6. Alina
SIX
ALINA
SIXTEEN YEARS OLD
“Reed Stanton asked me on a date,” I say nonchalantly, my legs crisscrossed on my bedroom floor.
Becca’s lying on the bed with a Cosmo magazine, but when I tell her about Reed, she drops it to the side, rolling over to give me her full attention. “And?”
“And…I said yes.” I shrug like it isn’t a big deal, but we both know it is.
“I’m sorry, what?” She cups her hand over an ear, a grin splitting her face.
“You heard me.”
“I did, I just wanted to hear it again. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Is that really so hard to believe?”
“When it’s someone other than the giant asshole with a chip on his shoulder, and a perpetual hard-on for everything on legs but you? Yeah, it really is.”
I frown at her.
“It’s about time, though,” she continues. “Chase doesn’t even see you.”
My chest pinches. “He sees me.”
“You mean when he sneaks into your room to use you as his emotional trash can?” She taps her chin. “Or maybe it’s when he ignores you at school, too busy gropin’ everything with tits.”
“Chase is complicated. You wouldn’t understand.”
She huffs out a laugh, grabbing the magazine and flipping a page. “I understand he’s a dick.”
“Why are we talkin’ about Chase, again? I thought I was tellin’ you about my date with Reed.”
Becca sits up, smacking her hands on her thighs. “Yes! Reed ‘Lick Him Like a Lollipop’ Stanton! Damn, that boy is finer than frog hair. Watchin’ him throw the football in those tight pants is the only reason I fake school spirit.”
I giggle at her theatrics. “Don’t tell Eli you like football best.”
She scoffs, falling backward on the bed. “Please, I’m not worried about your big-head brother. He can kiss my ass. How’d Reed get you to say yes, anyway?”
“He cornered me at my locker. Said the only thing better than winnin’ the game on Friday will be when he gets to take me out on Saturday.”
Her jaw drops. “He just said it to you like that? Didn’t even ask?”
I shake my head, grinning at the memory.
Becca sighs dreamily. “Damn, I bet he fucks like a porn star.”
“You are so crass, Rebecca Jean!”
“Best way to live, honey.” She grins, tossing her wild red hair over her shoulder. “You know Lil’s gonna want to dress you up for it. You tell her yet?”
My smile dims. “I haven’t seen her goin’ on three days now. She missed classes on Thursday and Friday.” Worry bubbles in my gut over who she’s spending her time with.
“I have half a mind to go over there and stick my foot up her ass.” Becca makes a face. “In fact, there’s no time like the present.”
“You want to go over there? Like, right now?” I bite down on my lower lip at the thought of seeing Chase. “I’ve got dance in like…an hour.”
“Then we won’t take an hour,” Becca replies, hopping up and grabbing her bag. “She can’t hide from us forever, and I’m tired of her actin’ like she can. Let’s go.”
My stomach knots tighter with every second as we make our way to Lily’s house, and by the time we knock, I’m sick with nerves.
Chase opens the door, because of course he does.
He’s got sleepy eyes and nothing on but low-hanging black basketball shorts. My eyes lock on those grooves in his hips, then slide up his chiseled abs and defined chest. My mouth runs dry.
Leaning against the doorframe, he glances at Becca before pinning his stare on me. I feel like an ant under a magnifying glass with the way he’s burning me up. Lust and hurt mix together, seeping from my pores, and flooding the space between us.
Becca cuts the tension. “Hey, asshole, your sister home?”
He licks his lips, arm reaching up to rest on the doorframe. “Nope. Thought she was with you two.”
Dang it, Lily. I can’t believe she’s still using Becca and me as her alibi. I stay silent, even though my mind is screaming.
“Well, you thought wrong,” Becca says, side-eyeing me. “Mind if we hang around a while and see if she comes home? We need her fashion expertise. My girl has a date tonight with the quarterback, and I’m tryin’ to guarantee some action, if you know what I mean.” She nudges my arm, winking obnoxiously.
I watch closely for his reaction, searching for a sign that he feels something, anything .
But he’s stoic. A statue of perfection that remains unchanged.
“Sure, come on in.” He opens the door wider.
Becca rushes by, taking up residence on the living room couch, and I move to follow but get held back by a strong grip around my wrist.
My heart stutters as he closes the space between us, tugging my back to his front. Lips brush my ear, his breath prickling my skin with goose bumps. I squeeze my eyes shut, ignoring the way my body sings.
“If he touches you, I’ll break his fucking hands,” he whispers.
The thread holding my anger inside snaps and I whirl around, ripping my wrist from his grasp and shoving him in the chest.
He stumbles, his brows shooting to his hairline.
“Let me tell you somethin’, Boy Scout . You’re not my brother, and you’re sure as hell not my daddy. You don’t get to come and go from my life whenever you want, then think you get a say.”
He rears back.
I don’t let him go far, stepping into him and speaking low. “As a matter of fact, when you go out tonight and do whatever it is you do, with whatever girl you do it with…I want you to close your eyes and imagine Reed doin’ the exact same thing to me.”
His nostrils flare, but that’s the only sign he’s heard what I said. Probably because he doesn’t care.
It doesn’t matter.
I’m done playing this game with him.
Becca’s staring, unashamed, as I walk to the couch and sit next to her. Her hand shoots up for a high five.
“Don’t.” I smack her fingers away before grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. I try to ignore the feel of Chase’s stare and relax. Hopefully, Lily comes back soon to serve as a distraction.
I miss dance because of how long we wait, but it doesn’t matter.
She never shows up.
Reed Stanton is Sugarlake royalty, just like my brother. Maybe even more.
Not much has the power to unite small towns quite like football, and he’s an all-American quarterback who’s given our high school the best record in the past two decades. My daddy is an avid football fan, which is the only reason Mama got him to agree to this date.
Right now, Daddy’s sipping beer in his recliner, his short dirty-blond hair mussed and his blue eyes alert. He’s trying to pretend he’s not waiting for the doorbell to ring, but I know he is. “What’s this boy’s name again?”
“Daddy, you know Reed. You were just singin’ his praises last week about takin’ us all the way to state.”
He grunts. “That was before he went and got eyes for my baby girl.”
“You started datin’ Mama when she was younger than me,” I point out.
“That was different, I was a gentleman who only wanted to hold her hand. Didn’t even kiss till we were married. Kids these days act too grown.”
“Don’t you listen to that nonsense, Alina May. Your daddy was a hound,” Mama teases, walking behind his chair and smacking him on the back of the head. “What time is Reed comin’ to pick you up, baby?”
The doorbell rings.
“Right now,” I say, lifting from the couch, my stomach flipping with nerves.
Daddy pops up and gives me a look before he speed walks to the door. I huff out a laugh. I knew he was waiting.
Wiping my clammy hands on the skirt of my yellow sundress, I follow behind. Other than the rash decision of letting Ricky Walker pop my cherry in the back of his pickup truck, I don’t have much experience with guys so I’m a little nervous.
When I round the corner to the entryway, I can see Reed nodding to whatever Daddy’s probably threatening, his silky brown hair just a little too long to be clean-cut, bobbing with the motion.
“Hi,” I interrupt, walking up to them.
He shifts his focus over to me. “Wow. Hi, you look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” My cheeks heat. “Ready to go?”
I side-eye Daddy as his gaze volleys between us, terrified he’s about to embarrass me.
“Have a good time, baby girl.” He kisses the top of my head and levels Reed with a stern look. “Have her back by ten, and no funny business. You hear me?”
“Yessir.” Reed breaks into a smile so perfect, it’s worthy of any parent’s trust. My chest warms at the sight.
Grabbing a jean jacket on my way out, I close the door behind us and let Reed lead me to his car.
“I hope it’s okay we’re goin’ to the lake. I brought some food and a blanket to lay out,” he says.
“Like a picnic?”
“Yeah, just like that.” He grins.
“Sounds perfect.” I link my arm through his.
The lake is quiet for a Saturday night, just a few people splashing in the shallow water down the way.
Reed spreads out his checkered blanket and we settle in.
He opens a basket, pulling out various meats and cheeses, a baguette, and some grapes. My eyes widen as I realize how much effort he put into this.
“I was plannin’ on an actual meal but was told this would be better to woo you with.” He hands me a cup of sparkling cider.
“You were told, huh?”
“That’s right.” He grins. “By a very wise woman, so I thought it was best if I took her advice to heart.”
I hide my smile behind the lip of my cup. “Reed Stanton, did you ask your mama for help with this date?”
He blushes, the pink peeking through the tan of his skin, and I worry I’ve embarrassed him. “I figured it was worth the risk.”
“What’s the risk of goin’ to your mama?”
“Well, there’s one of two possibilities. The first is that come Monday, you’ll be tellin’ the whole school how much of a mama’s boy I am.” He pops a grape in his mouth, chewing slowly.
“And the second?” I tilt my head.
“The second is you’ll be tellin’ them you’re mine.”
My stomach jolts with butterflies.
He leans in closer. “Now, I may be biased, but I’m hopin’ for number two.”
Heat rises to my cheeks as I open my mouth to respond, but he puts a finger over my lips. “Now I’ll tell you a secret, Alina May. I know you want to profess your love now, but I need you to keep me on my toes. I thrive under pressure.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Lord, you’re cocky.”
He chuckles, sitting back. “Always confident, never cocky. How do you think I win us all those games?”
“Same way you win everything, I imagine.”
Before long the sun dips below the water, the moon rising to take its place. It’s a clear night, the stars dotting the night sky like glitter, and lightning bugs hovering across the ground.
I drain the last of my cider and lie back on the blanket.
“Gorgeous out here, isn’t it?” Reed settles in next to me, reaching for my hand. He laces our fingers together and it feels…nice. “I always love comin’ out here when it gets dark. There’s just somethin’ about how bright the stars shine, you know?”
I hum my agreement, staring up at them.
It’s been the perfect date.
Thoughts of being Reed Stanton’s girl should be the only thing in my head.
But they’re not.
Instead, my mind is filled with all the nights I held another boy’s hand, under a glow-in-the-dark sky, telling him he was bigger than the stars.