Good Girl (Playroom) (32 page)

“I thought we’d have some fun, Spanky,” Kieren snarks from the backseat, but I
can hear that his heart isn’t in it.

That damn nickname stuck. Kieren was so proud of my badassery that he runs around town telling anyone who’ll listens. Half the town is calling me Spanky when I walk down the street. The nickname takes on different connotations when it comes to the Playroomers. Bethany asked me the other day if my thing was impact play. I didn’t know what the
hell she was talking about. Bethany laughed and spanked my ass. That light bulb moment made me realize how far out of my depth I was. Kieren can be such a fuckface.

I ignore Kieren as I pull up to the curb outside of the Webster and Prynne houses. “Seth, I’m picking you up after school tomorrow, don’t forget.”

“I won’t,” Seth chirps from behind me and yanks my ponytail. “Night, Sapling.”

“Great- see what you’ve done now?” I bitch at Kieren
, meeting his mischievous gaze through the rearview mirror.

I’ll never just be Willow again. Now that Kieren’s nickname stuck
, everyone is calling me by something different- Good Girl, Monster, Sapling, Spanky. I just want to be me- Willow. Seth hasn’t called me Sapling since Sam passed away. Hearing that word said in affection from a face that looks so much like Sam is heart wrenching.

“Shit!” I hiss when I notice Violet sulking to the front porch. “Wait up,” I shout at her as I struggle with my s
eatbelt. “Hey,” my voice comes softer than I’d meant.

Lately Violet’s feelings get hurt super easy. No matter how big of a brat I
am, I just can’t gloat over Violet’s jealousy anymore. I’m trying, but it’s not easy to stop fourteen years of bad behavior in a few short weeks.

I grab Violet’s
wrist and she doesn’t lash out at me, that’s how I know that I’ve hurt her feelings- yet again. “It’s not like that, Violet, I’m not excluding you. Seth needs help with a school project. Ya wanna hang out afterwards, just us girls. We can watch a movie or something. Seth doesn’t like a good romantic comedy.”

“Neither do you,” Violet
pointedly mutters. “You guys love that sci-fi stuff,” she dejectedly mumbles.

After Robbie said some nasty stuff to me a few weeks back, I realized how bad it sucks to have your older brother tear you to shreds, even if they don’t
mean it. I’m still hurt that Robbie didn’t go to my birthday party, and that was months ago. I may be the twins’ aunt, but we were raised as siblings. I took the leap that maybe Violet looks up to me, and I’m a shitty sister for not connecting to her.

“I’ve acquired a girly side lately. I enjoy watching swoon-worthy hotties declare undying devotion to plain-Janes. I get to live vicariously through them since I know I’ll never have a guy go down on bended knee for me.”

I’m overcome with shyness. I look at the ground, blushing, and twist my fingers together. I peek up and notice Violet is doing the same thing. “Okay,” Violet mumbles under her breath, and then excitedly says, “It’s a date. I’ll have Mom make us some snacks.”

Violet
runs up the porch steps and waltzes through the front door. The screen door smacking the frame has me flinching. Movement of the curtain snapping back into place has me huffing out a gulp of air. Clover… she’s been super emotional lately, too. Every time she sees Violet and me getting along, she gets misty-eyed. It’s freaking me the fuck out. Clover’s our cold-hearted bitch, and if she changes too, it will upset the balance of the universe.

“I’m glad you’re
finally getting along with Princess,” Kieren announces as I’m belting myself back in.

“Dude, do you even know our names? I th
ink you nickname us something you can remember,” I snort.

“Nicknames make a person feel special. I like you guys, and I want you to know it. If I didn’t, I’d just
call you a bitch,” Kieren snaps back at me.

“Sorry,” I groan. “I think that should be my first tattoo. Just tattoo the bitch across my forehead. That way
, no matter how far I shove my foot in my mouth, you’d know I was apologizing… Where’s this fun at, Kieren? So far this outing has been the emotional equivalent of water-boarding.”

“Are you sure you want to do this tonight?” Devon turns around to look at his brother. “Everyone is on edge. It’s not a good time.”

“Stop dragging your feet. I brought something to change the mood, but you won’t like it- or maybe you’ll like it a little too much. Drive to
Wreck & Ruin Repair
on River Street. The loft above the service bay is my hidey-hole.”

“Oh my God, I’m a dumb cunt,” I chuckle until I start snorting like a dipshit. “I get it now- you know a good mechanic. Christ, I’m an idiot.
Your four-wheel drive really went out.”

“What’d ya think I need
ed the money for, Spanky? I needed to buy a part. I am the good mechanic. Super-fast service with a smile,” Kieren sings in a southern drawl and flashes me a charming smile.

“Ren, don’t ever pull that accent again,” Devon taunts. “It’s not working for ya, brother. Stick with your Southie.” 

“Oh, don’t make me pull out that Boston gibberish,” Kieren snorts.

“Children, we’re here…” I drawl. “Where do I park?” 

~Twenty-Eight~

Bookended by a pair of smoking hot brothers isn’t awkward at all… nope, not at all awkward… or so I tell myself. In fact, all three of us are extremely comfortable lounging on the futon mattress amid
Wreck & Ruin Repair’s
inventory of car parts… If you can believe that shit, then I’m a six foot tall Barbie doll with double-d tits.

Kieren’s hidey-hole is
a small storage loft above the main service bay of the mechanic shop. The roof-pitch is its walls with the opening looking out over the bay. A tiny ladder is the only access. No worries that someone will catch us up here since Kieren dragged the ladder up, effectively trapping our asses up here.

“So… is there a reason we’re hiding out?” I fray the cuff of my sleeve to hide my anxi
ety. Devon and Kieren stare each other down over my head. Their tortured expression is so similar that it makes my heart race. I’m mesmerized as I watch Devon’s jaw clench and release- I’m pretty sure I can hear his molars being ground down to nubs.

“I’ll start since my big brother seems to have turned mute
,” Kieren snidely says. “We’re here because no one else is. Everywhere we go is filled with prying eyes and listening ears. I’m sick of being the hedonistic four’s pet project. I think we should make our own little group. I’d let you name it, Spanky, but you know my nicknaming skills are unparalled,” Kieren’s arrogance knows no bounds.

“Ren
’s my best friend, you’re my best friend, and if our matchmaking works, our families will be connected. You need the truth, Willow. I don’t want any more secrets between us. Someday, you may make a choice and I don’t want my issues to influence you. Fuck,” Devon hisses and jumps up to pace in a two-foot square of unused space. “Ren-” Devon’s tortured gasp rips tears from my eyes. “Christ, I can’t do it. I just can’t! Don’t make me do it,” he pleads.

“I’ll do it
, then,” Kieren despondently mutters.  

“NO! I’m the big brother. I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you, God dammit!” Devon screams bloody-murder- a deep keen that draws a sob from my chest. His words echo back, over and over from the service bay beneath us.

“It’s been me and you, side-by-side, since I was twelve and you were fourteen, bro. None of that superhero bullshit outta your mouth again! I brought something to help, but it has consequences. It’s up to you,” Kieren softly says.

“What do ya got?” Devon whips around and faces us with sal
ty tears drying on his cheeks. Kieren doesn’t answer, he chooses show and tell instead. Kieren leans back to pull something out of his pocket and I catch a glimpse. I see the black and gray swirl pattern and groan. All it took was a quarter inch of it sticking out from Kieren’s pocket and I was fucked. I’d recognize a bowl in my grave.

“I’m in,” a husky purr spills from my lips. “If it was alcohol I wouldn’t have touched it. One taste and I’ll fall down the rabbit-hole. I’m pretty sure I can control this habit if it’s for a good cause.”

“Me, too… for a good cause,” Devon mumbles, his intense gaze following the movement of Kieren’s hands as he packs the bowl.

“It’s a damned good cause. We probably won’t do this again, because I love you stupid motherfucking addicts. But tonight it’s necessary. I’ll choke on the wor
ds without some smoky-courage.” My eyes fuse to the object of my obsessions. That tickling in my brain becomes a screeching alarm. I know this is a bad fucking idea, and I can objectively look at it. I also know this is one of those paths you take and hope you don’t regret later. Auggie will be disappointed, but I don’t give a shit. The boys’ demeanor is screaming that what they’re about to tell me shattered them. I saw the same look gaze out of Malcolm’s crystal blue eyes. For the first time ever, I’ll be smoking weed for the right reasons.

I can rationalize it all I want.
I can make excuses, but it doesn’t lessen the need that trills through my system. The alarm turns into Auggie’s cold, detached voice. I shove it down and ignore it. They need this, I need this. Kieren’s right. We aren’t a part of their group. It’s time we make our own.

Fuck it! You only live once. I’m about to be a stupid-assed teenager. It can’t kill me, it can’t addict me if I’m already addicted,
and I can’t be arrested because Officer Devon Mason is toking up with us. No harm, no foul… I reach out a shaking hand for it.

“Nah-huh,” Kieren mumbles and snatches it out of my reach. “You’re riding shotgun tonight, Spanky. We don’t have much since I live in a house with kids and cops, and I’m not touching my brother’s lips.
Oldest goes first.”

Devon’s fingers shakes so badly that he can barely hold the lighter. I don’t know if he’s nervous about what he’s going
to tell me or if his cravings are that damned bad. I pluck the lighter from Devon’s hand to help him out. The faster it’s set aflame, the faster I get a taste.

The twang sound of the lighter flicking to life beneath my finger
tip brings memories of my wayward life to the fore. Devon takes a deep draw that lasts seconds. His eyes close as a full-bodied shudder waves through his muscles. Two things simultaneously happen, I straddle Devon’s hips, waiting for his exhale, and Kieren quickly steals his bowl back.

Devon’s lips flutter and his chest starts to protest as he holds the drug deep in his lungs
, refusing to release its sweet relaxant. I firmly press my lips to Devon’s and wait. I expect a large gust as I experienced at parties, but Devon parts his lips beneath mine and slowly… ever so slowly, he exhales into my eager lungs.

My cells flood
endorphines into my brain as the drug fires deep inside my lungs. Muscles fall lax, eyelids droop, and pupils dilate as I sink into the bliss I’ve avoided for three months. After tonight, never again will I surrender to its sweet, sinful kiss. The sensation is stronger, more fulfilling than ever before- a thirst quenched after a drought- a hunger fed after a famine- I am an addict, and when I leave here tonight, I go back into recovery.

Caught up in the exhilaration of feeding a long-denied craving- Devon fiercely attacks my lips
, and I return the kiss with equal fervor. Fingers twist into his black locks and control the kiss. I’ve never been so hungry for Devon’s taste and scent- the glorious taste of vanilla mixed with the bitter smoke of our addiction.

Not to be ignored, Kieren wraps his palm around the front of my throat and pries me from his brother’s mout
h. Kieren’s eyes bulge as he struggles to contain the exhale threatening to asphyxiate him. I hold his glazed, blue gaze and part my lips, awaiting his gift.

Kieren proves to me the difference between the brothers isn’
t just skin deep- Kieren’s demeanor transfers to the way he shotguns a hit. A forceful gust fills my lungs to capacity in less than a heartbeat. I struggle to take it all in as Kieren palms the soft underside of my chin and forces my mouth shut. I thrash as one brother grips my hips, and the other cradles my head with his fingers, closing my mouth and pinching my nose shut- just as blackness closes in on the edges of my vision, Kieren gently releases my head.

I fall forward onto Devon’s chest, gasping and choking to draw fresh oxygen into my deprived lungs. My heartbeat is beating an erratic tattoo that fills the void of silence- deafening me as it delivers me unto the drug.

“Jesus,” I moan. “I feel like I’m gonna pass the fuck out.” I twitch around as the storeroom spins into oblivion.

“
Sorry, Spanky, that’s all we had. We had to make it count.” A demented giggle spills from Kieren’s throat. Kieren sits next to Devon on the mattress and pull my head into his lap. My legs are still tangled around Devon’s waist, but I’m so relaxed that I don’t care if they shape me into a pretzel. Those strong fingers are back, lifting my chin to give Kieren access to my lips. Kieren surprises me with a soft, apologetic kiss and murmurs a moan against my lips. Even flying high, my eyes seek Devon to gauge his reaction. Devon’s eyes are heavily-lidded with only a slit of blue peering out at me. He smiles, shifts around to get comfy, and groans.