Underground 4 (31 page)

“Sure bud. Keep telling yourself that. You’ve had it bad for that girl since we were in grade six and she was in grade five.”

Rannon and I were a year older than her, but thanks to our stellar academic skills, both of us were held back a year in grade nine. I thought that would have meant I’d have classes with Olivia since we’d ended up in the same year, but I never did. At least, I didn’t think I had. I shook my head. It was quite possible I had and just never went to that class. Man I was such an idiot.

“I don’t have it bad for anyone, Ran. I’ve never even talked to that girl before.”

“Yeah, but you make googly eyes at her anytime we see her.”

I stood up straight. “Googly eyes? What the fuck is that anyway?”

Rannon laughed, both hands up in defense like I was going to punch him again. I was pretty damn close.

“You know, you get this stupid look in your eyes like you just want to grab her and kiss her,” he said, jumping from foot to foot like a boxer.

I did. Every. Damn. Time. “You’re nuts. I don’t have feelings for her. She’s been gone for two years, who knows what she looks like now.”

“Probably hotter,” he said.

“Maybe not though,” I countered. He shrugged, finally dropping his hands.

“We should have a party here tonight. How late is your mom working?”

“She’s working the double shift,” I answered, tightening a bolt. The benefit of a mom who’s a nurse, besides being stitched up without having to go to the hospital after a bad fight, was the fact that they worked shift work. It left a lot of alone time for a teenager with a penchant for trouble. “A party sounds like an excellent idea.”

“Good, because I already started telling people,” he said with a grin. Figures. Rannon was on his cell in a second calling more people. I stretched out the kink in my back from leaning over the car for so long, and tried to wipe as much grease off my hands as I could. I looked down at my filthy body and decided a shower was in order before any partying began.

“Afternoon boys,” Mr. Banks called out. I looked over the low chain-link fence separating my yard from theirs and waved once. Mr. Banks was a nice guy. A bit on the weird side, but most parents were. He always said hi if he saw me out, so that sort of made me like him. Despite my tattoos and piercing he still looked at me like I was a normal person. That was rare in these parts. Most of the people in my neighbourhood gave me a wide berth, especially when I had my shirt off and all my tats were on display.

“Hey, Mr. Banks,” Rannon called out.

“You boys look like you’re working hard,” he said, stepping up to the fence. I wasn’t sure how old he was, but I was guessing they’d had Olivia late in life because both of the Banks seemed older than most parents. His hair had turned completely white already, and his face was aged from too many years in the sun. He had green eyes like his daughter, but not nearly as pretty. Olivia had the kind of eyes that sucked you in. They were rimmed with thick eyelashes that made it possible for her not to have to wear make-up. Mr. Banks’ eyes were darker, more hazel.

“We’re just tuning her up,” I said, slamming the hood down with a loud clank.

“It’s nice to see you take up a hobby,” he said with a smile. God, he was just like my grandpa. “Much better than that skateboarding stuff you used to do.”

I laughed, rubbing my collarbone where I had broken it once after trying a trick I was nowhere near talented enough to pull off. “Yeah, my mom put a stop to that years ago.”

“Your mom’s a good lady,” he said.

Yeah, tell my asshole father that.

“She took good care of Wilma when she had a kidney infection.”

I know, because you tell me almost every time I talk to you. I didn’t say that though, because you can’t be rude to Mr. Banks. It’s just wrong. I smiled instead.

“She at work?” he asked.

“She’s inside sleeping,” I answered. “She works later.”

“Well you tell her to have a good night, and you boys do the same.”

“We will, sir,” Rannon said with a grin.

The front door to their house opened and that Ella girl came rushing out.

“Ella!” Mr. Banks called out happily.

“Oh, hey, Mr. Banks,” she said, coming to a stop when she looked nervously at us. She quickly looked away, giving him a strained smile.

“Where you off to?”

“Just going to grab something from home. I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Okay, dear. You drive carefully.”

“I will,” she said, speed walking down the driveway to where a small, white Yaris was parked beside the curb. How had I not noticed that before? Wait. Why was Ella at their house? Instinctively I looked up at Olivia’s bedroom window. Was she home? There was no way, I would have seen her by now.

“I should get in,” Mr. Banks was saying. I looked back at him, itching to ask him about his daughter but not wanting to sound creepy. “See you boys later.”

“Bye, Mr. Banks,” we said together, watching him leave. Ella drove away just as I turned to look in her direction again.

“Why was Ella Page at Olivia’s?” Rannon asked. I shrugged, turning to head inside.

“I need to take a shower,” I called over my shoulder.

“I’ll just keep calling around and setting things up.” I waved my hand over my head so he would know I’d heard him and headed inside.

The water rejuvenated me. I stood under the hot stream for a good twenty minutes before shutting it off. Rannon was sitting in my living room playing Black Ops when I walked out. I flopped down next to him, grabbing the other controller. We played for a couple of hours until my mom came down, already dressed in her scrubs.

“You two eat?” she asked as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

“No ma’am,” Rannon answered. My mom was the only person I knew my best friend to be extra polite to.

“I’ll whip something up for you before I leave,” she said, walking into the kitchen. At nine she started to lace up the plain, white running shoes all the nurses wore. “What are you boys up to tonight?”

“Just going to hang out and play video games,” Rannon said.

“Okay. You stay out of trouble, you hear?” We both nodded obediently. “I’m going to get on the road so I’m not late.” She walked over and leaned down to kiss me on the head. Then did the same to Rannon.

“Have a good night, mom,” I said just as she shut the door behind her. Rannon was up instantly, pulling out a large bottle of vodka from his backpack leaning against the sofa.

“Time to get buzzed, my friend,” he declared.

I got up and grabbed two shot glasses from the kitchen, returning to the sofa. I needed to get buzzed. It was the only time I felt free of worries. We both slammed back our shots. It burned down my throat in the familiar way I loved. Rannon filled the glasses up again. He held his out.

“To a good night,” he said in cheers.

“To a good night,” I echoed taking the shot.

People started arriving right at ten. Reagan and her friends showed up wearing outfits even strippers would be embarrassed by. Thankfully I was already pretty buzzed. Reagan sauntered over to where I sat in the living room, swaying her hips exaggeratedly. She lowered herself onto my lap that I’d instantly made room on for her tiny ass. Her make-up was caked on, and she smelled like she’d showered in flowers, but I didn’t mind too much. She was good for a distraction.

“Hey, Colt,” she practically purred.

“Hey, Reagan,” I replied, smiling crookedly. Oh yeah, I was drunk. My words even sounded slurred to me. “You’re looking mighty pretty tonight.”

She giggled, leaning into me so her breasts pressed against my chest. I could feel her hardened nipples through the thin fabric. My shirt had gotten lost at some point before people arrived. I knew I had put one on after my shower, but couldn’t for the life of me remember what the hell I’d done with it since.

She brought her lips to my ear, her hot breath fanning across it. “Want to go somewhere a bit more private?” Did I? Eh, why not?

“My bedroom,” I said. She hopped off my lap and waited as I stood, following me as I led the way. The music blared as I walked by the speakers, fading as I made my way to my bedroom at the back of the house. It used to be my father’s office, but once he’d moved out my mom had let me change it into my bedroom. I liked being on a different floor than her, for precisely this reason. She never knew when I snuck girls in and I wanted to keep it that way.

As soon as I shut the door behind us she was on me. Her mouth covered mine, sloppily. I grabbed her face, forcing her to slow down and follow my lead. She was using too much tongue, and her lips were rough and chapped against mine. It was a horrible kiss. I backed her up to my bed, following her down so my body covered hers.

“Colt,” she moaned as I moved down her neck. Her hands grabbed at my hair, pulling tightly. “I want you inside me,” she said, forcing my head away from her. Already? What happened to foreplay?

“Okay,” I said, somewhat confused. This wasn’t as hot as I hoped it would be. I reached out for my night table, searching the drawer for a condom. Shit. There were none.

“I need to get a condom,” I said, pushing myself up. “Stay here.”

“Okay,” she replied, posing herself in what I assumed she thought was a sexy pose. She looked ridiculous. “Hurry back.”

Ugh. I was definitely going to take my time finding that condom. I should have known this was a bad idea. There was no one Reagan liked more than herself. The only reason she was interested in me was because I was the ‘hot bad boy’. I was stupid. I knew what all these girls wanted. One night with the infamous Colt Morgan – bad boy extraordinaire. I walked out of the room without replying.

I was so sick of this shit.

Three

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls – Pablo Picasso

Olivia

Old paintings of mine hung around the full length mirror in my bedroom. I looked at them, wishing with every bone in my body that I could just stay home and paint instead of going next door. For the last two hours my hands hadn’t stopped sweating, and my stomach kept doing this nervous rolling thing that was starting to make me feel sick. Painting was the only thing that calmed me down. It released any tension or anxiety I felt. Took me out of this world and transported me to wherever and whenever I chose. It was my escape.

But there was no escaping this as Ella sidled up to me, practically jumping with excitement. “Well? What do you think?”

Reluctantly I looked away from the one painting I had done of a girl sitting on a park bench, her eyes staring off into space. I couldn’t remember the story I had made to go with that particular piece, but I could remember the day I’d painted it. I had set up in the park just down the street from my school. The air had been warm, but not overly so. Spring was just starting and the weather was that nice mix between crisp and mild. I loved painting outside when the weather was perfect. Every painting I did I liked to create a back story for. It bothered me that I couldn’t remember this one.

My eyes met my own in the mirror. Ella had done a smoky look around them that made the green really pop. My lips were a subtle raspberry pink that made it look like I had been biting my lips. I probably had been. The long locks of my hair hung down my back in soft waves that Ella had coaxed with my straightening iron. My top was one of the ones she had bought for me while I was away at school. I remembered it being for my birthday because I’d thought ‘where there hell am I supposed to wear this in January?’ The thing was barely qualified to be called a shirt. The fabric was thin and sparkled like I was some sort of human disco ball. It tied around the back of my neck and around my stomach, leaving my back completely bare. It was a good thing I wasn’t well endowed because there was no wearing a bra with this shirt.

The black jeggings clung to my legs like a second skin, and on my feet were the only pair of high heels I owned, and I only had these because Ella, once again, had bought them for me. I wasn’t much of a shopper myself so anything hip and cool was gifted to me. I looked myself over again slowly and admitted that I did look sort of hot. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been dressed up like this, and although it was kind of fun, it didn’t help to lessen my unease about going to the party.

“Well?” Ella pushed.

“I look good,” I conceded.

“You look
good
?” She balked. “Ollie, you look
HOT
. Every guy in there is going to freak. If there is one way to let everyone know you’re back, this is it. I can’t wait!” She squealed and clapped one more time before going over to my window and looking out. I wanted to run and hide while her back was turned, but she knew all my hiding places so it wouldn’t do much good.

“I really don’t think this is a good idea,” I said again, for like the millionth time that night.

“I know, you keep saying that, and just like I’ve told you before, this is an excellent idea and you’re not backing out of it. I don’t want to walk in there by myself. Think of me!”