“That was interesting,” Jessica stated, looking at me.
“Why didn’t anyone other than me try to stop them?” I asked, annoyed and confused.
She shrugged and looked around.
“People are used to them fighting, it’s nothing new,” she said, watching me carefully.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked suspiciously.
She rolled her eyes. “Do you know why they were fighting?” she asked, her tone implying that the answer was obvious.
I was silent, thinking over everything that happened. “Well, you said it was norm——”
Jess threw her hands up in the air and exclaimed, “They were fighting over you, Bella!”
I frowned and shook my head. “Wha——? No, that’s ridiculous!”
“Bella, you saw Jack point at you right before Connor punched him. Are you really going to try and tell me it was just a coincidence?”
I looked back at the field, noticing that the game was about to start. On cue, the ref blew his whistle.
“I wonder what Jack said to make Connor punch him,” I murmured as I watched Connor, who was the quarterback, scan the field for an open player. Hmmm, number sixteen, isn’t that funny? My lucky number.
Two hours later
Jess and I stood up, clapping and cheering as Connor and Matt were carried off the field after having scored the winning touchdown of the play they did together.
“Ready for the party?” Jess asked excitedly.
I nodded and grinned at her, following her as we joined the crowd exiting the field.
“Bella!”
I turned to see Jack waving at me, motioning me to come over to him. I frowned and shook my head, but the pleading look he gave me made me feel bad.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, walking out onto the field, past our team, and towards Jack.
“Hey!”
“Why did Connor punch you?” I asked.
Jack seemed slightly surprised by my straightforwardness, but he just shrugged it off. “He’s crazy.”
“I saw you point at me and say something to him right before he punched you,” I said, crossing my arms.
Jack narrowed his eyes slightly. “Someone’s observant,” he said dryly.
“So? What…?”
“Bella needs to go,” someone said, dragging me away from Jack.
I looked up to see Matt, a blank expression on his face. His grip on my arm was tight as he led me through the crowds, towards Jess.
“What the hell, Matt!” I snapped, annoyed that he had cut in.
He frowned and looked down at me. “Bella, I know you know Connor and Jack don’t get along. You saw it firsthand.”
“And?” I asked, impatient.
“And? Why are you talking to him? Are you trying to get Connor mad again?”
I stared at him, completely confused.
“Why would Connor care if I talked to him? It’s not like I’m trying to fuck him or something,” I said, placing my hands on my hips.
“Bella, you don’t know Jack. It’s never only just talking, he…”
“Wants to get in my pants?” I guessed. “Cause you know, that’s pretty funny since that’s also what Connor wants. You know, those two really aren’t that different. I’m surprised they aren’t friends.”
Matt stared at me, speechless. I took this moment to get in Jess' car.
“Bye, Matt,” I muttered as I slammed my door shut.
Jess followed suit and started her car.
“That was… intense,” she worded carefully, pulling out of the parking lot.
I nodded, lost in thought.
“Jess, maybe we should skip the…” I started. Suddenly my body was flung forward, causing me to thank God my seatbelt was on.
“What the hell?” I asked, after my heart had regained its normal pace.
“We are not missing the party because of those guys,” she hissed out in a deadly tone.
My eyes widened and I nodded my head. “Okay, okay, we can go!” I said, holding up my hands in surrender.
She returned to her bubbly self and resumed driving.
“It’s going to be so much fun!” she said excitedly.
“Psychopath,” I blurted, covering my mouth in horror.
Jess burst out laughing.
“Calm down, Bella. I’m not going to kill you,” she said in between laughs.
I joined in her laughter, leaning against the door as she pulled onto a random street.
“Damn it,” she muttered. “I took the wrong turn.”
“Whose house is it at?”
“It’s at Connor’s house,” she said slowly, watching me carefully.
“Great,” I muttered. “Alright, take a left over here. It’s on the right,” I said, pointing.
Ten minutes later
The music was blasting from the house as we parked the car in some random person’s driveway. We entered the house, pushing past the already nearly wasted teenagers.
“Bella! Over here!” James called.
I looked back at Jessica questioningly, but she just shrugged and nudged me in his direction.
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
I nodded, feeling more confident as I walked over to James who was standing with most of the guys from the football team.
“What’s up?” I asked casually.
“Mike here doesn’t think you can take three rounds of shots faster than he can,” James said, smiling knowingly.
“I really shouldn’t,” I said, remembering what happened last time.
“Come on, Bella. Afraid you’re going to lose?” Mike teased, his eyes glinting mischievously.
I raised my eyebrow and scoffed.
“Afraid to lose, my ass!” I snapped. ”Let’s do this shit.”
All eyes were on us as I stared at the shots laid out in front.
“Ready?” James asked. ”One… Two… Three… Go!”
I slammed down my last shot glass just as Mike was about to chug his first. Cheers erupted through the room and all the guys laughed at Mike, making fun of him as he scowled in embarrassment.
“Any challengers?” James called out, scanning the crowd for anybody daring enough to try to challenge me.
“I’ll do it.”
We all turned towards the staircase, watching as Connor lazily walked towards us, his hair still damp from his shower.
“You sure?” I asked. “’Coz I’m pretty sure I kicked your ass last time."
A bunch of “ooohs” echoed throughout the room as Connor made his way to the counter, standing in front of me.
“How about we make a little bet?” he said, his eyes twinkling dangerously.
I gulped nervously. This couldn’t be good. The only problem was, I could never back away from a challenge.
“What are you suggesting?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.
He smiled smugly, taking a step closer. “If I win, you have to jump into the pool—completely naked.”
Once again, the room was filled with “ooohs” and all eyes turned to me.
“And if I win?” I asked, my heart beating rapidly.
Connor shrugged, leaning sideways against the counter. “Ditto,” he said.
I grinned and nodded in agreement. There was no way I could lose. I already beat Connor before, I could certainly do it again.
“On the count of three,” James announced.
Butterflies filled my stomach as I stared at the shots, ignoring Connor’s presence.
“One… Two…”
That is when I felt a hand on the exposed part of my leg, where the jeans were ripped.
“Wha—”
“Three!”
“He cheated!” I said angrily, stomping my foot. Despite the fact that he had distracted me, he only beat me by what seemed to be half a second.
“You lost, Bells. Time to strip,” Connor said, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
“James!” I cried out, giving him a plea
ding look.
He probably still felt guilty about what happened during lunch because he nodded his head.
“Alright, there will be a rematch,” he announced, causing all the guys to groan in annoyance.
I smiled at Connor’s pissed expression. I was grateful that I was getting a second chance. An evil idea popped into my mind as I glanced at Connor. By now, I was feeling a little woozy, but not enough to be seriously tipsy.
“One.”
I inched my top down slightly, catching Connor’s eyes.
“Two.”
And another inch.
“Three!”
I pulled it down one more inch before downing all the shots like nobody else, while Connor was just starting on his second.
“She cheated!” he yelled, glaring as I pulled my top up.
“What are you talking about?” I asked innocently.
“Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!”
We all turned to look at Jessica, who was grinning like an idiot. Soon everyone was chanting as we followed Connor outside.
“But she cheated!” he complained once more, glaring at me.
I winked at him, pulling my top down slightly, just to piss him off. And it worked—a little too well. Connor took off his jeans and t-shirt, but stayed in his boxers.
“Whoa, whoa! The bet was completely naked,” I said.
“Yeah, well, we both cheated,” he admitted. “So I decided I’m going to keep my boxers on, and you’re going to keep your bra and panties on.”
This statement caused cheers to erupt from all the guys.
“No! No way in hell!” I snapped, taking a step back. My heart picked up pace as Connor mirrored my movement and advanced upon me.
“Come on, Bells. It’s only fair,” he said, standing directly in front of me.
I crossed my arms defiantly, glaring at him.
“Oh, well,” he said with a sigh.
The next thing I knew, my shirt was torn from my body, while James and Matt were holding me still as Connor tried to get my jeans off. Due to my struggling, Connor could hardly unbutton my jeans. So, he resorted to ripping them off, using the tears and holes. The cheers and wolf whistles grew louder as I stood awkwardly in my lacy red bra and thong Victoria Secret set.
“Damn, Bella!” someone called out.
I turned and scowled at everyone, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to cover my boobs that were already spilling out of my bra.
“Jump already!”
I whirled back around to glare at Jessica, who sheepishly looked down shifting from foot to foot.
“Ready?” Connor asked, holding out his hand.
I plastered a fake smile and pretended to reach out for Connor’s hand, only to lunge forward and pull his boxers down before shoving him into the pool. Before he resurfaced, he was already able to pull them back up, but it was too late. Everyone had already gotten to see it all—I’m talking about Connor Jr.
“Bella, you are so dead!”
His tone made my blood run cold, and I stood there, temporarily frozen as he pulled himself out of the water. Just as I turned to run, an icy cold arm wrapped around my waist, dragging me backwards. It was Connor, and he jumped back in, taking me with him. I let out a scream as I was engulfed by the freezing cold water.
“Payback’s a bitch,” Connor said loudly.
And without warning, my bra was pulled off of me, and flung to the group of guys by the edge of the pool. I wrapped my arms around myself, which was pretty much useless since everyone already saw everything. Connor laughed as he put his arms around my waist, knowing full well how much I wanted to push him away.
“Hey, Bella! Show us your tits!” some drunk guy called out. Cheers erupted throughout Connor’s backyard, and my face started to burn with embarrassment.
“Guys, they’re just boobs,” Jessica said, trying to divert the attention away from me.
“Then, you show us yours,” James said, standing next to her.
Jess’ eyes widened as she looked back and forth between James and me. I watched in shock as she sighed, pulled up her shirt completely, and ripped off her bra, throwing it to James’ face. All the guys started cheering, and I smiled thankfully at Jess.
“Connor, let go,” I said, turning my attention back to him.
He smirked, lifted me slightly, and adjusted my legs so that they were wrapped around him.
“Do you want to get out?” he asked, his hot breath on my neck causing me to shiver uncontrollably.
“Y-y-yes,” I stuttered, my teeth chattering.
“Okay, but you have to put your arms around my neck,” he said with a pause, and then continued, “so you don’t fall.”
I rolled my eyes and kept my arms firmly placed over my chest.
“Come on, Bells. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
I frowned in disgust, remembering that unfortunate memory. I looked back to see a bunch of girls also flashing or just walking around in their underwear. Making sure no one was watching, I quickly looped my arms around Connor, holding on tightly. I didn’t have to look to know he was smirking. In my embarrassment, I buried my face on his neck, willing myself to not look up.
“Yeah, man! Get some!” The guys cheered as Connor carried me out of the pool and back into the house.
“Here, take this.”
I lifted my head to see Jess holding out my red bra, her face flushed.
“Thank you,” I murmured, giving her a grateful look as I took the still wet bra from her hands. I didn’t bother protesting as Connor carried me upstairs, dropping me on his bed. I quickly turned, facing away from him as I put on my bra. After I finished hooking the back, I turned back and stood up.
“I should go back down…” I murmured, trying to move around Connor. He mirrored my movement, refusing to let me past him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, confused.
He didn’t respond, only stared at me. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
“Mind telling me why you punched Jack?” I asked, my tone cold.
His expression hardened, and he frowned. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
I scowled and narrowed my eyes, taking a step forward. “You and I both know it is.”
Connor didn’t respond, only moved to the side, allowing me to walk past him. Just as I reached the doorway, I turned back to look at him.
“So I guess it won’t be a problem if I go out with Jack sometime?” I asked, watching as anger filled Connor’s eyes, and he tightened his fists.
“Excuse me?” he asked, his tone low and intimidating.
“Did I stutter?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed and he advanced upon me but I managed to hold my ground, even as Connor cornered me against the doorway, placing his hands on either side of my head.
“He’s just going to use you,” Connor snapped.
I shrugged and looked away.
“Cause you weren’t?” I turned back to watch as a look of hurt flashed through his eyes, before he covered it with another emotion. Anger.
“That’s how low you think I am?”
I winced at his deadly tone, fear starting to build at the pit of my stomach.
“Yes,” I whispered, not looking up to meet his gaze. I felt him pull away, walking off without another word. Then, I watched as he went down the stairs, not even bothering to give me a second glance. An empty feeling filled me, and regret set in. I slid to the ground and buried my face in my arms.
Why did I say that? Deep down I wanted to say “no,” but for some reason “yes” just slipped out. I blame the walls I built. Yes, it was because of the walls I built ever since that nightmare happened. I desperately wanted to trust Connor, and I just knew in my heart that he would never really hurt me. But then a part of me would whisper that he still could.
That’s the thing, I knew Connor would not hurt me, but that in the end, I would get hurt anyway. With Jack, I don’t know. I barely knew him. But then aga
in, I barely knew Connor either.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on Liam. He was so clingy, almost suspiciously so. I felt like he was hiding something.
God, when did everything get so confusing?
After a few minutes
I groaned and stood up, shivering as a couple of icy drops fell from my hair onto my back. After I shook out my hair, I made my way downstairs, avoiding all the random articles of clothing scattered everywhere.
“Hey, Bella! I’ve been looking for you!” Jess cried out as I pushed past a bunch of wasted dancing teenagers.
I managed a weak smile as she stopped in front of me, a red plastic cup in her hand.
“Having fun?” I asked her.
“Yesss!” she slurred, her eyes slightly glazed.
“That makes one of us,” I muttered, watching as some blonde skank started flirting with Connor, who was currently sitting near the counter-turned-bar.
“What happened?” she asked, stumbling forwards.
I caught her and winced. She reeked of alcohol.
“Shit happened,” I said, helping her stand up.
“You need to drinnkkk!” she sang out loudly.
Thankfully, the blaring music drowned her out, saving us from an awkward moment.
“I’m good,” I said, backing away.
Her eyes narrowed and she grabbed my arm tightly, dragging me to the bar. A drunk Jess could be as strong as hell.
“Mike, make her your special,” Jess slurred, leaning against the counter.
I looked down suspiciously at the mysterious liquid inside the plastic cup in front of me. “I really don’t…”
Then I froze as I saw Connor lean down, kissing the girl like there was no tomorrow. Because of that sight, everything I did that night—or early morning, was out of spite. Immature, I admit. But hey, I admitted it. So I grabbed the cup in front of me and downed the drink quickly, ignoring the burning feeling down my throat.
Eleven drinks and three hours later
I was wasted as fuck.
I blamed Connor, though. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have felt the need to fill the empty void inside myself with alcohol. Everything felt surreal. And then I found myself trying to pull away from a guy who was currently groping me, muttering something about my army of uniforms.