Distraction (22 page)

The rest of the night sucked. I tried to keep calm when I
found Green kissing Elle while they danced, or later when they sat on the couch
and he rubbed her thigh. I attempted to play pool, and then darts, but I sucked
ass tonight. My mind flipped between images of Green’s hands all over Elle and
them kissing. I headed to the kitchen for a beer refill when someone bumped
into me.

"Watch where you
'
re fucking going." The poor
freshman looked ready to piss himself.

"Sorry, man." The kid raised his hands in the air
and slowly backed away. I knew then I had to leave before I got into a fight. I
didn
'
t bother saying goodbye. I just took off.

When I got home, I didn
'
t change. Landing face first on my
bed, I passed out.

Elle

W
hen Eric asked me to the date night party, I blurted out my
answer before thinking about the consequences. Since he and Tristan were now in
the same frat house, I didn't have a good feeling about going. I hoped Kellie
would keep him occupied, even though the thought left a bad taste in my mouth.

Alyssa and Bret were also going together. Tisha couldn't have
been happier about them hooking up, but I had my reservations. Alyssa didn't do
the dating thing, or not for very long. She'd never admit it, but Alyssa and
Tristan were a mirrored version of the other. I swear the way they went at each
other you'd think they were siblings.

When I told Alyssa that Eric asked me to go with him, she and
I ran out and bought new dresses. I picked a cute orange and cream
chevron-patterned dress. The dress hit mid-thigh and I paired it with my cute
tan, leather heeled boots. Alyssa chose a daring black, tight fitted dress.
Didn't surprise me. Right before seven thirty rolled around, Tisha walked into
our room wearing a cute lavender dress.

"Tisha, you look great."

She blushed. "Thanks. I told Josh I'd meet him there
since Bret would be coming here." She shook her head. "Bret doesn't
like him, and the last time he picked me up at our parents' house, he
threatened to beat him up." Alyssa and I laughed.

"Brothers," I said.

"Elle, your date's here," Ginger yelled from the
living room. I cringed, knowing what she had on. She and Alyssa had competed
for the tightest dress award.

"I'm going out there before Ginger has a chance to steal
him away."

"Elle, she has nothing on you," Alyssa said, giving
me an encouraging smile.

"Thanks."

* * *

When we walked into the house, people were packed in like
sardines, almost everyone grinding to the music in the living room.

Eric leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Can't wait to
get you back at pool."

Kicking up my competitive drive, I gave him an impish smile
in return. Suddenly, my stomach knotted as if I were being watched from afar,
but I didn't dare look, thinking I'd find the source to be Tristan.

A few minutes later, Tristan walked over to ask if I'd take
him to buy beer. Um, no. I knew why he'd asked me. He really needed to get it
through his thick head that I liked Eric. So, I told him to ask Bret, and he
did, without arguing. Odd. When they left, Eric went to grab me and Alyssa a
drink.

"You handled Tristan pretty well."

I frowned. "Yeah. I think he handled the situation well,
too."

She quirked her brow. "Maybe." Eric came back then
with our drinks. I drew the short straw before we left. So he gave me a water
and he and Alyssa drank a beer.

"Thank you." I smiled, and then had the feeling of
someone staring at me again.

"Elle, have you seen Tristan?" I blinked twice, but
it really was her. Kellie'd asked me a question, and sounded somewhat nice
about it.

"Yeah, he and Bret left to pick up some more beer."

"Thanks." Rolling her eyes, she stormed away.

"Looks like someone is in trouble," Alyssa said.

I kind of felt bad, knowing where he went when Kellie made it
clear she didn't. I thought about texting Tristan, but decided not to. He could
figure it out on his own.

Bret and Alyssa took off to dance. Well, more like had sex
with their clothes on. I noticed Tristan headed to the kitchen and excused
myself.

Once Tristan looked at me, the fire in his eyes turned my
stomach inside out. I imagined his lips pressed against mine while his hands
explored my body. Shit. I liked Eric. Right?

We talked and my knees nearly buckled, especially after his
“I can do things to make you scream" smile graced his lips. I had to get
out of there and hurried like hell to my date...Eric.

When I went back, Eric didn't waste time and asked me to
dance. I gladly accepted, pushing away Tristan and his smile out of my mind.
Eric and I danced easily, blending to the music together. At some point I began
running my fingers through his soft, sandy blond hair. In return, Eric bent his
head forward and captured my lips in a passionate kiss. Unlike Alyssa, I didn't
like outward displays in public, but the heated kiss didn't last long. When he
pulled away, a rush of warmth spread across my cheeks and down my neck.

A few songs later, my feet ached and I insisted we take a
break. We sat next to Tisha and her boyfriend, Josh, on the couch. Josh said he
and Eric played baseball together.

Tisha and I chatted a bunch. She mentioned Bret's interest in
Alyssa. Apparently she'd made an impression after he caught Ginger sucking
Robbie's face off at the beginning of school while they were dating. I
squirmed. Alyssa never cheated, but when she felt she needed a new guy, she'd
dump the current one and move on. Without regret.

"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a second,"
Tisha said.

I nodded and eyed the packed room. I found Tristan playing
darts, but when Eric rested his hand on my thigh, I forgot all about Tristan.

When Tisha came back we pulled the guys back to the makeshift
dance floor where we stayed most of the night.

* * *

The next day I sent another email to my sister and then
called my mom for an update. Unfortunately, she didn't have anything new to
report. We could go months without hearing from Heather, but it'd been nearly
five now. The long stretch of silence made me antsy. I decided to drive around
town in hopes of seeing her.

On my way out, I grabbed my stash of printouts. Sometimes
Alyssa would help me look, but she didn't get in until well past four this
morning. I didn't wake her.

I stopped by the few shelters in town and the food bank, but
with no luck. I left a few of the black and white pictures and gave my number
in case she showed up. The directors all said the same thing. "If she
doesn't want to be found, she won't be." They knew me well from the
volunteer work I'd done through Kappa. When my mom told me Heather was in
Lubbock a while back, I'd checked in every few days, but between work, school,
and life, I'd slowed down my search for her. The guilt ate away at me, too.

On my way back home, a desperate, lost feeling seeped in, and
I did something I probably shouldn't have. I called Tristan. He'd always been
there, as a lifeline when I felt the emotional tidal wave crashing over me. He
kept me from drowning. With every unanswered ring, my heart raced a little
faster. My stomach knotted and then I heard his voice–telling me to leave a
message. I released my held breath.

"Hey, it's me…Elle. Just wanted to wish you luck
tonight. Talk to ya later."

I hit end. Maybe him not answering was best. When I pulled
into my driveway, Ginger was backing her car away from the house. She flipped
me off when I refused to wait for her. Whatever.

Inside I went directly to my room. I felt emotionally worn
out and needed some peace before I got ready to watch Tristan's game
later...with Eric. Alyssa, as predicted, was still in bed asleep. I kicked off
my shoes, snuggled in bed, and pulled my comforter over my head to drown out
her insidious snoring.

* * *

Eric and I tailgated with some of his friends before the
game. Red plastic cups with assorted alcoholic concoctions were passed around.
I took a fruit flavored mix and made sure to drink slowly. I hadn't eaten much,
and I'd be bent over a trashcan if I downed it.

An hour later Eric and I sat in the packed stadium, ready to
watch the game. I loved the hyped crowds in the stands. As soon as the speaker
announced the players, the crowd went wild. Alyssa texted me saying she and
Tisha were watching the game together.

"You want anything from the concession stand?"

I finished my text back to Alyssa. "Maybe some popcorn,"
I said.

"You're a cheap date, ya know."

"Careful, I may surprise you." I winked, and Eric
laughed.

When Eric came back, I thanked him for the snack and we
watched the game. Tech hadn't gotten off to a good start. Tristan only played a
few times in the first quarter. I knew he'd be pissed, especially after Bret
took his place and fumbled the damn ball. TCU didn't mess around, and at
halftime, the scoreboard mirrored how good they were.

I could barely eat the popcorn while watching all the
unnecessary turnovers. The second half resulted in two more fumbles by us,
leading to an additional touchdown by TCU. Tech only scored twice. Even though
I knew we couldn't recover, I had to finish watching until the end. It was like
watching a horror movie and knowing the ditzy blonde was about to die and you
couldn't do a damn thing to save her.

I knew Tristan couldn't have turned the game around, but also
knew had his coach played him more, he'd have moved the ball closer to the end
zone.

Eric asked if I wanted to hang out afterward, but I didn't
feel like being around a bunch of people and asked if we could rain check for
tomorrow after I got off work. When he dropped me off, I sent Tristan a quick
text.

TCU
is a good team. Don
'
t beat yourself up over the loss. You have homecoming to
think about. Get ready to kill ‘
em next week.

Tristan didn't respond. I could only imagine the heat and
fury blazing in his eyes, or the amount of alcohol he'd consume because of them
losing. Alyssa or Tisha didn't come home, and I hoped she'd leave Tristan alone
if they ended up at the same place.

When Ginger showed up, oddly enough, we watched a movie
together. We even popped popcorn and had a decent conversation. When the movie
ended, so did the unspoken camaraderie.

"I'm off to bed." She stood from the couch, and oh
so eloquently said, "I can only handle small doses of boredom."

I rolled me eyes. God, “vulture" sure did fit her
perfectly.

Chapter 13

Tristan

Losing tonight...sucked. Coach yelled and promised to run our
asses off during practice on Monday. We all knew he meant what he said, and we
deserved whatever workout he'd make us endure. We played like horseshit
tonight. After we changed, some guys said they were gonna get shitfaced and I
couldn't think of anything better I'd like to do myself. After getting dressed,
I grabbed my phone from my locker and turned it on. I had a text from my dad.
After reading his message, I regretted turning it on.

He said I
'
d be on the field more if I applied myself and gave my coach
what he needed during practices. Instantly, my hand began to shake from
resented anger. The reason I hadn
'
t been given the chance to play most likely resulted from my dad
'
s ruthless
ability to throw money at people in order to get what he wanted. Needless to
say, his text didn
'
t help my already shitty mood.

Once in my car, I peeled out of the parking lot and turned up
the radio as loud as I could stand it. The drive only took a few minutes, and
when I parked, my phone buzzed again. Sighing loudly through my nose, I looked
to see Elle's name come across the screen.

My mood lifted a little after I read her message. She always
knew what to say. I thought about texting her back but didn't know if she'd be
with
him
. Fuck, my shitty mood just got shittier. I needed a drink, a
nice, strong drink...or three.

Kellie showed up not long after I got to the frat house, but
went back to ignoring me after a while. I took full advantage of the freedom,
and got shitfaced with the rest of the guys, minus the dickhead Robbie. Later
on, I proudly took Jarred's keg stand title away.

As the night wore on, I lost track of how many shots I'd
thrown back. I knew I'd hit my limit when the room blurred. A few designated
freshmen brought back a shit ton of breakfast burritos. I scarfed down two,
hoping to soak up the abundance of alcohol I'd consumed.