Forever Dark(37)

He shoves me back, Saylor’s there as well as Landon to catch me as we head into the locker room. I’m called on taunting and a penalty but it doesn’t matter. It was worth it. Nothing gets me more fired up than guys never getting called on penalties when it was clear he has clothes lined Landon more than once after the play.

Inside the locker room, coach is going over the first half when Landon looks up at me and nods. It’s his thank you.

I do the same.

For once.

Though I had two turnovers, two fumbles, and I remember those, we stomped the Cougars that night. It left all of us on an adrenaline high that wasn’t stopping tonight. I was at one party, drank probably four beers and was looking for a better one when I saw Macy outside the frat house, looking pissed.

“You okay?” I bump her shoulder.

“I’m going to kill Landon.” She cries against my chest. “I hate him so much sometimes.”

I don’t know what to say to her. I’m not good with this shit but I help her have fun tonight and make her forget about him for a while.

“I know of a party!” I say wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

“Thank God.”

We’re sitting beside each other at another party three houses down, I’m telling Macy about finding cocaine in Madison’s night stand, drink in hand when Macy looks over at me, her face sincere and curious. “Do you ever think about us together?”

I look at her funny surprised by her question. “What?”

“Me and you?”

I choke on my beer, completely caught off guard by that question. “No.” I answer honestly. “Never.” It’s never crossed my mind like that. She’s always been Landon’s girl. And though he’s made moves on mine, and probably hundreds of others, that’s not me. I don’t do shit like that.

“Oh.” She nods and I can see the tension roll over her.

“Well, fuck, I didn’t mean it like that, Macy but it’s the whole ‘bros before ho’s’ thing.” I wrap my arm around her. “I just meant that you’re like my sister in so many ways that it would be weird to think of you as anything else.”

“Got it.” She says barely able to speak the words.

I want to fucking punch myself for saying anything.

“Are you mad?”

“No.” She shakes her head and I know she’s lying.

“I do find you attractive.”

“Well, you should.” Her tone’s mocking as the beer she’s drinking drifts to her lips. “You’re dating my twin sister.” She takes a drink and then continues peeling off the paper label on the outside of the dark bottle.

“Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.” There’s amusement in my voice and I’m hoping it relaxes her. “I fuck her at three in the morning… occasionally. Don’t go putting a fancy title like dating on it.”

Macy starts laughing to the point where she’s snorting. But then she looks sad. I should probably clear some things up.

“You know I find you attractive and you’re an amazing girl… but I’m hopeless.”

“Me too.”

I raise my beer. “To hopeless hos.”

“You’re so weird.” But then her smile grows as she raises her own beer. “To the broken bitches!”

When I’m around Macy, we don’t think, we just laugh. She’s funny to me with a laid back easiness and always popping off with random shit. We people watch too and try to make up what we think couples are talking about.

She points to a guy flirting with who I think is a cheerleader but I’m not positive. I certainly don’t know all of them. “I bet he’s thinking about how far that fist will fit up that bitch’s ass.”

I choke on my drink for the second time tonight.

When I look closer at the guy, I can’t help but laugh. He literally has the skinniest fingers I’ve ever seen. “Look at that guy’s fingers! They’re like green beans.”

Macy starts laughing so hard her entire body is shaking. “You can’t trust a man like that.”

“Oh, hell no,” I nod. “You can’t.”





We’re still at the same party, only now we’re in the kitchen after doing shots with Saylor and Austin, another football player. We’re all laughing and having a good time when Macy looks down at her phone noticing a text from Landon. I know she’s thinking of ditching me to run to Landon to see what he needs, if anything.

“There’s always a choice, Macy.”

“Sometimes there’s not, Cash.” She’s trying to spin this on me, her eyes accusing.