Revive Me (17 page)

The car was still running when I got back in. “Where is he?” she asked. I looked over at her, blinking a few times, before I realized she was serious. She’d actually believed they were going to let him walk out free.

“He’s in the drunk tank. They won’t release him until tomorrow.”

“That goddamn asshole!” She threw her door open. “I’m going to tell that little prick what a piece of shit he is! No one would do that to a friend. No one!”

I jumped out of my seat and chased after her, which was easy because she was stumbling around, and unable to walk in a straight line. I grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the car. “If you go in there and yell at him, it isn’t going to do anything but make things worse,” I told her, shoving her into the car. “Unless you want to be sharing a cell with Dad.”

She kicked the open passenger door. “They can’t arrest me! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

I scoffed “If you go in there and threaten a police officer, whether or not you know him, it’s against the law. Especially right in the police station where there are other officers and cameras.”

“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms and falling back into the seat. “But you stay away from them. All of them, and that means Daisy.” A deep pit formed in my stomach. She didn’t even know about Daisy leaving.

I took a deep breath. “Okay, just calm down, and we’ll bail dad out tomorrow.”

“Just take me home, please.” She held her shaking hands in her lap and sobbed the rest of the way home.

“Hey babe,” Reese said, hopping into the seat next to me. The first thing I noticed were his blood shot eyes, which had become a usual occurrence, and caused a sour taste in my mouth.

“What do you want?” I grumbled. A few days had passed, and we hadn’t talked since I’d left his brother’s house.

He slapped his hand over his heart. “Awe babe, you’re really mad at me? You’re the one who took off with my brother. And I had to find out the guy who picked you up from that party was that fucking douche bag? How do you think that makes me feel? I’m not hanging out with any other girls,” he leaned forward, swiping a piece of hair behind my ear, “and you’re having other guys take you home.”

“You were acting like a maniac,” I argued, playing with the wrapper around my water bottle and not looking at him.

“We were both drunk and high. Did you forget how you were acting?”

I squinted my eyes, thinking back to that night, but things were still blurry. “I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

“Look, we were both in the wrong. Now, let me make it right.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“My dad is going out of town this weekend for a fishing trip. That means I have the house to myself. You’re coming over, and we won’t have to worry about my asshole brother coming in and spewing bullshit.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Actually, I knew that wasn’t a good idea.

“Babe, give me a chance. You’ve never fully given me a chance, plus, I think you owe me for leaving parties twice with that guy.” God, was I ever going to hear the end of it? Reese would apologize and immediately expect me to forget about it. But he liked to drag it out for days if someone wronged him. He pressed his hands together. “Please,” he begged.

“Fine,” I replied.

“You’re amazing.” He kissed my cheek. “Be sure to bring an overnight bag or you can wear something of mine.” He winked, my back straightening as he studied me, waiting for my reaction. We’d never spent the night together. It wouldn’t be any different than us being at a party, except we’d be alone all night, which was actually a pretty big difference.

“I’m going to make you dinner, try to be all romantic and shit.”

“Romantic and shit? You’ve already made it sound that way.”

His hands moved from the table and rested on my thighs. “You’re my girl, Tessa, and I need to start acting like it. I know I’m a dumbass sometimes, but you need to know my feelings for you are real. I don’t want to lose you. For as long as I can remember, my life has been one screwed up cluster fuck. I’ve had plenty of girls,” I gave him a look and he ran his hand over his face. “Shit, wrong thing to say, but it helps make my point. I’ve never treated any of them like I have treated you. I’ve never invited them to my house or made them dinner. I actually enjoy spending time with you.” His shoulder hit mine playfully. “Even when we’re clothed.”

“Okay, that last part could’ve been left out,” I grumbled “But the rest of it was sweet, thank you.” I paused, hesitant about bringing it up. “What about Alexa?”

His brother’s words had been haunting me since that night. Did Reese really ruin her? Did he cheat on her and then try to hit her? I was too afraid to ask. I knew Reese had his flaws, but nothing that horrifying. I was afraid to see his reaction. I was afraid to find out the truth. If I did, it would be expected for me to leave him. I would rather be left in the dark then left alone.

Reese groaned in frustration and ran his hands through his thick hair. “Alexa and I, there’s nothing. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Our dads are friends. We tried something, years ago, but it could not and will never work between us. We butt heads. We’re too much alike. We decided that a long time ago.”

“Oh, okay.” I wanted to ask him more questions, but I could tell he was done with that subject. “When do you want me to come over?

Dawson

I
ignored the lunch on my tray as I focused my attention on Reese sitting with Tessa. I grinded my teeth, watching him scoot her chair closer to him, and grab her hand before kissing her full on the mouth. I couldn’t believe she’d forgiven him for how he’d treated her at the bonfire. The guy was a fucking idiot, and she believed every word that came out of his lying mouth. I knew she would fall apart when he’d drop her faster than one of his cigarettes. She wouldn’t be able handle it.

“He’s going to fuck her, ya know?” A feminine voice said from out of nowhere. I looked up to find a girl pulling out the chair next to me and plopping her ass down onto it. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and waited for my reaction.

She was hot. I couldn’t argue that. I was positive no guy in the room would argue with me. Her long, dark hair was curled and fell to each side of her large breasts in the low-cut top she was wearing. Large gold bracelets dangled from her wrists as big as the hoops around her earlobes. Her face was done perfectly, smokiness around her eyes, and her lips were the color of a juicy, bright apple.

“What?” I asked, confused.

She pointed over to where I’d been staring. “Your little crush over there. He’s going to fuck her and then leave her.”

Who the fuck was this chick? “Shut the hell up,” I said, sharply, my throat stinging as her words sunk in. I wanted to deny it, but I knew better. I knew it would happen, and I knew I couldn’t stop it.

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just warning you. Reese, he loves the game. He loves the challenge.”

“She’s not a challenge.”

She laughed sarcastically. “Oh, she is. I’ve seen it happen too many times. He finds the cute but broken and insecure girls. He gives them attention, showers them with compliments, and makes them feel wanted. He gives them life.” My jaw set. I wanted to stop her, but I also wanted to hear what she had to say. “There are so many girls here who will rip their panties off and bend over for him with the snap of his fingers. No questions asked. Something about having the bad guy, you know?” I stared at her without answering. “He gets bored with that. He likes the chase. He likes to be innocent girls’ firsts and brag about it. He was the man who convinced them to give it up. And then he cuts the cord.”

“Maybe he’s changed,” I argued, feeling like a damn idiot. “Maybe he actually likes her and wants to be with her.” I hated myself for what I was doing. But Tessa had told me to let her make her own decisions, and as much as it killed me doing so, I was going to make her happy. At least I’d been trying to convince myself to.

She laughed. “Oh trust me, he’s still bending those girls over. You think he’d go that long without sex? Hell no. He’s just discreet about it.” Who the hell was this guy? Fucking Casablanca? “He likes to seduce the good girls, turn them into girls like me, and then leave us crying on the sidewalk.”

“And what exactly is a girl like you?” I asked curiously.

“Used,” she answered, her honesty shocking me. “Slutty.” She held my eye contact without looking ashamed. “We end up on a search to find another guy to give us that feeling again and not leave us. But that never happens. Once they find out what you are, they’ll hook up with you, but you’re nothing but bragging rights to their friends. We realize the guy we thought cared about us was using us.”

I slammed my bottle of water down hard against the table. “You don’t know shit about her. She’s none of those things.”

“Not yet.”

“If that happens, it’s not my problem.” My words hit me straight into the gut. It would fucking obliterate me if she gave him her virginity. But I couldn’t stop it. She wasn’t mine. She was his now.

Derrick had been giving me updates on her during our guys’ days. She’d go to his football games with me, but text him the entire time. Instead of going out for pizza or burgers afterwards, she’d meet him at some party and stay out until early in the morning. She never stayed out all night. He told me Reese had come over once, and they’d gone straight up to her bedroom. He didn’t know how late he stayed, but it was after he’d gone to bed.

“Right. You’ve been stalking them the entire lunch period. You don’t like him with her because you want her. She probably wanted you before, but you were too pussy to do shit about it. And because of your pussy-ness, she’s with him now, and you’re jealous, but still not doing shit about it. It hurts to see her with someone else, doesn’t it?” Damn, this girl sure knew how to kick a guy when he was down. “Wait until she’s fucking him,” she pressed. “Imagine her naked in his sheets.”

Now she was going overboard. “That’s enough,” I said angrily. “Who the fuck are you, and why are you even talking to me?”

She held out her slim hand and gave me a red-lipped smile. “I’m Alexa, that douchebag’s ex-girlfriend.” She tilted her head to a laughing Reese rubbing Tessa’s shoulders.

“Sorry to hear that,” I answered. “And this sounds like it’s some kind of jealous thing.”

She popped the gum in her mouth. “Yeah, you could say I’m jealous of all the girls he shows attention to because I miss the affection, but I’m over him. Him and me, we’re like fire and gasoline.”

“Again, why are you talking to me?”

“Reese’s dad is going on a fishing trip with mine this weekend.” She rolled her eyes. “They do it every year even though they should be working. And every year, Reese has a girl stay with him. He makes them dinner, gives them all this romantic bullshit, and obviously gets laid.”

If she brought up Reese fucking or laying Tessa one more time, I was going to flip the table over and destroy everything in sight. “Thanks for the info,” I said, wanting the conversation to end. “But like I said, it’s not my business. Or yours.”

She peered up at me through her dark lashes. “True, do whatever you want with the info. She seems like a decent girl, and if someone is willing to save her, they better.” She reached out and ran her red-nailed hand over my arm as her lips tilted into a mischievous smile. “If not, let me know when you outgrow your crush, or are up for some revenge sex.”