I took in the storm in his eyes, how his jaw was clenched and the stiffness of his shoulders. And something gave way in me. This wasn't a fight I wanted right now. At least, this wasn't the fight that I wanted.
I glanced away. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."
He touched the back of my elbow. "Hey, what doesn't matter?"
I didn't look back, but some tension left me at the softness of his voice.
"You think I'm cheating on you?"
I met his gaze now. "It's nothing, Jeff. I've got a lot on my mind."
"Like what?"
"Like how I need to get going. My mom's been on a rampage about family time . The longer I'm at Lydia's the later I'll be. You know what she's like."
He still frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, okay. You want me to pick you up for school tomorrow?"
"I'm good. I've got a car."
"That's not the point, Sam."
"I know." I didn't care.
He sighed and turned away. "You're kinda being a bitch, you know."
As I watched him go, I stood there. I knew I was being a bitch, that wasn't the problem. Then I sighed when my phone vibrated. Lydia wanted me to hurry so I got in the car and drove over.
When I got there, she was bouncing like a rabbit on meth. She squealed as she pulled me to her room. "Jessica told me today that Adam Quinn asked about you!"
My insides snapped to attention. "What?"
"Yeah." She grinned and nodded her head up and down. "Can you believe it?"
I watched as some drool slipped down her chin. "Why would he ask about me?"
"Who cares! He did. Aren't you excited?"
"What did he say?"
"Are you kidding me? I think he asked how you were doing. You want a soda?"
"You've had enough for both of us."
"Huh?" She stopped bouncing and stared at me.
"Nothing."
Then she grabbed my arm again. "Get excited, Samantha. You can dump Jeff, finally."
"Dump him? Why?"
She snorted and threw herself backward on the bed. As she landed with her arms spread out, she rolled her eyes. "Like you really care about the guy. When was the last time you went out with him?"
"Tonight. We just had dinner."
She stopped short and jerked upright. "Really?"
"Yeah." I sat at her desk. "Why?"
"You and Jeff had dinner tonight? As in right before you came here?"
"What's with the twenty questions? Yes. I had dinner. With my boyfriend. Who I have been dating for three years."
"Oh." Her mouth shut, though her eyes were still wide.
"I get interrogated for this?" I stood up and started for the door.
"Don't go!" she called out and caught my arm. Then she sat me down with a serious expression on her face. "So if Adam Quinn asked you out, you'd say…?"
"No. I have a boyfriend." I frowned. "What's going on with you? You're acting like Jeff and I broke up."
She lifted her shoulders weakly. "Well…you two don't act together."
"That's crap. What's really going on? You always ask me about Jeff, if I've seen him at the parties or whatever." I folded my arms over my chest.
Then I stared her down. Hard.
Lydia swallowed. "I, just, I, nothing. Adam Quinn would make a way better boyfriend than Jeff. He was faithful to Ashley when they were together. She wasn't, but that's beside the point. Come on, you can't turn Adam Quinn down because of Jeff."
"Uh, yeah I can."
"Jeff cheats on you every weekend." She jumped to her feet.
"So I've heard." I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.
"Wait, Sam. Don't go like this. I'm sorry."
"For what?" I whirled around to her.
She stopped an inch from running into me and her mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. Her eyes looked to the ceiling. "Uh, for…hoping you'll dump Jeff because he's a scumbag?"
"Thanks, Lydia." I headed for my car. When I shut the door behind me, she had stopped following. I saw she had the phone to her ear so I turned mine off. Jess would be calling in a minute, after she'd heard the whole story from Lydia first.
I didn't care. As I drove away, I sat back. I really didn't care, about any of it. And I knew in the back of my mind, far far in the back of my mind, that this wasn't the healthiest feeling. But then again, I didn't care.
When I walked inside, it was dark. No one was around, but a plate was left on the kitchen table with a sandwich wrapped in saran wrap. My name was posted next to it, but I bypassed it and headed upstairs for my running gear. Five minutes later and I was back out the door. This time, I only stayed away an hour. However, sweat still ran down me as I went into the kitchen for a glass of water.
I sat at the kitchen table to finish it because I knew I'd need a refill before I headed upstairs to shower and crawl in bed for the night.
I was almost done when the door burst open and laughter filled the room. The smell of perfume and booze followed behind. I slumped further down in my chair and watched when Mason came into the kitchen. He turned for the fridge and stuck his head inside. Logan came next with a blonde wrapped around his arm. Her top barely hung on her and it exposed the side of her breast.
He laughed and pressed her back against a counter. As his head sunk to her neck, Mason glanced up and stopped. He saw me in the darkness.
Neither of us said a thing. Neither of us looked away.
The girl shrieked when Logan nuzzled further down her top.
Then he drew back, grinning. "Mase, man, you think I should bang her here? You think Momma-Wannabe would be upset? My stuff next to her teacups? Oh, a sandwich." He unwrapped the one left for me and ate it in three bites. When he was done, he gulped down a glass of water Mason held out for him and then turned back for the girl.
She started laughing again, followed by a quick moan.
Mason leaned against the sink. He never broke eye contact with me and he folded his arms over his chest. "You can do her wherever you want."
Logan tickled the underside of her breast and the girl giggled. Then she looked up, panting. Her eyes roamed up and down Mason as she asked in a husky voice, "You want in, Mason? You can have me too."
I glanced away. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."
He touched the back of my elbow. "Hey, what doesn't matter?"
I didn't look back, but some tension left me at the softness of his voice.
"You think I'm cheating on you?"
I met his gaze now. "It's nothing, Jeff. I've got a lot on my mind."
"Like what?"
"Like how I need to get going. My mom's been on a rampage about family time . The longer I'm at Lydia's the later I'll be. You know what she's like."
He still frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, okay. You want me to pick you up for school tomorrow?"
"I'm good. I've got a car."
"That's not the point, Sam."
"I know." I didn't care.
He sighed and turned away. "You're kinda being a bitch, you know."
As I watched him go, I stood there. I knew I was being a bitch, that wasn't the problem. Then I sighed when my phone vibrated. Lydia wanted me to hurry so I got in the car and drove over.
When I got there, she was bouncing like a rabbit on meth. She squealed as she pulled me to her room. "Jessica told me today that Adam Quinn asked about you!"
My insides snapped to attention. "What?"
"Yeah." She grinned and nodded her head up and down. "Can you believe it?"
I watched as some drool slipped down her chin. "Why would he ask about me?"
"Who cares! He did. Aren't you excited?"
"What did he say?"
"Are you kidding me? I think he asked how you were doing. You want a soda?"
"You've had enough for both of us."
"Huh?" She stopped bouncing and stared at me.
"Nothing."
Then she grabbed my arm again. "Get excited, Samantha. You can dump Jeff, finally."
"Dump him? Why?"
She snorted and threw herself backward on the bed. As she landed with her arms spread out, she rolled her eyes. "Like you really care about the guy. When was the last time you went out with him?"
"Tonight. We just had dinner."
She stopped short and jerked upright. "Really?"
"Yeah." I sat at her desk. "Why?"
"You and Jeff had dinner tonight? As in right before you came here?"
"What's with the twenty questions? Yes. I had dinner. With my boyfriend. Who I have been dating for three years."
"Oh." Her mouth shut, though her eyes were still wide.
"I get interrogated for this?" I stood up and started for the door.
"Don't go!" she called out and caught my arm. Then she sat me down with a serious expression on her face. "So if Adam Quinn asked you out, you'd say…?"
"No. I have a boyfriend." I frowned. "What's going on with you? You're acting like Jeff and I broke up."
She lifted her shoulders weakly. "Well…you two don't act together."
"That's crap. What's really going on? You always ask me about Jeff, if I've seen him at the parties or whatever." I folded my arms over my chest.
Then I stared her down. Hard.
Lydia swallowed. "I, just, I, nothing. Adam Quinn would make a way better boyfriend than Jeff. He was faithful to Ashley when they were together. She wasn't, but that's beside the point. Come on, you can't turn Adam Quinn down because of Jeff."
"Uh, yeah I can."
"Jeff cheats on you every weekend." She jumped to her feet.
"So I've heard." I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.
"Wait, Sam. Don't go like this. I'm sorry."
"For what?" I whirled around to her.
She stopped an inch from running into me and her mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. Her eyes looked to the ceiling. "Uh, for…hoping you'll dump Jeff because he's a scumbag?"
"Thanks, Lydia." I headed for my car. When I shut the door behind me, she had stopped following. I saw she had the phone to her ear so I turned mine off. Jess would be calling in a minute, after she'd heard the whole story from Lydia first.
I didn't care. As I drove away, I sat back. I really didn't care, about any of it. And I knew in the back of my mind, far far in the back of my mind, that this wasn't the healthiest feeling. But then again, I didn't care.
When I walked inside, it was dark. No one was around, but a plate was left on the kitchen table with a sandwich wrapped in saran wrap. My name was posted next to it, but I bypassed it and headed upstairs for my running gear. Five minutes later and I was back out the door. This time, I only stayed away an hour. However, sweat still ran down me as I went into the kitchen for a glass of water.
I sat at the kitchen table to finish it because I knew I'd need a refill before I headed upstairs to shower and crawl in bed for the night.
I was almost done when the door burst open and laughter filled the room. The smell of perfume and booze followed behind. I slumped further down in my chair and watched when Mason came into the kitchen. He turned for the fridge and stuck his head inside. Logan came next with a blonde wrapped around his arm. Her top barely hung on her and it exposed the side of her breast.
He laughed and pressed her back against a counter. As his head sunk to her neck, Mason glanced up and stopped. He saw me in the darkness.
Neither of us said a thing. Neither of us looked away.
The girl shrieked when Logan nuzzled further down her top.
Then he drew back, grinning. "Mase, man, you think I should bang her here? You think Momma-Wannabe would be upset? My stuff next to her teacups? Oh, a sandwich." He unwrapped the one left for me and ate it in three bites. When he was done, he gulped down a glass of water Mason held out for him and then turned back for the girl.
She started laughing again, followed by a quick moan.
Mason leaned against the sink. He never broke eye contact with me and he folded his arms over his chest. "You can do her wherever you want."
Logan tickled the underside of her breast and the girl giggled. Then she looked up, panting. Her eyes roamed up and down Mason as she asked in a husky voice, "You want in, Mason? You can have me too."
