Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
“Shi, you ready to go?!” I heard Creed yell from the front of the house. He was putting the emergency spare key I’d given the guys a few days ago to use. I’d decided to give them a key after they had slept over. Something had slightly shifted that night and after that horrible day at the gym. They had really been there for me and that had deepened our friendship. So it had felt right to give them a key to hold onto in case I ever lost my own or was ever locked out. However, Creed using it this morning gave me the impression that the twins had other plans for it.
“Almost, I’m back here!” I shouted. I returned my attention to my bathroom mirror and continued applying a dark magenta lipstick. I’d decided to dress a little brave today by wearing a white, off-the-shoulder romper with beautiful magenta flowers on it. My scar on my shoulder was barely covered. The scars on my wrists and the one going up my arm were on display. Well, one wrist was covered. I’d put on my sister’s rose gold cuff. I’d paired the romper with nude peep-toe wedges that had straps that covered my ankle scars perfectly. I had my anklet tracker tucked into my bra. It wasn’t an ideal place to put it, but it would be visible with my shoes and I didn’t want anyone asking me about it.
I had my lavender hair down and straightened. It was getting really long—almost reaching to the middle of my back. My lips were bold to match the flowers on my romper. The rest of my makeup was shimmery and light.
I was finishing the last little touches to my makeup when Creed appeared behind me in my bathroom mirror. I smiled at him. His brows rose as his eyes trailed from my head to my toes. I turned around to face him. “I just need to grab my backpack.”
He nodded as he continued to stare at me.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m trying to think of a way to get you to lift your kissing ban,” he said, taking a step toward me.
I took a step back, bumping into the counter. “We can’t kiss.”
He put his hands on my hips, molding the front of his body with mine. “Do you want to kiss me?”
My heart began to pound in my chest. I did want to kiss him. Badly.
But…Colt.
He stared at me with desire. It was kryptonite to my restraint. “Creed,” I begged, sounding a little breathless. I was hoping he would be the strong one.
He let out a heavy sigh and released me. “Go get your bag.”
I had to squeeze by him because he didn’t move out of the way. He followed me into my room. I grabbed my backpack off my bed, and we headed out.
Colt was already in the car waiting for us. “Hey, babe,” he said distractedly as he tapped away on his phone when I slid into the backseat.
“Hey,” I greeted back, but I didn’t think he heard me.
Colt cursed, tossing his phone in the cup holder in the center console before shifting the car into gear and driving off.
“What’s up?” Creed asked him.
“Daniel went to Cassy’s party last weekend. All she did was talk shit to anyone who would listen,” he grumbled angrily.
“About?” Creed asked.
I caught the look Colt gave Creed. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Cassy had been talking crap about me.
“Why is he only telling you about this now?” Creed asked angrily. “It’s already Wednesday.”
I sighed. “What does it matter?”
Creed turned in his seat. “It doesn’t bother you that she and her friends are complete bitches toward you?”
Of course it sucked. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to care what other people thought of me?”
“This is different, babe.” Colt’s hands white-knuckled the steering wheel as he spoke. “She’s saying shit to hurt you and we’re allowed to not like that.”
The rest of the drive to school was in silence.
As soon as we were parked in the student lot, I hopped out of the car and grabbed Colt’s hand, stopping him from walking away. He was surprised at first and then his eyes danced all over me.
“Please don’t be upset,” I pleaded. “I can handle Cassy and her crap. I cannot handle seeing you upset. So please bring happy Colt to the surface.” I heard a snort behind me, and I knew it was Creed.
Creed scoffed, “You make it sound like he’s got multiple personalities.”
“Well, when he’s mad, he reminds me of the Hulk,” I teased and they both laughed. The softer side of Colt resurfaced and the tension around us seemed to disappear.
“You look really beautiful today,” he said to me.
Instead of feeling embarrassed, I smiled.
“I’m starting to miss the sweatshirts,” Creed mumbled.
Surprised, I turned. “Should I put one on?”
His eyes raked over me again before he looked up toward the sky, as if to curse the heavens. “No. I don’t want you to ever feel self-conscious, but at the same time, I’m a selfish bastard.”
Did that mean he didn’t want anyone to see me but him? I wasn’t given the time to think it over. Colt pulled me by my hand and from my thoughts and the three of us headed inside.
Like every morning, the guys walked with me to my locker before class. As we turned down the hall where it was located, a crowd blocked our way. Colt and Creed walked ahead of me to clear a path. Once past the crowd, we soon realized the reason why there was one. Spray-painted in bright neon purple across my locker was the word WHORE and taped all around the word were opened and stretched-out condoms.
“Stay with her. I’m going to go report this,” Colt told Creed.
As he went to leave, Ethan appeared and stopped him. “I already reported it to the office. Someone’s coming to clean it up,” he explained.
Okay, I would admit that having my locker vandalized more than sucked. I really, really hated the attention and there was stuff I needed from inside. I was going to have to suck it up and walk in front of everyone with my head held high. I squared my shoulders, imagining myself putting on my big-girl panties, and took a step forward. A hand landed on my shoulder, stopping me, and Colt walked past me, up to my locker. He spun the dial, entering my combination—he’d seen me spin it from over my shoulder a handful of times—and unlocked my locker. Creed left me with Ethan to join Colt and they both started grabbing everything out of my locker. It was just a few textbooks, some notebooks, and a toiletry bag. Colt slammed my locker and glared at someone standing in the crowd to the right. I leaned forward and saw that it was Cassy and her friends.
“Are you going to write shit on my locker next?” he openly accused her.
Murmuring traveled through the crowd. Cassy just glared at Colt. She opened her mouth to say something, but he took a step forward, startling her. He didn’t stop walking until he passed her and he was down the hall, standing in front of his locker. Creed followed him, shooting Cassy a scathing look as he passed.
I glanced at Ethan, who mirrored my surprise. Without speaking, we made our way through the crowd and over to Colt’s locker. Creed was helping Colt put my stuff in his locker, leaving out the textbooks we’d need for our first class.
Colt shut his locker to face me. “I’ll text you the combination.”
I gave him a tiny smile. “I already know it.”
Later that day at home, there was a knock on my front door. After a quick look through the peephole and seeing that it was a delivery man, I felt like my day was finally looking up. My bench swing for my back patio was here. Excited, I opened the door and signed for it.
The delivery man took off, leaving me with a very large brown box. I bent to lift it and grunted when I felt the weight. It was so heavy I couldn’t even get my fingers underneath. Next, I tried pushing it. It moved a few inches. I glanced over at the guys’ house. Colt and Creed were at practice and Keelan’s Jeep was gone. Knox was home. Staring at their house, I debated going over and asking for help.
Nope.
Knox and I weren’t that close. Besides, I was independent. I could figure this out on my own.
“Right, I got this.” I tried to hype myself up and went back inside the house for a knife. I’d cart everything to the back porch a piece at a time.
After about twenty trips back and forth, I had everything that had been in the box laid out. All that was left to do next was put it all together. My shoulders slumped a little. I was hot and sweat was already dripping down my face. I went back inside, figuring I’d take a little break to cool down and get something to drink. I guzzled a whole glass of water, refilled it, and went to go sit in the living room.
Just ten minutes, I mused as I sat on the couch. I was halfway done with my second glass when something moving across my floor in front of the TV caught my attention. I had to do a double take to convince my brain I was indeed seeing an eight-legged arachnid monster.
I screamed and jumped on top of my couch, panic taking hold of me. “What do I do?!” I yelled from where I stood at the furthest corner of the couch.
I was seriously debating burning down my house as the tarantula continued to make its way across the floor. Its slow, hairy legs made my whole body shiver with the heebie-jeebies. Then it stopped. As if sensing me, it turned in my direction and picked up its speed.
I screamed and leaped off the couch toward the front door. Feeling as if the tarantula was going to get me at any second, I swung the door open and ran next door.
I banged on the guys’ front door nonstop. “Knox!” I yelled.
The door ripped open. Knox stood there, taking me in with wide eyes. Without permission, I ducked under his arm and went into their house.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
I had the heebie-jeebies so bad I wiggled my arms out to get relief before hugging myself. “There’s a giant tarantula in my house.”
He stared at me for a moment and then the corners of his mouth slowly started to lift.
I glared at him. “Don’t you dare laugh at me.”
He snorted.
“Knox, it’s not funny,” I snapped.
That just set him off and he started laughing.
I put my hands on my hips, fuming, and waited for his laughter to stop. “When is Keelan going to be home?”
Still grinning, he shut the front door and headed over to the couch. “Not for a couple of hours.”
Crap. The twins would be at practice for at least another hour. I glanced at Knox. He was sitting on the couch staring at me. By his smug look, he knew that I was going to ask him for help.
“Knox,” I said with a sigh.
He waited.
“Will you please help me get the tarantula out of my house?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for one of your boyfriends to help?”
“The twins and I are just friends,” I said quickly.
He gave me the look, one that screamed sure.
I counted to five in my head to stop myself from going off on his giant butt. “I will cook you whatever you want for dinner tonight,” I pleaded, sounding exasperated. “Heck, I will make you a freaking cake. Just please get the tarantula out of my house.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he reached under the coffee table and pulled out a pair of sneakers. I patiently watched him put them on and stand. “Where in your house did you see it?”
My body sagged with relief and I explained where I’d last seen the tarantula as we walked back to my place. Knox walked right into my house without a shred of fear. I tip-toed behind him, scared the eight-legged nightmare was going to pop out at any second.
Knox knelt down and looked under the TV stand, the couch, and the coffee table using the light on his cell phone. I thought he had seen it under the coffee table because I saw him pause, but he eventually stood.
“It’s not in here,” he said.
We moved to the dining room next. Knox pulled out all the chairs and looked under the table. Feeling a little brave, I went ahead of him to look in the kitchen. I rounded the island and there it was, on the floor, right in front of my kitchen sink. I let out an embarrassing scream and spun on my heel to book it out of the kitchen. I slammed into Knox’s chest, who I didn’t know was right behind me. He caught me around my waist before I could fall back. The panic and need to get away overtook me so much so that I jumped onto him and clung to him like a koala bear.
“It’s over there! It’s over there!” I repeated in a high-pitched voice as I tried to climb up his tall and very bulky body.
Knox let out a grunt when the heel of my shoe hit him in the butt. Other than that, he just stood there and let me scale him. “Shiloh,” he said calmly.
I was a panting mess as I clung onto him for dear life. I had managed to get one hand on his shoulder. The other was fisting the back of his shirt. I had one leg wrapped around his hip and the other around his upper thigh. I really needed to do upper-body strength training at the gym.
“Please don’t let it get me.” I knew I sounded pathetic, but I didn’t care.
Knox’s hands went to my hips and lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and locked my legs around his waist. He carried me to the living room and sat me on the couch. “Do you have a broom?” he asked, and I told him where I kept it. Knox disappeared back into the kitchen. I heard small noises followed by the back door being opened and closed.
Knox returned. “I got it out of the house.”
I relaxed back. “Thank you so much.”
He nodded and his expression turned serious. “I need to ask you something.”
My relief instantly evaporated. “What?”
“Why is there a gun taped under your coffee table?”
I forgot how to breathe for a good minute.
Sitting up straight, I regained my composure. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t tell any of the guys the truth. For my safety and because I didn’t want them to think I was a freak. But I didn’t want to lie to them either, even to Knox. It would feel like a betrayal somehow. Lying period was a betrayal. So I needed to evade as much as I could.
“I’m a young woman who lives alone.”
His gaze moved to the control panel for my alarm on the wall by the front door. “You have a security system with cameras.”
“Cameras and alarms don’t stop someone from getting in,” I said with a little bit of bite. “Does it make you uncomfortable knowing that I have it? Because if so, I’m going to be honest and tell you that it’s not the only one I own. I’m eighteen, still in high school, and have no one left in this world apart from my uncle, who is on the other side of the country. When I moved here, I had zero connections. No one who would notice if I went missing. To someone who’s paying attention, I’d be the ideal target to be taken, raped, or killed. I know this might seem excessive to you, but it makes me feel safe and helps me close my eyes at night.”
He was quiet for a moment, processing everything. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” he finally said. “It makes me wonder what happened to you that you think you need all of this to feel safe.”
My heart rate became rapid as I scrambled to think of something to say to steer him away from the questions I could see forming in his eyes.
I saw a flicker of surprise flash in his eyes. “Something did happen.”
“Please don’t ask me,” I begged.
He frowned and opened his mouth to ask anyway.
“Please, Knox. Don’t.”
His eyes bored into mine, searching. For what, I didn’t know. He gave me a single nod and headed for the door. When he opened it, he paused. “Pork chops and mashed potatoes,” he said. “That’s what I want for dinner.”
“Do you want them cooked a certain way?” I asked.
He glanced back at me. “Cook them however you want.”
Already making a grocery list in my head, I stood. “Alright.”
“If it’s easier for you, you can use our kitchen,” he offered before he left.
By the time Colt and Creed got home from practice, I had already returned from the store and was finishing up all the prep work that needed to be done before I began cooking. Per Knox’s request, I was making pork chops, but I was putting my own spin on it by serving them with a bacon jam on top. Keeping me somewhat company, Knox sat at the kitchen island, texting someone on his phone.
“We’re home,” Creed yelled out.
“How was practice?” I yelled back as I plopped all the potatoes I’d just finished cutting into a large stock pot of boiling water.
There was a silence on Colt and Creed’s end. I had a feeling they were surprised to hear my voice. Not more than a second later, they walked into the kitchen.
“Hey, we were just about to come over,” Colt said as he came up to me. He gave me a kiss on the temple and rubbed his hand down my back. “What’s going on here?” Both him and Creed looked from me to Knox.
“I’m cooking you guys dinner,” I replied. “Knox requested pork chops and mashed potatoes.”
Creed crossed his arms over his chest. “Why does he get to pick?”
Knox set his phone down. “Because your girlfriend ran over here, hysterical, and begged me to remove the tarantula that got into her house.”
My mouth fell open. “I was not hysterical.”
Knox gave me a look that begged to differ.
I sighed angrily through my nose. “Because Knox graciously helped me get rid of the tarantula and I didn’t have to bribe him or anything.” My voice was chipper and my words dripped with sarcasm. “As a thank you, I offered to make him whatever he wanted for dinner.”
One side of Knox’s mouth lifted. “I would have done it for free, but I was enjoying watching you squirm with having to ask me for help.”
I counted to ten in my head so I wouldn’t smack that stupid smirk off his face with a spatula. “It isn’t wise to mess with people who handle your food. Keep it up, Knox, and I might burn your pork chop.”
His smirk only broadened as he stood from the island. “Go ahead,” he said and turned to leave. “Might be a better flavor than that jam you’re making,” he shot over his shoulder.
I had a spatula raised above my head so fast, I shocked even myself.
Colt grabbed my wrist. “Whoa, there. Why don’t we put the spatula down?” Colt took the spatula from my hand, allowing Knox to leave the kitchen safely.
Creed chuckled, his eyes filled with mirth. “You should have let her chuck it at him. I would have laughed my ass off if she managed to clock him with it.”
The twins were better company to have as I cooked. Keelan got home right as dinner was served.
“Dinner is on the table right when I get home? Nice!” Keelan beamed as he sat at the table. Everyone piled food onto their plates. The guys tried my bacon jam with the pork chops, even Knox, and all of them groaned when they took their first bites.
I, on the other hand, sat back and watched Knox’s reaction. When he noticed me staring, I arched a brow. “What do you think of my bacon jam now?”
He kept his face impassive and just cut off another bite of pork chop with extra bacon jam on it.
“Thought so,” I mumbled to myself triumphantly and began digging into my food.
Keelan looked around the table, confused. “What’d I miss?”
Colt and Creed laughed, then gave Keelan a play-by-play of the verbal showdown Knox and I had had earlier.