The Con (6 page)

"Are you dying? Is the apocalypse coming? Oh
my God, you are a part of one of those weird cults that knows the
exact date and time the world will end and now that you know that
our life will be over soon, you want to experience all the things
you've never done before like getting drunk and dry humping random
guys on the dance floor."

"Calm down, Leah." I laugh. It's the first
time I've smiled all day. "Today's been shitty so I want to
medicate my problems away with alcohol."

"Yeah, that's my girl!" she hollers from the
living room as I walk into my sister's bedroom. "I knew you could
be fun."

***

After rummaging through Pearl's closet I
settle on a denim mini skirt and a low-cut green tank that reveals
the curves of my breasts. It's a lot more revealing than what I
usually wear. A bright pink push-up bra and matching panties are
underneath. I want to wear heels to accentuate my legs since
there's a chance Jagger will be there, but I don't know if I'll
ever be able to wear heels again, so I slip on a pair of white
tennis shoes instead–no socks.

Leah and I walk over to Angelo's place,
which is off Spruce, two streets over from my trailer. We're not
even halfway there and I can hear the base of the music thumping.
As we get closer the music grows louder and louder until we can
finally see his house.

The outside is filled with people and cars
line the street. There are easily a hundred people out front,
crammed into the tiny area. As we make our way through the crowd
Leah introduces me to a few people but quickly abandons me to go
flirt with the deejay who's playing Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff and
the Fresh Prince, leaving me alone and surrounded by people I've
never met before. My eyes roam the area, searching for a familiar
face when I see him.

He's sitting on the hood of an orange and
black muscle car in jeans and a white shirt. His hair is buzzed on
the sides but still long on top and pulled back in a bun. He has
one boot on the bumper and the other hangs loose down the front of
the car. His arm is around a large busty blonde wearing bootie
shorts and a skin tight Harley tank.

It's Lola.

He's not paying much attention to her as he
smokes his cigarette and talks to the man standing in front of the
car, but then Lola leans in, whispers something in his ear, and
starts to kiss the side of his neck.

Gah!!! Will nothing go my way today?

I turn around, stalking my way through the
crowd until I hear someone call out my name. I keep walking but
then someone grips my upper arm and I'm being spun around.

It's Ky.

"Hey, Ronnie. I haven't seen you in a while
and I never expected to see you here."

"I came with Leah," I reply curtly. I look
over at his hands that are holding a stack of red Solo cups and
before he can say anything else, I reach out and grab one. "See you
later, Ky," I yell as I turn my back on him and head over to the
kegs.

My original plan for coming was to get drunk
tonight, so that's what I'm going to do. So what if Jagger is here
with Lola? I don't need Jagger. He's allowed to be with whoever he
wants to be with. He's not mine to claim. I barely even know
him.

But even as the angry thoughts go through my
mind, I know they're not all entirely true. I may have only had a
few interactions with Jagger over the years, but I do know him.
I've felt a deep connection with him from the very first time I met
him.

My soul knows him.

When I get to the keg it's hard for me to
handle at first, but I get a hang of it quickly and start chugging
my first cup of beer.

"Slow down there, Ronnie. I don't want you
passing out on me." I look up to see Dougy smiling down on me. He
looks a lot bigger than I remember, but growth spurts will do that
to you. "I never expected to see you at Angelo's party."

"Neither did I," I mumble under my breath.
This is the last thing on my list of life-plan goals, but now my
goals have gone to shit.

"How's that fancy school taking care of you?
Jagger told us–"

I place my free hand on his chest and look
up at him. Even though I'm considered tall for a girl, all of
Jagger's friends are taller and in a way it's comforting to have a
man a whole head taller than me. "Can you do me one favor
tonight?"

"Sure. What?"

"No talking about dance or my fancy
school."

Dougy grins down at me. "You've got it. We
can talk about how attracted to me you are instead."

I laugh before gulping down the rest of my
beer. "You're definitely easy on the eyes."

I didn't say that to flirt with him. It's
just true. Dougy is definitely a man who takes care of his
appearance. His arms are muscular, but not bulky. His head is still
shaved and he has a nice natural tan to his skin. His dark eyes
make him look mysterious, like he's hiding secrets behind those
eyes, but he's not Jagger. No matter how good-looking he is, he'll
never be Jagger.

The music changes to Bad Romance by Lady
Gaga and I try not to let the beat overcome my body. This is one of
my favorite songs to let off steam to. After a hard rehearsal, I'd
change the music to Gaga and dance it out however I felt, with no
rules, no perfect posture and strong lines. It was just wild, no
inhibitions dancing.

"Hey there, twinkle toes." My body stiffens
before I slowly turn around. I'm brought face to face with the man
I secretly pine for. I breathe him in up close, my memory seriously
lacking at just how overwhelming his presence can be. Then my eyes
shift over to the slutty Barbie doll hanging all over him. "What
you doing hanging out with Thirty-D?"

Jagger lights another cigarette and brings
it to his mouth, inhaling a drag before exhaling, all the while
keeping his eyes fixated on me. I keep eye contact, not wanting to
be the one that breaks it, but I'm distracted when a
rhinestone-manicured hand comes into my vision. I look over at Lola
as she tries to poke holes through me with her glare. She takes the
hand that's now wrapped around Jagger's neck and pulls him closer
to her as she kisses the base of his throat and works her way
up.

I knew she was a slut.

"You two look a little preoccupied, so
Ronnie and I will leave you to it," Dougy says as he grabs my free
hand.

"Don't go, Thirty-D. I just want to warn
twinkle toes about your... handicap." Jagger sounds a little tipsy
but he's still holding himself together well.

Dougy's smile turns to a scowl quickly.
"Don't be a dick, Jagger."

Jagger lets out a humorless laugh. “Your
dick is the problem, Dougy. Most girls need more than thirty
seconds to get off. I just thought she should know how you got your
nickname before she gets her hopes up. I'd hate to see her walk
away disappointed."

Gross. I wasn't going to sleep with
Dougy.

I slip my hand out of Dougy's and smile at
Jagger and Lola. "I'm getting another beer. See you later."

I walk away, never hesitating in my steps.
Jagger's with Lola and Dougy's not my type. I only have one type
and Lola is currently sucking him like she's a creature of the
night and he's her next victim.

After filling my cup for the second time I
move over to the side of Angelo's trailer and lean against the
siding. Looking out at the crowd I see this party is really just an
excuse for people to get drunk and hook up. This party was nothing
like I expected it to be, but at least it's distracting me from all
of the negativity in my life.

Finishing my beer I'm approached by Dougy
for the second time tonight. "Sorry about Jagger. He can be an
asshole when he's drunk."

"Don't worry about it," I reply
nonchalantly, tossing my empty Solo cup on the ground since it's
littered with cups already.

"Parties aren't really your thing, are
they?" he asks, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"What gave me away?" I look down at me feet
and can't help but cringe when I see how swollen my bad ankle is. I
need to get home and rest it.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you
keep trying to find places to be by yourself."

I smile slightly before looking up at him.
He's the only person at this party who's taken any time to get to
know me tonight, and he notices a lot. There are so many other
girls here, girls that could make this a fun night for him, but he
chose to hang out with me. I feel bad for him a little because even
if he's a good guy, he'll never get a chance to be my guy.

"I actually have a really bad headache. I
think I'm going to get going." I push myself off the siding to
stand up straight.

"I can walk you if you want?"

"No, I'm good, Dougy. Thanks anyway." I take
a few steps forward and wrap my arms around him to hug him goodbye.
His chest is firm, just like his biceps, and he smells like pine
needles and sweat. I let go of him just as quickly, not wanting to
give him the wrong idea. "I'll see you around."

I push my way through the crowd of people,
no one really noticing me as they grind and dry hump their partners
to the beat of My Love by Justin Timberlake. When I reach the
street I start walking home, my limp a little more noticeable
because of how swollen my ankle is. I take Spruce to where it meets
Evergreen and then make a left, before passing the entrance to
Juniper and then quickly approaching my street.

"Hey! Wait up!"

I stop walking and turn around to see Jagger
jogging over to me. When he reaches me his hands fall to his knees
as he tries to catch his breath–a side effect from smoking, I'm
sure.

"Did you need something?" I ask

"I thought I'd walk you home."

I look over to my street and spot my trailer
just five houses down and I laugh. "I'm already almost home."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Still, I want to
walk you home."

It's really sweet of him to offer, but I'm
still unreasonably angry from earlier. "Won't your girlfriend get
jealous?" Lola seems like the jealous type given the way she glared
at me during the party.

"I've told you before, I don't do the
girlfriend thing."

His words should be a giant red flag, a
flashing DANGER sign, or yellow caution tape, but instead they make
my insides fill with joy that Lola doesn't have any claim on
him.

"Okay, you can walk me."

The short distance home is walked in
silence. The air has a bit of a chill to it from cooling down in
the desert night, but it's still warm enough to be comfortable.
When we walk up my concrete driveway he takes the three steps with
me to my front door. The chimes on the wind chime creating a
soothing music in the soft wind.

I turn to face him, planning to thank him
for being a gentleman and walking me home.

"It was sweet of you to take me home. Thank
you."

His eyes are focused on my breasts before he
looks up and clears his throat. "No problem."

I know I shouldn't get so much pleasure and
enjoyment over Jagger's appreciation of my body, but I do. "Did
you... I mean... Do you want to come in for a little bit? My
sister's gone for the night."

I don't know why I just told him that. It
sounded like an invitation for something more than just coming
inside and that wasn't my intention. At least, I don't think it
was.

His eyes light up and he takes a step
forward. "I'd love to come inside." He's somehow able to make his
words sound dirty.

Walking through the front door of my
trailer, I flick the switch to my right that turns on the lights to
both the front room and kitchen. I hear the door shut behind me and
I know Jagger's followed me in, so instead of turning around I walk
into the kitchen to get us both something to drink. Opening the
fridge door I bend over and see there's very little to offer
him.

"Are you thirsty? I have soda, and lemonade
I made yesterday."

I wait for his response but instead feel him
come up behind me, placing his hands on my hips. I'm startled and
snap up to a standing position before turning around in his grip.
His eyelids are hooded as he stares down at my mouth. His tongue
darts out to lick a slow trail across his bottom lip. "I know I
shouldn't but I want you, twinkle toes."

My heart stops. It literally feels like my
heart stops because it's hard for me to take my next breath. A few
seconds later it starts back up again and I'm able to breathe, my
lips parting to inhale a deep breath as I try to process his
confession.

His hands slide up my sides until he's
teasing the side of my breasts and then his fingers trail back
down. When they meet my hips and the small space of exposed skin
between where the bottom of my tank and the top of my skirt should
meet, he wraps them around my backside until he's cupping my ass.
He pulls me into him and I can feel his erection against my lower
stomach.

My hands begin to shake and my legs tremble
at his proximity. I'm either going to pass out or come just from
him touching me. I'm not sure which.

"I've wanted you for so long, twinkle toes,
but I've stayed away." His lips come down to meet mine in a firm
kiss. Our mouths dance together in a slow embrace. Then his lips
move away from mine and he's brushing them against my cheek before
trailing kisses down my neck. My head falls back as I groan out in
pleasure, cherishing every second of attention he's giving my body
and submitting to his touch.

"Why?" My voice trembles as the question
leaves my lips.

"Because I'm no good for you," he whispers
against my delicate skin before his lips come back up to meet
mine.

We stop talking and let our bodies say the
words. By the time Jagger's carried me to my bed I'm completely
naked and he's taking off his last piece of clothing.

We make love in my bed. It's quick, it's
messy, and for a brief moment it hurts like hell as he breaks
through my innocence, but it's also the most beautiful moment I've
ever had with another human being.