Aftershocks (31 page)

Her eyes narrowed, as if she stil didn’t believe me. “I didn’t know,” she said defensively. “I just thought he was sad.”

I had to grip the sides of my chair to keep from smacking her. She was so insensitive sometimes.

Then the façade dropped again, and I saw the remorse on her face. “Abby, I honestly didn’t know. I feel awful. I never wanted to hurt him. I liked Wyatt. I didn’t think he would do something like that, honestly.”

Unfortunately, her remorse was a year too late.

I looked away from her. “Yeah, wel that’s the problem. You never think. You just act. You’re so selfish and self-centered that the only person who matters is you. You could care less if you slept with a guy I was dating, whom I realy liked, or if the whole school thought I was a slut or if people knew Wyatt was gay. It didn’t matter what any of us wanted, it just mattered that you came out on top, and that’s what makes you a shitty person.”

She eyed me carefuly, her gaze narrowing just a little. “You’re just jealous because I have what you want.”

“What’s that?” I asked, exhaustion suddenly wrapping around me. I was so tired of this game.

“Connor,” she said, haughtily, as she crossed her arms in front of her. “Don’t even try to deny it. I’ve known for months, and here’s the deal. I know you want him, so I’m not giving him up.”

“You don’t have an iron-clad grip on him,” I said then, knowing that it was Connor’s choice to break up with her or not. She couldn’t keep him forever if he changed his mind.

“I kind of do,” she said, and with that she got up and waltzed out of the coffee house, leaving me sitting there wondering what she was talking about.

Chapter
27

Nicky, having gotten her car back, picked me up at nine and we headed to Sophia’s party. In the end, there weren’t any other options, and Nicky begged me to go. She said Luke would be there, and he needed us as back-up. Why he was even going to a party at his ex-girlfriend’s house was beyond me, but I wasn’t one to judge. I was most likely walking into a firing squad myself, so I wasn’t much smarter in that moment.

When we arrived at Sophia’s house, the party was packed. There were cars lining the street, up and down the block. It seemed the end of semester was on everyone’s mind and they were celebrating early. As I looked around, I saw lots of people I knew, but I didn’t see Connor.

“You actualy came,” Alexis said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. “I hope you have fun tonight. I sure wil. Sophia already told me that Connor and I could have her room once he gets here.” With that she winked at us and walked away.

Well, game on bitch
.

If she wanted to play dirty, I’d play dirty. See if she liked what I had to bring.

“God, I hate that girl,” I said, glaring at her back as she tottered away on her stripper heels.

“Come on, let’s start drinking,” Nicky said, puling me toward Luke who was lounging in the kitchen.

A few hours later, I’d unintentionaly gotten a little drunk. It seemed anger made me thirsty, and every time I would see Alexis laughing and talking, I was reminded of how much I hated her and would start drinking. It was almost like a game. See Alexis, glare, take a sip.

At some point, Nicky and Luke had disappeared to who knows where – for al I knew they were hooking up – but I hadn’t seen them in at least twenty minutes. I was blindly searching the party for Connor, but it seemed he wasn’t there, and I was starting to get pouty. I had to tel him something, but I couldn’t remember what it was. Al I knew was that I needed to find him, and I would remember when I saw him.

I was searching the living room, but he wasn’t there when I heard my name. I turned to see Kelen ambling toward me.

“Hey there, Kelen,” I said, poking him in the chest. “What’s shakin’?” I sat down hard on the coffee table, realizing how good it felt to sit. I’d been walking around al night and my boots were kiling my feet.

“Apparently you,” he said, gesturing to my almost empty beer.

“Yeah, you know, it’s good to get a little drunk every now and then.” I eyed Kelen seriously, knowing he would get what I was saying.

“Yeah,” he said, sitting down next to me. “Besides life’s just more fun you’re wasted.”

“I’l drink to that,” I said, hugging him around his bulging stomach. I rested my head on his shoulder for a few seconds.

“You guys made it!” was the next thing I heard from Kelen’s booming voice as he stood up in a rush, knocking me onto the couch.

When I recovered, I looked up to see what he was so excited about, realizing as I did that Connor had just walked in flanked by Jack and Rich. Jack had a girl hanging on his arm who I realized in shock was Kerry, his ex. I sat up quickly and swiveled around, my hair whipping around with me and settling over my right shoulder as my jaw dropped. Connor was looking right at me with a concerned look on his face.

“Dude, you just missed Lexi,” Kelen boomed to Connor, clapping him on the back.

“Huh?” Connor said, looking at Kelen in confusion, as he dragged his gaze away from me.

“Alexis,” Kelen said, as if he had to remind Connor who she was. “Cameron took her and Faith to another party, but they said they’d be back.”

“Oh, okay,” Connor said, looking dazed. It was then that I realized he had a cut under his left eye and Jack had blood on his shirt.

I shot Jack a look that said ‘what the hel is going on’, and he whispered something to Kerry who untangled herself from his neck. He walked over and bent down to smile at me. I gave him a look that begged him to explain.

His face broke into a wide grin. “I ran into her at the club we were at in the city. She misses me, and she said she wants to get back together.”

He literaly couldn’t stop grinning. He was happier than I’d seen him in months.

“You’d better not screw this up, Jack,” I chastised him, knowing Wyatt would have said the same thing had he been there that night.

Jack’s expression turned solemn. “No way. I finaly got her back. There’s no way I’m letting her go.”

“So I guess that means our fake relationship is over,” I said in mock-sadness.

“We’ve had a lot of fun over the past few weeks, but I know as wel as you do, that I’m not the guy for you. And you’re not the girl for me.”

I nodded, knowing he was right, and he grinned at me. I noticed his lip was cut. “Jack what happened to you guys?”

He chuckled. “Oh, Connor and I got into it when he saw me kiss Kerry earlier.”

“He hit you?!”

Jack smirked. “There was fight of sorts. That’s why we’re here. We kind of got kicked out of the club.”

“Jesus,” I said, looking over his shoulder at Connor who was watching me intently.

“Yeah, so I told him about us. I didn’t realy have a choice. I think he was prepared to fight me to the death, and I couldn’t let him mess up this gorgeous mug any more than he already had. I’m stil not convinced he believes me, but at least he hasn’t thrown anymore punches.”

My jaw dropped in response, not sure how to process it al. Jack and Connor fighting, Connor knowing our relationship had been a ruse.

“Go get him,” Jack urged. “Now’s your chance. There is no way that boy doesn’t have feelings for you. I’ve never been hit that hard before.” He smirked at me again.

I hugged Jack fiercely around his neck. It was my way of teling him thank you for taking a fist to the jaw for me. If I realy did end up with Connor, I knew I’d owe him one. “You’re the best, Jack. Have fun with Kerry. Treat her right.”

Jack nodded once at me before turning back to the girl he loved.

I looked up to see Connor appraising me as Jack and I parted ways. He cocked his head to the side, but I couldn’t tel what he was thinking. Instead of giving him anymore time to ponder anything, I got to my feet, ran over to him, jumped up and threw my arms around his neck.

“Hi!” I said, with more exuberance than normal.

“Hi Abbs,” he said, but it was muffled by my hair. “How are you?”

“I think I’m better than you,” I said, as I let go of him. I reached out to touch the cut below his eye and he winced. “You realy got into a fight with Jack?”

Connor grimaced. “He was cheating on you. I couldn’t help it.”

“You know we weren’t realy dating.”

“Wel, I know that now,” he said, and I could hear the annoyance in his voice. “You’re realy not dating him?”

I smiled and shook my head, resigned to the fact that my secret was out.

Connor stared at me for a few seconds, as if asking me to explain myself, but I didn’t know what say. I knew he’d figured out my reasons for faking a relationship with Jack, but even in my drunken haze, I was too embarrassed to admit it outright.

“So, you’ve had a few drinks,” he finaly said.

“I have,” I said, nodding solemnly. “I was pissed, and when I’m pissed, I get sort of thirsty.”

“Why were you pissed?” he asked, but we both know he knew the answer. “Was it because of me?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not so mad anymore, now that you’re here.”

He leaned his forehead against mine. “Good to know.” I could smel the alcohol on his breath.

“Have you had many drinks?” I asked, trying to assess how drunk he was.

“I’ve had a few.”

“Wel, you need to have more,” I said. “Come with me, we’l get you some.” I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the kitchen, reaching into the fridge to grab him two beers. “You’re way behind me. Catch up.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, as he saluted me. He chugged the first one easily, then started on the second.

An hour later, we were sitting in the living room with Jack and Kerry, who were making out, and Nicky who was sitting on Luke’s lap which I found to be quite interesting, but she was drunk and usualy ended up in someone’s lap when that happened, so I figured Luke had just been close by when she fel. As far as I could tel, Alexis and Faith hadn’t returned to the party, and I was enjoying having Connor to myself.

When I had to use the restroom, I hopped up and announced it to everyone before I headed upstairs to the bathroom that I knew hadn’t been used as much that night. I was washing my hands when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Connor lounging against the far wal with a lazy smile on his lips.

“Hey you,” he said. He looked amazing, despite the mild sweling under his eye.

“Hey,” I said, stepping out of the bathroom, so I was directly across from him. I leaned back against the wal and appraised him. “So your girlfriend sort of left you hanging, huh?”

He nodded a few times. “Yeah, she did.”

“What brings you up here?”

“I missed you,” he said. He flashed me that grin of his, and I watched thoughts of Alexis fly from his mind.

“I was only gone five minutes.”

“Oh, yeah? It felt like longer.” He came across the hal to stand in front of me, taking both my hands in his and lacing his fingers through them.

“Did it now.”

“It did.”

“Wel, I’m sorry about that,” I said, looking right into his eyes.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, his face inches from mine.

I didn’t know what to say or do. I was stuck there, feeling his hands laced through mine, his eyes locked on me and his mouth so close to my lips. I felt my breath quicken as I debated internaly what was right and wrong.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” Connor said then, as he leaned just a little closer to me. He eyed me appraisingly.

“You kissed me, and I know it’s wrong, but I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss you again.”

I leaned up and kissed the cut under his eye, letting my lips linger there for a few moments until I heard the sharp intake of his breath.

Puling back, I locked eyes with him, trying to ascertain whether his reaction was a good thing or not.

Before I could figure it out, Connor brought his lips down on mine, and then I was kissing him. I felt my hands let go of his and my arms wrap around his neck, so I could pul him closer. I felt him press his ful body up against mine so that I was pinned against the wal. I felt every part of him, but al I wanted to do was get closer.

I lost track of time, lost where I was and lost complete control of the part of my brain that should have been teling me how wrong it was to do that with him. I was completely engulfed in him in that moment, in a place that was no longer the halway where we stood. I could think of nothing else, but his lips on mine, his body pressed against me and how long I had wanted exactly that.

His hands moved from my waist to the smal of my back, and I relished the feel of his skin on mine as he puled me against him, his arms holding me in place. I weaved my fingers through his hair, puled him to me and kissed him with everything in me, as he slowly maneuvered us through the door of the bathroom, his lips never once leaving mine.

He gently lifted me onto the counter, and without thinking I wrapped my legs around his waist, puling him to me. His lips began to trail away from my mouth, kissing my jaw, the holow behind my ear and the side of neck. Then without warning, he froze, his lips pressed against my skin for several beats. He puled away, and looked out toward the halway.

“What?” I asked, not wanting to let him go.

He put his hand over my mouth to quiet me. “Shh,” he said, as he strained to hear something.

Suddenly, he was out of my grasp and shutting the bathroom door. He had no sooner locked it I heard what he’d been listening to.

Alexis’s voice rang out down the halway, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Then I heard Cameron’s voice respond to her.

They sounded drunk.

“Shit,” Connor whispered.

He head was turned toward the door, as if he was afraid she would suddenly come in. I watched him as he watched the door, my heart pounding in my chest. I heard Alexis giggle outside the door, then heard something – maybe her, maybe Cameron, slam into the bathroom door. I suddenly had visions of her breaking down the door, finding us there and knowing that we’d just been making out. Then she giggled, and I realized she had no idea we were hiding from her, she’d just drunkenly falen into the door as they’d passed by.