Everything in my mind is foggy with other things going on. I have to force myself to stay present with this girl, listening to the waves clap against the lake shore to keep me in the moment. It doesn’t work. Losing myself in her isn’t as easy as it should be.
All I can see is her.
Palmer.
The girl finishes, wiping at her lips like some paid whore. This is what I liked. I lived for the random hook-up and careless relationships. That kind of thing makes it easier to sharpen the edges of my heart. It’s hard to break when I can’t get close enough to it.
I zip my jeans, feeling dirty, and loathing the simple fact that the only way I could finish in this girl’s mouth is if I’d thought about Palmer.
I turn and the girl in my thoughts stands in the middle of the lighted path. Her eyes are dead set on me. She’s alone with a cup in her hand. Was she watching the whole time? Instead of jealousy, a gleam of arousal crosses her eyes. They widen when she spots the girl next to me.
The party is in full force. Loud music. Lights. It’s enough to pull us down, but Palmer and I stay completely present.
The idea of her watching this is like no other experience I’ve had. Now she knows how it felt to watch her with Byron. A little forbidden, sure, but still the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. What I’ve learned about Palmer is she isn’t like the other girls in the sense that she doesn’t give into my bullshit. She puts up a fight, and a fight between us is worth the trouble.
I grin and wink, earning a cute scowl from Palmer, before drawing my attention to the girl next to me.
“Thanks, Jessica.” I wave over my shoulder, hop over the wall, and head back towards the house, buckling my jeans.
“My name’s Jasmine,” she argues, a whiny tone to her voice I’d managed to ignore before letting her drop to her knees. If I’d listened to her talk before she did me a favor, we wouldn’t have gotten so far.
“Does it look like I give a shit what your name is, sweetheart?” I spin, holding my arms out, proving how the powerful always get what they want, and what I’d wanted was a release she had been far too ready to give me.
“You’re an asshole, Marek Hawthorne!” Jasmine shouts for everyone to hear.
“Again, never claimed not to be, but you didn’t seem too worried about it when my dick hit your tonsils.” My voice is loud, carrying throughout the expansive backyard. I wink at her and turn to a round of applause from my classmates.
Dixon is sitting at the fire by himself, resting forward, a worried expression on his face. I talk to a couple of guys before heading his way and plopping down in the seat beside him.
“What’s up, man?” I kick at his feet.
Dixon pops his head up, surprised to see me. “Huh? What?”
“You good?” I sit back and take in the backyard.
It’s full of students from Glass Heart Academy and other public schools in our town. We live among each other for the most part, with no troubles unless a field or court is involved. That’s when tension runs high, and everyone is out for blood.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just have some shit on my mind.” Dixon settles, his stare off in a different land. When he looks over my shoulder, his eyes widen. “She’s still here, huh? Figured you’d ran her off by now.”
“Thought I’d let her have some fun, is all,” I explain.
“How are you doing with all of this shit?” He circles his finger in the direction where Palmer has disappeared.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m having more fun than I should be.” I smirk, recalling the unexpected visits and how, no matter how hard I push, she allows me to get away with just enough.
Dixon is used to my depraved behavior. He never judges me for my preferences, and often joins in, much like the night with Palmer at the library. The only thing that makes us four different from each other is what drives us. None of the other shit matters because we’re protective to a fault.
“And to think, we haven’t even gotten started yet,” he says, leaning sideways to take the blunt Breaker offers him. He huffs in a lungful and releases the smoke, offering it to me. I take a hit and hand it back to Breaker over my shoulder.
“Logan was in the kitchen, sniffing around your girl,” Breaker announces, taking the last seat on this side of the fire.
“Your fucking point?” I snatch the blunt from his hand and take a deep draw, holding it in my lungs until it burns. “That girl can do whatever she wants.”
“You wouldn’t mind if I took my shot then?” Breaker spins around, looking for someone. What game does this guy think he’s playing? “She’s right in there. I could go work my charm, tell her I had nothing to do with the shit that went down.”
“The girl’s not a fucking idiot, but you can do whatever the hell you want. You want to stick your dick in her, be my guest. Just know she’ll be thinking about me the whole time.” I stand, and Breaker jumps up to block me. “Get the fuck out of my way.” He stumbles back when I shove him.
“Where you going?” Breaker calls out, a hint of amusement and laughter tipping over his tongue.
“I’m not waiting for Byron. This shit starts tonight,” I announce.
Nothing fueled by anger ever ends well. This is something I know from firsthand experience. Somehow, I don’t have the energy to think this through. Everything we have planned is down to the T. Whatever shit I try to pull tonight may fuck everything up.
I stomp through the backyard and inside the house. Girls paw at me, trying to grab my attention, but all I see is red. I take an offered shot from Peter and down the sharp liquor, tossing the small plastic cup into the sink.
Two laps around the house, and Palmer is nowhere to be found. Defeat settles when I realize she must have left.
Fuck you, Breaker. He was just trying to get a rise out of me, and it worked.
When my feet hit the living room floor, I see Logan Kennedy handing Palmer a cup. She smiles lazily at him, taking his offering. She can’t be that big of an idiot. His arm wraps around her waist, tugging her into his side. My steps ease me closer to them. Logan’s hand shifts lower and lower on Palmer’s back until his fingers are splayed across her ass.
With a closed fist, I lunge forward, connecting my hand with Logan’s jaw. Screams erupt around the room, and everyone scatters, giving us plenty of space. He falls right at Palmer’s feet. She gawks at me and opens her mouth to say something.
“What the fuck?” Logan gets to his feet, cutting her off.
“Let it be known that anyone who tries to date Palmer Weston will find themselves in the same place as Logan.” I check the room, daring anyone to oppose my words.
“I wasn’t trying to date your girl, man.” Logan lifts his hands in defense.
“Okay, then this also goes for anyone looking to screw her!” I yell through the crowd.
The red cup has my full attention. I lurch forward and knock it from her hand. The amber liquid stains the carpet.
“Not the smartest choice, Palmer.” I point to her flat stomach. “Unless you don’t plan on keeping the baby. You don’t seem like the motherly type anyway. Probably best to let this one go, since you haven’t had the best example. Yours devoted all of her attention on the good sister.”