Chapter 16 The Parental Dilemma
The Parental Dilemma
Harper
After Eli leaves me alone with my mom, I blow out a breath. Rubbing my clammy hands on my skirt, I don’t know if she’ll start with me and finish with the guys, or if she’ll wait and get us all at the same time.
Mom shakes her head. “I should have guessed you wouldn’t stay an easy kid. I’m surprised it took this long.”
She sips her coffee as she looks me over. I mean, it could have been worse than a kiss that she walked in on. If she’d come into my bedroom those times the guys or Luke were there, that would have been way more incriminating.
I shift on my feet, waiting for her to say more. To tell me how irresponsible I’m being. To lecture me about guys or give me a talk about STIs that will make me never want to have sex. Instead, she just sips at her coffee, her eyes locked on me.
I suddenly feel eight years old again, but I haven’t done anything wrong. Except sneak around with five guys behind her back, but she knew about the guys. Just not the sneaking or the kissing or the ownership or the fucking. My pulse goes so fast I feel like I’m going to pass out.
The tension builds inside me while she just patiently waits for me to explode.
“I’m still not looking for a long-term relationship.” It finally spills out of me. “They know that. It’s just...”
They own me? I like it when they touch me? I want to give in to them over and over again? I don’t want to choose, and they aren’t asking me to?
How do I say this without making Mom’s parental red flags go up? I mean, everything about our relationship is a red flag.
“You like them.” Mom shrugs, and my pulse slows slightly.
“It’s not hard to see they all like you too.
You’re young. It’s not unheard of to date guys at the same time.
But these guys all seem to be friends, which I would think could be tricky.
I don’t want you to get hurt because someone gets jealous. ”
I swallow. Jealousy hasn’t been a huge issue. Yet. So far they’ve shared me, but what happens when they all get one-on-one time? Luke is the most possessive. If anyone would get jealous, it would be him. But he seems to be good with sharing right now. My body softens remembering this morning.
Mom sighs.
“I have to get some sleep.” She holds up her mug. “Decaf, thankfully. But I mean it. I want all of them here for dinner tonight, Harper Lynn.”
She doesn’t pull out the middle name often, but she wants me to know she means business.
I nod. “I’ll text them now.”
Mom shakes her head. “I won’t ask where you spent last night.”
My cheeks flame with heat. Which probably tells her everything she needs to know. Yeah, best not to get into that.
“But I need to know you’re being safe and not letting anyone take advantage of you.” She sets her mug down and meets my eyes.
“I am and I’m not.” And I honestly feel that way.
If I didn’t want the attention, I could have shut this down at any point by coming to my mom. I know that. I knew that even when I was rationalizing it away. Mom could have put a stop to them.
But part of me desperately wants their attention. Fuck, I think I thrive on it. Every kiss, every touch burns them a little deeper into me. I crave their punishments. The games. I want them all.
Do I hate them sometimes? Yes. Do they frustrate me? Yes. Would I trade it for going back to being invisible? No.
“I expect to see you at six tonight. All of you.” Mom gives me one more Mom look before she heads back upstairs.
Sighing, I pull out my phone and text the group chat.
Me:
Mom wants you guys to come to dinner tonight. Eli will explain.
War (Caden):
You still good to come over this afternoon
I glance around the house. Mom will sleep until almost dinnertime. I’d rather spend time with them than work on homework. Besides, we have a lot to talk about.
Me:
Yes
Death (Luke):
Good
Eli
“Zach Gray.” His name is like a bomb in my mouth, waiting to detonate.
We’re in the locker room after practice let out. We watched last night’s tape and this week’s competition’s game. Afterward, Coach made us all run a few laps.
I explained to the guys what happened this morning when I dropped Harper off. Ms. Davidson isn’t stupid or an uninvolved parent like most of ours. She cares about Harper, and I’m not looking forward to having my ass handed to me.
“We should discuss him this afternoon with Harper.” Caden leans against his locker, checking his phone. Maybe for the time. Maybe on the tracker app to keep an eye on Harper.
“Why would he target us?” Jack runs a hand through his hair. “We’ve got no beef with him and his guys.”
“Sidney.” Luke shuts his locker and picks up his gym bag. His blue eyes are icy as he looks at each of us. “She’s pissed.”
“But to ask a guy to rape Harper?” Nico’s hands clench into fists. Yeah, that’s the part that unsettles all of us. It would be one thing if he did like Tanner, try to get friendly and take advantage of her, but he went straight to assault.
My hands clench, but I relax them.
“What about Tanner? Do we know if he and Zach are friendly?” I look at Jack, who keeps track of that shit. Tanner isn’t stupid. He’s playing a long game. Maybe Zach is part of his plan.
Jack rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll stop and grab my laptop so I can find out who Zach has been in contact with.”
“This might not be one person targeting us.” Caden blows out a breath. “Plenty of people don’t like us or didn’t like what we did to them. Rachel Hayes was in the locker room when Harper got trapped.”
“A technical virgin who came to me to be her first.” I rub my eyes. She wasn’t even that memorable. “She definitely got what she wanted.”
The chick practically threw herself at me at a party over the summer. Begging me to be her first. It wasn’t like she wanted to date me or spend time with me. We fucked and that was it.
“Last I heard, she was dating someone on the baseball team,” Jack says. “It’s possible she and the other girls might have trapped Harper as a joke.”
“We need to get going.” Luke walks to the door. We all join him. “We need to discuss this with Harper present. And we’ll have to prepare what to say to her mom tonight.”
“Her mom doesn’t like me,” I admit as I toss my keys into the air and catch them. Usually parents like me, but it’s like she has a sixth sense.
“She probably doesn’t like any of us.” Jack pushes my shoulder.
“She likes me.” Nico smirks. “I’m Harper’s best friend.”
“Was.” Smiling, Caden shoves Nico into the lockers as he passes by. “She’s still pissed at you.”
“She’s probably still pissed at you too.” Nico catches up.
“She’s an angry kitten.” I smile. I can’t wait to get her to myself. “We need to discuss the sleeping arrangements for the week.”
Luke smirks. “I think they’ve been working just fine.”
“Yeah, you and Caden get her to yourselves and the rest of us just get her in the evenings.” I arch an eyebrow at Luke as we walk out to our cars.
“I don’t see a problem with that.” Caden stops at his car.
“You wouldn’t.” Nico shakes his head. “I agree we should be able to figure out something.”
“Harper’s mom might shut us all down.” Jack opens the passenger door to Caden’s car. “Especially if she figures out what we’ve been up to.”
I can’t wait until college where I don’t have to pretend to be part of a family that no one wants anymore. We’ll all be free of our parents. “I’ll swing by and get Harper.”
“I’ve got her.” Luke meets my eyes. “You go talk to Ashley and see if something is going on with her clique.”
I laugh. “Jack would have more luck talking to Emma than I will talking to Ashley.”
“Ashley’s always been hung up on you.” Luke shakes his head. “She wants you back. Go see what you can find out.”
“Luke, if I give her an inch, she’ll take a mile.” I shake my head. “You’re right. She wants me, but if I toy with her, she’ll hurt Harper.”
Of that I have no doubt. Ashley has always been a little possessive and vindictive, but I give her what she needs, and she lets me do what I want.
We’ve never been official or monogamous.
She likes to play around with others, but she always comes back to me, because I give her something no one else does.
Luke leans on the top of his car. “Hannah won’t give us anything. Emma is too much of a follower. They also don’t trust her with information. Ashley is Sidney’s right hand. I’d try Sidney, but she’ll know what I’m after and the cost will be too high.”
Sidney wants Luke to herself. She was content to let him screw others, but she must realize Harper is different. That we aren’t willing to give her up.
“You’re right. We need information.” I lean against my car and look back at the empty school. “But I need to protect Harper, and reaching out to Ashley won’t do that. What if we have another player or one of the girls that wants our attention check in with her?”
Luke nods. “As long as they get the information we need.”
Better them than me.
Luke
Harper sits in my car on the way to Caden’s. She changed into jeans from the skirt she wore earlier. That won’t stop any of us, but it will slow us down slightly.
“I need to stop at my house.” I turn in that direction.
“Okay.” She’s been quiet.
I want to demand that she tell me what she’s thinking or push her to tell me what’s going on in her head, but I don’t.
I’m hoping she’ll open up, but I’m not the one she usually talks to.
Jack, Caden, Nico, and even Eli sometimes get that part of Harper without having to force it.
I’m just the prick who makes her come at restaurants when she’s already worried about being called a whore.
I blow out a breath. “I don’t know how to do this.”
She smiles. “Go to your house?”
I shake my head. “Be more than a guy looking to get laid.”
Her eyes widen, and her eyebrows go up. “What does that mean?”
“You’ve been quiet.” I run my hand through my hair as I pull into my driveway. “Jack would probably ask you what’s wrong, but if I do it, I’ll sound like the asshole I am.”
She softens like she always does with us, her lost boys.
“I’m just thinking about dinner tonight and how I’m going to keep my mom from showing us how to put a condom on a banana.”
A laugh bursts out of me. Harper narrows her eyes before she smiles.
“None of us need that demonstration.” I put the car in park and turn to look at her. She wears a black t-shirt that makes her brown eyes almost seem to glow. Her long brown hair is brushed straight.
For a second, I’m captured by her beauty. How did I miss her all these years? She had to be in my classes. She’s intelligent and works hard on her schoolwork.
“What?” she asks softly.
I slide my hand behind her neck and pull her into me. Before my lips meet hers, I whisper, “You amaze me.”
Her lips part, and I claim her mouth softly, exploring her gently, not moving to make this more than what it is. I wanted to kiss her, so I did.
She sighs into my mouth and touches my jaw. She doesn’t pull away but takes her time to slide her tongue against mine. My cock twitches. As much as I want to fuck her, we have things that need to get done, but I wanted her taste on my lips.
When I withdraw, her brown eyes are almost black with desire. Fuck.
“We need to join the others,” I whisper, more to myself than her.
She nods and I release her. When I open my door, she does too. I round the car and take her hand as we walk into my house. The temptation to bring her to my room and spend the day alone with her gnaws at me. But I can’t.
“I was wondering when you’d turn up.” My dad stands in the kitchen. His eyes drop to our hands, and I almost drop Harper’s. Instead, I draw her closer to me, almost behind me, to protect her.
He lifts his conniving gaze to mine, and the smile he gives us isn’t friendly. A chill races down my spine. He came for the game but was supposed to head out for work again. He’s not supposed to be home.