Rival Love (12 page)

My eyes scan the street, and land on a limping Lance. “Bro, what the hell happened to you?” If someone jumped him, it’ll give me an outlet or an excuse to look for a fight. So part of me is hoping this is the case.

“I almost had ‘em man, but they escaped. I was a little winded. Whoever it is, is super fast. Can you think of who’s built for speed on their team?”

No. I couldn’t. But I knew someone who’d know. Unless…no, she wouldn’t. Would she? I’ve got to find out either way. If she did do this, she’s dead. Plain and simple.

Hitting the locks on my doors, I listen to the familiar popping sound. “Hey man, you sure you’re okay to drive?”

I wave Lance off. “I’m fine. I’ve gotta get home anyway.”

He snatches my keys from me. “I know, but you’ve been drinking, man. I can’t let you drive like this. Come on, we can pick it up in the morning.”

As much as I don’t want anybody else seeing my car completely violated like this, he’s right. My uncle might be a few inches shorter than me, and half my build, but he’d totally kick my ass if he found out I drank and then drove home. Especially after what happened with his little sister. I let Lance pull me along into his car, Derrick in tow. We’re about to all pile into his Mustang when a half-crazed, half-dressed Amber storms out of her house. “Caleb Morgan, I swear you’re the biggest jerk on the planet!”

I nod because what else can I do at this point? Apologize for leaving her high and dry? Nah. Besides, she kind of started getting into that very clingy stage where she thinks I’m her boyfriend and she owns me and shit. And that’s not going to happen. Relationships are way too much work.

When I get out of Lance’s car in front of my house, the first thing I notice is Skylar’s Mini. Still in the same spot on the street. I run my fingers across the hood and instantly frown. Because the hood is ice-cold, which means she couldn’t have touched my car.

“Hey, Morgan, I’ll call my cousin tomorrow and see how much a paint job will run ya,” Derrick offers.

I smirk. “Thanks man. Thanks for the lift, Lance.”

“Anytime. Tell Liv she better be at the next one.”

My eyes instantly go to Derrick. He smiles. “Yeah man. I can totally help her with those…bedroom urges.”

My insides boil. He’s not laying a hand on her. Neither is Lance. I don’t give a damn if they’re my friends or not, there’s no way that shit will ever happen. Besides, they wouldn’t want her if they knew who she really was.

Entering the house, I tiptoe up the stairs and make my way to Skylar’s room. She’s lying on her stomach mulling over a book. I come closer to her and she glances up at me. “Yes?”

“Whatcha doing?”

“Studying? You reek of alcohol.” She waves her hand in front of her face while she turns to one side.

I sit on her bed, and she huffs. “Sorry.” I sway a little and she sits up. “I’m good,” I slur.

“I’ve got a feeling you’re lying but whatever. Trash can is in the corner.”

Normally I’d tell her to fuck off, but I need something from Skylar. “So what are you studying for?” I reach for her book but touch her fingers instead, and like all the times before, an electric current passes through me. Quickly I let go.

“Italian test on Monday.”

“So, can you teach me how to say ‘Suck it’ in Italian?”

She glares at me and shakes her head while an irritated huff escapes her lips. I don’t get why she’s so mad at me, when other people from my school could say or do the same thing and she’d just ignore them. With me, though, she never holds back how much I’m annoying her. It kind of pisses me off.

“I hope that’s not why you came in here.”

“It isn’t.” I get up and pace the area between her window seat and bed. “I realized something tonight. The thing you said about not leaving, and I was thinking we probably should come up with a game plan. I mean, I know the whole hat thing is working for the most part, but you’ve got to admit people aren’t going to believe the bad acne excuse forever.” Her eyes are on me. She sets her pencil down and cocks an eyebrow up.

“What do you want?”

I sigh. “I’m not sure. Don’t get me wrong, I hate that you’re here. I hate that I’ve got to watch who I bring over now and when, because you’re here.” This kind of crap will cramp my weekends when me and the boys play video games all afternoon or I sneak girls into my room. Yup. Totally sucks. “So, maybe we can work out some kind of arrangement.”

She slams her book shut. “I don’t need your help. And what makes you think I’d even want your help, Caleb? My new black eye? All of you Bobcats can keep coming at me. Your rude remarks, the awesome gang-style beatings in the bathrooms, oh and the lovely way you share food and drinks. So thanks, but no thanks.”

“Fine. But there’s got to be something.”

“Caleb, I’ve got no idea what the hell you’re on and honestly, I don’t care, but you need to leave. Nice is not your thing, especially around me. So let’s just do each other a solid, forget this whole conversation, and let me study.”

I take a seat on her beanbag chair near her bed. “I’m not fucked up. I mean…I am, but you need to hear me out. My car got royally jacked up tonight. And normally, I’d just take my revenge out on another football player, or just someone who has a stupid sign in their yard. But this time it’s beyond personal, and I want to take out the entire team. In order to do that…” I walk over to her bed and put my hand on her bare shoulder. “I need you.”

“You need me? I’m the last person in the world you should be coming to.”

I shake my head. “No. You’re the first. I overheard your conversation with your ex. I know deep down, you’re like every crazy chick on the planet and you want to rip that douchebag Kevin’s balls off. So yeah, you’re the first person I’m coming to.”

“Maybe you’re right.” She shrugs. “That doesn’t mean I’m ready to turn on the entire football team because of one douchebag.”

“What are you saying? You’re going to let that asshole get a pass?”

She shakes her head. “No. But what I do is not your concern.”

Stubborn.
There’s got to be a way to talk her into helping me. I push a few strands of hair away from her face. She flinches. “What if I promise this kind of crap won’t happen again?”

“Caleb, you’re drunk and have no idea what you’re doing.” She pushes off her bed and hooks her arm into mine then pulls me out of her room. “I’m going to walk you to your room and leave you there.”

When we reach my door, I pull her into my room. My footing slips and we tumble onto my bed. I’m still holding her against me, and we’re breathing hard. My gaze drops to her lips. A sudden urge to kiss her comes over me. She pushes off of me. “Fletch…” She walks out of my room and shuts the door behind her.

Chapter 23

Skylar

Kevin storms into the CJD, pushing his way to the front of my line screaming, “Your boyfriend is dead! You hear me?” He twitches a little. I let my eyebrows rise and my lips remain pursed. I’m not about to crack a smile even though this is beyond amusing.

His fist slams down on the counter and I flinch, causing my hair to uncover a sliver of my bruised eye. His face changes instantly. “Jesus, Sky, what happen to you?”

He tries to reach out and touch me, but I shy away from him. Smoothing my hair back into place, I shrug. “It’s nothing. If you’re going to order something you need to stand in line.”

The coldness in his stare returns. “I’m not. Tell your boyfriend to stay the hell away from my house.”

“For the last time
he’s not
my boyfriend, so go relay your message to him yourself,” I tell him.

He storms out of the coffee shop. The girl who’s next in line shoots me a look.

“Sorry about that, what can I get you this morning?” I ask.

The door dings again indicating yet another customer or least that’s what I thought. The girl in front of me is about to place her order when Alex screams, “Skylar! My office, right now.” I smile and hold up a finger to the customer. “I’ll be right back.”

Entering Alex’s office I say, “What’s up?”

“Sky, I told you not to come in and work with your eye looking like that. Do you really need the money that badly or what?”

“I…I…” What could I tell him? My life sucks now. I’ve got no friends, did all my homework, and have nothing better to do. Usually, I’d practice hitting balls at the batting cages or swim laps but there’s no point in that now, is there? Even if I wanted on the Bobcats’ team there is no way it will happen. So I lie. “You caught me.”

Alex frowns. “Okay, I’ll pay you for the hours you were supposed to work, but that’s it. Go home. I’ll see you Thursday, hopefully that’s healed by then. Or at least able to be covered up a little better.”

I nod.
Home.
Amber and her skanks are going to pay for making my life even more of a hell than it was. Leaving the shop slowly with my freshly printed check in hand, I roll my eyes at the new annoyance leaning against my car. Caleb slides his sunglasses down a fraction and glares at me. “You know, I’ll give you some credit, Fletch, you had me. God, you had me good.”

“I don’t know what you’re babbling about, but I have to get to the bank before it closes.”

He shakes his head and laughs. “You’re going to play dumb. Fine by me. Play dumb. But just know this, I’m going to get you back.”

“Get me back? Good for you. If you’ll excuse me I’m going to be leaving…” I trail off as soon as I notice Roger and Kevin storming over to my car. I throw my hands out and push Caleb behind me.

“You and me right here, right now, Morgan!”

Caleb laughs. “Yeah? Bring it.”

“Stop it!” I don’t know what I’m doing besides holding Caleb behind me while pushing a hand onto Kevin’s chest. I mean both guys are taller and stronger than me. This is just pathetic. Kevin shakes his head.

“Move.”

I hold my ground. “No. You need to get out of here. Alex will call the cops if he hears about you two idiots battling it out here in the parking lot.”

“I say beat his ass, man. Your car is in the shop because of him,” Roger says.

Caleb snorts. “Oh, really?”

I glare at him and mouth, “Shut up.”

Kevin presses against my fingers a little more. I push him back. This is so bad. “Move, Skylar. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Kevin snaps.

This pushes my buttons. Instead of stopping a fight, I end up starting one. My foot comes straight up and meets his private area. He groans and hunches over. “What the hell, Sky!” Roger screams.

“Don’t even try it, Roger! I’ll make sure your nuts are in a vice too.” I turn and look at Kevin at eye level. “If you were so worried about hurting me, you should have dumped me like a normal human being instead of cheating on me for the past three months. I deserved more than that. Two years deserved more respect than that.” Then I ball up a fist and punch him right in the jaw before arms wrap around me and pull me away from him.

***

Caleb and I sit inside his car up on top of a hill overlooking a stretch of countryside. “You know I should be pissed at you, because unwrapping my car was truly a bitch.”

I don’t look at him, but I can tell from his tone he’s smirking. “I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry for any of it.”

“I know. Wouldn’t exactly want you to be, Fletch. I mean, shit, you had me good. I thought my car was going to need a paint job and everything. But seems you made sure someone else had to get one.”

I shake my head and laugh. “Not really. Let’s just say he has some little friends and a lot of chocolate to get out of the inside.”

Now it’s his turn to laugh. “I can only imagine.”

“Everyone is coming after me. You, the school, and now them.” I sigh. “Do you know what really sucks more than the attacks? Not knowing who I am anymore.” I shrug my shoulders and peer over at Caleb. He’s staring back. “I always had my friends, sports, and work. Now, all I have is work, but even they don’t want me there. Not looking like some battered victim.”

Caleb’s eyebrows narrow. His lips are in a grim line. “What are you saying, Fletch? You want to swim and play softball?”

“Not for your school. But yes, I want to. It’s a part of me. Like breathing.”

“I can see that.” He eyes my hand. “How’s the slugger over there?”

My knuckles ache a little but for some reason I’m not ready to give him a reason to plaster one of those satisfying smirks on his face. My fingers gingerly brush against the skin. “It’s fine.”

“You’re the worse liar in the world. Let me see it.” He doesn’t even give me time to refuse and snatches my hand then pulls it toward him. “You need some ice.”

I start to jerk my hand back but he keeps hold of my wrist making it impossible to escape him. “When you hit someone, you’ve got to close your hand like this. You hit with these two knuckles not your entire hand.”

I roll my eyes. “Next time I punch someone I’ll try to remember that.”

He shakes his head. “A simple thank you would do.” Caleb smiles and I can’t help but do the same. He shouldn’t affect me like this. “I’m glad you did it though. He deserved it. Bulldog or not, guy is a total prick.”

I pull my hand away and nod. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t really matter. It’s over with.” There’s no way I’m going to hash out my feelings for Kevin to Caleb.

My freshman year, I got screwed over by an older guy named Heath. He was cute and sweet, until I wouldn’t put out. And then Kevin. Maybe he’s right. I mean, two years is a long time to just kiss a person and not get anything more. But there’s supposed to be a feeling right? A deep feeling within yourself that says it’s time. Kissing Kevin all those times felt natural, but that’s it. No sparks, no deep desires, and maybe I did string him along because it felt like we should be together. “Maybe he’s right.”

“Right? He’s not right, Fletch. Look at me.” I look at Caleb’s lap where his hands are. One of them lifts and brushes gently under my chin. With very little effort, he tilts my head until our eyes lock. “I don’t know everything about you, but if you weren’t feeling it, you weren’t feeling it, know what I mean?”