18. Langdon
Eighteen
Langdon
I listened to the song from the party all night on repeat from the party while picturing Delia’s face as my lips tasted her. The feelings rushed through me but I woke in bed left with nothing but invisible bruises on my mind, heart and morals. The closet door had swung open and I’d wanted to scream at Niko but the moment had been broken.
Whatever magic had been happening was gone. And Delia, she’d made a crack about me being an animal, and I stormed out pissed. Raging with hormones. Who was she to leave me there with that feeling? She couldn’t possibly have been immune. It was too strong, too tense, and too hot. I thought we were close to a genuine connection but we were still so far.
The sun creeps through the slats in the blind and I’m full of regret. Like I failed us both. My head aches slightly from the alcohol last night. My phone says eight thirty, which means I have twenty minutes to get up and ready for church before Mom comes hurtling at me with ways my behavior is letting the Lord down.
Church is boring and I can’t stop my mind from drifting to Delia and last night. I wanted to text her so badly, to find out if she was ok, if she got home safe but the girl doesn’t have a god damned cell phone. I’d almost swung by Heath’s on my way home just to check in, but if she was home, I’d surely get her in trouble showing up that late, and if she wasn’t, I’d only worry her mom since I was supposed to be her ride.
Niko nudges my shoulder. “Earth to fucking Lang,” he hisses. “You there?” I snap out of my thoughts. Decidedly torturous thoughts of Delia’s panties, of her skirt scrunched up to her waist, of her soft, warm skin, and the wild look in her eyes as she watched me. Fuck.
“What?” I snip.
Niko shoots me a look. “Dude, you’re all tied up. This about New Girl?” I groan and stand up as we shuffle from the pews into the main aisle. “Oh shit?!”
My mother snaps her head to him and glares. “Sorry, Mrs. Nash.”
He leans closer to me. “Did you and Hailie hook up?”
“Gross, no.”
“So, it is New Girl,” he states, looking smug.
“Stop acting like you don’t know her name. Stop calling her New Girl.” My voice is barely above a whisper.
Niko tosses his hands up. “Woah, sorry. Heard she took off with someone last night to get high. ”
I glare at him. “I doubt what you heard is true.”
“Dude, how would you know? You were off with Hailie…alone.”
“Niko, I don’t like Hailie. I know you do. Stop with the Hailie crap, please. Just ask her out already.”
“Ask who out?” Hannah appears between us. “The new girl?”
I groan again. “Her name is Delia.”
Hannah makes a face. “Who cares? Hailie already hates her.”
I scrub a hand down my face. “Hailie needs to get a life.”
Hannah snickers before her eyes go wide. I follow them and immediately want to crawl in a hole and die.
Hailie, looking like she didn’t throw a rager last night, stands with her arms crossed, shoots deadly lasers from her eyes directly at me.
“Hailie,” I say.
“Whatever, Langdon.” She spins on her heel while snapping—her command for Hannah to follow.
“Whoops. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine in a day or so,” Hannah says with a shrug before trotting off after Hailie.
“You’re on fire this morning. When’d you leave last night?” Niko asks.
“Long before you.”
Niko perks up looking self-satisfied. “I didn’t leave.”
I snap my face to his. “You and Hailie?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Nah, held her hair back while she upchucked all over her fancy ass bathroom and put her to bed afterward.” Campbell pops over to join us. “Slept on the couch.”
I slap Niko on the shoulder. “Good man.”
“Unconscious sex sucks. If they can’t remember it, does it even count?” Campbell says. He starts laughing at his own joke, but I just can’t with him this morning.
“Campbell, are you aware that nothing will happen to your fucking dick if you stop being a misogynist? It will still be a dick.” Niko snorts and covers his mouth with his hand. “Quit being so rapey.”
“What’s got your panties in a wad? It was a joke.” Campbell’s tone comes out as self-conscious. He’s really not a dick. If he’d just stop trying so hard I think he’d find out that girls would actually like him without all the alpha shit-talking he thinks he needs. I have a suspicion that he will have to learn the hard way though.
I drag my fingers through my hair. “Nothing. Just don’t feel great this morning. Not enough sleep. I don’t know.”
“You working today?” Niko asks.
I shake my head. “Nope. Nothing to do till dinner tonight.”
“It’s gonna be hot today, let’s go to the bridge,” Campbell suggests. Niko pummels him with a withering glare. I don’t go to the bridge. “Shit, sorry man. I mean. Ughhh… I’m bad at this.”
I put Campbell in a headlock and pull him toward the parking lot. “It’s fine. I’ll go swimming with you guys at the rope swing spot. Just stop being an ass.”
Campbell playfully protests me dragging him toward the cars until my mother turns around and gives me the look and I release him.
“What time?” I ask .
“Uh, gotta run home first. Does Noon work?”
Campbell grins. “Yeah.”
“Sure,” I say.
An afternoon with the guys might be exactly what I need to stop thinking about Delia’s body.
***
“Be home no later than five. Do you understand? We have dinner tonight with Heath and Jennifer and Delia,” Mom said.
“Yes ma’am.” My chest tightens at the mention of Delia. How am I going to get through dinner with her at her Grandfather’s house tonight? I have no idea what to say to her. And even if I did, I can’t say it in front of our families.
“Do not give me attitude, Langdon. I don’t have the patience today. Oh and take your brother.”
“Mom! Come on. It’s the last day of summer. Please can I just hang out with my friends alone?”
Mom shoots me a look that is meant to wound but my dad steps in and rubs her back. He hooks her chin with his index finger, drawing her hard gaze to his, and waits until it softens on him.
“Let him go, Anna. I’ll take Anderson out today. He’s seventeen. Let him go have some fun.”
She makes a throaty sound. “Seventeen. Exactly why… ”
Dad leans in and kisses her softly, cutting her off. Nice moves, Dad. Also, gross.
I tiptoe out of the kitchen, snatch my keys from the console table and all but sprint to my truck. I am not missing my opportunity to get out of the house free and clear. As I pull onto the road The xx comes on the stereo and I’m consumed by all thoughts Delia.
Her body.
Her taste.
The silkiness of her skin.
She said she’d never done it, and a ripple had shot through me thinking I might be the first and naively the only to ever worship her soft body. I adjust my shorts and change the song.