Break My Fall(80)

“No problem. I know how you like it.” She twirled her hair around her finger and smiled down at me.

“Uh, keep the change?” I told her, feeling a little uncomfortable from the way she was staring at me.

“Oh thanks, you were always big with your tips.”

I edged further away from her. “Okay...”

I raised a brow to Cam for help. She scoffed and shook her head with that ‘you’re on your own buddy’ expression.

“So my shift finishes in five minutes and my place is just off campus. You remember where…” Oh, so that was what the sexual innuendos were about; I had forgotten.

“Sorry, not interested Lauren.” I was getting tired of girls throwing themselves at me. I wished I could have Lee here with me, so they’d back the fuck off, but as much as I wanted her here, the need to protect her from Rachel and all my bullshit outweighed that want.

Lauren pouted and put her hands on her hips. Jesus Christ, take the hint.

“I’m sure I can get you interested. You sure were interested last time.”

I mentally scolded myself for sleeping with the girl, but in my defense, I’d been a horny freshmen and she’d been an easy fuck. I was a different person now.

Cam cleared her throat. “Um, sweetie, maybe you could go and interest yourself in a book? Preferable one that explains body language, so next time you can read the signs when a man isn’t interested.”

I doubled up with laughter, as Lauren marched off. “That was brilliant. Her face was priceless.”

Cam smiled, checking her nails. “What can I say, I’m amazing.”

The café door opened and Derek strolled in. “Hey,” he said, chirpier than I had. He kissed Cam on the head before sliding into the chair alongside her. “Oh, thank Jesus we’re finishing for the holidays today,” he said, beckoning a waitress with a hand. Thankfully, a different one came to take his coffee order. “If I have to sit through another one of Professor Garethy’s lectures on maternal fucking monkeys, I swear I’ll stab myself in the eyes with this spoon.” He gestured towards to spoon on the table.

“That kind of defeats the purpose, considering you’d be blind, not deaf?” I said. I couldn’t figure out why Derek was taking philosophy. He was the least philosophical person I knew, if you didn’t count his theories on the wonderful world of the vagina; ‘live by the vagina, die by the vagina.'

Derek huffed, as he shrugged off his coat. “You obviously haven’t seen Professor Garethy. Trust me; I’d be doing my eyes a kind mercy.” He shuddered dramatically.

“Oh poor baby, let’s go home and I’ll show you something that will make you reconsider blinding yourself,” Cam suggested and I gagged.

“I might need something for my mouth too,” Derek said eagerly before sticking his tongue down her throat.





Chapter Thirty-seven





Lee





Christmas was my favorite time of year. Even as a child, when Santa didn’t bring me presents and I didn’t get turkey, I loved the holiday. I used to love listening to the Christmas songs on the radio and the other children in my class talking about what toys they were getting and how their moms’ baked apple pies and cinnamon rolls.

My favorite Christmas was when I was seven. My father’s appendix had burst on Christmas Eve and he was rushed to the hospital. He’d left me with Cam’s parents, much to my delight.

I loved their house; it was always so clean and smelled so nice and I got my first Christmas present that year; a Malibu Barbie. I remembered Mrs. Frey telling me that Santa knew I was sleeping at their house and had left my present there. I also remembered the sad look on her face when I asked her if Santa knew how to find my daddy’s house, because I had never gotten a present before?

She had cried and I’d thought I was in big trouble for making her cry, but Mrs. Frey had hugged me instead of hitting me.

It was the best Christmas.

“Since you’re the youngest, you should do the honors,” Kyle said, bringing me back to the present. Cam and Derek were out and we decided to decorate the tree. Kyle pressed the angel ornament into my hands.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” I pointed to the tree, but that’s a seven foot Christmas tree and I’m about two feet too short.”

He snorted, “That’s easily solved short-ass.” I squealed in surprise, as Kyle lifted me up.

I placed the angel on the top of the tree. “Make sure it’s on straight baby.”

I checked, “It is.”

Kyle set me down and we stepped back to admire our work. The tree looked quite tragic. Mismatched baubles were scattered on the branches with every different color of tinsel. The lights were a hideous blue.