweating beads in there.”
Percy adds, “Never seen him act like that.”
Stanley complains, “This is taking too long.”
Blue walks out with Melly. She’s still talking to him, and he looks like someone just kicked his dog.
“What’s his deal with her?” I ask.
“Fuck if I know. He’s like a goddamn wall to talk to. He keeps his mouth shut. I never know what’s going on with him.” Stanley watches from the back seat window. His knees bump the back of my seat.
Blue walks Melly to her car. She hugs him and smiles.
“Shit, she likes him,” I mutter.
“Yeah,” Percy says, watching the entire interaction.
“Shit, here he comes,” Stanley mutters. Blue’s walking to his side, but Stanley doesn’t scoot over, so he walks around the truck and gets behind the passenger seat.
He gets in and sighs. “Let’s go.”
I touch my pocket for the keys.
Blue taps the seat impatiently. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t have the fucking keys,” I mutter under my Camdenth.
“Jesus,” Blue scoffs. “You can’t be serious.”
“Told you, we’re just a bunch of donkeys,” Stanley mutters.
Melly starts driving away, and as soon as she’s out of sight, Blue relaxes a little.
I turn around to look at him. “What’s the deal with that?”
Blue rolls his head. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Stanley gestures with his hands. “See, told you. Wall.”
“Start talking, Blue,” I demand. “Why are you all red and sweating?”
Stanley says, “So, who is she?”
“Nobody,” Blue answers. When he sees our faces, he just says, “She’s from home. That’s all.”
I Camdenk the silence by asking, “What do you need?”
“Getting her out was enough. That’s all I needed, cap.”
I nod. “Always got your back, but if this is messing with your head––”
“It’s not,” he says quickly.
I open the truck door and get out. The rest of the guys follow. When we get back in the house, I walk upstairs. Blue’s right behind me going to his room.
I turn around and say, “I’m around if you want to talk.”
“Thanks, cap. I’m gonna pack.”
“Same.”
My bag for the road trip is half-packed on the floor by the closet.
The hoodie I gave Lucy three weeks ago is in the closet on the wooden hanger.
The wall above my desk has Lucy’s name in pencil in the boxes for Tuesday at four and Thursday at four for the next three weeks.
I stare at Sunday and hope she comes over so I can ask her to be my girlfriend.
I’ll give Gianna the night, but tomorrow I’m going to call her and ask her permission.
I know I’m already involved with the girl and falling fast but asking her out feels like an official thing.
I can’t go back after doing it, so I want to do it right.
I pull my phone out and see that Lucy texted.
Lucy: You’re a good captain, Benson.
I look at the text, and her words make me smile.
Me: You’re a good tutor, Lucy.
I put the phone on the nightstand and finish packing.