Текст книги "Twisted Ties"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter Ten: Emma

I slammed the door in his face. There was a whole five seconds where I felt empowered before I slowly slid down the door and curled up on the floor. Tears ran down my cheeks as I thought about everything he’d just said to me.

He’d used every single thing he could think of to degrade me and make me feel like trash. He’d even used my friendship with Andy against me. Jesse thought Andy and I were together. I had no idea how Jesse had come to that conclusion, but if I had to guess, I would bet that Ally had something to do with it. He’d said she’d only confirmed what he’d guessed, so that meant that they’d talked about Andy and me being together. She’d probably told him that Andy and I had slept together, so he would think the worst of me. I’d tried to explain to Jesse that Andy and I weren’t together, but Jesse had refused to give me the chance. It was obvious that he had already made up his mind about Andy and me.

I knew I’d screwed up with Andy after Jesse left, but I couldn’t believe Jesse would think that I’d end up with his best friend.

Doesn’t Jesse realize that every time I look at Andy, I think of him?

Lucy and I had started to grow apart long before I left, and Andy had stepped in and filled her place without either of us realizing what was happening. He was like family to me despite what had happened, and I could never think of him that way. He’d never stopped his man-whore ways either, so I knew there was no chance that he felt that way about me either.

“You smell so good,” I panted.

“You taste good,” he muttered before running his tongue across my skin.

Goose bumps erupted across my skin as he continued to kiss and lick his way across my skin. He raised me up long enough to pull my shirt over my head before pushing me back down onto the couch. His hands skimmed across my stomach, causing my muscles to jump. His kisses felt like fire as he kissed between my breasts and down my stomach. I wiggled my hips, trying to feel his thickness against me.

He held my hips down as he kissed back up my body. His arms pushed underneath me, and he undid the clasp on my bra. A voice in the back of my head was screaming at me, telling me that this was a bad idea, but I pushed it away. I just wanted to feel his hands on me. I needed to feel wanted.

“We need to go to my room in case anyone comes home,” he whispered in my ear as my bra fell away.

He stood and picked me up. I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he carried me to his room. I ran my tongue along his jaw before sucking on his neck. If it bothered him, he didn’t complain.

He dropped me down onto his mattress and climbed back on top of me. He pulled his shirt off and threw it down beside the bed. I reached up and ran my hands across his chest. I leaned forward and kissed a trail across his chest. He shuddered as he pushed me back down and started kissing me again. He sat up and reached for my shorts. I lifted my hips, allowing him to slip them along with my underwear off. His shorts and his boxers came off next.

I suddenly felt nervous. No one had seen me like this except for Jesse, and I barely knew Andy. But Jesse had cheated on me. He didn’t care about me, and he never had. It was time to move on even if it was for only one night. Andy’s body covered mine, and I pushed Jesse from my mind.

I watched as Andy reached over and grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer. He ripped it open and slipped it on. I closed my eyes as he lowered his body over mine, and then he slipped inside. My breath hitched as he filled me.

This wasn’t about emotions. This was about getting off.

Andy started thrusting as I raised my hips. I clung to him as he worked to push me over the edge. My breathing grew ragged as he brought me closer and closer to the edge. I tightened my legs around him to bury him deeply inside me as I came. He groaned as he released with me.

When our heartbeats slowed down, he slipped out and threw the condom away. We were both silent as he climbed back into bed with me. He didn’t hold me, and I didn’t expect him to.

* * *

“Well, isn’t this cute?”

I opened my eyes to see sunlight coming through a window. My head was fuzzy as I tried to figure out where I was. The events of the night before came crashing back as my eyes landed on Andy in bed beside me.

“Sorry to wake you.”

My head snapped up to see Ally standing in the doorway. Oh god, this couldn’t be happening. There was no way that I’d slept with Andy last night. There was no way that Ally had just walked in to see what I’d done.

Andy groaned and rolled over. He opened his eyes enough to see me beside him and Ally across the room. His eyes widened as he stared back at me. It was obvious that he was as shocked as I was.

“I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not,” Ally said as she watched us digest everything.

I wanted to slap the stupid smile she was wearing right off her face.

“Get out of here,” Andy said quietly.

Ally laughed. “I’m going, I’m going. I just want to savor this for another minute or two. I always knew she was a slut. This just proves that I was right. Jesse has been gone for, what? A month? She barely waited a month before she moved on with his best friend.”

“Get out!” Andy roared.

Ally rolled her eyes, and then she turned and walked out. Andy waited until she closed the door before he rolled over to look at me. We both stared at each other, unable to think of anything to say.

“This can’t be happening,” Andy finally groaned as he looked away and stared up at the ceiling.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“I do. We fucked up—big time. I’m sorry, Emma. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

That stung a little even though it shouldn’t. From what Jesse had told me, Andy slept with everyone without a second thought, but he now regretted sleeping with me. My eyes welled up with tears. This whole situation was a mess.

“Hey, don’t cry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that you’re Jesse’s girl—or at least, you used to be. You’re an attractive chick, but last night should have never happened. I didn’t invite you over with the intention of sleeping with you. I’m an asshole, but I’m not that big of an asshole.”

I gave him a weak smile as tears continued to flow. “I feel like I cheated on him. I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.”

Andy sighed. “Look, we were both messed-up. There’s nothing we can do now. Let’s just pretend that it never happened and move on.”

“That’s a great plan—except Ally knows. She hates me, and she can use this against me. All of your friends know that I was with Jesse. If Ally tells them that I slept with you, everyone will think that I’m a slut. I don’t want that to get back to my school. I can’t handle that.”

“I’ll deal with Ally. She can be a hard-ass, but she’s my sister. She won’t say anything if I ask her not to.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Thank you. Andy?”

“What?”

“I need to go, but I’m naked.”

“Oh shit.” He laughed. “I’m so torn between embarrassing the fuck out of you or being the nice guy.”

“Andy, I will kill you.”

“Fine.” He threw the covers off of himself and stood.

My cheeks flamed as I stared at a naked Andy. “You’re an ass.”

“What? I’m just getting up, so I can get dressed. I’ll leave you alone to find your clothes.”

I stayed silent as he grabbed a pair of shorts and threw them on. He grinned as he walked to the door and opened it.

“See? I’m just being a nice guy.”

“Out!” I yelled.

He simply laughed again as he closed the door behind him. I waited a few minutes to make sure that he was really gone before I stood and started searching for my clothes. My bra and shirt were in the living room, so I searched until I found a baggy shirt of his to wear home.

When I opened his door and walked into the living room, he was nowhere to be seen. I grabbed my shirt, bra, and keys before slipping silently outside to where my car was parked.

I shook my head to push the memories away. What was done is done, and there isn’t a thing I can do to change it. I’d regretted sleeping with Andy for the last two years, but I’d accepted it. We’d made a mistake while drinking—that was all. We’d rarely talked about it since, and we had become really good friends after that night. Everything happened for a reason, and I knew that we never would have ended up as friends if I hadn’t gone over there that day.

I just hated that Jesse knew.

No, I didn’t hate that he knew. I hated the fact that I wasn’t the one who had told him. If things had worked out the way I’d hoped, I would have told him eventually…maybe. Of course, things never worked out the way I wanted. I’d never factored Ally into the equation, and she was the one who had screwed up everything. She always did. It was her fault that Jesse and I had split in the beginning. It was her fault that he’d left. It was her fault that he knew about what had happened between Andy and me. It was her fault that I couldn’t be with him now.

It was all her fault.

No, that last part wasn’t her fault. Jesse obviously wanted to be with her, or he wouldn’t be. She might be the reason that we weren’t together, but it was his choice to be with her now. I hated her for everything that she’d done, but I hated her for what she couldn’t control most of all. No matter how much she schemed, she couldn’t control his feelings for her. She couldn’t make him love her, but he did anyway.

I wanted this all to go away. I wanted to go back in time, to be back in California, living the life I’d had before Jesse had come into it and changed everything. I wanted to be the girl I had been before, the girl who had never been hurt. It was amazing how one person could walk into my life and change everything. I was tired of hurting over a man who had moved on. I wanted to move on, too. I just wasn’t sure how. It was obvious that going to Sam’s party hadn’t helped. It had only made things worse. I just wanted to forget everything that Jesse had made me feel. If I could do that, I would be okay.

It was time that I figured out what I wanted to do with my life instead of hanging on to the past. There was nothing left for me from back then. I needed to accept that and figure out where I wanted to go from here.

West Virginia was great, but I wasn’t sure that I could stay here. There was always a chance that I would run into Jesse or Ally here, and I didn’t need that. I needed to be far away from both of them. I knew Andy would understand. He always had. The only question was whether or not he would follow me if I didn’t go back to California. I knew he’d come to West Virginia to help me with Jesse, but if I left, there was no reason for him to go with me. I wasn’t sure how I would handle being on my own and starting over completely.

I knew I couldn’t stay here, but I didn’t want to go home either. So, where do I want to be? I knew my dad would help me get to wherever I wanted. I just wasn’t sure where my destination would be.

I thought about the colleges I’d applied to last year. There were several that I’d been interested in despite my need to find Jesse. I could go to one of them. I smiled as a plan began to form in my head. I would stay here until the semester was over, and then I was going to transfer to a new school.

I stood and walked to my desk. I grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down the schools that I’d been genuinely interested in—University of California, Washington State University, Florida State University, Boston University, New York University. The University of California was in Los Angeles – too close to home, so that one was out. It rained a lot in Washington, so that one was out, too. That left me with three choices. I stared down at the paper, trying to decide where my life would take me.

I finally decided on New York. It was pretty much as far away from home as I could get without leaving the country. Plus, tons of people were there. Surely, I’d find a friend and a way to start over.

I tore the sheet of paper out of my notebook and put it in my desk drawer. I needed to think this through before I made my final decision. Plus, I wanted to talk to Andy. I wanted him to come with me, but I knew the chances of that happening were slim. I still had to try though. After I talked to him, I’d call my dad to see if he would help me. I knew he probably would, but I didn’t want to assume anything.

I would figure things out, and when I did, I was going to start living again.

Chapter Eleven: Jesse

I stared at the door Emma had just slammed in my face. I couldn’t believe that I’d said those things to her. I’d never meant to hurt her. I’d knocked on her door with every intention of telling her the truth about Ally, but the whole conversation had gone south before I had the chance. Emma had to think that I was the biggest asshole alive. For all I knew, she still believed that I’d cheated on her with Ally two years ago, and now, she thought that Ally was pregnant with my kid. It was like the entire world had decided that she needed to think the absolute worst of me.

Only Ally and I knew the truth. I’d done absolutely nothing wrong last time or this time. I was just the asshole who had been dealt a shit hand when it came to my relationship with Emma. If things were different now, maybe Emma would have been willing to give me a second chance. My promise to Ally and her relationship with Andy stood in the way. The two people who had meant the most to me for so many years were the ones who were destroying what I wanted.

I turned and walked away from Emma’s closed door. I needed to leave before I beat on her door and begged her to take me back. I wanted to take her and run away from this entire situation.

I walked back across campus to where my car was parked. There was no way that I was going to be able to sit in the library and work tonight. I had too much going on in my head. I couldn’t go home either. Ally wasn’t working tonight, so I knew she’d be there, waiting on me. I couldn’t face her right now. I knew it wasn’t entirely her fault, but at the moment, I wanted to blame her for all of this. Keeping my temper in check, I had to keep repeating to myself that she didn’t ask for this to happen to her.

I aimlessly drove around Morgantown. My mom and Mark lived about an hour south of Morgantown, so I was slightly familiar with it, but not enough to know where I was going. I really didn’t care at this point. I just wanted to drive. It didn’t matter where I ended up as long as I escaped.

Ally tried calling my cell phone a couple of times, but I ignored her. I knew she would worry if I didn’t answer, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear her whining. That was all she’d been doing lately—whining or yelling at me. Then, she would apologize a few minutes later, claiming the pregnancy was making her moody. For some reason, I didn’t believe her. Ally had always been moody, but it had been worse than normal lately. I thought it had more to do with the fact that Emma was around than anything else.

I did manage to get lost a few times, but I figured out where I was once I started to see familiar buildings. I drove by Andy’s apartment complex twice before I even realized what building it was. I slowed down the third time. I parked in the same parking lot where I had followed Emma to the first day I’d seen her.

If I went up and talked to Andy, I knew there was a good chance that it would end the same way it had with Emma. Things were different with Andy though. He’d been my best friend my entire life. He knew me better than anyone else—at least, he used to. After everything that had happened, he probably hated me more than Emma did. As far as he knew, I’d cheated on my girlfriend with his sister and then ended up getting her pregnant two years later.

I stared up at the window I thought went to his apartment. The lights were on, so I knew he was home, if I was looking at the right apartment. I glanced around the lot, but I didn’t see Emma’s car anywhere. I didn’t want to go in and see them together. I couldn’t handle that tonight. I couldn’t even stomach the thought of what she could be doing with him this late at night.

I opened my door and stepped out into the cool night air. September was already halfway gone, and fall was fast approaching. Even after two years, I still wasn’t used to West Virginia’s changing seasons. The first winter that I’d spent here had been brutal on me. I’d never seen snow before, and I had to admit that I liked it. I just didn’t like driving in it. That was one reason that I’d decided to move close to campus. Driving an hour one way on the snow-covered interstate wasn’t at the top of my to-do list.

Who am I kidding? Going to school wasn’t exactly at the top of my to-do list either. I was in Morgantown for my mom and my mom only. I would have been happy finding a local tattoo shop to take me in, so I could do an apprenticeship. Any time that I’d talked to my mom about it, she’d shut me down almost instantly. I hadn’t even bothered to search for a local shop since I moved. There was no point in torturing myself. It’d been over two years since I’d added any new ink to my skin. That alone was driving me nuts. So, here I was, taking classes for a business degree that I didn’t give a damn about.

I pushed my thoughts away as I walked to Andy’s building. I didn’t need to worry about my career choice right now. I needed to focus on Emma. I just hoped that I could keep my cool long enough to find out what had happened since I left. I knew what Ally had told me, but I wasn’t convinced that she’d been completely honest with me.

I still had no idea why Emma was enrolled in school here. I was sure that she was now that I knew she was living in one of the school’s dorms. One other thing that didn’t make sense was the fact that she was living there instead of with Andy. His apartment was closer to campus than my house, so I knew it didn’t have anything to do with travel. I just hoped that Andy could give me the answers I was looking for. I needed something, so all of this would piece together in my head.

I slowly climbed up the steps to the second floor, trying to think of what I would say when I saw him. I needed answers, so I could let Emma go. Hell, if Andy can explain everything to me, I might even wish the two of them good luck—then again, maybe not. I didn’t think that I’d ever be able to accept the two of them together as a couple.

I stopped in front of his door and knocked. When no one answered, I knocked again, harder this time. A few seconds later, I heard the deadbolt sliding, and then the door opened.

Does he ever wear a shirt? It’s not like we’re in California anymore, I thought to myself when I saw him standing in front of me, shirtless.

“What do you want?” Andy asked icily.

“I wanted to talk for a few.”

“I’m busy.”

I ran my hand across my face as I leaned against the wall. “Look, I know you hate my guts, but I need some answers. I’m going nuts here.”

“I don’t have your answers, and like I said, I’m busy.”

He started to close the door, but I reached out and grabbed it before he could. “I won’t stay long, I promise.”

“Andy, who’s out there?” a girl asked as she appeared behind him.

It took me a minute to process the fact that she was wearing nothing but his shirt.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I shouted.

I knew Andy had slept around a lot in high school, but I assumed that he would stop since he was with Emma.

“You’re fucking around behind Emma’s back?”

“Who’s Emma?” the girl asked as she glared at Andy.

He opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it.

“She would be his girlfriend.”

“You asshole!” the girl shouted as she slapped him.

“Ouch! Damn it, Cassie! Let me explain. It’s not what you think.”

“I’m pretty sure I get the concept of what a girlfriend is, Andy. I wouldn’t have come here if I had known you were with someone.” She shoved him out of the way before walking out the door.

I stepped aside to let her pass me. If I wasn’t so pissed, I would have laughed at the fact that she was only wearing his shirt and no shoes or pants. As soon as she was out of the way, I pushed through the door and shoved him back. He stumbled back, and before he could regain his footing, I drew back and slammed my fist into his stomach.

“I’m going to kill you for hurting her,” I growled as I drew back again.

“Wait a fucking minute! Emma is not my girlfriend!” Andy wheezed.

“I’m not buying it. Try again.”

“I’m not kidding! Emma is my friend and my friend only. I love her—but not that way.”

I dropped my arm down to my side, unsure of what to do. I knew he was probably lying, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

“I think you need to explain to me what the fuck is going on,” I grumbled as I walked past him and sat down on his couch.

“Make yourself at home,” he said under his breath as he righted himself.

“I plan to.”

He walked over and dropped down on the opposite end of the couch. “Why the hell do you think I’m with Emma?”

“I saw you two together the night I followed Emma here. You punched me for her.”

“No, I punched you because you knocked up my sister and broke Emma’s heart.”

“But Ally said Emma was with you now. She said that Emma followed you when you came here to bring Ally back to California.”

“I didn’t even know Ally was here until we saw her one day. We didn’t come here for her.”

“Then, why did you come all this way?” I asked.

“I followed Emma here when she moved. She came here looking for you.”

I was going to strangle Ally with my bare hands. She’d lied to me about them cornering her when she was at work and about Emma being with Andy. I was starting to wonder if every word that had come out of her mouth was a lie. It certainly seemed that way.

“I’m so fucking confused,” I groaned.

“It’s not that hard to figure out, asshole. Emma has been looking for you since Ally admitted that you hadn’t slept with her. Emma came to WVU, hoping that she would find you here.”

“She doesn’t think I slept with Ally?” I asked, shocked at what he was saying. Emma came all this way just to find me?

“She didn’t—until we moved here and found out you had knocked Ally up. That kind of ruined Emma’s plans to ask you to give her another chance,” Andy said as he glared at me.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, you fucked up big time. I can’t even process how bad you fucked up.”

“I have to talk to Emma. I have to get her back,” I said as I stood up.

Andy jumped to his feet and pushed me back down onto the couch. “You’re not going anywhere. Did you forget the little fact that you’re going to be a dad? I won’t let you leave my sister hanging while you run off into the sunset with Emma. Ally deserves better than that.”

I stared up at him, debating on what to do. Ally would never forgive me if I told her secret, but she’d lied to me over and over again to keep me from going back to Emma. I’d done everything I could to help Ally, and she’d stabbed me in the back the second she’d had the chance.

This was that pivotal moment in my life that would set everything following into motion. I could tell the truth and pray that Emma would take me back, or I could keep Ally’s secret and lose everything. Either way, someone was going to get hurt.

“The kid isn’t mine,” I blurted out. There—it’s out. There is no way I can take it back now.

Andy froze as he looked down at me. “What did you say?”

“I said, Ally’s baby isn’t mine.”

“How is that even possible? She told Emma that you are the dad.”

“That’s because Ally doesn’t want anyone back home to know what happened. She showed up this summer and begged me to help her. I agreed to tell anyone who asked that the baby is mine. I never thought that I’d ever see you or Emma again.”

“If you’re not the father, then who is?”

I shook my head. “I can’t tell you that. You need to ask Ally.”

“You’re going to tell me.”

“I can’t. Ally will never forgive me.”

“Jesse, if you don’t tell me, you’re not going to walk out of my apartment. You’re going to crawl.”

“She’s keeping it from you to protect you, and I agree with her. I know what you’ll do if you find out.”

“Jesse, she’s my fucking sister. I deserve to know what’s going on.” He stared down at me. “Or maybe you’re lying, so I’ll let you go after Emma.”

“I wouldn’t lie about this shit.”

I couldn’t believe that he thought that I would sink that low. If Ally’s kid were mine, I would never abandon her like that. I knew what it was like to grow up without a dad.

“I don’t know what to think about you anymore, Jesse. Tell me what happened, or I’ll make sure Emma never speaks to you again. She hates you so much at this point that it wouldn’t be hard to get her to ignore you.”

“This is bullshit! You’re asking me to tell you something that could get you killed!”

“Tell me what the hell is going on!” Andy roared.

“Fine, but if something happens to you, it’s not on my conscience. Ally was raped back in California by one of the bikers. I don’t know which one. She never told me.”

Andy’s mouth dropped open in shock as he sat down beside me on the couch. “Why wouldn’t she tell me something like that? I could have helped her.”

“There was no way you could have helped. It had already happened.”

“Then we should have called the police. Or I could have killed the guy myself.”

“We both know how dangerous those guys are. He threatened to kill her if she told. Even if the cops caught him, he has brothers who would have killed her. If you had gone after him, you would have died. When she found out she was pregnant, running was the only option she had.”

“I don’t even know what to say. I’ve wanted to kill you for getting her pregnant when I should have thanked you for helping her.”

“She’s like my sister, too. I would do anything to protect her.”

“This is a fucking mess,” he groaned. “I still want to kill that fucker. I wish she would have told you his name.”

“So, you could go and get yourself killed? I don’t think so. There’s nothing we can do at this point, except help her. She loves that baby already, so we just have to be there to support her. I would like to kill her for lying to me though. I knew something was up when I realized Emma was a student here.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I need to talk to Ally first and tell her that you know. She’ll be angry with me, but once she figures out that you’re not going to go out and do something stupid, I think she’ll be okay. After that, I’m going to talk with Emma. I said some really horrible shit to her tonight. I accused her of sleeping with you since that’s what Ally told me.”

“Shit. Jesse, I need to talk to you about something.”

I was instantly on alert as I felt him tense beside me. “What?”

“I…okay, first off, it wasn’t something that either of us meant to do.”

“Andy, just tell me what the hell you’re talking about.”

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with remorse. “I slept with Emma.”