Devour (5 page)

“Hey! Ready to sell the mess outta some t-shirts? Mrs. Collins said if we don’t sell the t-shirts tonight, she won’t order anymore. I say we kiss whoever buys one. They’ll sell like hotcakes.”

“You go right ahead,” I told her laughing. “I’ll stick to the buttons and mugs.”

Sarah was the quirky friend. She wore these outrageous outfits and her crazy curly red hair was always bunched into some kinda wild bun or pigtails. She was so very pretty and guys liked her because she was fun and outgoing, and her skirts were usually shorter than they should be.

Within no time, the people started pouring in and I saw Eli. He looked casual and did a subtle double take when he saw me. He smiled and made his way over to me but Sarah intercepted him. I couldn’t hear them because her back was to me but I saw her put her hand on his arm and I felt a flare of something strange go through me. Jealousy? Me? No...

I looked back up to see Eli watching me with a slightly shocked expression. He seemed almost pleased about something and it irked me even more, though he was looking at me not Sarah. But I had no right or claim to him. I had a boyfriend and felt bad enough as it was. I wiped those thoughts away and concentrated on the people flowing by.

“So, anyway,” she was saying as she walked towards me with her arm in his. “I sit in the middle behind the home team. I’ll find you when I’m done, ok?”
“Alright,” he said smoothly and detangled himself from her. “Clara, hey.”

Sarah bristled and a frown appeared as she heard his tone. She huffed silently and turned to take care of a customer.

“Hey, you made it.”

“I told you I would.”

“Listen. Are you ok? You seem to be acting a little...strange and you ran out of class today. I’ve never been the new kid before but I’m sure it sucks.”

“It’s not that. I’m just going through something, I guess.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry if I was rude.”

“No. No, I was just worried about you,” I assured and turned the ring on my finger to keep from looking at him.

“You were worried about me,” he repeated and smiled crookedly at me.

“Yeah...Ok. Well, we’ll be done here in a few minutes. We’ll join you, if you want to sit with us,” I said, giving him an out if he wanted it.
“Yeah,” he said softly and flicked his eyes to the table. “And I’ll take a...hmm. What’s a big selling item?”

“Mugs and buttons are our biggest.”

“What’s your lamest?”

“T-shirts.”

“Well them I’ll take a t-shirt.”

I laughed and picked through them to find his size and took his ten dollars.

“You want the lamest item? Why? Trying to go against the flow?” I joked.

“Nope, just don’t want the t-shirt to feel left out,” he said and winked before walking away.

“OMG. He was so flirting with you,” Sarah said loudly and I shh’ed her.

“No, he’s not. You’re just like Tate. Just because a guy talks to me doesn’t mean he wants to date me, ok?”

“Yeah but I want to date him and he wants to date you. I can tell these things.”

“Well then get your radar checked,” I yelled playfully. “Everyone needs to get over it. I’m dating Tate, end of story.”

“We’ll it better be. You already got a hunk!” she chimed. “Well, let me sit next to him when we go out there, ok? I need a little help. Maybe I came on too strong earlier,” she mused and bit her thumb nail.

“You? Never,” I said, my sarcasm dripping.

We laughed as we put up our wares and made our way to the packed bleachers. It seemed the whole town came out for these things. I let Sarah sit next to Eli and other than a quick look from him, I received no reaction. Once we sat down I remembered that I hadn’t had any supper and was going to get a hotdog. I turned to Sarah to say as much but Eli stood and waved me off.

“I’ll get it. I was going anyway.”

“Ok, great, thanks.”

“You want anything, Sarah?” he asked politely.

“Diet Coke, no ice, please.”

“Sure thing.”

As soon as he was gone she leaned over and put her head on my shoulder dreamily.

“His eyes. Oh my gosh, those eyes! Have you seen them? The most gorgeous purple eyes ever.”

Yes, I wanted to say. Yes, I’d seen his gorgeous eyes. In fact, I saw them first. But I held my tongue and looked out to see Tate about to take the mat. As Sarah droned on in my ear about Eli’s accent, Tate looked for me and when he found me he smiled. He made kiss lips at me too, making Sarah produce gagging noises beside me. I punched her arm playfully and she laughed before starting a chant for our team. Eli came back a couple minutes later with our food and drinks and passed them out before taking a seat...next to me.

I heard Sarah huff beside me and I tried not to giggle. I glanced at Eli and he was smiling like he knew a secret.

We watched the match and I finished my hotdog in record time. Sarah was going on and on about the opposing team. About how hot Tate’s wrestling opponent was and how she was going to get his number after the match. Eli was forgotten, just like that.

The match didn’t last long. We won, of course, and Mike and Deidre finally made their way over to us.

“Hey, guys. Snitzy’s right? Let’s go get a burger,” Mike reminded.

“We just ate,” Sarah groaned but then changed her expression to a smile. “But I’d love to go and hang out. Eli, you in?”

“Are you in?” he asked me and I saw Deidre put a hand on her hip in my peripheral.

“Yeah. It’s still early. My curfew’s midnight.”

“Then, I’m in,” he answered and smiled slightly at me.

Deidre pushed Mike aside, squeezed herself towards us and then plopped herself on Eli’s lap. Eli remained still and expressionless as he watched me. When she wound her arms around his neck, I closed my eyes and shook my head as I looked away.

“So,” Dee started, “Clara, why don’t you go get your boyfriend?”

“I’m sure he’s coming.”

“Well then let’s go. I’m riding with Eli.”

Being able to tolerate Dee was getting harder by the minute. So I got up without a word and walked to the locker room. Tate was all showered and changed, checking his phone when I came up. I apparently startled him because he looked shocked at seeing me. He put his phone away quickly, like he’d been waiting for a call or text maybe.

“What’s up? Are you ok?” I asked.

“Yeah. I was about to text you but here you are.” He kissed my cheek and threw an arm around my shoulder. “What’s up with you? You never come to the locker rooms after matches.”

“Everybody wants to go eat, remember? You still wanna come with us?”

“Everybody who?”

“Mike, Dee, Eli-”

“Ok. Cool.”

We all piled into Tate’s truck and Mike’s car and made our way across town. Dee and Eli rode in the back seat of the truck with us and I heard Dee trying to coax him into taking her out this weekend. He didn’t say much but once when I glanced back, she had her lips on his chin, nipping playfully and then kissing it. Eli and my eyes locked for a second before I looked away.

Tate pulled me from the seat out his door once we arrived. He seemed anxious or riled up. Maybe it was the match. He held my hand a little too tightly. I looked at him funny and he smirked and kissed my fingers as we waited for everyone else to order. Tate ordered me an iced coffee and himself a big burger with the works. We sat scattered around two pushed together tables and listened to the country playing on the radio above us screaming some Taylor Swift song.

For some reason my eyes kept drifting to Dee and Eli. He seemed so disinterested so why did he let her touch him and carry on like that? Every time I looked his way, he was already looking at me. You’d think I’d be creeped out or feel weird about it but, it felt almost welcome to me. It was strange why I was so ok with it but I knew I had to let this go...whatever this little attraction to Eli was. So when Tate started touching me, I completely opened myself up to it and tried to feel every sensation it gave me. I wanted to be full of Tate, my boyfriend.

I ran my hand up his thigh after he did the same to me. I played with his fingers as his thumb caressed my wrist. When he leaned over to peck the side of my neck, as he did often, I leaned back to him and kissed his jaw, my hand gripping his arm. He looked at me with a pleased but surprised face. He pulled me to sit in his lap.

“What’s gotten into you?” he whispered amusedly in my ear.

“What? You don’t want me to?”

“Oh, I want you to. You’re just usually not like this.”

“Well, I want to play tonight,” I said and bit my lip. “Is that wrong?”

He grinned and pulled my face to his, his lips were greedy and I tasted alcohol. Someone had brought a flask with them and the guys had spiked their drinks. Great. I didn’t stop though, there was no point. I ran my hands through his hair and let him kiss me. I stopped him once his hand tried to slide too far up my thigh.

“Clara,” he growled quietly in my ear. “You are such a tease.” I looked at him but he was smiling a little. “One of these days...”

He seemed a little more frustrated with the brakes than usual. I wondered about it but let it go.

When the girl brought our food, I cringed, knowing exactly what was coming.

“Hey, Molly. Nice costume. You know it’s not Halloween yet but you get points for showing up early,” Dee sneered and the expected heckling and laughing followed.

Molly was our school Goth. She worked at this burger joint that we loved to come to and Dee and the rest of them always gave her crap every time we came.

“Bite me, Deidre. You couldn’t pull off black anyway.”

“Oh, you’re right about that. I’m not dead.”

“Yet,” Molly said and smiled brightly before bouncing off.

Dee fumed and huffed.

“Eli, did you hear what she said to me?”

“Yep,” he answered easily.

“Well?” she replied indignantly.

“Well?” he said and drug it out to be sarcastic.

“You’re not going to do anything about it? She practically threatened me!” she yelled and put a hand on her chest to barter some sympathy.

“That sounds like a job for a boyfriend to me.”

She scoffed as Mike and Tom laughed. I saw her turn red but then she switched and smiled, albeit fake.

“Ah, is that your way of asking me to go out with you? So sweet,” she said and kissed his cheek from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He didn’t comment and didn’t look at her, only me. I started to wonder why no one noticed that he’d pretty much stared at me all night.

Before Molly returned, Dee orchestrated revenge, as always. She poured her water glass on the floor next to her chair. When Molly came, Dee specifically complained about her burger and asked her to come view the hair in plain sight. When she did, she slipped and fell on her butt, right there in front of everyone, including other customers.

“Oopsy! That’s a Workman’s Comp. claim right there,” Dee said seriously then burst out laughing and the minions followed suit.

“Yeah, Molls,” Mike yelled. “I’d watch it. You’re gonna flatten out that back side even more. We’ll have to change your name to no-butt.”

I stayed quiet as I always did as they cackled like hyenas around me, and so did Eli. Molly got up, red faced and embarrassed and stalked behind the counter. When she came to give us our ticket, Mike asked her how her fall had been. It must have hurt, he said, because she had no padding to break it and then he tried to grab her butt…again. Molly just slammed the ticket on the table and left. They didn’t leave a tip, they never did.

I threw a couple dollars down as I walked out but it wasn’t nearly enough for a group our size.

Tate dropped me off at home and Eli got out as well, saying he could walk, it wasn’t far. Tate kissed me and then saluted Eli.