Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel (The Rebel Series) (13 page)

He smiles back.
 
“I think it was more me asking for
permission
to ask you out.
 
I’m a little to scared to go right for the asking at this point.”

“Permission not granted.”

“Come to the movies with me tomorrow night.
 
My treat.
 
I’ll take you out to eat after at a really cool place.”

“No.”

“I’ll pick you up at six.”

“No. I’m busy.
 
Washing my bedspread … and stuff.”
 
I have no idea where that came from.
 
My brain has a tumor in it, apparently.

“Okay, then, I’ll just take Jersey instead.”

I yank my hand out of his, all my flirty happiness dissipating into thin air.
 
“No!” I take two steps towards the car, beyond pissed.
 
“See?
 
This is what I’m talking about!
 
You can’t ingratiate yourself into my family like that!”
 
I feel like I’m about to lose it.
 
If I don’t get a grip on myself soon, I’m going to be screaming and crying at the same time.
 
Looney bin city.

“Why not?
 
I like your family.”

“So?!
 
Who cares!
 
Go get your own family!”

His face falls and he steps back, like I physically rammed into him or something.
 
“Yeah.
 
Okay.
 
I got ya.”
 
He goes over to the car, leaving me standing there on the sidewalk like the total asshole I am.
 
God, I hate myself right now. What is wrong with me?

“Mick, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
 
Who tells a foster kid to fuck off her own family and go get one of his own?
 
Yeah.
 
That’s me.
 
I’m the dirtbag who someone should run over
right
now.

He opens the door and gets in, starting the engine up.
 
It rumbles to life as I stand outside his door.

“Are you just going to leave me here?” I ask.
 
I fully expect him to drive away and leave me in a cloud of exhaust, and I wouldn’t blame him for a second if he did.
 
I’m definitely going to get a blue ribbon for biggest bitch of the night.

He faces out the windshield, his expression serious.
 
“Get in the car.”

I want to stand there and beg for his forgiveness, but I don’t. Because I’m a coward, I do what he says instead and ride all the way to my house without saying anything.

When he pulls up to the curb, I put my hand on the inside door handle and turn to him.
 
“I really am sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says, staring out the front window.
 
“I got the message loud and clear.”

I sigh and get out.
 
There’s no point in trying to smooth this over.
 
Besides, it’s for the best if he decides I’m a bitch and better left alone.
 
The two of us getting together would only lead to heartache, and not just for me.
 
I cannot imagine the pain Jersey would go through losing Mick when Mick decides he’s had enough of my nonsense.
 
It would probably be worse than my own pain, and for that reason, I have to cut this thing off before it grows into something bigger and harder to end.

“Thanks for the ride,” I say as I go up the front walk towards my door, walking backwards.

He drives away without a word, and my heart feels like it’s bleeding in my chest, it hurts so damn much.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

MY MOM STICKS HER HEAD in the door to my room.
 
I can see her through a crack in my covers.
 
“Teagan’s here, sweetie.
 
She brought you lunch.”

I close the crack made by my bedspread so I can’t see her happy face anymore.
 
“Tell her I have ebola virus and to stay away.”

I hear some whispering that includes Teagan’s voice.
 
The door to my bedroom shuts.

“Get up, you skanky ho.
 
I have Taco Bell,” she says.

I peek out of my covers.
 
I have always been unable to resist the siren song of The Bell, and she knows it. I’d pretty much dive into a pool full of oh-my-god-those-are-not-Baby-Ruths for home-delivered Taco Bell.
Dammit
. Teagan has brought out the big guns.

The fact that she barely has any money to her name tells me how far she’s willing to go for me right now.
 
I resign myself to the fact that I have to respect that kind of dedication and eat every crumb of whatever she’s brought me.
 
That’s what friends do for friends.
 
I will just have to sacrifice.

“What kind of Taco Bell?” I say.

“Do you even need to ask?” she says with extreme confidence.
 
“Meal deal number three … three tacos supreme with extra sour cream, a caramel apple empanada on the side, and a large root beer.”
 
She holds the bag over my face.
 
“Go ahead, smell those delicious meat byproducts. Try and resist my power.”

My hand snakes out of the covers to snatch the paper bag out of her hand.
 
Once my bounty is secure, I sit up, dangling the steamy goodness above me.
 
“You had me at Taco.
 
Sit down, would ya?”

She takes a seat on the end of my bed.

Once I’m fully upright, I reach into the bag.
 
I hand her everything that wasn’t just described to me as part of meal deal number three and hold my hand out for one of the sodas she has in a cup holder.
 
“Gimme, gimme, gimme.”

She hands over the giant plastic cup with condensation gathering on the sides, and I rest it in a little pocket I make in my covers.

Once it’s freed from the wrapper, I take a bite of the first taco and a long gulp of soda as a chaser.
 
Holy awesome bad food.
 
Yummy, yummy get in my tummy.
 
Only after I’ve fully consumed that first taco do I begin talking.

“So … what happened with Rebel?”
 
I use some root beer to swish the meat grains from between my teeth.
 
It’s some kind of miracle how the old T-Bell is able to provide me with meat the size and consistency of large sand granules like that.
 
Respect, Mr. Bell, respect.

She criss-crosses her legs and puts her bag in the circle they make.
 
“We had a looong talk.
 
I haven’t slept yet, as a matter of fact.”
 
She smiles like the Cheshire Cat as she crunches away on a deep fried piece of what looks suspiciously like Styrofoam covered in cinnamon sugar.

“Do I smell the scent of hot lovin’ on your clothing today, perchance?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow to give extra punch to my taunting.

She kicks me through the covers.
 
“Ew.
 
No.
 
I took a shower.”

“So what was his lame excuse?”
 
I take a giant bite of taco number two that quickly turns into four giant bites when it starts to crumble in my hand.
 
I have a personal goal not to let anything drop to the paper wrapper waiting below.
 
I have this taco-eating down to a science, yo.

She shrugs, fiddling with her straw.
 
“I guess it all boils down to the fact that they had a brief thing going on where they’d have sex after work, but they never actually went out on a date and he never felt any spark with her.
 
But she assumed it was a lot more and basically looked like an ass after it was all over after bragging that she was going to be the one to snag him forever.”

“Wow.
 
She was basing future marriage proposals on after-work sex and no dates?”

“Apparently.”
 
Teagan shrugs again.

“And you believe him?”

She sighs loudly.
 
“I didn’t at first.
 
But then I played back in my head the things Olga said and did and what I know about Rebel, and I decided that if I’m going to distrust anyone in this thing it’s going to be her, not him.
 
He’s done nothing but be good to me from day one, so I have to believe he wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Well … except for stealing your ID at the club that night.”

“He did that to keep me close.
 
He knew I’d come back for it.”

The silly smile on Teagan’s face tells me she considers this romantic somehow.
 
My memory of the event was much more of the annoyed variety, but I keep that comment to myself.
 
I’m not going to be the one to stand in the way of her happiness.

“Okay, fine.
 
So your lovelife is back online.
 
I’m happy for you.”

“Are you really?”
 
She puts her drink on her thigh.
 
“Tell me the truth.”

I scoot back so I can lean on my headboard.
 
“Listen, if I thought he was messing with you and doing bad things, I’d say something.
 
I don’t want you to get hurt, especially with all the other shit you have going on.
 
But every vibe I get from him is good.” I shrug. “I think he really likes you a ton.
 
Shoot, maybe he even loves you.”
 
A spark of jealously flickers in my heart, but I stomp it down in a nanosecond, knowing shit like that has no place in a BFF relationship.
 
“I just want you to be happy, and as long as he’s the guy making that happen, he’s on my good list.”

She nods.
 
“So what’s up with you and Mick?”

I roll my eyes to the ceiling and take a long drink of my soda.
 
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
 
I burp, and it turns out to be the perfect expression of the whole affair.
 
Blaaaaapity barp!
 
What a mess.

“He gave you a ride home, right?”

“Yes, he did.
 
But only after making me act like a total fool.”

“How’d he do that?”
 
She takes a monster bite of her burrito and bits of refried bean ooze out of the corners of her mouth.

“You have a serious problem, you know that?” I throw a napkin at her.

“Whaaa?” she asks, letting more beans fall.

I have to look away.
 
“Seriously, I’m hung over.
 
You have to stop.”

“Maybe you should skip that empanada if you’re not feeling well,” she says, reaching over.

I slap her hand away.
 
“And maybe you should skip trying to get bitch-slapped into next week.
 
Hands off the empanada, Tea-bag.”

“Stop stalling,” she says, leaning away from me and wiping her mouth.
 
“Tell me about Mick.
 
What did he make you do?”

“Mick is … Mick is …”
 
I sigh.
 
“Mick is too charming for his own good and I cannot deal with his ass right now.”

“Why not?”

“
Because
.
 
I have to graduate and get a job and a house and adopt Jersey.”
 
I don’t meet her eyes.

Teagan laughs seriously at first and then with a confused tone.
 
“Wait … what?”

My jaw goes off center as I wait for her arguments to come.
 
I’m staring at the ceiling.
 
I don’t want to see her looking at me like I’m crazy.

“Seriously? You want to adopt your own brother? Is that even possible?”

I finally look at her when I realize she’s not mocking me.
 
“Not adopt him, but take him into my custody, yes.
 
That’s my plan.”

“But … that’s your parents’ job.”

“Yeah, while they’re young and able to do it.
 
But soon they won’t be and then it’ll be my job.”
 
A lump develops in my throat as I picture Jersey and me all alone for the rest of our lives.
 
I guess life could be worse, but it sure looks kind of lonely from here.
 
It could be that the taco shrapnel all over my lap isn’t helping.
 
I’ve obviously lost my touch with the taco-inhaling system I developed over about a hundred meal deals.

“But that won’t be for another twenty years.”
 
Teagan’s looking at me like I’m nuts now. And maybe I am, but that’s not going to change anything.

“They shouldn’t be taking care of a kid in their seventies, okay?
 
They got started late as it is.
 
They need to be retired and enjoying grandkids, not chasing after a dumbass who eats chalk as soon as their backs are turned.”

“I thought it was chapstick,” Teagan says.

“Chalk, chapstick, cat turds … whatever.
 
He sees it, he eats it.”

She barks out a laugh.
 
“Cat turds?”

I sigh heavily.
 
“Apparently, someone around the hood told him to lick a cat turd.
 
I haven’t figured out who it is yet, but when I do, that person is going down to ass-kicking town, courtesy of my right foot.”

“Yours and mine both.” She nods, dead serious.

I love it when Teagan gets all badass for my family.
 
It makes my heart sing.
 
“You are the best BFF of all BFFs, you know that?” A real live grin finally lights up my face.
 
Right now, in this moment, the future doesn’t seem quite as dim as it did thirty minutes ago.
 
Maybe it’s because then I was under my covers replaying all the horrible things I did to Mick, but whatever.
 
I love my little Tea-Tea.
 
Rebel better treat her right or I’m going to unload on his ass.