Fallen Crest Alternative Version (23 page)

“Screwing?”

He shared my grin. “And lots of it.”

And then my grin turned serious. We hadn’t talked about it, but I knew I needed to know. “What happened at the game last night?”

He glanced over and measured me for a moment. Then he turned back. His tone wasn’t masked, but it was flat. “Those guys from Roussou showed up. They’re pissed because the cops are pressing charges against a few of them. Their whole camera editing stunt backfired on them. They wanted me to take the fall. Didn’t happen.”

My chest tightened. “What happened to those guys at the game?”

“Cops knew they might show up. There are some people in their camp who don’t feel they should be going after us anymore. I guess they tipped the cops off, or that’s what they explained to us. I don’t care. Those guys got arrested last night. They violated their restraining order. The school has one against them now too.” His hand clenched on the steering wheel as his jaw tightened at the same time. “I don’t think we’ll be able to play them anymore this season.”

“Really?”

“Or if we do, there’s going to be a ton of cops at that game.”

I watched how his jaw seemed to be made of stone now. “Are you guys planning retaliation?”

His eyes slid to mine. There was a dark intensity in them. “What do you think?”

I released the breath I’d been holding. My hands jerked from the release. “I think…I don’t want you to get hurt.” My own jaw hardened and I looked straight ahead. “Or caught.”

I felt him grin, though I didn’t look.

And then he pulled into the parking lot, parking beside the golf course. Thirty cars filled the lot, and when we entered the foyer, two big guys were dressed in black suits and white ties. They were stone-faced as they looked us both over. One held a clipboard up. “Name?”

“Samantha Strattan.”

He glanced down, but a frown appeared.

“I don’t think we’re invited to this event, but—”

“Are you Mason Kade?” The other guy interjected. He seemed enraptured by him. I saw a flicker of admiration.

“Yeah.”

The clipboard went down right away. Both of them nodded. “Go ahead.”

I couldn’t make a snide comment. I already knew he was a celebrity within the town. He was more since the YouTube clip.

When we stepped into the main room, it was full of clinking glasses, raised conversations, and children that dashed around the tables and between the adult’s legs. I skimmed the room for Becky, but she saw me first. I heard my name from across the room and saw her in a back corner. Her eyes were wide and she stood on her tiptoe. Her hand waved back and forth and her chest was puffed out.

I signaled her with a small wave, but she never stopped. Her hand moved faster back and forth.

When we got closer, I saw she stood with her family. Her mother was in a conversation with Malinda Decraw, who had a hand on her elbow. A large smile was on both of their faces and then they erupted in giggles.

One of Becky’s brothers ran past us, but Becky grabbed him and captured him. “Hey, squirt.” He ripped himself free, snarled at her, and disappeared around a group of strangers.

She sounded out an audible sigh. Her hands found her hips. “Such a brat.” Then her smile switched and blinded me. “Hi! I didn’t know you were coming tonight. This is awesome. Hi, Mason.”

He glanced at her but shifted so he stood behind me. His hand rested in the small of my back. I knew he had checked out of our conversation.

“Hi.” I looked around. “So what brother won an award?”

“Oh, stupid Jake.” She gave a dismissal wave. “He’s such a brat too, but some science magazine thinks he’s a genius. I don’t know. Good for him, I guess. Not that he’ll go into science when he’s older. He wants to be like Adam. He’s already told me.” Her irritation was evident. “He wants to be the quarterback and nail hot girls. Those were his words. Hey, guess what?!”

I blinked from the sudden switch. “What?”

Her hand grasped onto my arm. “I met a boy last night! Can you believe it? I can’t. I had to keep looking at my phone all day to see if it was really true or I just had a great drunk dream. But it’s real. I’m in shock. We’re going out after this.”

“You are?” And then I took in her outfit.

The cheerleader uniform was gone. Thank goodness. I had assumed she wore a simple lacy red dress for the event, but maybe not. “Where are you going?” Her hair looked frizzy. I bit my lip as I knew she’d need to fix that.

“I don’t know.” Her hand curved into my skin and she started to bounce up and down. Her breasts did as well and I clamped a hand on her shoulder to stop her. I shook my head. Then she rushed out, “I have a date, Sam! A real live date. I can’t believe it. I’m so over Adam. I think Rex wants to go to a party. I’m supposed to call him after this is done. He’s going to pick me up here.”

“Rex?”

Her head bounced up and down instead. “Rex Thursto.”

“Rex Thursto?”

“Uh huh. He’s really cute and skinny. I think he’s a pothead, but I don’t care. He liked how hyper I was. He said I was easy on the eyes, but then again they seemed glazed over. Oh well. I can’t contain my excitement. I’m so happy you’re here and I got to tell you. I wanted to text you all day, but then I didn’t. Adam said I shouldn’t—”

“Adam said you shouldn’t?”

She went still, caught in my crossfire. Her eyes twitched back and forth. The rest of her face was frozen. “Yeah. He did.”

“When?”

“Today.” Her voice had grown quiet. “Are you upset?”

“No.” I threw my arms wide. “Why would I be upset? You have a date and you were told by the guy who constantly jerks you around not to tell your friend? Becky, you’re smarter than that.”

Her cheeks turned red and she ducked her head. “I know. I know, but I mean—” She peeked underneath her eyelids at Mason and looked back down right away. “He said you were with him all day. I mean, why would you be interested in my life? You’ve got him…” She lifted a hand towards him, but it thumped back down against her leg.

“Becky.”

“I’m sorry. I just feel stupid. Why are you still friends with me? I even tried out for the cheerleading squad so I wouldn’t be a nerd.”

“You don’t want to be a cheerleader?”

“I do, but they’re so mean. I did it so that you wouldn’t leave me behind.”

I gaped at her. “Are you nuts? What friends do I have?”

She looked over my shoulder but flushed again and looked away.

“I have Mason and Logan. You.”

Her eyes were brimming with tears as she looked up again. “Really?” Her bottom lip trembled.

“Yes.” Then I sighed. “Now tell me about this Rex guy.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Since Becky seemed happy at my attendance, we didn’t stay for the entire event. We stayed long enough to hear that Rex was skinny. He had shiny blue eyes and his hair was sandy brown. It was messy the previous night, but Becky preferred it that way. He looked adorable when he smiled.

I gave her a polite smile as she chatted away about her dreamboat, but I knew I wasn’t going anywhere until I met this pothead. When Becky convinced her parents to let her leave, she called him to pick her up. It took ten minutes before she told him he could come over. She kept giggling. He would say something. She’d giggle some more.

By the time she ended the phone call, my nerves were stretched to their limits. I was glad Adam hadn’t shown his face. I would’ve taken out my irritation on him.

Mason remained quiet the entire evening. He always had a hand to my elbow or my hip. When he guided me somewhere, his hand lingered on the small of my back. But when Becky hung up with Romeo, he let loose a deep sigh and I tried to make myself relax beside him as well. Then it wasn’t long before a station wagon roared up to the front door. Becky received a text. She giggled some more and then skipped out to meet him. We followed at a more sedate pace, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Becky rushed inside the station wagon and the two had their lips locked.

Mason choked out a laugh. I elbowed him, but my lip twitched from the humor as well.

And then Becky let out a moan and they were onto the tongues. Already.

“Oh.” I shifted back, but Mason was behind me.

His hand was splayed out on the small of my back and he bent forward when it curved around my waist instead. His chuckle was low and smooth. Even though I flinched at the scene before me, another delicious tingle rushed through me. His hand held me tight against him and he nipped at my earlobe. “Think those two are horny?”

“Were we like that?”

His thumb started to rub under my shirt. “We are like that.”

Images of us from the day flashed in my mind. Another tingle rushed through me.

And then Becky popped out of the car. Her cheeks were red and she smoothed her dress down with frenzied hands. “Hey, I—um—” She looked over when the driver’s door creaked open. She was right. Rex was a lanky guy with crystal clear blue eyes. As he strolled around the car in tapered jeans, a white tee shirt underneath a ripped flannel, and a leather strap necklace that fell to his crotch, he gave us a lazy grin. A hand rose to push back some of his hair that fell over his eyes. He brushed it back and then ruffled the rest of his hair. Some of it stuck straight up, others went to the left, right, flattened, and a few more ends curled. A nest could’ve been in there, but Becky sighed as she watched him.

“Heya.” He held his hand out to Mason. “Rex.”

Becky’s finger jerked up. “No, she’s my friend.”

He moved the hand from Mason to me. “Heya. Rex.”

I gave him a polite smile and shook his hand. “Hi.” His hand was soft and clammy. I held back a cringe at what he’d been doing with it. I didn’t want to know. I shook my head. Becky had landed a pretty boy stoner. He had feminine features with soft pink lips, but she’d been right when she said his eyes were glazed over. They still were.

He flicked his hair back again and looked over to Becky. “I thought you said your friend was a dude.”

“I said her name was Sam.”

“That’s a dude’s name.” He looked at me and curled his lip up in a smooth smile. “No offense.”

Mason chuckled again in my ear. I gritted my teeth when I replied, “None taken, Rex Thursto.”

“Oh.” He laughed. “Yeah, my mom named me after their hamster. He died the day I was born. She still has him in our freezer.”

Mason barked out a laugh but covered it right away. I felt him pull back from me and knew he had stepped away from our group. I understood. I really did.

“So.” Becky danced up to us. She had her hands clasped together in front of her. Her eyes flashed back and forth as if she were watching a movie. “What do you think, Sam? I’m so happy that you’re the first to meet him.”

“Adam didn’t meet him?”

“Oh no. Adam already took off. He was helping some girl home because she drank too much. He’s such a nice guy.” She sighed on a dreamy note.

I looked at Rex to see his reaction, but his eyes were trained on Mason, who was now lounging against a post as he waited for us. Then Rex asked him, “You go to Public?”

A slight smirk hovered over his lips. “Yeah.”

Rex pointed a finger at him, but he nodded in approval. “Hey, yeah. You’re the YouTube guy. You’re awesome. You took that bat to those mofos like Rambo style. My buds and I watched it a bunch that night.”

Mason walked over to us again. “You’re with the stoners.”

“Yep.”

There was no shame.

And Mason nodded at him.

Then Rex snapped his fingers again at him. “You’re a Kade. Your brother was at my house today. He banged my sister all day.”

My mouth started to fall open, but I locked my jaw quickly. A weird gurgling sound came out.

Mason narrowed his eyes. Nothing else was said and Rex bobbed his head up and down again. “Yeah. I like your brother. My sister was in a good mood all day. Mostly, she’s a bitch. I think he’s still at my house. We could all go over there. I’ve got a bowl we could share.”

Becky giggled behind her hands. Rex’s eyes lit up and his lips spread in a slow grin.

Then Mason’s phone beeped and he snorted as he read it. “Logan at Ethan’s now. I don’t think he’s at your house.”

“Oh, yeah. That makes sense.” But Rex didn’t care. His eyes were fixated on Becky and he gestured at her. “She’s knocker, huh?” He jostled his shoulder towards Mason and thumped his chest. “I love ‘em when they’ve got rolls to hold onto, you know.”

Mason glanced at me, but I saw him fighting back his laughter. His shoulders started to shake.

Rex continued. His hair fell back over his eyes, but he never moved it back. He slid his hands in his jeans’ pockets and it slipped down an inch on his waist. His black boxers were now visibly showing. “Yeah, man, and her laugh. It’s like bugs bunny came to life for me. Smooth sailing with the buzz, you know.”

He looked up for approval from Mason, who coughed and shook his head. “I don’t do drugs.”

“Really?” He seemed amazed.

“Nah. I don’t like ‘em.”