Playing Pretend (37 page)

I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the few people who gave me side glances, and the others who whispered about my return. I was glad that the majority of them were too drunk to notice me otherwise. That way I could slip in, get Jade and leave before anyone knew I was here. I was also on the lookout for Dane. A run-in with him had to be avoided at all costs, simply because I wasn’t sure how ready I was to see him again.

I still knew the inside of this house almost better than I did mine, so when I couldn’t find Jade in the living room, or on the deck outside, I ambled towards the kitchen. People huddled around the island in the middle, scattered with half empty liquor bottles ranging from Russian Bear and Patron, to Johnny Walker Blue Label. It was an alcoholic’s wet dream. Or worst nightmare, depending on how you looked at it.

I spotted Jade’s midnight black hair, and slipped through the partygoers to get to her. She was surrounded by a group of guys – nothing new there – and I only recognized two of them. She looked to the side just as I reached her, and then spun around when she realized it was me.

“Kennedy!” She yelled, drawing all of the attention to me.

So much for being incognito.
“You’re here!”

The guys all looked at me, but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah,” I replied, sidling up to her. “Let’s get you home.”

I slipped her arm over my shoulders, and wrapped my arm around her waist. She’d obviously continued drinking after she called me, because her head lulled to the side, and her brown eyes were glazed over. Her mouth tipped into a silly smile, and she mumbled incoherent nothings in my face. Luckily we were the same height, both at five feet and six inches, so her body wasn’t too heavy. But when she was drunk, an anvil might have been easier to carry.

A hand wrapped around Jade’s free arm, and pulled, nearly sending us both tumbling to the floor.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I looked at the guy holding onto Jade, and noted that he wasn’t someone I recognized. His black hair was long, touching his shoulders, and he was dressed in swim trunks, and one of those Hawaiian shirts with the hideous palm tree print. It screamed “creep”.

Who the hell dresses like that nowadays?

“I’m taking my friend home,” I replied, trying not to sneer.

“I don’t think so. Your friend here said she was staying with me tonight.”

I looked at him incredulously. “Sorry buddy, not happening. Go find another girl, my friend’s not interested.”

With that I pushed past him, and moved towards the exit of the kitchen that led into the living room. The guy stepped in front of us, blocking my way out.

“How about you leave your friend here, and you and me go upstairs. You look like a whole lot more fun, baby.”

Ew.

I shuddered. “Not in this life time, or the next. Now move, before I render your,” I looked down at his crotch, and then back up, “
appendage
out of commission.”

He was about to say something, when we were interrupted.

“Leave her the fuck alone, Mark. Now.”

I pinched my eyes closed. I knew that voice. I used to be terrified of hearing it. And after more than a year, I had to admit that it still did funny things to me, turning my insides into a knot.

At least I was right about one thing. I
wasn’t
ready to see him.

The twatwaffle in front of me –
Mark
– lifted his hands up, and stepped to the side. “Sorry, Winters. I didn’t know she was with you.”

“She isn’t.” Dane’s voice was grave, and hard. The deep rumble with which he spoke made me shiver. I stood still, not entirely sure what to do, when I felt his presence at my back. He moved around, and then stood in front of me. His dark brown hair was cut short on the sides, and a little longer on top. Dressed in a blue polo shirt, and khaki’s, he looked every bit of the self-righteous, entitled douchebag he was. Only now, he looked bigger. His arms were thick with chorded muscle, his chest broader and more defined, and even his legs seemed longer. The boy who had made my life miserable for most of my teen years wasn’t there anymore. He was all man, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that he grew up nicely. It was a good look for him, asshole or not.

My natural instinct was to cower away from him, but that was the old me. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I straightened my stance, refusing to back down.

The room – actually no, the house – had grown quiet, nothing but soft murmurs mixed with the loud music. I could feel everyone watching us. The sudden shift in temperature made those little hairs below my hairline stand at attention. Dane was glaring at me, his ice blue eyes cold, intense, and unwavering. We locked gazes, and the room and its occupants fell away.

He stared. I stared right back. He smirked. I smirked too. And when his mouth dipped into that sinister grin, I clenched my fist to stop myself from dropping Jade to the floor and slapping it right off his face.

I broke the stare-off first, hating that so many eyes were on us. It was bad enough that people knew we hated each other; they didn’t need to witness it too.

“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to get Jade home.”

Dane didn’t move. He hadn’t even acknowledged that I’d spoken. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and Jades’ body seemed to get heavier as the seconds passed by. She’d obviously passed out on me. Awesome.

Dane’s chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm, and to anyone else it would appear that he was just looking at me. But what I saw, what I
felt,
was something entirely different, and more
real
. His nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed with a potent mixture of hatred and an emotion I couldn’t quite place. It was different, and not the way he used to look at me when we were still in school.

“Dane.” My voice came out in a snarl. “Move.”

I was tired, and this silly little stare off was starting to piss me off.

Nothing in his stance gave him away, but I saw the reaction in his eyes. He was surprised.

Just then, another body stepped up to my side.

“Kennedy?”

It was Reid.

He was Dane’s best friend, and one of the nicer guys I’d attended school with. “Hi Reid.”

“You need a little help here?” He looked between Dane and me and then down at Jade who was blissfully unaware of what was going on.

“Please.”

He frowned, and then took her from me. Cradling her to his chest, he turned to face Dane. “Stop being a pussy, Dane. She’s just here to fetch Jade.”

They glowered at each other, a silent message passing between them. Reid was the only guy who could take Dane on, and he was also the only guy Dane would ever listen to. In that moment, he was my proverbial Knight in Shining Armor.

Dane finally stepped aside, and let us through. I followed Reid through the crowd, and back outside towards my Jeep. He carefully placed Jade in the passenger seat, and after making sure her seatbelt was secure, he shut the door, and faced me.

“It’s good to see you,” he said. Reid was a tall guy, and built like a football player. His shoulders were broad, his arms muscular, his waist trim, and his legs strong. His unkempt blond hair was a little longer, brushing his ears, and he had a little scruff on his face. With his arms folded across his chest, he looked intimidating, but I knew he was a little softer beneath the surface. Especially when it came to Jade.

“Is it?” I asked. “It’s not like anyone noticed I was gone.”

Reid assessed me, and I didn’t like it. It was unnerving, and left me feeling more exposed than I’d wanted to be.

“We noticed,” he replied, placing emphasis on
we.
I didn’t like that either. He continued before I could respond. “Eighteen months is a long time and being gone has obviously done you some good. I see you found your backbone.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I replied quietly.

He cocked his chin, and then started walking away. “Take care of my girl,” he said, tilting his head towards my sleeping friend. “See ya ‘round.” He winked, and then sauntered back to the house where the party had resumed. It was a short drive to Jade’s house, but as soon as I’d dropped her off, my mind started wandering. It wasn’t until I was back in my own bed that I’d realized how only one thing, one
person,
had occupied my thoughts. I told myself it was because I hadn’t seen in him in so long, and that he looked ridiculously good.

I told myself that it had nothing to do with the butterflies he gave me, or the way being that close to him again had made my heart flutter erratically.

I didn’t believe any of it.

CHAPTER THREE

Dane

THERE WERE MOMENTS in life when I’d wish I didn’t feel. I just wanted to be numb, and escape the turmoil that always seemed to be brewing in my chest. Standing by the window overlooking my driveway was one of those moments.

I watched as my best friend Reid leaned against the red Jeep, and spoke to her. I had no idea she would show up here tonight, so when I heard her voice in my kitchen, I had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

I wasn’t.

She was here.

Kennedy Monroe.

The object of my remorseless hatred.

Her taillights disappeared down the road, and I was finally able to let the air out of my lungs. Reid came through the front door, and when his eyes found mine, I knew he saw it. The calamity of everything I’d ever felt towards a girl whose life I’d made a living hell. All because I couldn’t have her the way I’d always wanted her.

It was idiotic, really. Our families had hated each other for years, and only our great-great-great grandfather’s knew why. Unfortunately, they’d been dead for a while, so I couldn’t tell them to sort their shit out and get the fuck over it.

My father told me a watered down version of our family history when I was a kid, and he made it clear that the Monroe family were our rivals. It all came down to land disputes, and oil. It never mattered to me though. I was told our family hated hers, and I was too young to question it – so I listened.

When I was older though, it changed, and I started hating her for a whole new reason. A selfish reason. A reason that made it so easy to make her life as miserable as her existence had made mine.

What can I say? I was an asshole. Sadly, I still am.

“You okay, man?”

I looked at Reid, realizing that I was still staring out of the window. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Reid’s eyes surveyed me. He was the only guy who could ever see through all my bullshit. We’d never openly spoken about Kennedy, but he’d been witness to all the shit I pulled on her growing up, and while he never questioned it, I knew he understood.

“Just checkin’.” Reid walked past me, clipped my shoulder with his hand, and disappeared into the bevy of inebriated people dancing in my living room.

It was the last night before everyone was supposed to head back to college, so it called for one final
hoorah
before school took over. I had too much riding on this semester to fuck up (again) so for me it really was the last night to let loose.

On a scale of one to
apocalyptic,
my first year at college had definitely tipped closer towards apocalyptic. It was filled with booze, parties, and faceless girls, something my father hadn’t taken lightly. He’d given me an ultimatum – shape up, or ship out. To him that meant get my shit together or be cut off. So I chose to get my shit together.

After grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. I ignored the people filling up my staircase, and left the party downstairs to its own devices. I didn’t care what happened in my absence. The house could burn down and I wouldn’t have given two shits. In fact, I’d hoped that someone would accidentally set the place alight. That way I could be free of it.

I locked my bedroom door, hoping to deter anyone who might disturb me, and sat down on my bed. The room was dark, save for the moonlight that came in through my windows, and I’d never felt more…lost. Alone.

I unscrewed the lid off the bottle, and made sure to throw it somewhere I wouldn’t be able to find it. There was no way I was going to stop until this bottle was empty.

I needed it to bring me the numbness I so badly craved, and the reprieve from the anger and hatred exploding between my ribs.

The amber liquid burned as I took a swig, and as soon as my senses started to dull, I kept going. I fell back onto my bed, and shut my eyes, only to be assaulted with images of Kennedy. I did a mental check of how much she’d changed since I last saw her. She looked thinner, but not in a bony kind of way. Her hair was longer, and her body had far more definition that I’d remembered. And was it just me or were her boobs bigger too? They looked full, and lush, and perfectly rounded. Puberty had been good to her, obviously. Or maybe it was the tank top she was wearing that made them look that way. I might have hated her, but that didn’t mean my body was indifferent to hers.

Too bad I could never act on those feelings though. My loathing now outweighed my desire to fuck her senseless, and I finally had a good enough reason to really hate her.

Our lives were wrecked the night we graduated high school and while she wasn’t responsible for what happened, she was related to the person who was. That was enough for me.

I had no idea where she’d been for the last year and a half, and I’d managed to convince myself that I didn’t care. As far as I was concerned, not having her around made my life easier, and it was after she’d left that I’d willingly fallen off the deep end.

And now she was back.

** ** **

I GROANED, AND tried to roll over onto my back.

Fuck.

My head.

The smallest of movements made it feel like I had a caveman banging away in my skull.

Why did I have to drink so much last night?

Dammit.

After a few minutes of trying to gather my bearings, I dragged my tired, hung over ass to the shower. I smelled like shit, and a quick glance in the mirror told me I looked like shit too.