The First Last Boy(18)

I helped Brooklyn into the house, my heart aching for my friend. Anger  and sadness pelted me. With shaking hands, I dug out a pair of pajamas  for her and went to start the shower. When I came back, I said, "Are you  sure you don't want to go to the police? I'll go with you."

She shook her head, her eyes huge in her face. "The police, maybe a  trial, maybe the guys get off with a slap on the wrist, the hurt in my  mother's eyes. I can't deal with any of that." Moving slowly, she got up  from the bed and shuffled toward the bathroom.



An hour later, after Brooklyn showered and climbed back up onto her bed,  there was noise in the hallway, then Cooper and Ryan knocked on the  doorframe of her room.

She looked at both of them and then at me. "Do you think I was asking for it?" she said in a sad, broken voice.

"No, you weren't." I said.

She searched Ryan's face. "Even after what I said in the kitchen?"

Without hesitation, he shook his head. "No, I don't think you were asking for it."

Cooper walked all the way into the room and hovered beside her, taking  care that he wasn't in her personal space. "It's not your fault and you  don't have anything to be ashamed of. Understand?"

Ryan nodded. "Coop's right. Those guys got the memo and they won't bother you again."

Cooper watched Brooklyn's bowed head for a second, then tore a piece of  paper from a notebook on her desk. He wrote something on it, then handed  it to her. "My number. If you want to talk or need me to kick someone's  ass."

Brooklyn crumpled the paper into her hand. "Thank you both for what you did."

"I'll stay with you, tonight," I said, pushing back a strand of her hair that fell across her face.

Brooklyn shook her head. "No, I just want to go to sleep." She reached  for a stuffed bear on her bed and hugged her arms around it. "I need to  be alone. Please."

I rubbed her back. "I wish you'd let me stay."

"I'm okay, Tana." She looked at me with haunted eyes.

I gave her a gentle hug, wishing I could say something, wishing I could  somehow rewind time and prevent what happened. "I'll check in with you  later and I'll come the second you say you want me here."

"Thank you."

As I walked toward the door of her room, Cooper said something to her  that I didn't catch. Brooklyn's lower lip trembled and she nodded.

I hung around for a second, waiting for Cooper to leave with us but when  the two of them kept talking in a low voice, I finally left with Ryan.

On the drive back to my house, even though I wasn't sure I was ready to know, I asked, "What's SB justice?"

Ryan draped his wrist across the top of the steering wheel and glanced  in the rearview mirror. He changed lanes, then said, "Southtown Boys."

"The gang?" My eyes widened. I'd heard stories about their exploits. Bad  ass boys with a penchant for fast cars, fast girls and a life bound for  prison. I tried to work down the lump in my throat and didn't ask any  more questions. I took out my phone and sent Brooklyn a text and got one  back in response. She was fine. She was okay. She was lying to me. I  sighed and leaned my forehead against the window. I couldn't stop the  shudder that rippled through me. I'd danced with Sam, the creep. That  could have been me. I should have warned Brooklyn about him. I should  have said something. Maybe if I would have said something she wouldn't  have been hurt. I started crying. Burying my face in my hands, I sobbed  with bone deep tears that shredded me.         

     



 

The Charger slowed, then stopped as Ryan pulled onto the grass by a  ditch. We were in a stretch of the road where there were no houses, no  businesses, just the wide-open fields and wildflowers. Ryan got out and  came around to the passenger side. He opened the door, released my  seatbelt and pulled me into his arms. He held me tightly. "Everything's  okay."

I wrapped my arms around him, the warmth of his chest searing through my  dress. I pressed my face into the side of his neck. "I danced with Sam.  I should have told you that he was rough with me and then maybe I could  have prevented what happened to Brooklyn."

Ryan's body stiffened. "Rough with you?"

"Yeah. He squeezed me really hard."

"Sam's not going to be in a position to hurt anyone for a long time and  this isn't your fault any more than it's Brooklyn's." He wiped away my  tears with his thumbs. "She's safe, you're safe. That's what matters."

I sniffed. "When girls don't go to the police, sometimes guys think it's  because what happened is okay since she was drinking. But dealing with  the police and everyone talking is hard. Then if it does ever go to  court, the guy who did it doesn't always get found guilty and that  sucks, you know?"

Ryan swallowed and tilted my head up to look into my eyes. "You sound  like you have experience with this. Did you lie to me at the park when  we first met? Did someone try to attack you?"

"No, not at all. I promise," I said through my tears. "I'm an open book  when it comes to you. You know more about me than my own mom does." I  rubbed my hand across his scuffed up knuckles, glad that Ryan and the  others had kicked Sam's ass even if I didn't want to know exactly what  they'd done to the guys after they'd driven off with them. "Thank you  for helping Brooklyn." It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what a  beautiful soul I thought he had but I knew if I did that, he'd only  tell me he didn't have one.







RYAN



The closer it came to the time to be with Tana, the edgier I felt. Like  it was everything I was waiting for and all that I should leave alone.  Before I could even blink, Friday afternoon arrived and it was time for  me to take off from the garage. Time for me to take Tana places her body  had never been before.

I stopped at the house, took a shower to wash the day's grime off, and  packed an overnight bag with a change of clothes. After what had  happened to Brooklyn, I'd asked Tana if she wanted to cancel, but she'd  said no. The only person Brooklyn was talking to right now was Cooper,  which her brothers weren't too happy about.

I tried not to think too much about having sex with Tana because when I  did, it made the front of my jeans so painfully tight, the material  closed around me like my junk was caught in a vice grip.

Just in case some shit went down, I told Juvante where I'd be but not  with who even though he'd ribbed me about it. I didn't want to give Tana  a reputation she didn't deserve. She wasn't that kind of girl.

I tried to be calm and cool but I beat all the lights on the way to her  house. My survival instinct kept telling me to drive the opposite  direction but I didn't listen. Like a man possessed, I kept the gas  pedal down and the tires burning the asphalt around every turn.

The minute I pulled into her driveway, the door flung open and she  hurried down the steps. Another short skirt, this one black, hugged her  waist and showed off her long legs. I thought about having them wrapped  around my waist and swallowed hard at the frenzy the image created in my  head.

She eased into the passenger seat and then slapped her forehead. "I  forgot my bag." She ran back inside the house and came back breathing  heavily. "Okay."

I started to back out as she put on her seatbelt and she grabbed my arm.  "Wait! I didn't lock the door." Fingers shaking, she opened her purse.  When she pulled out a key ring, the force of her trembling made the keys  dance together.

I took them from her, put the car in Park and pulled her head toward  mine. She leaned in and the action made the skirt ride up, showing off  her tanned thighs. I put my hand on her knee, clenching my teeth  together at the contrast of hard and soft.

Her gaze locked on mine as I moved to kiss her softly. I could get drunk  on the potency of her lips. I traced the inside of her lower lip with  my tongue and she arched her back, returning the kiss with a small moan.  When she opened her mouth a little more, I slid my tongue inside,  mating it with hers.

"Ryan..." Her lips pulled at my lower lip, sucking on it and the top of my damn head nearly exploded.         

     



 

I couldn't remember ever wanting a girl as much as I wanted Tana, but  now wasn't the place. Not here in the front of my car where she'd be  exposed to anyone who walked by. I gripped her arms and forced us to  part. "Hold that thought," I said before I went to lock the door of her  house.

I returned and she gave a short laugh. "This is going to be the longest drive in my life."

"It's not that far. About thirty miles."

"That's not what I meant." She slid her hand across the console between  us, palm up, and I linked my fingers with hers. With that simple act, I  knew I was in trouble. I didn't hold hands with girls. I didn't go on  dates. I didn't make promises. I hoped that Tana wasn't suddenly  thinking there was going to be more to this than there would be. But  more than that, I hoped I wasn't beginning to think along the same  lines.