Without You (14 page)

Maegan walked right in front of Libby, blocking her view of the guys. “You still dating Jason, Lib?”

Libby looked up at Maegan and smiled. “I was never dating Jason, Maegan.”

Maegan smiled and looked down at Libby. “That’s not what Luke said. He told me you and Jason were getting it on pretty hot and heavy at Claire’s party.”

Libby looked away and glanced over to me. I shook my head. Maegan was egging Libby on, and we all knew it.

Libby stood up and looked directly at Maegan. “You know what, Maegan? Why don’t you just go find some guy to fuck, so you can get out of the bitch mood you’ve been in for the last few months? You said yourself that you wanted a good fuck, so go find it.”

Maegan’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Libby.

“Who needs a good fuck?”

Oh great.

Luke came walking up, and the Cheshire Cat grin spreading across Maegan’s face turned my stomach. I loved Meagan like a sister, but this thing with Luke and Libby was starting to drive a wedge between all of us.

I was expecting Maegan to make a smart-ass remark to Luke, so when it was Libby who opened her mouth, I about fainted.

“Maegan does. You’re so good at it, Luke. Why don’t you help her out?”

“Libby!” Taylor and Grace said at the same time.

Maegan began laughing. Lauren and I looked at each other and then jumped up. Maegan walked up to Luke and wrapped her arms around his neck. Libby turned and started heading toward Will’s truck.

“Libby, hold up,” Lauren called out as she ran after Libby.

I began to follow them.

“Get your paws off my brother, Maegan, and stop acting like a tramp. This is not you, so stop acting like it is,” Grace said.

“Grace! Oh my gosh. Y’all just stop this now,” Taylor said.

I turned back to see Luke pulling Maegan’s arms off of him. He started following us, and I quickly picked up my pace to warn Libby that Luke was coming. I was sure he was pissed at her comment.

“Uh…Lib? Libby!” I shouted.

“Not now, Alex. I don’t feel like talking.”

Luke jogged by me and stopped next to Libby. He grabbed her arm. “We need to talk—now.”

I walked right into the back of Lauren as I watched Luke pulling Libby away from us.

“Shit. You don’t think he’ll do anything, do you?” Lauren asked.

“No! Gesh, Lauren, you know better than that.”

“I know, but the last couple of months, the two of them have been at each other nonstop. Now, they’re pretty much avoiding each other, and with Libby going off and saying what she just said…”

I shook my head. “I think they need to talk. Things need to go back to normal.”

Luke stopped and let go of Libby, and she turned her back to him.

Lauren let out a gruff laugh. “Things will never be normal again, Alex.”

I turned and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Alex, come on. I know you and Will are happy and all, but you have to see how the rest of us are all drifting apart. Luke never does anything if he thinks Libby will be there—or worse yet, if Jason and Libby are both there. Colt hasn’t talked to me in over a month.”

“That was your doing, Lauren.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess so, but still. We all used to be so close, Alex. Maegan is acting like some sex-craved nutcase. Grace is dating the biggest dick on the planet, and somehow, she is the only one who doesn’t see it. Taylor is burying herself in schoolwork and has no life whatsoever. Things are not the same. Y’all are leaving in a few weeks for college, and well…”

I saw the tears building in her eyes, and my heart broke.

“I just want us to be…us. I want us to have fun without everyone fighting. I’m going to miss y’all, and if you leave with our group being broken, I’m just afraid it will never be fixed.”

I pulled Lauren into my arms as she began crying. “Shh…it’s okay, Lauren. I promise you, I’ll fix this. I promise you.”

I looked over and saw Colt staring at us. I knew he had been hurt so badly the night he admitted to Lauren that he liked her, and she’d walked away. He had begun dating Rachel again, and I knew he was so unhappy. Every time I tried talking to him, he would just tell me that he was fine.

Colt looked directly at me and mouthed,
Is she okay?

I smiled and nodded my head slightly.

Lauren pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. What a baby I am. I think I’m just sad that y’all are leaving for college, and it’s just going to be me, Taylor, and Colt left.”

“I know, honey. I’m sad, too.”

Libby came walking by with Luke following closely behind her.

I grabbed his arm and stopped him. “What did you say to her?” I asked as I looked at Libby walking over to everyone else.

Luke smiled weakly. “I called a truce.”

“Oh,” I mumbled.

“Let’s go to the river and cool off, y’all!” Luke yelled.

Everyone began walking over to their cars.

Will came up and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Is Lauren okay?”

I shook my head. “I need to talk to you, Grace, Libby, Luke, and Maegan. I need to talk to y’all sometime today.”

Will nodded his head. “Okay. Yeah, I’ll make it happen.”

When we got to the river, Will told me to head over into the open field behind the large oak. I began walking over there.

Maegan walked up right after me. “Hey, what’s going on? Will said we all had to meet here. Something about Lauren?”

I heard Luke, Will, Grace, and Libby all talking. They stopped and all stared at me.

“What’s up?” Grace asked.

I took a deep breath and just went for it. “We need to get our shit together, all of us. Lauren broke down today because Luke and Libby are fighting. And, Maegan, you’ve turned into a sex-craved bitch.”

“Hey!” Maegan said, putting her hands on her hips while giving me a dirty look.

“Grace, you’re so wrapped up in your boyfriend that we never see you anymore, and Will and I have been so wrapped up in us that we’ve forgotten about Lauren, Taylor, and Colt.”

Everyone began looking at each other. We all knew things hadn’t been the same within our tight little group.

“So, here is what we’re going to do. We only have a few weeks before we leave for college, and we are going to make the most of it, starting today. Luke and Libby, either admit how you feel for each other or move the hell on. It’s getting old.”

Libby’s mouth dropped open as she stared at me.

“Maegan, for Christ’s sake, stop throwing yourself at Luke.” I faced Luke and raised my eyebrow at him. “Luke? Are you ever going to sleep with Maegan?”

His face instantly turned bright red. Maegan and Libby both snapped their heads over and waited for his answer.

“Um…well, um—”

“Luke!” I shouted.

“No! Jesus, Alex. No, I’m not ever going to sleep with Maegan,” he shouted back at me.

Maegan’s face dropped, and I knew Libby was attempting to hold back a smile.

“I’m sorry, Meg. Honey, you’re like my little sister, and I-I don’t think of you like that.” Luke pushed his hands through his hair and rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Alex, for putting me on the damn spot.”

I put my hand on my hip and sighed. “Well, it’s out now. We all knew you never had any intention of sleeping with Maegan.” I turned and looked at Maegan.

She smiled weakly and nodded her head. She turned to Libby. “I’m sorry, Lib.”

Libby looked shocked as she looked at Maegan. “Uh…sorry for what?” she asked Maegan.

“I knew you liked Luke, and I don’t know what came over me. I just got jealous and all. I knew my flirting with Luke drove you nuts.”

Libby quickly glanced at Luke before looking back at Maegan. Luke stared at Libby, but he didn’t say anything.

I cleared my throat. “Grace, I think we all just want to know. What in the hell do you see in Mike?”

Luke stepped in front of Grace and put his hands on her shoulders. “I swear to God, Grace, if I ever catch him talking to you like he was the other night, I’ll kick his damn ass.”

“What? What happened?” Will asked as he pulled me into his arms.

Grace stepped back and away from Luke. “He was drunk, Luke. He isn’t normally like that.”

“Grace…” I whispered.

I hated that she was making excuses for that ass. I had heard him belittle her on more than one occasion. Why Grace put up with him I didn’t know, but she didn’t put up with anyone’s shit. She looked at me and smiled weakly.

“I promise. He really isn’t a dick like y’all think. Once we leave Mason, things are going to change,” Grace said.

I had a terrible feeling in my stomach. Things were for sure going to change, but I didn’t think it would be how Grace thought.

Will slapped his hands together. “All right, y’all. Let’s make the next few weeks like the last eighteen years of our lives. Let’s have fun and get crazy!”

“Hell yeah!” Luke said as he and Will slapped their hands together.

We all laughed, and Will grabbed my hand as we began walking down to the river. Taylor and Lauren were standing on the edge of the river while Colt tried to talk them into using the rope swing.

“It’s freaking cold, Colt!” Taylor said in a whiny voice.

Will dropped my hand and pulled his T-shirt up. Then, he looked over at Luke.

“Oh no, y’all! Don’t!” I said as they both took off running.

They ran up, and Luke grabbed Taylor. She screamed when he threw her into the water. Lauren attempted to run away from Will, but he got her and threw her over his shoulder. He ran up to the rope swing while Lauren called him every name she could think of.

“William Gregory Hayes, if you even think about—” Lauren yelled.

Will grabbed the rope swing, and Lauren screamed the entire time. She was even screaming when she finally popped up out of the water.

Grace and Libby took off running and jumped into the water while Colt did a flip off the deck.

I stood back and watched my best friends laughing and having fun. My heart grew heavy, knowing that this would probably be one of the last times we all did this together.

“You’re sure quiet today,” Luke said as he continued to work on the fence.

“Just thinking.”

He stopped and let out a sigh. “Come on, let’s sit for a bit and take a second to relax under a tree. It’s so damn hot out here.”

I reached into the cooler and pulled out two bottles of water. I gave one to Luke, and we made our way over to the large elm. Luke sat and leaned against the tree. Closing his eyes, he let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

I sat down and looked at him. “You like being single and going from girl to girl?”

He opened his eyes, and I saw sadness even though he was smiling.

“Hell yeah, I do. I don’t have time for a relationship. I figure when I meet the right girl, it will all change.” He took a long drink of water and looked away.

I nodded my head and took a drink.

“Are you worried about you and Alex?”

I knew Luke would just cut to the chase.

“Yeah. A part of me is worried, but another part of me isn’t worried, if that makes sense. I love her, Luke. I mean, I’m pretty damn sure I fell in love with her when I was ten years old.”

He started laughing. “That’s a long time, dude.” He shook his head and looked at me. “Will, I love Alex. I mean, she’s more like my sister than my cousin. I want to see her happy just like I want to see you happy, but…”

“But what?”

He pushed his hand through his hair and let out a quick breath. “Will, what if you meet someone else? What if Alex meets someone else? The only thing y’all have ever known is each other. I mean, did you even date anyone else before Alex?”

I looked down at the ground before glancing back up at Luke. “I don’t know how to explain it, Luke. When I see her, she steals my breath. When I’m near her, I can feel the attraction between us. I feel the love. I’ve never in my life felt like that around another girl.”

“Dude, there are a lot of girls in college. A lot.”

“Not interested.”

Luke threw his head back and laughed. “You’re a better guy than me.”

I stared at him. “How many girls did you hook up with last year while you were at school?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Two. One is just a fuck buddy. She doesn’t want anything from me, and I don’t want anything from her.”