Jake and I moved back onto the deck and sat down.
“You have a lot of guts showing up to a San Marco frat party. I guess I can assume you and your friends are also on the Jacksonville State football team, right?”
He slapped a hand to his chest in fake surprise. “How did you guess?”
I chuckled. “Well, I should warn you now, my brother is captain of the San Marco Tigers, and I start my first year as a JV cheerleader this year for that exact team.”
“Then this must be my lucky day.”
“Oh, how so?” I was barely in my drinks, but I already felt the liquid courage coursing through my veins as the flirtatious conversation flowed between us.
“I was hoping I’d get more excuses to see you, and it turns out I’ll get to see you at every game with San Marco. I used to dread those, now I’ll have something to look forward to.” He flashed me a cocky grin but for some reason it made me laugh rather than gag.
“Wow, you really are the sweet talker.”
He leaned a little closer. “It’s pretty easy when you have someone so sweet to talk to.”
I opened my mouth but was cut off by sudden loud shouting behind us that came from inside the house. I stopped and listened only to recognize Avery’s drunken voice as he raged at someone.
“Oh, shit. That’s my brother,” I muttered.
“And that’s my captain,” Jake said and pointed to the person whose face Avery crowded.
“I had a feeling this was going to happen,” I said and rushed inside.
Jake went ahead of me and grabbed my hand, which made my heart jump into my throat, and guided me through the crowd with a lot more ease than I had earlier. We made it to the front of the crowd and saw the group of guys Jake was with, and they looked like they were about to fight Avery and his frat brothers.
“What the hell are you guys even doing here? This is a San Marco party. Is your school so poor your frats can’t even afford your own parties?” Carter sneered.
“Chill, boys. We just came to see what all the hype was about, and I hate to say I’m quite disappointed. If you ever want to know how to really party, we always welcome you to check out how Jacksonville State throws their parties,” the supposed Captain barked back.
He walked up to Ryan who was idly standing by next to Carter knocked his solo cup out of his hand and spilled the contents all over him.
“Until then, we’ll continue to beat your sorry asses on the field. Party up, I’m sure that will help.”
I watched as Avery raised his hand which held another red solo cup, but before I could see what happened next, I was dragged through the crowd and toward the back door again.
“Hey, what the hell?” I cried and swatted at whoever hand clutched my wrist. I turned to see the back of Aiden’s ruffled head.
“You don’t need to be anywhere near that, Ry. I got your friend out of there already, time to go,” he said over his shoulder.
“I was talking with someone, hang on.” I tried to pull my wrist free, but he only tightened his grip and pulled harder.
“You can figure that out later, things are about to get heavy here and I don’t want you anywhere near it.”
I tried to look back through the crowd to spot Jake, but I was too short to see over the growing crowd that gathered to watch the fight go down. I just hoped he wasn’t in the middle of that, I’ve witnessed my brother get angry drunk before and he isn’t a force to be reckoned with.
If only he had applied that same rage and strength on the field, but I don’t think they would allow drunken players.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Since no one can take you home right now, you guys can stay upstairs for the night.”
He dragged me to the front yard where Isabelle was waiting on the grass.
“Hey, I need to head home, I have to be up early. How far would it be to walk home?” she asked.
“About a half-hour walk maybe,” Aiden said.
She shrugged. “I’ve done worse. Are you coming, Rylee?”
“I’m going to stay here, but we’ll get someone to walk back with you.”
“That’s okay, I should be fine.”
I turned and noticed that Aiden already disappeared and smiled sheepishly at her.
“Sorry, I don’t think anyone here will let you leave by yourself,” I said just as Aiden showed up with Ryan.
“Really, you aren’t going to give him a chance to change?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t live here, I have a room in the dorms so I’m going back, actually. I can walk your friend back to the girl’s dorm.”
“Then, let’s get going. See you tomorrow!” Isabelle grabbed his hand and dragged him off, clearly in a hurry.
“Well, that’s settled. How is everything inside?”
Aiden shrugged. “It moved to the backyard, I think they’re fighting it out and then everything should be good. Most people have already left through the back, we should be good to go back inside.”
“Where am I staying?”
“You can stay in Avery’s room for the night, I’m sure he’s going to end up passing out either outside or on the couch.”
I rolled my eyes and almost wanted to slap myself for being related to that imbecile. Aiden walked me inside and up the stairs to Avery’s room, but groaned when he turned the knob, and it was locked.
“Never mind, you can stay in my room for the night. I’ll get his keys later,” he said and led me to the end of the hall.
‘Oh, god. Sleeping in Aiden’s room, this is something I only dreamed of, but never thought I would.’
The only difference was I always thought I’d be sleeping in the same bed as him, not alone. But fate is a fickle bitch it seemed.
My heart hammered in my ears as I walked into his room and recognized all the posters and decorations from his old room back home. The nostalgia was both comforting and not when thinking of how far we have come, and nothing has changed between us.
“I don’t have much for you to sleep in, but I’m sure one of my shirts is big enough for you to use as a dress,” he joked and threw a Linkin Park band tee at me.
Looking at the shirt I remembered the many times we hung out in the backyard of my parent’s place or the basement and listened to album after album of these guys. I’d love to watch him recite all the lyrics and play air guitar to the solos.
“Where are you going to sleep?” I asked.
“I’ll use Avery’s room; I should go and check on him anyway.”
“Why didn’t you join the fight?”
He pointed at me. “Someone had to get you out of there. This is the exact reason I told Avery you shouldn’t come to these parties; things always end in a fight of some sort. We’re lucky Carter and his family are loaded, or we’d never be able to afford the repairs this place needs weekly.”
“Awh, you really care about me,” I teased, but deep down I hoped he would confirm it in some way.
Instead, he just smiled and pushed me toward the bathroom.
“Get changed and go to bed, there is Advil in the cabinet if you need some. I’ll drive you back to the dorms in the morning, goodnight Ry.”
I frowned and waved him off. “Goodnight, Aiden.”
I walked into the bathroom and looked at my flushed face in the mirror.
‘Will I ever get over these stupid feelings?’
When I woke up the next morning I was so disoriented I nearly forgot where I was. A look at the familiar décor reminded me that I crashed in Aiden’s room last night and looked down to confirm with the shirt I was wearing. I looked around the room and didn’t spot him anywhere, my guess was he successfully crashed in Avery’s room, and he was somewhere asleep downstairs or in the yard. I let out a loud yawn and trudged out of bed to grab my clothes from the bathroom and get changed, but I decided to keep Aiden’s shirt on and tucked it into my jeans. The smell of eggs and bacon greeted me as I walked down the stairs and I found Aiden in the kitchen cooking up a storm. “You’re up early. Where is everyone else?” I asked and took a seat at the island counter. Aiden just pointed over his shoulder with the spatula toward the living room. Sprawled out on both couches and the ground were Avery, Carter, and Noah. None of them made it to their rooms it seemed. “Sucks to be them, they’re going
“What do you think that was about?” Isabelle asked. “Guess it looks like I was right, he was watching you guys.” “Would you stop? He’s probably thinking of ways to tell my brother that I’m hanging out with the enemy. I’ll never be able to live this down,” I groaned. “So, who cares? Jake is a hottie and he seems really into you. Just go for it, don’t care what your brother thinks. He can’t keep you from dating everyone just because he doesn’t like them.” It wasn’t so much my brother that I cared about, it was more Aiden. What would he think of me if I started dating Jake? Would he start to hate me too and think I was a traitor for fraternizing with the enemy? That sounded ridiculous. “Let’s forget about that and just watch the game, I have enough drama to deal with,” I said and thought to when I’ll be on that field myself soon with Leah and her demanding tone. The first game of the year was as intense as I expected, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off two particular numbers the entire
“Ugh, my head,” I groaned. Last night's decisions were a huge mistake, I never should have drunk that much or moved around so much without a drop of water. I blinked my eyes open and was met with the familiar ceiling of Aiden’s room and looked around at the familiar décor.“How did I end up here?” I muttered.I looked around for my phone and spotted the bottle of Advil and a glass of water on the nightstand. A smile spread on my face as I thought of Aiden and how he must have been the one to bring me up here and even made sure I drank something and had painkillers for my hangover.‘Why does he make it so hard to not like him?’ I took this opportunity to steal more of Aiden’s clothes and searched for a pair of jogging pants to change out of my leggings that had been soaked with sweat after sleeping in clothes all night. Once changed I headed downstairs where Aiden was once again cooking breakfast and Avery was passed out on the couch.“I’m starting to enjoy these weekend morning routi
“Is Jake coming to pick you up? What movie are you guys going to see?” Isabelle continued to ask question after question as I prepared for my date with Jake. “Would you like to come with us, Izzy?” I joked. She groaned. “I’m sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve gone out. I have to live it through someone, don’t I?” I just rolled my eyes and laughed. I was just as excited as she was but add on a ton of nerves to that as well. “We’re going to see some horror movie, I can’t remember the name of it, but we learned we’re both huge horror buffs, so this should be interesting.” My phone went off with a text from Jake that said he was out front, and I rushed out the door to see his car parked in the lot. “You look beautiful,” he said and kissed me on the cheek. “This is for you.” He pulled out a single rose. “That is so sweet, and the first flower I’ve received.” He placed a hand over his chest. “It is my honour to give you your first. Is it alright if we go to the movie first and then
I paused and waited as Aiden got out of his truck and stood next to it. I didn’t need to be able to see his face to know he was scowling. I heaved a heavy sigh and dragged my feet over to him. “Why did it take you so long to get back home? It’s almost midnight.” I rolled my eyes and groaned. “And I’m 19 and in University, and it’s a Saturday! I’ll ask again because you still haven’t given me an answer, but what in the fuck is going on with you?” I cried. “You’ve been acting like a super over-protective older brother and it’s really pissing me off.” “I’m just trying to make sure you don’t make some hasty mistake because you feel like you have so much to make up for. You’re the one who has been acting like a completely different person ever since you started here.” I gaped at him. “What are you talking about? I went on one date, Aiden! Just admit that the only problem you have with me dating Jake is because he beats your ass on the field every time!” The silence between us becomes
**WARNING. This chapter includes scenes of attempted sexual assault and may be triggering to some readers. Readers are advised.***The first half of the party was amazing, I almost forgot that I was at a completely different house, and I wasn’t back at my brother’s. Jake was nice enough to ask what I drank and got me a case of twisted tea in advance, which allowed me to quickly let loose and forget all the drama between Aiden and me.We hit the dancefloor, and it was a breeze from there to get caught up in the music and intimate dancing with Jake. He didn’t comment on how awkward my dancing was and went with whatever tempo I went with. We laughed and had a great time, but another hour into the party and things were getting a little intense.Twice I had to politely swat Jake’s hand away as he tried to slip it up my shirt and once more when he grabbed my ass a little too hard. I could feel the shift in his attitude toward me as it had become more rough and demanding.“Are you okay?” he
“Please, don’t tell my brother…” I whispered.I felt him pause, and then he sighed. “I won’t tell him tonight, but I can’t keep this from him. I promise I won’t let him report it, but you should consider saying something to the school.”I nodded. I really just wanted to forget this ever happened, but my silence could end up allowing this to happen again. The best I could do is at least report it to the school and make them aware of the parties that went on right under their noses.Aiden shocked me further when he turned off the truck and carried me inside rather than putting me down once we got out. The front door was already opened as the last few partygoers trickled out and I buried my head in Aiden’s chest again so they wouldn’t recognize me.“Is that Rylee?” I heard Carter shout, but Aiden quickly shushed him, and I pretended to be asleep. “What happened, is she okay?” he asked quietly.“She’s fine, get away from her,” Aiden scolded.I heard Carter scuffle back and Aiden kept movi
I didn’t hear from Jake after that and blocked his number the second I remembered to make sure he never had the chance. If he was smart, he wouldn’t attempt to try and reach out to me or ever show his face before me at future games. I knew there was one more game before the winter break between San Marco and Jacksonville State, maybe that would be the one game I was ‘sick’ for.I had never missed a single day in high school before, whether it was classes or after-school activities, but I was more than willing to say to hell with all of that to avoid this man.Even though he didn’t go to our school, the past couple of weeks that led up to the next game I was practically guarded at all corners of campus. Everywhere I went, I spotted one or more of the guys, whereas before I had barely seen them in the halls or anywhere near my other classes.Aiden was also spending a lot more time with me, and I wasn’t sure if it was genuine, or out of guilt and protection. It was confusing me even more