Because of you (12 page)

“
First, eww, he’s my brother, of course I don’t like him like that, and second, aaaaah, I can totally picture you two together.” She starts jumping in her chair excitedly. “How come I didn’t notice the signs earlier? It was so obvious.” I give her a look of surprise. I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“
What signs are you talking about?”

“
Hello, Ryder was acting like a complete ass toward you, which is totally uncharacteristic of him—it’s obvious he likes you, even though he has a weird way of showing it. He liked you, but because he thought you’re only hanging out with me for money, he was trying to hurt your feelings and keep his own in check by being a complete jerk to you. Obviously, he failed. Damn, I’m good. It took me awhile to figure it out, and it was so obvious.”

“
Oh, Addison, you totally got it wrong. Yes, he was angry with me because he thought I was only chasing after your money, but he apologized. We’re trying to be friends and that’s all.” She looks me straight in the eyes.

“
You’ll see, my friend. When Ryder puts his mind to something, he doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. And if he wants you, he’ll do anything to get you. That’s Ryder.” I feel a blush creeping on my cheeks. He’ll do anything to get me. It sounds nice, but it’s not true. He’s not interested in me in that way, he said himself he wants us to be friends. And if that’s all I’ll get from him, I’ll just have to get used to it.

Ryder

Another game is behind us. We won again, by 19 points this time
, though my
heart wasn’t in the game
.
I played okay, but
it
wasn’t one of my best games. My team shakes hands with the opposing team and then we head to our benches to
get
our towels and bottles. I pull the jersey over my head as it is soaked with sweat
, a
nd throw it on the bench. I take a long swig of water, wiping a few droplets
,
trickling down my chin
,
with the back of my hand. Paris approaches, handing me a towel.

“
Hey, handsome, nice game.” She runs her finger down my naked chest to the waist of my shorts. In the past a touch like that from Paris put inappropriate thoughts in my head, and we used every free moment to enjoy each other, but now her touch doesn’t do anything for me. Nothing, zilch. She’s just one of the girls that used to warm my sheets, but we remained friends—which I can’t say for other girls. Every one of them only wanted me for my money or fame, and as soon as I found that out, I removed them from my life. Paris is loaded, so I knew she wasn’t with me because of the money.

“
Hey, Paris, what`s up? I have to grab a shower.” Her eyes seductively walk all over my body, and she licks her lips.

“
I just wanted to congratulate you for a game well played. Britney, Scarlett and I are going to Josh’s party, you know Josh, right? You had a few classes together last year. Well, I wanted to ask you to come with us.” I think, scratching my head.

“
Yeah, I know Josh well. Perhaps I’ll stop by, I could use a beer or two. I’ll ask the guys if they want to join me.” A wide grin appears on her face.

“
Great, I’m already looking forward to it. The party starts at eight, and I can’t wait to steal you away for a dance.” She winks at me and walks to the other girls. I’m glad there aren’t any hard feelings between us. Now we’re getting along even better than when we were dating.

I’m with the guys in the locker room. Some of them are getting dressed, and I hit the shower. I turn on the hot water and let it run over me for some time. I stand under the hot spray with my eyes closed, relaxing completely. I think about Aaliyah and what she’s doing now. I’m glad she’s not seeing Noah, even though he’s a great guy, but I want her all to myself—and I’ll have her, soon. I pour the bodywash out of the bottle and spread it all over my body, my hand pausing on my iron hard dick. Too bad I’m not alone. It would feel good to get myself off. At the thought of Aaliyah, I instantly got horny. Once my hormones settle down, I wrap a towel around my hips and go get dressed.

Marc, Jayden and Jarrod instantly agree to go to the party with us. They’re looking forward to meeting new girls and maybe scoring something more than just a dance with them.
I am not interested in other girls. Aaliyah is the only one I’m thinking of. Perhaps I’d manage to get her out of my mind if I met someone new. Oh, what am I saying—she’s impossible to take my mind off once she enters my thoughts. What if I called Addison and asked her what they’ll be doing today? Maybe I could get them to come. I shake my head at myself—that would be too obvious, she’d soon figure out I’m up to something. I should call Jackson, he definitely knows where the girls will be and what they’ll be doing. Damn it, what is wrong with me? I’m starting to act like a girl. No, I’m not calling anybody.

Chapter 10

Aaliyah

I can’t believe Addison convinced me to go to a party of someone I’ve never heard of before. She assured me Noah and Ryder will not be there, so I said yes. “Are you sure you need me? Aren’t you going to be too busy with Jackson? I don’t want to be the third wheel.”

“No way,” she waves her hand and puts it back on the steering wheel. The traffic light just turned red so she slowly stops the car. She checks her make-up in the mirror. “I’m not going to spend the whole evening with Jackson. Besides, there are going to be a lot of people to hang out with, perhaps you’ll even meet a guy.” I raise my hand, stopping her.

“
Forget about
me
meeting somebody, I already have problems with the ones I already know. No way am I going to mix someone into this mess. Yes, I need to have fun, but that doesn’t include guys—at least not for a while.”

“
Okay, okay, I just mentioned it. You’ll see how much fun we’re going to have.” Yeah, I’m sure she’s going to have tons of fun with Jackson, but I’ll probably just be waiting for her to grow tired of the party
,
so we can go home.

We drive up a giant driveway to a mansion where many cars are already parked. “Did he invite the whole campus? I’ve never seen so many cars in one place in my life.” They’re
parked
like sardines, so nobody can leave until the person the farthest from the house leaves. It’s a good thing we’ve only just arrived, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to leave before morning.

“
Oh, that’s nothing. Wait till you see the parties Ryder throws.” We get out of the car, and I take in my surroundings. All the houses here are enormous, two-story buildings with large driveways. Some have fences, some don’t, and street lamps by the road provide good visibility. “Come,” Addison says, grabbing me by the wrist, and we walk to the entrance. She opens the door without knocking or ringing the bell—no one would hear us with all the noise I hear coming from the inside, anyway. We’re surrounded by a large crowd of students, almost everybody is holding a plastic cup, no doubt filled with alcohol. People are dancing in every room we walk through. In the kitchen, a girl is sitting on the counter, kissing a guy. They’re so absorbed in making out they don’t even notice us. We come to the living room, where music is especially loud. Two students are sitting on the couch, each with a girl on his lap, and others are dancing in pairs or chatting.

“
Hey, Addison, you made it. I’m glad to see you,” says a guy a little older than us, pulling her in for a hug.

“
You know I’d never miss your party.” With a wide grin on his face, the guy turns to me.

“
And who’s the beauty here?” he asks Addison
as he's
checking me out. I extend my hand.

“
Hey, I’m Aaliyah, Addison’s roommate.”

“
Josh,” he responds, shaking my hand.

“
I hope it’s okay for me to be here. Addison told me I could come.” Josh turns to Addison, nodding.

“
Of course, every friend of Addison’s is welcome. Make yourself at home, I have to go mingle,” Josh says before leaving.

As expected Addison disappeared with Jackson. After ten minutes of unsuccessfully searching for them, I give up and go out for some fresh air. With my right hand, I open the door, a drink in my other hand, and close it behind me. Leaning my elbows on the white wooden fence, I breathe in the refreshing night air. A cold breeze blows over my bare arms, so I wrap my hands around my shoulders. The coat I brought is inside somewhere.

“
Hi,” a deep male voice greets me, joining me on the porch. I am surprised to see
him
since Addison assured me he won’t be here.

“
What are you doing here?” I turn around, my back to the fence, so I can see him better. Instantly I am overcome by his
intoxicating
smell—I still cannot figure out what smell this is— then my eyes meet his. Oh, could he be any more handsome? He’s holding a plastic cup in his hand, and he takes a slow sip, a smile on his face. He’s wearing a tight black V-neck shirt and worn out jeans that fit him like a glove.

“
Can you be any less happy to see me here?” Ouch, I bow my head in remorse. “I came with Marc, Jayden and Jarrod, they’re all here somewhere, busy with…” He runs his gaze all over my body, and then looks me straight in the eyes, “busy with girls.”

“
Oh,” I say once I realize what he meant by that. “Why aren’t you with them?”

“
Because I found something I’m more interested in.”

“
Ah,” is all I manage to say while I am thinking what this might be. Damn, can I be any more pathetic? I normally really am capable of forming sentences with more than one word.

“
So,
friend
, where’s Addison?”  When he asks me that, he emphasizes the word friend.

“
She’s in there somewhere, you know her, she’s probably busy with Jackson.” Ryder’s face contorts into a grimace at the mention of his name.

“
Shit, I’ll never get used to Addison dating him.” I look at him sideways.

“
What’s wrong with him? I think he’s ideal for her. They make a really cute couple. And he loves her, he’s respectful and loving—what more could you want?” He grimaces again.

“
I get sick to my stomach thinking about what they’re doing when I’m not around,” he says, shuddering. Laughing, I shake my head.

“
Addison couldn’t wish for a better brother. I like how you stick up for her when she needs you. No wonder she adores you.” He flashes his wide grin, leaning one hand on the fence and sticking the other one in his pocket.

“
I can be good if I want to, but I can also be very bad,” he wiggles his eyebrows, causing my already flushed cheeks to burn even brighter. I’m lucky it’s dark, so it’s not noticeable.

“
Um, it’s late,” I say, checking my watch, “I need to go find Addison so we can get going. I have classes early in the morning.” He’s standing there, blocking my way, so I brush against him as I go past. His touch makes me tremble. I quickly pull myself together and leave, in search of Addison.

“
Have you seen Addison?” I stop, asking a student with a cigarette in his mouth. He looks at me like I’m missing half my face and only shrugs. Okay, he’s not going to be a big help. I climb the stairs and continue looking. I ask a few people if they’ve seen her, but they all just shake their heads. I wince at the thought of Addison and Jackson in some room doing God-knows-what and decide to walk home. It’s not that far away. I take the phone out of my purse and write Addison a message that I’m leaving, so she won’t be worried. I take my coat off the hanger in the hallway closet and walk past the parked cars. Cold autumn air is keeping me company along the way. My step gets faster
so I can
get home as soon as possible. I hear a car driving up behind me so I turn my head to see who it is. To my surprise, it slows down, and I start freaking out. Why would someone stop by the side of the road at night, especially if they see a person walking along? The window slides down slowly, and the car drives beside me as I walk.

“
Why are you walking home? Didn’t you say you’re going to leave with Addison?” I hear an angry voice.

“
Ryder?” I’m surprised to see him. I was certain he was going to stay at the party. “What are you doing here? How did you know I’m here?” He ignores my question, anger radiating off his face.

“
I asked you something. Why are you here alone at this time of the night?”

“
If you must know, I didn’t find Addison so I sent her a text that I’m going to walk home and wait for her there, so she won’t be worried. Happy?” I ask him sarcastically.

“
No, of course I’m not happy. You can’t wander around at night alone. What if someone attacked you? Something could’ve happened to you.”