“Okay, so?” Pierce looks at Johnny, then back at me. When his eyes narrow, I know he figured it out. “Who was this girl?” he asks Johnny.
“I don't fucking know. Some blond chick with hot ass cowboy boots on.”
“Hey, Johnny, tell Pierce what you told me when you saw her boots.” I smirk and stand to prepare myself. I know I’ll have to get Pierce off him.
“Dude, all I said was ‘did you hit that yet?’”
“Nah, that’s not all. But was that before or after you grabbed her ass?” I shake my head and tap the lockers as I get closer. “I’ll spare you the details, but I’m sure you can put two and two together, Pierce. He saw your cousin in a pair of cowboy boots.”
Johnny sucks in a breath, and I faintly hear him say ‘fuck’ before Pierce is on him. I let Pierce get in a few hits before I pull him off.
“Fuck, man, stop swinging,” I yell when Pierce elbows me in the face, and blood trickles down my cheek.
“You motherfucker.” Pierce shakes me off and pulls Johnny up by his shirt. “Get the fuck out of my gym and don’t ever come back. I better not see you at The Pub either… piece of shit.”
“I didn’t know she was related to you. Fuck, man, I think you broke my nose.” He limps out of the locker room, and I grab a paper towel for the cut under my eye.
“I’d apologize for that, but you deserved it for not telling me about Johnny,” Pierce says, splashing water on his face. “So that’s why you were on him that day, huh?”
“Yeah. He said some shit I didn’t like.” I cringe when I press the towel to my face.
“Let’s get you some ice.”
I follow him to his office and sit in the chair while he cracks an ice pack open and hands it to me.
“You really care about her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, man. I already told you that.”
“Well, she’s almost nineteen now.” He pats my shoulder and walks out.
* * *
A week later, and I’m in the same window seat I was a year and a half ago. This time, there’s no crazy woman next to me to annoy the shit out of me. My legs won’t stop bouncing, and I chew my thumbnail out of nervousness. In one week, I start my first official shift as a firefighter, and I have to see her before that. I want to show her that I finally did it, and it’s all thanks to her. Most importantly, I need to convince her to come back with me.
We should be together; we’re better that way.
When I had a free minute, I tried to call her a couple times over the last year and a half, but her number had been disconnected. All of her social media pages disappeared, and she never responded to the dozens of emails I sent her. Pierce and I still talk and hang out all the time, but we pretend what happened that summer, didn’t happen. So, I avoided asking him about her.
I pull down my carry-on, and wait impatiently for the elderly couple in front of me to get out of their seats. When I can pass them without looking like an ass, I do. I get in the rental car and pull up her address on my GPS.
Streetlights are on, and fireflies swarm like crazy. I park across the street and get out of the car. A cricket chirps and I laugh, reminding me of how much I fucking love this girl and all of her quirks. My eyes follow a shiny red sports car down the street. It pulls into her driveway, and I take a step back.
When a tall, older man exits, I have to hold onto the car for support. It must be her mom’s new boyfriend… it has to be. He clicks the locks and walks to the front door. Something in my gut tells me this is going to be bad. I’m not a very religious man, but I pray to God that he’s not here for her.
She opens the door, and though still beautiful, she’s lost weight. She smiles at him, but I know her, and that’s not the kind of smile I get. Her face lights up when she smiles at me. He leans down and kisses her. I stand immobile, watching as my worst nightmare comes to life. He slams her tiny body against the door so hard, the sound echoes across the street. I push off the car to rip his head off, when she wraps her arms and legs around him.
Frozen in the middle of the street, I can do nothing but watch as she claws at his back and he thrusts his hips into her. Burning alive would be less painful than this. He eventually carries her inside, and I get in the car, slam it into gear, and take off, squealing the tires. When I look in the rearview mirror, she’s standing on the porch with her arms crossed, looking in my direction.
* * *
“Jack,” I tell Meara, who’s working behind the bar.
“You sure? You never drink liquor,” she asks.
“I’m sure.”
She pours the glass and slides it to me, silently asking me if I’m okay. I slam it back and indicate I want another. I do that two more times before I start to feel the burn I’ve been craving. I went right back to the airport and got on a flight that was leaving forty minutes later. So here I am, at almost two in the morning, getting drunk for the first time in two years.
My head hangs loosely at my neck, and my fingers strum the wooden bar top.
Fuck. She’s with someone else. I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid to believe she’d still want to be with me. Never again. I’m fucking done. Women are nothing but lying bitches.
“Hey.”
I look over and get a view of a huge pair of tits, recognizing Britney. She’s always at the gym and hangs on me every chance she can. She even manages to get an invitation to the Kellys’ barbeques and hangs on me there, too. I’ve never once led her on, but she can’t ever seem to take a hint.
“What are you doing by yourself?” She runs a red nail down my arm. I’m tempted to tell her to leave me alone. I haven’t even looked at another woman since Charlotte. The thought of touching anyone else made me ill, but right now, nothing sounds better.
“Wanna get outta here?” I ask, already standing. She’ll follow me.
She tries to reach up and grab me, but I shrug her off and wait for her to catch up as I flag down a cab. I get in and wait for her.
“Your place,” I tell her. I don’t want to ruin the memories I have of Charlotte in my apartment. She rattles off her address and tries to kiss me. I turn my head. She pouts, and I tell her, “It ain’t about that, so if for one second, you think this is anything other than a quick fuck, I’ll drop your ass off and go find someone else.” She quickly shakes her head, and I stare out the window.
I throw some money at the cabbie and follow Britney up the walkway to her small house.
As soon as her door closes, I start taking off my jeans.
“Don’t get the idea this is more than what it is,” I say again, removing my boxers and rolling on a condom.
“I want you to fuck me. I’ve wanted that ever since I saw you.”
“Good. You ready?”
She removes her thong and runs her fingers through her slit before holding them up to show her arousal. Swaying her hips, she goes into the living room and sits on the armrest of her couch, in what I’m sure she thinks is a seductive pose.
“Bend over.”
Chapter 8
Charlotte
MY LIFE HAS BEEN a huge mess since my dad’s death. My mom lived in denial and locked herself in her room, only coming out to use the bathroom. She rarely ate or showered, unless I gave her a sponge bath. I’ve had to do everything since then — bills, yard work, home repairs. Somehow, I managed to graduate, and because I promised my dad, I enrolled in the local community college. I’m going for a degree in business.