A Whole New Crowd

  He lifted a shoulder. “You’re right. Okay. Get drunk and I’ll watch over you.”

  “Promise?”

  “I may be an asshole, but I’m an asshole you can trust.” He smirked as he reached behind him and then placed a cold bottle in my hand. “I promise.” He took my other hand and led me back downstairs.

  Maybe it wasn’t a great decision, but I gave in. The fight was always in me to survive and for once, I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to be watched over. If he volunteered for that position, so be it. Brian never watched over me. I watched over him, and Jace had rarely been around.

  When he sat on the couch, I curled up next to him and enjoyed my place among his group of friends. As the afternoon passed by, I heard and saw the respect they had for Tray. They listened when he spoke. Everyone turned to him and no one ignored him. They genuinely liked him.

  People had never genuinely liked Brian or Jace. Jace was feared. He was respected, but I didn’t know if anyone in his life liked him. It was the opposite for Brian. He was tolerated. He was a hothead. No one knew when he would explode, and so he earned a reputation as being unpredictable. He was met with caution wherever he went.

  It was an alien feeling, watching this different world unfold before me.

  I liked it.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Fuck.”

  “You shit.”

  “Asshole.”

  One of the guys playing grinned and flipped his last card on the table. He shot his arms up in victory. “Pres-i-dente!”

  We were playing Assholes and Presidents. I was neutral, which pissed me off, and this other fucker, Aaron, slammed his last card on the deck and shouted, “Vice-President! Vice-President. Oh yeah! Oh yeah!”

  I spotted my turn and slipped in my last pair of sixes. “Neutral.” Then got flicked off by another player and laughed.

  I’d been recruited into the game when Samuel grabbed me and pulled me to the empty chair beside him. The last two hours had gone by quickly. The place was overflowing with people now. Tray was outside manning a keg that Dylan brought over while Mandy showed up with friends that I still didn’t know. They were at the pool. When she started glancing at Devon, who was manning the keg with Tray, I saw the hope in her eyes and knew where it was going. Mandy was like so many girls, crying about a guy hours earlier and then trying to get his attention. Jennica was there as well, but she kept inside with the other girls from their group.

  I didn’t want to be there when their love triangle hit the fan. It was inevitable, but Tray said to have fun so I was going to try.

  “Take that!” Samuel hollered as he threw his last card on the pile, bringing me back to the present.

  A guy rolled his eyes. “You’re neutral, dumb-ass.”

  Samuel shrugged. “Just wait. I’ll be Prez pretty soon and then you’ll be my beer bitch.” Downing the rest of his drink, he turned to me. “How about it, Taryn? Another shot?”

  “Right and give you the chance to drug my drink?” I stood, but winked at him. “I’m not a complete idiot. I’ll get my own drink.”

  “I said a shot. Not a drink. There’s a big difference.” Samuel followed behind me as I started through the crowd.

  I just laughed and went around a large group, half-stumbling to the keg. Samuel caught my arm and righted me a few times on the way. I turned to tell him thanks and saw that he wasn’t looking at me. He’d been watching Tray, who could see us through the crowd. Samuel chuckled beside me. “I told him I’d watch over you. The guy needs to relax and delegate sometimes.” Then he winked back at me. When we drew closer, he hollered over my shoulder “I need two shots.”

  I winced and elbowed him. “Back up. I need to be able to hear, you know.”

  Samuel grinned and ignored me as he reached for the two shots. One was pushed into my hand and I frowned. Was I—never mind—I’d tossed it down my throat and grinned at Tray. “That was good. What was it?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Does it matter?” Then poured another one.

  “Sweet.” Samuel took his and gestured to him. “I love this man.” He was talking to me, but grinned widely at Tray. “I love you, man.”

  Tray chuckled. “Good to know because you need to go downstairs and grab a few more bottles for me.”

  “On it.” He turned to go, but bounced back. Brian was there with a glower on his face, glaring down at him.

  “Brian.” I started for him, but Tray pulled me back. It didn’t matter. My first instinct was to go to him. Always. Even now, Brian was furious, but I saw the little boy in him. He was hurting. It would never matter how violent he might be. That’s all I would see.

  He transferred that look of hate to me. His nostrils flared. “I was told to stay away from you.” He laughed, cursing at the same time. “You told me that. Jace told me. Gray told me. That’s all anyone says now: leave Taryn alone.”

  “Shut up.”

  I was pulled back and Tray stood in front of me. A different feeling hit the air. It grew serious and oppressive. People sensed it and turned to see the reason. Within seconds, a small circle had formed around them.

  “Evans.”

  “Lanser.” Tray wasn’t affected Brian’s growl. “This is my house.”

  “That’s my woman.”

  Tray lifted his head, raising his chin a centimeter higher. “She’s not, actually.”

  Brian stiffened. His jaw clenched, and he swung his accusing eyes my way. I gulped when they hit me. I felt punched in the throat by them and looked away. By that movement, I had submitted my guilt to him. Then I realized what I had done and I got pissed. I jerked my head back and snarled at him. Brian saw it and frowned. I moved forward. Tray reached a hand to me, but I bypassed him. No guy was going to put me in the back.

  I shoved between them and poked at Brian’s chest, pushing him back a step. “It’s none of your goddamn business.”

  “You’re his woman?”

  “I’m not anybody’s woman. I’m mine.” I was ready to tear some shit up. “You came here. This is Tray’s house. I bet you heard there was a party and couldn’t help yourself. Am I right?”

  Guilt flared over his face.

  I’d been right. I nodded. “This is on you. You knew where you were coming. You know I’m moving on. You won’t let it go so this whole thing, how shitty you’re feeling right now, this is all on you. I won’t feel guilty because I’m trying for a better life. I won’t, Brian.”

  He wasn’t fighting back. The more I spoke, his shoulders dropped. The anger was leaving him and for some reason, I was disappointed. I frowned, not understanding that at all. I wanted him to fight back, but why? Then Tray was there again. His hand touched my wrist, and he pulled me back again. It was a gentle touch and a slight movement. I was lost in my own head. Why did I want Brian to fight with me? That made no sense.

  Dylan shoved through the crowd at that moment. He took in the sight of Brian, Tray, and myself, then sighed. “Um…we have a problem.”

  “What?”

  He looked right at me. “Mandy wouldn’t listen to me. She insisted on going upstairs to use the bathroom. She’s might find Devon and Jennica.”

  My stomach dropped.

  He added, “They’re having sex.”

  “Oh my god.”

  Samuel laughed and thumped Brian on the shoulder. “You got trumped, dude. Crazy scorned chick always wins out against the angry/hurting ex-boyfriend.” He glanced at me. “You know your sister’s going to go nuts. In fact, we should be hearing her screech in about three, two,” his finger lifted in the air as he said, “one.”

  A scream came from inside the house, followed by, “GET OFF EACH OTHER!”

  I groaned. “Oh no.”

  A second scream came next and I started forward. Brian caught my hand. I stopped to look at him, but before he said anything, I shook my head. “Stop.”

  “Taryn?”

  “Go, Brian. This is the last time. Just go.”

  “YOU WHORE!”
r />   I glanced up at the house, towards the second floor. Tray said from behind me, “Go, Taryn. We’ll handle this.”

  I didn’t wait another second. Half the crowd was still watching us and the other half had started inside to watch that fight. I shoved through them, but I heard Tray as I did, “Get him out. Lanser, don’t come back here again.”

  I had seen the hurt in Brian’s gaze; he wasn’t going to fight them. As I headed up the stairs, I pushed thoughts of Brian to the back of my mind. I didn’t want to analyze my own life. It was easier to deal with someone else’s love life.

  When I got upstairs, I couldn’t believe where I found Mandy. A small sitting room was on the second floor. No door. It was room that opened to the hallway, and sitting on the couch was Devon and Jennica. His pants were pulled up, but were unbuttoned and the zipper was still down. Both were staring at Mandy with messed hair and a glazed look in their eyes.

  They didn’t care. I saw it plain as day. Shaking my head, I wasn’t going to intercept whatever Mandy was going to dish out. Morons. They deserved whatever was coming their way.

  Mandy shrieked, “I can’t believe I ever thought you were my friend!”

  “Oh please. Get over this. You already know about us.” Jennica snorted and rolled her eyes. “All you give a damn about is your perfect life. Devon called me four times a week when y’all were together. He was begging me for it. You were so frigid and now it’s every day, Mandy.”

  Devon hung his head and folded his arms on his lap.

  I stepped forward and kicked the bottom of the couch. He glanced up, and I gestured to his pants. “The least you could do is zip it up.”

  His face flushed in embarrassment, and he fastened his pants.

  Mandy’s eyes were wild. She seemed focused only on Jennica. “You’re so second class. You’re a second class friend. You’re not even his girlfriend. You’re second class in everything, even in school. I’m first. You’re second.”

  Jennica’s eyes flashed in anger, and she shot to her feet. Her pants slipped down, showing a white lacy thong, but she didn’t care. “I’m not second. Not with him.” She swung her hand back and pointed at Devon. He shifted down on the couch, but she didn’t care. Neither of the girls did. Jennica added, “You’ve had him forever, but he’s been mine. He was always really mine, Mandy, not yours. How does that make you feel?”

  “Horrible,” Mandy yelled back in her face. “It makes me feel horrible. I loved him. I loved him with everything I had, and I still do.”

  “Mandy.” Devon started to stand.

  I pushed him down.

  She kept going, her voice hoarse, “He’s been with me since seventh grade. I thought he was my best friend. I thought you were both my best friends. My life fell apart a week ago and because of you two. So when you ask how that makes me feel, I’m going to answer you. It hurts like hell. You hurt me, Jen. You were supposed to be my friend and you weren’t. I’m not ashamed of what you did to me.”

  My heart swelled with pride.

  She said, “I’ll never be ashamed of being hurt by two people I loved. I was the hurt one and maybe I’m a fool. I thought maybe…” she trailed off, lingering on Devon for a moment. Yearning mixed with sadness flared in her eyes, but her jaw hardened. She turned back to her friend. “I’m hurt by what you did and no matter how you try to spin it, I’m not the bad guy. You were supposed to be my friend and you weren’t. That’s the truth.”

  There was silence as she finished. Jennica looked away, her eyes cast down. Mandy might’ve gotten through to her. But when she looked back up, her jaw had hardened, and her mouth was strained. I sighed and stepped forward. “Stop.” Jennica’s top lip curved in a snarl. She was going to start on me instead, but I shook my head. “She won just now. You know it so accept it and walk away. Give her time, stay away from this guy,” I pointed to Devon, “and apologize when you finally accept how low of a friend you are. She’ll take you back because she’s a good friend. She’s a better friend to you than you deserve.”

  The snarl left, her anger faded, and a look of defeat came over her. By the time I was done, a tear had formed, and she flicked it away.

  The crowd had started to lessen. This wasn’t the chick fight they had been hoping for. It was just an emotional scene where a girl lost two people she still cared about.

  It was then that I realized why I was disappointed with Brian downstairs. He was doing what I kept telling him to do and the less he fought, the more he was letting me go. It was the hardest thing to deal with, actually letting go. As Mandy began crying and Jennica couldn’t stop her own, my own tears appeared. They weren’t falling, but I felt them.

  Dylan came forward and took Mandy. He told me, “I’ll bring her home later.”

  I nodded.

  After they left, Jennica started to say, “It’s not—”

  “Shut up.” My words were harsh, but my tone was thick with emotion. I shook my head. “Look at what happened just now. You lost a friend.” I nodded at Devon. “He won’t stay with you and you know it. He’s going to try and get her back and where will that leave you?”

  The blood drained from her face.

  I finished, “Alone.”

  “I have friends.”

  “Who are friends like you. Do you really want those people as friends?”

  Tray came through the crowd at that moment. He scanned over everyone and touched my arm. “Taryn, let’s go.”

  “Tray.” Jennica turned to him. Her eyes were big and pleading.

  He shook his head. “Don’t, Jen.”

  “Tray?” Devon had stood, frowning.

  Tray didn’t answer. He took my arm and led me away from them. As we left, this was the final nail in their coffin; their leader didn’t want to associate with them. He took me back through the house and around the pool. A small house was on the other side and we went inside.

  I glanced around. It was a small oasis from the crowd outside.

  “Come on.” He took my hand and led me to a room on the second floor. A king-sized bed was in the middle with a couch beside it. A large television was in the corner.

  I shook my head. “How rich are you?”

  I expected a laugh, maybe an offhand comment, but there was none. He jerked his head towards the main house as he pulled me to sit with him on the couch. “What do you think will happen with those three?”

  “Nothing.” I hated to admit it, but I was a realist. “Devon will go back to Mandy. Jennica will act like nothing happened and they’ll be friends again.”

  “Really? It seemed intense when I got there. I saw Mandy leave. She didn’t look ready to forgive and forget.”

  “I want to think things will change, but I don’t believe it. They’ll be fake with each other. They may actually think they’re friends again, but they won’t be. The real friendship is gone. It’ll be replaced with a fake friendship and even when she goes back to Devon; she’ll never really trust him.”

  He narrowed his eyes, studying me.

  I laughed. “You’re not disagreeing with me.”

  He shrugged. “Mandy caught Jennica and Devon kissing in eighth grade. It was the end of the world. They had a big fight like just now, but those two got back together the next week and Jennica and Mandy were best friends within two days. I was just impressed that you called it.”

  “So you agree with me.”

  “Mandy wants to believe her friendship is real with Jennica, but it isn’t. It never was. There aren’t a lot of real friends out there.”

  “Are there real relationships?” My chest grew tight.

  He didn’t answer right away and the tension grew with each second that passed until he did. “Yeah. I think so, to people who don’t lie to themselves. Then yes.”

  I wasn’t sure how to take that. Fear, hope, happiness, and caution all swirled inside of me as I sat there. For the first time in a long time, I was speechless, and I had no idea why. When his hand slid to my cheek and tipped my mouth to his, I s
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