Against All Odds (12 page)

“Are you scared of tigers?” he asks loudly, pulling me after him as I stumble.

“Um, what?” I ask desperately, looking back for my father or Matt who appear to be lost somewhere in the crowd.

“Never mind. He’s trained anyway. Kind of.”

And things are off to a great start.

***

A half hour later I’m outside on the back deck trying to get a second of peace, but Darrell, D-money, or whatever his real name is, apparently thinks it’s very important for me to meet his pet tiger right away. To my complete and utter horror the tiger isn’t caged in any way, shape or form. Instead, he’s relaxing in D-money’s screening room watching a movie. I’m not kidding. Apparently watching movies helps Leon (that’s the tiger’s name) “relax” after a “hard day’s work.” I’m not sure what it is he works so hard at all day, but I figure it’s better not to ask questions. Leon, to my disbelief, is actually pretty friendly. If meeting me at all fazes him he doesn’t show it.

I manage to slip away from D-money right when we walk back into the party.

Some drunk girl corners him and is begging him to sing one of his songs to her. I use it as an opportunity to get away from this crazy situation, and fast.

After looking for my dad and Matt for ten minutes, and having no success in finding either of them, I find myself in D-money’s huge backyard. It’s so big I can’t even see how far back it reaches. He has two pools (an indoor and an outdoor) and I’m pretty sure I can see the start of a golf course in the distance. It’s absolutely beautiful.

As I sit there wrapping my arms around myself I almost feel like I’m in a dream. I thought places like this only existed in your dreams. I mean, our house is nice, but nothing like this. Not even close.

“Hey,” I hear Matt’s voice call from behind.

I turn around to meet his eyes. “Hey,” I say softly, suddenly a little shy.

He walks closer to me and I’m again reminded how good-looking he is.

“I was looking for you,” he tells me.

I nod. “I was looking for you too. Look, I know this is all really...”

“Bizarre?” he says with a little laugh.

I smile. “Exactly. I’m really sorry I got you into all of this.”

“Ah,” he says shrugging, “I don’t mind it so much.”

“You don’t?”

He grins. “Are you kidding?” He puts his hands on my shoulders and turns my body around so we’re both facing the spectacular view from D-Money’s backyard.

“Beautiful view, beautiful girl. Where else would I want to be?”

I feel myself starting to turn red and try turning away before he notices. But it’s too late. I see him smirk a little.

“You’re blushing.”

“No, I’m not,” I say quickly.

He raises his eyebrows at me and I sigh. “Okay, maybe a little.”

He laughs, then looks at me more seriously. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“No idea about what?”

He tilts his head a little to the side. “That you’re beautiful.”

I feel butterflies start to take over my stomach. I’m not used to this kind of attention from anyone, especially not Matt. I mean, yeah, Nathan and I had whatever it was we had going on, but it’s not like he spent time sweet talking me. I was kind of a sure thing for him. This feeling is something new for me. And it’s making me really nervous.

“So let’s see if I can make you feel beautiful.”

He steps closer to me as I try to remember everything Nathan told me to do. But suddenly it’s as if everything I was taught has slipped out of my mind. I assumed all the confidence I had with Nathan would just transfer over to Matt, but it suddenly occurs to me that it doesn’t work that way.

Before I know it Matt’s lips are on mine. But it feels all wrong. He’s much more aggressive than what I’m used to. His hands are wrapped around my neck and his tongue is forcing my mouth open within a few seconds. I’m trying my best to get into it, but it feels like I’m going to start choking at any moment.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

I recognize Ava’s sarcastic voice right away and am expecting her nasty glare the second Matt and I pull apart. But what I’m not expecting is Nathan’s icy glare right next to her. Suddenly, I feel very uncomfortable.

Matt rolls his eyes. “Way to ruin the moment Ava.”

If Ava feels badly she doesn’t show it. Nathan, on the other hand, looks at Matt like he want to kill him. What’s his problem? He doesn’t get to act all overprotective of me anymore. He made it clear he could care less about me.

“Hey,” Matt says, reaching his hand out to Nathan. He’s clearly not picking up on the daggers that are coming out of Nathan’s eyes.

Nathan meets my eyes for a split second but then he quickly recovers. “Hey,” he says reaching out and taking Matt’s hand in his. “Didn’t realize you were going to be here too.”

“Oh,” Matt says and looks at me, confused. “Victoria didn’t mention it?”

“Nope,” Nathan reports shortly.

Well this is going great.

“I’m REALLY thirsty,” Ava announces loudly, pushing her C cup breasts into Nathan’s shoulder and batting her eyelashes at him. Oh, give me a break.

Ava’s wearing a bright yellow dress that looks like it’s about ten sizes too small on her, and bright yellow heels to match. Her breasts are practically spilling out of her top and I’m almost positive you can see her thong through her dress.

“Oh,” Nathan says, bewildered at her request. “Sure. I’ll go grab you something.”

“And I’ll grab you something,” Matt says to me, grinning.

“Oh,” I say, a little taken aback.

Nathan scowls at me before he and Matt disappear back inside the party.

I turn my back on Ava, hoping she’ll get the hint and go away, which of course she doesn’t.

“So what’s the deal?” she demands, clanking her heels loudly as she walks closer to me.

I sigh. “What deal?”

“With you and Matt. Don’t tell me you guys are like a couple or something.” She laughs after saying this, like the idea is so completely and totally ridiculous that even she doesn’t believe it could actually be true.

I’m instantly annoyed. Ava hasn’t bothered to say a word to me in years and now suddenly she thinks she has the right to comment on my social life? Has she lost her mind?

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business,” I snap.

Unfazed by my remark, she smirks and runs her hand down the bottom of her dress.

“I’m just saying, I hope you know he’s only being nice to you because of Nathan.

I mean, Nathan like rules the school now. No one wants to be on his bad side.” She pauses and looks me up and down. “Even if that means humoring his new found little sister or whatever the fuck you are.”

Here’s the thing. I know somewhere deep down that I shouldn’t care what Ava says. She’s a very manipulative and mean girl who gets off on making other people feel like shit. But sometimes it’s hard to remember that when someone says something really awful to you. It’s hard to remember that it’s not really the truth. Because the insecure part of you, the part that’s vulnerable, feels like maybe, just maybe, it could be true.

And suddenly I feel my strength begin to crumble. I feel tears starting to form behind my eyes, and for one horrible moment I fear I’m going to give Ava the satisfaction of seeing my cry.

Only she doesn’t. Because something pulls me out of it. It’s my dad. He’s screaming. Literally, screaming. I’d recognize his voice anywhere. And suddenly, all the people on the patio are gathered around the entrance to the yard. And my dad’s still yelling.

I push my way through the crowd, trying to find the source of the sound, but I can’t see anything except dozens and dozens of heads. I push and shove my way through the large group as I hear the girl next to me gasp. When I finally look up I see why.

Matt’s lying on the ground, his face a bloody mess, and my dad’s holding Nathan back from attacking him. I feel my heart start to beat really fast in my chest. What the fuck is happening?

I search Nathan’s eyes for an answer, but all I see is anger and hurt. His hands are covered in blood, a scratch above his right eye, and from the looks of it he wants to go back for more. He’s struggling to get out of my dad’s grasp, but my dad’s holding him back the best he can.

And suddenly I feel like I’m going to pass out. The blood, the anger, seeing Matt lying there on the ground, the hate in Nathan’s eyes, it’s all too much. I need to get out of here, and fast.

I turn around and make my way back through the crowd, running across the backyard. Where I’m going or what I’m looking for I have no idea.

I just know I need to get away. Far, far away.

Chapter Nine

I’m so intent on getting away, running as fast as I can, making my way aggressively in and out of the bushes and trees, that it takes me a second to realize that I’m being followed. At first I think it might be an animal or something, but then I realize someone’s calling my name.

It’s Nathan. I’d recognize his voice anywhere.

I gradually slow down until I come to a stop. My heart’s beating wildly in my chest and I fear it might explode. I feel his hands on my shoulders, trying to calm me down. He doesn’t say anything for a minute, but I can feel both of our breaths starting to steady.

“It’s okay,” he finally says.

I take a step away from him, letting his hand fall off my shoulder. I’d forgotten how much I loved his touch.

“Okay?” I say loudly. “Okay? What happened in there is definitely not okay Nathan. What the fuck was that?”

I search his eyes for an explanation, for any type of reason behind his actions, but all I see is pain and anger. Anger I don’t understand in any way, shape or form.

He doesn’t respond. “Did he push you or something? Start with you for no reason?”

He just shakes his head and looks down at the ground.

“Then what? What happened?”

He doesn’t answer and I’m starting to get annoyed. “Nathan—“

“You,” he cuts me off. “It was you, okay?”

I pause. Is he kidding? Nathan’s rejection is the only reason I even asked Matt to be my date to the party in the first place. Is it possible that I caused all of this?

“He was…“ he pauses. “He was talking about what he was going to do to you.”

I look away. “Isn’t that why we started all this in the first place?”

He sighs and takes a step toward me. “I can’t handle it. I thought I could, but I can’t. And I try. I try to forget you. I try to act like I don’t give a fuck where you are or what you’re doing, but inside…God, inside I’m going absolutely insane. I want to smash any guy’s face in who even looks at you.”

I search his eyes for answers, for any hint of what’s coming next. I’ve wanted him to say this so badly the last few days. And now here he is, saying exactly what I wanted, what I had hoped for. Could I really open myself up like this again?

I shake my head. “It would never work. My dad...”

“I don’t care,” he says. “I don’t care who thinks it’s wrong. I don’t care if we have to fight our way through everything and everyone. I just know. I just know I need you.”

I pause as he takes a few steps closer to me. He reaches out his hand and runs it slowly across my cheek. I find myself leaning into his touch.

“Nathan— ” I say slowly.

“Please,” he says softly. And I hear the pain in his voice, the desperation.

And then his lips are on top of mine, hungry and wonderful. His tongue is inside my mouth, devouring me. And I don’t stop him.

***

I’m sitting in lunch waiting on Angelina to come back to our table when Dustin sits down next to me.

“So,” Dustin says, letting his lunch down, “Where’s your beautiful best friend?”

I smile. “She’s getting a drink. She’ll be right back.”

It’s been two weeks since the party at my dad’s client’s house and Nathan and I are pretty much attached at the hip. Well, as attached as we can be without anyone seeing us.

We’ve decided that we’re going to tell my dad and Missy. We’re going to.

Honestly, we are. It’s just…timing is key with these types of things. At least that’s what I tell Nathan every time he brings it up. But in reality I’m completely terrified of what my dad will do when he finds out.

We kind of told him the truth about what happened at the party. We said that Matt was saying bad things about me and that Nathan snapped in a protective, older brother sort of way. When my dad started pressing questions about the topic, Nathan added that Matt was also trying to out do him on the basketball team. After hearing this, my dad dropped it. Because apparently his daughter isn’t a good enough reason to get into a fight, but a basketball competition is. Clearly.

Luckily for us it’s all worked out with my dad landing D-Money as a client.

Apparently he respects how Nathan “handled his own.” Because, “family is a very important part of the entertainment business.” Whatever that means.

I glance over at Dustin, which pulls me out of my thoughts, and follow his eyes around the cafeteria looking for Angelina. I smile to myself.

“She’ll be back. I promise.” He looks at me, then shakes his head and smirks.

“You really like her, huh?”

He pauses as if considering how much he should tell me. “Have you ever met someone you just can’t stop thinking about? It’s not like you need them, because you know you’ve lived so many years without them, but you just…they make you better?” I don’t say anything for a second and he laughs. “I probably sound completely and totally crazy to you.”

I glance toward the front of the café where Nathan’s standing, talking with one of the guys from the team. He breaks out into a laugh and without taking my eyes off him I answer. “No, trust me Dustin, I know exactly what you mean.”

He sighs. “Thanks Victoria.”

“Hey,” I say, turning my attention back to him, “I’m going to grab my Spanish book out of my locker. Will you be okay alone for a second?”

Dustin nods and I push my chair back, making my way toward the café exit. Just as I’m about to leave Nathan grabs my hand and pushes me up against the wall in the hallway.

“Do you have any idea,” he says slowly, “how hard it is to keep my hands off of you when you’re wearing that skirt?”