The Bad Boy Next Door: Lance & Chastity (26 page)

“So wait, your boyfriend is famous?”

“I guess.”

“Is he rich too?”

“I’m not sure,” I say thoughtfully. “But he’s better off than either of us.”

“That’s not hard to do,” she chuckles, swirling a french fry in her ketchup cup. “So, has he punched your V-card yet?”

I blush and take a bite of my burger so I don’t have to answer.

“He did!” Lark gasps. “Where? When? How?”

When I finish chewing and dab my mouth with my napkin, I say, “Which time?”

“You fucking slut!” She grabs my wrist. “Give me the run down! I need to know every last detail! Body parts, bodily fluids, all of it!”

I look around In-N-Out. Fortunately, no one is paying attention. The constant drone of fifty different conversations creates a cocoon of anonymity. In a low voice, I relate an abbreviated version of events to Lark, smiling the whole time.

At one point, her eyes goggle, “He fucked you in the dressing room at Nasty Doll?”

I grin. “Yup.”

“Did you get caught?”

“Sort of. Not really. The manager heard us but she didn’t do anything.”

She shakes her head. “Fuck me, Chaz. I haven’t even done that! What are you doing topping my game like that?!”

I shrug and smile. “Just doin’ my thang.” I laugh.

“I’ll have to step it up. Something with bondage. Yeah. Whips and chains. And airplanes.”

“You mean like the Mile High Club?”

“You haven’t done that too, have you?” she whines.

“No. Not yet.” I smile at the thought.

“Okay. Phew. And you didn’t do any of that fifty shades shit either, right?”

“No,” I chuckle. Lark and I have both read the books and discussed them with her mom, who read them too. My mom thinks
Fifty Shades of Grey
is an interior decorating thing. I roll my eyes at the thought. “But you never know. Lance is really demanding.”

“Guys like him always have whips hidden somewhere. Shit! That means I need to be more creative. What tops bondage?”

“Sex underwater in a shark cage, circled by a pack of great whites?”

Lark grimaces, “Is that what we’ve come to?”

“Afraid so. How about alien sex? I’m thinking octo-penis.”

“What, like eight dicks on one hunky alien?”

“Yeah,” I giggle.

“That’s six too many.”

“Why do you need two? Oh! You mean one for the…
mmm
and the other for the
mmm
?”

She nods, “That’d be the butt, Bob.”

“The who?”

She giggles and shakes her hair, “Never mind.”

“You know, when he was… fucking me, he—”

“Did you just say fuck?! Unholy shit, sinner! You said fuck!” She jumps up and stands on the red booth bench and points at me like I’m a cornered criminal. “Someone call the New York Times! Call CNN! My best friend just said fuck for the first time in her life!” Everyone inside In-N-Out stops and gawks at Lark, which is amazing because the place is busy and loud. Lark jams her hands on her hips and glares back. “What?
What?
I said fuck! Are you gonna arrest me?” Everyone stares silently, many mouths agape. One mother covers the ears of her young son. Lark smirks at everyone, “That’s what I thought.” She dismisses the room with a flip of her hand and sits back down. She folds her fingers calmly together on the table like nothing happened. “Hold up. You were going to say something about the fucking?”

“Mmm. When we were…” Now I don’t want to say it lest Lark make another scene.

“Fucking.” she adds.

“Yeah, that. Anyway, he put his finger up my butt.”

Her eyes pop and she gasps. Loudly.

People are staring again.

“What?” I mutter nervously.

“You’re a
butt
slut!”

I grimace. “Shhh, Lark!”

“You liked it, didn’t you, you dirty brown butt slut! You like ass play! I knew it!”

“Brown?” I’m blushing now. With both hands, I comb my long blonde hair over my face. I am blushing like crazy.

Fingers part my hair curtain. “Where does it end, Chaz?” She says it super seriously. “It’s just a downhill slide to Slut Town from here, isn’t it?”

I snort. “So be it.”

She shakes her head. “Why am I not surprised? Uptight girls always like it in the butt. That’s why it feels so good! Because you’re butt tight!”

“I’m not uptight! Or butt tight! Or whatever!”

“So says your mom,” she chuckles.

I have no idea what my mom might say about butt play, if she even knew what that was, but I’m very aware of the teenagers in the booth beside ours who are now laughing hysterically. At me, no doubt.

Lark doesn’t notice. “How is Faith, bee-dubs?”

“I haven’t talked to her in a while. She basically threw me out of the house.”

She gasps. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’ve been staying with Lance.”

“Oh, shit. Slow down your trip to slut town, GF! You’re going to fall in love with him if you don’t put the brakes on. Unless you have already. You haven’t, have you?”

I hang my head and stare at the remnants of the fries on my tray. “I told him I loved him.”

“What?! You’ve known him like what, two, three weeks?”

“I can’t help it. That’s how I feel.”

“You feel that way because he took your virginity. How do you think I felt when that jerk Zack took mine? He even told me he loved me before we did it! And that fuckwad still joined the Army six months later!” She groans wearily. “Would you believe he has a kid now?”

“How do you know?”

“I Facebook stalked him. I’m better off without him. Never mind him. You gotta be careful with what you say to Lance or he’ll join the Army too.”

I chuckle, “I don’t think he’s the type.”

“Truth. But fuck, seriously. Don’t tell him you love him again. Maybe he’ll forget.”

“I wish.”

“You never know. Guys have short memories. Just don’t say it again.”

“I know. It was stupid. But I said it. Because it’s true, Lark. I love him.” Fear twists my stomach in a knot and tears brim. “Maybe I screwed up. I knew it was a mistake the second I said it. I’m such an idiot.”

“Whoa, GF. Don’t beat yourself up. If loving him scares him off, and that’s a big if, he’s lame. Guys who run away because you tell them you love them are going to run away sooner or later anyway. Trust me on this,” she chuckles wearily. “Anyway, what do I know? Maybe he loves you too and he’s afraid to say it.”

I gasp. “You think?”

“Easy, girl. Don’t get your hopes up. Just play it cool.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

++++8++++

CHASTITY

“Does it bother you I didn’t say it back?” Lance asks out of the blue four nights later. We lie on his mattress, shoulder to shoulder, both of us staring at the ceiling. It’s well past midnight.

I’m guessing he’s talking about my I love you. Hope floods my body. Is he about to tell me he loves me too? Then I remember Lark’s advice. Don’t get my hopes up. So I stuff it down.

Whir.

Usually, when I stuff my feelings in my stomach, they’re bad feelings. Not good ones. This is annoying. But I trust Lark more at this point than I do Lance.

Play it cool.

I sigh. “Do you want an honest answer?”

“Yes.”

I collect my thoughts before saying anything. I may have zero experience when it comes to relationships, but when it comes to fights, I can see them coming a mile away, thanks to my mom, and I want to avoid one now because I should be sleeping.

As it is, things have been tense between Lance and I since I said it. We’ve been pretending nothing happened. The downside is that now nothing really is happening between us. We haven’t had sex since. We haven’t made out either. Nothing. It’s like we’re just friends and co-workers. We don’t even sleep naked. He’s wearing boxers and I’m in a T-shirt and panties.

What’ll be next?

Him saying,
I think it’s best for you to go back to sleeping at your Mom’s house.

The idea makes me furious.

I’m tired of pretending.

I’m tired of hiding my feelings.

If he’s going to end this, let’s get it over with. I hate wondering.

I take a deep breath and try to remain calm before I speak. “Yes, it bothered me. I felt really close to you in that moment and you didn’t say anything. You just stood up and put your suit back on and left me hanging like I never even said it. For a minute, I remember thinking you had suddenly disappeared even though you were standing right in front of me. I felt completely alone. That’s how my mom makes me feel when she gives me the silent treatment. How did you expect me to feel?”

I give him time to digest all that.

He says nothing. At least he’s not yelling at me like Mom.

After a while, I start to worry again. Is he going to pretend I never said anything just now either? Is this his version of silent treatment?

I can’t take this. “Lance?”

He’s staring at the ceiling like I’m not even here.

That hurts more than I’d care to admit.

I’m not going to lie here like I’m okay with it. But I won’t start a fight like he’s Mom. I’m an adult. I’m going to act like one. For as long as I can manage it. “Lance? Please talk to me.”

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

I jump.

Someone is pounding on the front door of the house. The doorbell rings a bunch of times really fast.

“What the fuck,” Lance whispers, sitting up in bed.

I gasp, afraid for my life. “Something is wrong, Lance,” I hiss, grabbing his elbow. “I can feel it.”

“Relax. It’s just someone at the door.”

“In the middle of the night?”

He hops off the mattress and opens the bedroom door.

Mr. McKnight stands there in the hallway in saggy plaid boxers with his hair standing up. “What the hell is going on?” he mutters.

“I’ll take care of it, Dad. Go to bed.”

Mr. McKnight scratches his head. “It’s Kane.”

“Who?”

“Kane? From Vegas?”

“Fuck that guy,” Lance growls. “He doesn’t know where you live. Nobody does. I made sure of it.”

That sounded weird.

Mr. McKnight says thoughtfully, “I don’t know. Kane knows people. Maybe he tracked me down.”

Tracked him down?

Lance grits his teeth, “It’s not fucking Kane. How much did you fucking drink tonight?”

Mr. McKnight doesn’t answer.

What are they talking about? Kane who? Do I even want to know?

The pounding at the door resumes. The whole house shakes. The doorbell rings several more times.

“Open up!” The voice is muffled but it stops my heart.

Lance charges around the corner toward the front door.

I catch up just as he grabs the doorknob in the familiar entryway, the one that is a mirror image of the one I grew up with. Rather than comforting me, the familiarity scares me to death.

Grunting, Lance rips the front door open wide.

“Charity ran away!” Mom sobs. She’s fully dressed like it’s the afternoon, not after midnight.

“What?” I gasp. “Are you sure?”

“She left a note! I found it in her room an hour ago! I have no idea where she went!”

“Oh my goodness. Maybe she’s staying at a friends?” I can’t escape the feeling that Mom concocted this story so she had an excuse to talk to me. Is she capable of that? Knowing how fake she is with everyone at church, yes.

“No. She texted that she was going to study at Sydney’s after school. They had some big history project but she never came home. I called Sydney’s parents, Becky’s, everyone I could think of. No one has seen her.” She jitters with panic.

“Are you sure?” I can’t believe this is happening. More importantly, I don’t want to believe it.

“Yes I’m sure!” Mom barks. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Yes.
I glance at Lance and he’s hiding a smirk.

“This is all your fault, Chastity! Charity ran away because you did! She wants to be just like her big sister! Look what you did! My baby is gone! Because of you!”

Chapter 20

CHASTITY

“Maybe if you hadn’t pushed me away, you wouldn’t have pushed her away!” I yell.

“I didn’t push you away!” Mom screams.

I snort, “Are you serious?”

“Yes I’m serious! You did this! You and your—” she sneers, “…boyfriend.”

Lance chuckles and shakes his head.

“And you!” Mom fires a finger at Mr. McKnight. “You almost killed her! Ever since the electrocution, there has been something wrong with her! I think you hurt her brain!”

Mr. McKnight is clearly frightened and taking her seriously.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I laugh. “I talked to Charity every day since then. She’s fine. You’re crazy, Mom. Mr. McKnight did not fry her brain.”

He looks relieved. “I’m really sorry, Faith. I—”

Mom’s eyes go feral. “Don’t sorry me, Rod! Ever since you and your son waltzed into our lives, it has been a daily disaster!” She looks up at the sky. “What did I do wrong, Lord? Please tell me what I did. I will make up for it, I promise. Just tell me how to fix it.”

I heave a sigh. “That’s not going to help, Mom. We need to find her. Did you call Trish’s house?”

“No, I… no.”

“So call her. I don’t know her number.” Trish is a friend of Charity’s from grade school, but ever since her family moved to Hermosa Beach two years ago, they don’t get to see each other very often. But I know they text all the time and Skype nearly every week.

“Good idea. I’ll do that right now.” Mom jogs down the walkway outside and goes back home.

“What do you need me to do?” Lance asks me quietly.

“I don’t know yet. But thanks for offering.”

“Whatever you need, I’m here.”

I nod, “Okay. Thank you. But she probably just took a bus to Trish’s. Those two are super close. Charity is always telling me how awesome Trish’s parents are. She probably wanted to get away from Mom for a while. I can’t blame her.” I put on a brave face, but something tells me it won’t make any difference. “I’m going to see what’s taking Mom so long. Wanna come with?”

“Sure.”

“Put some pants on first.”

He smiles, looking down at his boxers. “Right. You too.”

“Oh yeah.”

We throw on clothes in his bedroom and I grab my phone. When we come out, Mr. McKnight is dressed too.