Jack Hammer (10 page)

“Did I interrupt something?” He put his hands up, taking a step back.

“Yes,” Blaine snarled.

“
No
,” I stressed, overpowering Blaine’s hostile response. “Blaine and I turned in our project today.”

“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “Well, I just wanted to see if you wanted to go with me and a couple of friends to a party tonight. There’s this old farm on the other side of town and a lot of people are going out that way. I’ve never been there, but I thought it could be fun.”

I knew exactly which farm Josh was talking about. It was the same place where Blaine had first kissed me. I knew it wasn’t Josh’s kind of place, but I wasn’t about to talk about that in front of Blaine.

When I didn’t answer right away, Josh’s glance moved from me to Blaine, but Blaine was too busy staring at me to notice. The awkward tension of the moment was starting to suffocate me and I found myself silently wishing I could disappear into thin air.

“I guess that answers my question,” Blaine snapped.

He moved between me and Josh, his shoulder slamming into Josh’s as he passed, before he threw the doors open and left the building.

“What was that all about?” Josh asked.

I shook my head. “I have no idea.” Quickly, I changed the subject before Josh could ask any more questions. “So, a farm party tonight?

“Yes. But before you say no, remember you owe me one date.”

I chewed on the inside of my lip as Lynn’s words weaseled their way through my memory. Going to the farm for a party with Josh didn’t sound like much fun. Not to mention, there was always a possibility Blaine would be there since he was at the last one, but still, Lynn was right. I needed to get out and make time for things other than school.

“Okay,” I agreed. “I could use a little fun tonight.”

And that’s exactly what I planned on having.

14

BLAINE

I WAS TORTURING MYSELF
by going to the party on the farm. Especially since I knew Chelsey was going to be there with that jock asshole. Still, I knew how crazy things could get at the parties in my neck of the woods, and I didn’t want her getting caught up in any fucked up bullshit.

Taking a long swig of my beer, I checked the parking area again as I waited for Chelsey to show. It was two hours into the party and still she hadn’t showed up. Maybe I’d get lucky and she wouldn’t. Maybe she decided the smart thing to do was to stay her pretty ass home and avoid Josh and all his bullshit for the night.

I took a blunt when Jay passed it my way and took a deep draw from the tip. The cherry lit up and crackled. The smoke filled my lungs, and I held it in until I had to breathe again. Blowing smoke rings into the night air around me, I coughed and passed it back.

“Some good shit, right?” Jay asked.

My lungs were still tingling from my hit—my throat still burning from how harsh the smoke was.

“Fuck yeah,” I answered. “When’d you get it in?”

“It’s some new shit I picked up in Savannah last weekend. I paid an extra twenty bucks per pound. I figured it was laced with some kickass extras, but instead it turned out to be some redheaded nasty Kush.”

Redheaded nasty meaning it was covered it red fur and was going to keep us high all fucking night.

I shook my head and laughed. Jay was always coming up with crazy names for his product, but the man knew good shit when he had it and since as I was one of his best customers I always had first dibs.

Once I emptied my cup, I stood from my fold-out chair and walked toward the keg. The bonfire was blazing, sending flecks of embers into the night sky, and the crowd was getting thicker and louder.

Johnny, better known as Swamp Cat, one of the local redneck boys, brought out a pair of his four-wheelers, and a few of the dumb asses were racing them and getting them bogged down in the Georgia mud off to one side of the field.

Needless to say, the night was rowdy and the noises from the four-wheeler engines were roaring to life every few minutes in the background. There was laughter, engines, and music in the air along with the distinct smell of alcohol and smoke.

Girls danced around the fire, dropping low and twerking to music as the guys stood to the side and watched. I’d been one of those guys once. Hell, less than a few months back that had been me. But now the only girl I could think about was Chelsey, which was cruel since she was the total opposite of me and my lifestyle.

I pumped the keg and filled my cup before I headed back toward Jay and the group I was chilling with. The engines roared to life again, and I watched as one of the four-wheelers lost control and spewed mud into the air behind it. Turning away as a few guys ran out toward the mud to help him, my eyes landed directly on Chelsey.

She was sitting on a stump beside the fire with Josh’s arm around her shoulder. Her long, brown hair was pulled back showing off her round face and flushed cheeks. Her jeans were tighter than usual—the collar of her shirt a bit lower. She looked sexy, and I bit into my lip just thinking about the things I wanted to do to her.

I worked my way across the crowd back to my seat, my eyes staying on her the entire way. She smiled up at Josh, making the beer in my stomach turn sour. I watched from across the bonfire as she listened intently to everything he was saying before she threw her head back and laughed.

He pulled her to his side and whispered in her ear making her cheeks blush. I wanted to rip his arms from his body and beat him with them. Fire ripped through my body like a bolt of lightning and before I realized what I was doing, I was on my feet and taking long, hard strides to where they sat.

Chelsey’s eyes caught mine as I stepped up to where they were sitting, and her spine stiffened. Josh turned my way with a drunken smile and nodded in my direction.

“Hey, Blaine. What’s up, bro?” he slurred.

The motherfucker was drunk already. Fucking lightweight piece of shit.

“I’m not your fucking bro,” I snapped.

Josh stood like he was ready to do something, his face turning dark, and I went tense. He knew better than to fuck with me, but apparently the alcohol running through his system was making him brave. That was even better for me since I was fucking ready for a fight. My fist was practically begging for a piece of his face.

Chelsey stood between us, her eyes raking over my expression.

“What’s your problem, Blaine?” she asked.

And then I smelled it. The distinct smell of vodka on her breath. The fire moving through my body went hotter, turning my blood to lava, and I felt like my insides were turning out.

“You’ve been drinking?” I said, appalled as if I hadn’t been drinking myself.

But it was different with Chelsey. She wasn’t this person. She wasn’t the kind of girl to go to a party with a shithead who was drinking, and she definitely wasn’t the kind of girl who would partake while she was there.

“Just a little bit. It’s really not a big deal,” she muttered, looking away.

She couldn’t even look me in the eye when she said it. Because it was definitely a big deal. It was a massive fucking deal.

Reaching out, I plucked the red cup from her hand and tossed it to the ground.

“What the fuck, man?” Josh pushed around her side.

She reached out and laid a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Oh fuck that. Don’t put his leash on him yet, Chelsey. Let him come my way. I fucking dare him,” I said, my eyes burning from the rage simmering below my skin.

Again, Josh moved my way. This time, I set Chelsey to the side and got in his face. I heard the crowd behind us go quiet and I knew we’d gained the attention of everyone around us. So be it. Let everyone see his bitch-ass get beat the fuck down. Because that’s exactly what I was planning on doing the minute he even opened his fucking mouth again.

His wide shoulders stiffened and his narrowed eyes took me in. He was just as ready as I was.

“Do something, motherfucker. I fucking dare you,” I hissed in his face.

Chelsey tugged at my arm, her tiny fingers digging into my bicep.

“Stop it, Blaine! This is none of your business,” she shouted at my side.

My eyes whipped her way at her words. How could she say that? How could she even think anything involving her wasn’t my business? She was my fucking business. Had been since the moment I first saw her. Whether she knew it yet or not, she was mine.

Mine!

“You’re not my business?” I roared at her, making her jerk at my harsh words.

Her face turned red with anger and it only made her even sexier. Her fingers dug harder into my flesh, her nails biting at my skin.

“No! I’m not. So, just leave us alone!”

She gave as good as she got, and her words hit their target. My chest burned with hurt, which only angered me more. I pulled my arm from her grasp and turned my heated stare on her. She didn’t back down. Instead, she lifted her chin like a man ready to fight me. It was funny considering the situation. She obviously had more balls than Josh.

I felt all eyes on me, burning into my expression and waiting for my next move. Then I realized how things must’ve looked to outsiders. I looked pussy whipped. It looked as if my girl had been taken by Josh the fucking rich boy jock.

Fuck that!

Shaking my head, I let a sardonic smirk pull at my tight lips as I looked down at her.

“You know what? You’re right. You ain’t shit to me.” The lie burned my tongue.

She gasped as if I’d hurt her and I didn’t even try to fix things. Instead, I backed away with my eyes still on hers, and turned and walked away.

It was the first time I’d walked away from a fight in my life, but fuck it. If she wanted to make a fool out of herself so be it. If she wanted to come to a party she obviously didn’t belong at and drink until her fucking face went numb then it was her business, not mine.

I debated getting in my car and leaving all the rubber from my tires on the side of the road as I peeled away, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. The truth was I didn’t trust Josh, and I definitely didn’t trust a drinking Chelsey. So instead, I went back to my chair and downed my beer in one large gulp.

Fuck it.

“You okay, man?” Jay asked at my side.

I kept my eyes on the blazing bonfire in front of me and nodded my answer. I didn’t trust myself to speak. I didn’t trust what kind of crazy shit might fly from my mouth if I opened it.

I watched from across the bonfire as Chelsey stepped into my world without me by her side. I watched as she continuously drank and laughed like everything I knew she was working for didn’t matter—like Columbia didn’t matter.

The longer I watched, the more pissed off I became. Until finally I lost count of how much I’d had to drink. I tossed my cup to the ground and walked away from the party and toward a cluster of trees. I had to piss so badly and I wasn’t leaving the party until Chelsey did. Hell, if I was being honest, I wasn’t letting her leave with Josh. Period.

I pissed on the side of a tree, the sounds of the party and the four-wheeler engines far away from my existence. And then everything lit up and the sounds of everything became even louder. The engines sounded different, as if they were straining to go. The party goers roared loud with excitement, and I knew something was up.

Turning toward the commotion, the figures and firelight blurred before my eyes letting me know I’d had way too much to drink. Shaking and zipping up my jeans, I made my way back toward the crowd and pushed through until I was standing in front of everyone and taking in the scene before me.

And everything stopped.

Chelsey was on one of the four-wheelers, and it was obvious she had no idea what she was doing. Her ponytail swished in the air around her as she sped through the muck way too fast. Dirt and mud coated her jeans and shoes as she raced another girl on the other four-wheeler.

She fishtailed, her back wheels sliding to the front, and I gasped with fear. My buzz was gone instantly, as I watched, feeling completely helpless. There was no way I could catch her or help her. She turned her wheel getting back on the track and took off again.

Josh yelled and egged her on from the sidelines along with the rest of the party goers, but I could see the catastrophe that was about to happen. I knew about engines and tires. I knew about the Georgia mud and what you should and shouldn’t do in it. But worst of all, I knew Chelsey had no fucking clue was she was getting herself into.

The crowd gasped as she hit the gas again a little too hard, and everything moved in slow motion as her four-wheeler turned to the side, tumbling and rolling over the mud and tossing Chelsey at least ten feet into the air.

I was running toward her before she even landed. The rest of the crowd stood in shock as her four-wheeler landed upside down beside her, the tires still spinning fast in the air.

My boots were lost in the sludge as I ran into the space they were using as a pit and landed on my knees at her side. Her face was pale and covered with muck—her hair black from the mud that was caked in it. She looked small and helpless—entirely too beautiful and too good for everything around her.

All the air in my lungs went away, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to inhale again. Everything became a blur, the noises muffled. I reached out and touched her cheek, guilt filling me. I should’ve taken over. I should’ve kicked Josh’s ass. I should’ve told her what I was thinking—what I wanted. I wanted her. She should’ve been at the party with me. She should’ve been with me anywhere. Period.

If she’d been there with me I would’ve never allowed her to get hurt. I would’ve never let her get on a four-wheeler knowing she’d been drinking and had no idea what she was doing. But then again, had she been with me, she wouldn’t have been drinking in the first place.

I leaned over her. I was sure I was suffocating, and I was sure I was looking down into the face of a girl who might not ever wake up again. Panic filled every crevice of my being. Reaching up, I settled my fingers against the side of her neck to check for a pulse, but then her eyes popped opened, her brown ones clashing with my blue, and she smiled, relieving the pressure around my chest and giving me back my ability to breathe.

“Did I win?” she asked.