Serenity (20 page)

Ren knew this wasn’t going to be over until she finished the job and if she didn’t…she’d owe Brock more. “C’mon already.” Ren grabbed Ty’s arm and led him upstairs until they found a deserted room.

Ty flipped her around and pinned her to the wall. His hands moved all over her curves. Ren pried her mouth from his and lowered herself to her knees, taking his pants with her. Ren took a deep breath and took his dick in her mouth.

Ty ran his fingers through her hair. Grabbing a handful, he directed her on the speed he wanted, pulsing his hips, pushing his dick in and out of her mouth. Ren coughed and gagged and he shoved it deep into her throat. With a final pulse, he pushed into her, his fluid filling her cheeks. Ren struggled to breathe as she choked on him, but he wasn’t letting go until he was done.

When he finally released her, she fell to the side, spitting out what was left of him. “Fucking asshole,” she sputtered. “You could have killed me.”

“That was worth every cent. I’ll pay double for you next time,” Ty mumbled.

“You don’t have enough money to pay me to let you stick anything in me again.” Ren gathered herself and left Ty in the room. Finding a bathroom, she dug through the drawers until she found mouthwash. She poured it into her mouth, spilling it down the front of her shirt, then spit it out. She repeated it three more times until she no longer tasted Ty.

When she finally emerged from sanitizing herself, she went looking for Ty so she could get a ride home. The last thing she wanted was to get anywhere near him again, but she also didn’t want to walk miles home in the rain. He, however, had spent his time away from her drinking shots. Sitting around a small table, Ty and Brock had joined some other football players and were passing a bottle of tequila. Ren hoped they all spent the rest of the night throwing up or at least had a major headache in the morning.

Ty wasn’t in any condition to drive Ren home, in fact no one was, so she texted Quill. She doubted he was a feasible option either so she grabbed her stuff and headed to the door.

“Ty’s done with you I see.”

Ren closed her eyes and took a breath before turning around to see who was talking to her. Brock was supposed to run interference, another job he sucked at.

“You weren’t invited.” Lisa, Brock’s ex or present girlfriend, she wasn’t sure what they were anymore, stood with a few of the other cheerbots.

“Does it really matter? I’m leaving now.”

“It matters because in the last hour I’ve heard you have been giving blow jobs to the football team, and we don’t like it.” Lisa crossed her arms over her ample chest. They were dressed in normal clothes, which confused her because all they ever wore were their cheer outfits. But their hair was still pulled painfully back and a large bow still sat on their heads.

“I think that’s a broad statement. There are a lot of guys on the team.” Ren tried to keep the conversation light. She didn’t care what they thought about her, but she also didn’t want to be beat up by their pompoms.

“Lizzie is not happy about you and Jolin.” Lisa came right into Ren’s space and snarled into her face.

Without flinching, Ren retaliated. “Jolin isn’t hers anymore. She’s with Brock now. Because your sorry ass won’t get him homecoming court.”

Ren should have expected the slap before it rang across her face. The cheer team had good reflexes, apparently even when drunk. She tilted to the side at the force of the blow, but didn’t attempt to hit her back. Ren was a minority at this party, and Lisa had too many allies to go up against. So, instead, she straightened and used her words to knock Lisa down a peg.

Leaning in close, Ren lowered her voice to what she hoped sounded menacing. “I have sucked Brock off more times than I can count because he says you’re so frigid his dick would freeze if he ever tried to stick it in you. You got a problem with what I do then you talk to your man about it because he isn’t complaining.” Ren took a step back and looked at the small crowd gathering. “I don’t hear any of them complaining.” Turning on her heel, she walked out the door.

It started to pour rain as soon as she hit the sidewalk. She hated she let them get to her, and her comments only fueled the fire, but what was she supposed to do? Let them know how their words cut at her? Months. That’s all she had and she’d leave every last one of them and start a life where no one knew anything about her. Ren kicked herself for only bringing a sweater, although it had really been her only option. She should have stolen, or borrowed one from Allecia’s house. She could have ditched it later, and Allecia wouldn’t have ever known. Ren wrapped her sweater tighter around her shoulders. She checked her phone for any response from Quill, nothing. It was two twenty-five in the morning. She was afraid to guess where he was.

She heard the car before she saw it. It was coming up behind her. She tightened her arms around her middle and prayed the bots hadn’t gotten behind the wheel to tackle her as she walked home. Not to mention the way she was dressed wasn’t the safest in the middle of the night walking in this part of town.

Jolin

Friday, October 25

12:45 p.m.

“Jesus, Jo. I didn’t know you really cared about the Lizard,” Akeo said.

Jolin rubbed his eyes. “I
don’t
care about her.”

Akeo pulled to the side of the road and jammed the car into park.

“What the hell, Jo! I am so sick of this shit. Look I’m sorry your perfect life has come to an end, but what the hell?” Akeo said for the thousandth time. “She ditched you. She never wanted you in the first place. She wanted the social status you could offer her and now you’re doing the same to her.”

“I thought she’d want me b-b-back,” Jolin mumbled, using the back of his hand to wipe his nose.

“Oh my God!” Akeo yelled. “You’re such a girl. Tell me you didn’t.”

“I think you n-n-need to work on your s-s-supporting friend r-r-routine because you really suck.” Jolin rested his head in his hands again.

“Tough love, dude. That’s what real friends offer. Tough Love.” Akeo tapped the steering wheel. “The real world is out there and whether you like it or not, you have an invitation. This high school thing? Thank God, Mohammad, the Koran, and whatever hell religion is out there that it sucks for everyone. To think you could get through without major suckage is to be living with Alice in Wonderland. You just lucked out you got three good years of oblivion.”

“Brock set me up. He p-p-paid Ren to give me a b-b-blow job so my rep would be flushed down the t-t-toilet and Elizabeth wouldn’t want me back.” Hecould barely say the words out loud.

‘Fuckin A!” Akeo sceamed. “Why are you so hung up on getting your place at a lunch table back? I haven’t heard one thing about football. I thought losing that would have crushed you. All you do is run around trying to be popular again. What the fuck, Jo?” He wasn’t a curser, but apparently Jolin crossed a line with him and he needed more colorful language for his popularity intervention. “Seriously, Jo. I told you to leave Ren alone. How low have you fallen? You let her give you a blow job? Christ, Jo.”

Jolin looked up. “No. I d-d-didn’t. I knew I’d never g-g-get Lizzie b-b-back if let it happen. B-b-but they think I did. That’s all that matters.”

“Then what the hell happened back there? I tell you to keep it in your pants so you pull her in a dark corner and fuck her?” Akeo was still yelling at him. He wanted this night to end.

“I didn’t fuck her. Well not with my dick at least.”

“Jesus Christ Jo. I don’t need to hear this. She dumped you. Why did she even let you touch her? This is so fucked up.”

“I don’t know? I guess she was d-d-drunk enough not to c-c-care who was doing it.”

“Seriously, dude get with the program here. I’m all you got, and I am sick of you trying to fuck your way back to the top. She’s using you man. You’ll find something else to do. Football, as much as you thought it defined you—it didn’t. You thought your family was your identity and they fell apart. You’re still here. Take your lumps and get stronger. If you don’t like what’s going on then change it. But change it for something that’s worth it. Lizard is not worth it. All this shit you’re pulling isn’t worth it. There are people like Ren out there that are just surviving. You still have everything that matters.” Akeo turned and drilled Jolin with a stare. “Did you ever think your stutter is because you’re screwed up in the head? Stressing about something as ridiculous as your popularity status?”

Jolin met his glare. “I know I’m screwed up. Why d-d-do I feel like you’re growing up and I’m growing down?”

“My dad had a similar conversation with me last week when I didn’t get into Yale. About taking the bull by the horns, blah, blah.”

“I didn’t know you d-d-didn’t g-g-get in. I’m sorry, Ke. I know you wanted that r-r-really b-b-bad.” Jolin felt like a shmuck for not knowing. He was the worst friend ever.

“I’m just saying I understand what it feels like when what you think you want is taken away. You have to readjust.” He tapped his fingers some more. The tension in the car seemed to lighten. “Now back to our regularly scheduled program. Ren tried to give you a blow job?”

Jolin had to laugh. “Yeah. I st-st-stopped her.”

Akeo held a hand over his heart. “A true gentleman.”

Jolin snorted. “Why would she d-d-do it?”

“Money would be my guess. Would explain why Ren was hanging out with a douche bag like Brock. Bet he had to pay a pretty penny.”

“C-c-could explain why she was with T-t-ty tonight, too?” He leaned back in the seat and covered his eyes with his hands. “She’s blowing people for money? God her life sucks.”

“Yeah. Literally.”

“Let’s avoid dick jokes please. I k-k-kind of liked her.”

Akeo glanced over at him. “Yeah I figured that. So can we agree that I no longer need to run interference on you having sex with the Lizard? Because that party was fucked up.”

“Shut up. I d-d-didn’t know what I was d-d-doing. I’m d-d-drunk,” Jolin snapped. If Akeo wanted more of an explanation, he didn’t have one.

“She’s a skank, bro. Thank God you broke that ball and chain.”

Jolin stared out the window. He had a new appreciation for girls that were used by guys. He felt like he needed a shower. He was covered in Elizabeth’s smell. He felt like he was going to throw up. He wanted to think it was her perfume but more likely it was the split second consumption of vodka he’d done. “Brock thought if Ren d-d-did me then Elizabeth would run to him. She’s the only p-p-part of my life he doesn’t have. Or didn’t have. Liz t-t-told me they were together now. She didn’t even care if Ren and I were together. She let me get all up in her. Then told me she was with Brock. She knows if she sleeps with Brock everyone will find out she isn’t pure as the driven snow. She’s keeping me around to scratch her itch. “

“Good riddance.”

Jolin traced a line in the condensation on the window. “I just w-w-wanted my life b-b-back. It was easier.”

“Get over it. After this year, your life was over anyway. That’s what college is…a do over.” Akeo leaned toward the windshield. “Dude is that Ren?”

Ren’s name was like a shot to the gut. “What?” Jolin looked up to see the blurry image of a girl walk past the car and continue down the sidewalk.

“That’s Ren. God damn. What’s she walking out here for? What a tool. Ty didn’t drive her home.” He was thankful Akeo found a distraction. He was tired of talking about his pathetic life. Akeo started the car and pulled up behind her.

“What are you d-d-doing?” Jolin grabbed at his arm.

“I’m giving her a ride.” Akeo looked at him like he had grown a second head.

“I don’t want to give her a r-r-ride. Weren’t you l-listening?”

“She’s your lab partner,” Akeo said in a snotty voice. “Get over yourself. This isn’t about you. I’m not leaving her out here to walk home. It’s raining.”

“She t-t-took money to b-b-low m-m-me,” Jolin pouted.

“She took money to blow you and it never happened.” Akeo spat. “You are such an ass. I don’t know why I put up with you.” He pulled the car up behind Ren, but she didn’t turn around and seemed to speed up her pace. Akeo kept driving along, finally rolling down his window. “Ren. Hey, Ren. Do you need a ride?”

She stopped and turned around. Her hair was damp and stringy on her shoulders, and her makeup ran. She still looked beautiful.

“It’s Akeo and Jolin. Hop in, we’ll take you home.”

“I d-d-don’t want to be in the c-c-car with her,” Jolin spat.

Akeo punched him in the arm and kept encouraging her to join them. Jolin smacked him back.

“Excuse me a moment,” Akeo yelled out to her, then turned back into the car and wailed on Jolin with his fists. Jolin curled up in a ball and begged for mercy. “Stop it. K-K-Ke. Knock it off.”

Akeo leaned into his face, tired of his attitude. “She is getting in this car, and you shut your mouth. I don’t want to hear one word out of you, or I swear I will kick your ass.”

“Okay.” Jolin pulled himself back into a sitting position. “Okay.”

Akeo and Jolin had fights in the past. Any time two people are friends for a long time there are bound to be fights. Akeo could easily kick his ass. Jolin wasn’t a fighter. He never had to be. Akeo had a tough time with bullies and took karate or some sort of martial arts and could whip anyone’s ass in no time.

Akeo jammed the car into park, got out, and walked over to Ren. Jolin couldn’t hear what he said, but he was sure it was a nicer version of what he’d told him. She needed to get in the car and get over whatever feelings of hatred she harbored for him.

The back door squeaked open and Ren slid in. The cold from outside came in with her, and he shivered. “Hey,” was all she said.

Akeo climbed in, looked over his shoulder to check for cars, and pulled back onto the road. “Jolin has been asked to not share any of his drunken thoughts with us so don’t be offended by his silence.”

Ren made a sound like a laugh, but not exactly.

The air in the car was heavy with tension, not to mention the overpowering smell of mint.

“What the hell, d-d-id you just come from the d-d-dentist? You reek like mouthwash,” Jolin said before he could stop himself. Akeo was right. Whatever came out of his mouth was making everything worse.