An Unexpected Start: A Prequel to An Unexpected Hunger (2 page)

“Oh my God.”

I c
ouldn’t tell if Mia’s reaction was good or bad.

Her and Mom stood next to each other, both of their mouths hanging open.

“What?” I asked, looking down at my clothes.

“Honey…” Mom’s voice cracked. A few tears wet her sunken eyes. “You look so handsome.”

I felt like a fucking idiot. I hadn’t worn a suit in years.

“Seriously,” Mia said. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks.”

“When’s your date coming?” Mom asked.

“I’m not bringing a date.” I could have, but that would have limited my opportunities. And I could have none of that. I didn’t even want to go to this stupid Snowflake, Snowball, whatever the hell it was called. But Mom was convinced she wasn’t going to make it to see me go to Prom in May. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t plan on going to that either.

She sat back on the couch and adjusted the scarf wrapped around her head. She looked better today than she did yesterday. Probably because it’d been so long since I’d seen her
really smile.

“Stand close together,” Mom said. “I want to take a picture.” She reached for the digital camera on the end table. After about a hundred pictures, she finally let me leave.

“Don’t forget Alexa will be there,” Mia called as I headed out the door.

“So what?” I asked.

“So, make sure you ask her to dance.”

I ignored her request and drove off.

It took me fucking forever to find a parking spot. Most people wouldn’t have had the balls to walk into a thing like this alone. But I didn’t give a shit. I was here for show and didn’t plan on staying long.

The music blared inside, and I could barely see a thing through the strobe light that went off every few minutes. I spotted my boy Aiden dancing with his date. How long did I have to stick around before I could find a real party? A couple of girls wearing
short dresses walked by and said hello. They didn’t look familiar. Some fresh faces could make the night a little more interesting. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Ricky.”

I turned around at the sound of my name.

Holy shit.

“Alexa?” I had to blink a few times to make sure it was really her. That dress…could it have been any tighter? Her hair was up, and her candy lips looked good enough to eat. And tits. Big ones. Where the hell was she hiding those?

She took a few steps closer. “You look really handsome.”

I wasn’t sure, because it almost never happened, but I think I blushed. I mean, my face got hot all of a sudden, and my dick shifted in my pants. “Thanks. You look nice, too.”

Nice? You look nice? That’s the best I could do? For fuck’s sake…

“Thanks.” She smiled and looked around the room. Her necklace caught the light and shimmered against her collarbone.

Fuck. Do not get a boner now. This is what I got for going with a slim fit suit.

“Are you here with someone?” she asked.

I shook my head. “You?”

She nodded. “Brandon Kelly.”

That dope? He pitched
for the baseball team. He could barely count to ten but could throw a ball fast enough to crack a skull. Good thing his aim was good.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted
Jeff. He had a permanent smirk on his face and knew the exact wrong thing to say at the exact wrong time. It was amazing he didn’t get his ass kicked more often.

“Hey, Ricky.
” Jeff sidled next to me, sipping on a cup of watered down punch. “I heard you’re failing Anderson’s class.”

Oh, fuck no. I know this
guy wasn’t bringing this shit up now.

Alexa already thought I was an idiot. I didn’t need Shit for Brains making it worse.

“How do you know that?” I asked him. I clenched my jaw and fists, fighting back the urge. I promised. No more fighting.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Devin Miller told me. She’s in that class with you, right?”

Devin Miller…I should have known that name was going to come back to bite me in the ass.

“She’s my date tonight.” He said it like he deserved a trophy.

“Good for you.”
Enjoy my sloppy seconds.

“Hey,” he set his cup down on one of the empty tables, “I got an idea. Why don’t you try sleeping with
Anderson. That way, she’ll definitely pass you.”

“
What?” I got in his face, quick. I was going to break my promise. I knew it. Fuck.

“You heard what I said.” H
e annunciated every word—daring me to come at him, probably banking on the assumption that I wouldn’t lay a finger on him. My probation at school wasn’t exactly a secret.

“You better watch your fucking mouth,” I warned.

“Yeah?” He wasn’t backing down.

The rage festered in my gut. I couldn’t keep it there long—it wasn’t something I was good at.

“Ricky.” I felt a tug on my arm. “Dance with me?”

I looked back at Alexa’s face.
That beautiful fucking face. My heart slammed against my chest.

“Please?”

Was she begging?

Her touch weakened my stance, and I let her pull me away. But I kept my eyes on
Jeff.

“Don’t pay attention to him,” she said
, turning my face in her direction. She could diffuse me quicker than sand on a fire.

My arms were wrapped around
her waist, and hers around my neck. Damn, she smelled good.

“I didn’t think you’d show up tonight.”

“Why not?” I asked. How long was this song? It couldn’t be long enough. The way she looked at me. I couldn’t explain it. I was so fucking confused. Most of the time, she acted like she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me. But when she looked at me like this…

“I just didn’t think you’d be into it.”

“I’m not. I promised Mom.”

“Did she eat any of the food I’d brought over?”

Alexa had been bringing over a bag full of take out from her dad’s restaurant a couple nights a week since Mom’s been sick again.

“Some of it.”

She didn’t touch a damn thing, and whatever was on her plate usually ended up in the trash.

“I’m really sorry about your dad taking off,” she said.

I pressed up against her a little tighter, and she didn’t flinch. “I’m not.” I didn’t want to think about that asshole ever again. Especially not now. One of her fingers grazed the back of my hair. Holy shit. I’d never had a girl affect me down there with just one finger.

Just as the last few minutes of the song finished up,
Brandon Kelly stomped across the dance floor. He looked pissed.

Alexa looked up at me from under her long lashes, those dark brown eyes burning right through me. “I better get back to my date.”

I didn’t want to let her go. I could have thrown her over my shoulder and hauled her away like some fucking cave man. Instead, I let my hands fall from her waist.

“Thanks for the dance,” she said, walking back toward
Brandon.

As soon as she was close enough, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. I had a small urge to break that arm if it weren’t for baseball season starting in a few months.

I spent the rest of the dance dicking around the room, trying not to look like I was watching Alexa and Brandon’s every move. I kept telling myself I would only stay a few minutes longer, but a few minutes turned into three hours.

The DJ announced the last song of the night, and I lou
nged back at one of the tables.

“H
ow about a dance, Ricky?” Kiley sat a few chairs away. She got up from her seat and held out her hand.

“I don’t dance,” I mumbled.

“Then how come I saw you on the dance floor earlier?” She let her hand hover in front of me. “Come on, Ricky. It’s just a dance.”

I took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She pressed up against me and put my hands square on her ass—not that I was complaining. Kiley and me went all the way back to
freshmen year.

“You going to Jackson’s house after this?” she asked.

I tried to keep my eyes on her face, but her tits were giving it too much competition.

“What’s going on at Jackson’s?”

“The usual. I was hoping you and I could catch up.” She gave me that look…the one that told me we could be catching up all night. “I didn’t come here with a date. Just tagged along with Aiden and Candace.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said.

The song ended, and instead of letting me go, Kiley held on to my hand. I would have put an end to that shit right away if I wasn’t distracted by Alexa and Brandon. They were walking side by side, heading for the door.

“Hey, Lex,” I called out before I could think it through. I tore my hand away from Kiley.

Alexa stopped walking. “What’s up?”

“You going to Jackson’s?”

Brandon was glued to her side. “Yeah, we’re going.”

I ignored his lame ass attempt at staking his claim.

“How about you?” Alexa asked me.

I felt Kiley come up behind me. She grabbed a hold of my hand again. “Yeah, we’re going,” she replied.

I didn’t appreciate her answering for me. What kind of game was she trying to play?

“I guess we’ll s
ee you there then.” Alexa’s gaze fell on our hands.

Brandon
pulled her away before I could get another word in. She didn’t look back at me. Actually, it looked like her and Brandon were getting pretty cozy.

I separated my hand from Kiley’s. “Let’s go.”

* * * *

It didn’t take Kiley long to end up shitfaced at Jackson’s. I’d lost her to her friends somewhere outside. I knew what too drunk to function looked like, and I wasn’t in the mood to be puked on.

I’d only seen Lexy once since we got here. There were so many people. The beer I’d been milking was warm, and I was starting to get a headache.

“Hey, Ricky.” Someone grabbed my arm as I pushed through the crowded house.

Dark hair and blue eyes. Shit. I had no clue who this chick was. Never admit you didn’t remember. It’s a good way to get a swift kick in the balls.

“You are Ricky, right?”

“I’m the one.”

“I heard about you…”

I could barely hear her over the music.

I leaned in closer. “Whatever they told you is a lie.”

She gave me this half smile. “I heard you’re pretty good at it.”

“Well, maybe not everything.”

She gave me a little laugh and started whispering shit in my ear. Something about finding a quiet room. I dunno. I stopped listening when I saw Alexa’s face.

“Where are you going?” she asked when I started to walk away. I ignored her.

“Hey,” I said to Alexa. She didn’t have the same smile she did at the dance.

“Hey, Ricky.”

“Where’s Brandon?”

Her gaze bounced around the room. “I don’t know.”

“You okay?”

She shook her h
ead. “It’s too loud in here. I can barely think straight.”

“Come on.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her through the living room, to the steps, and upstairs. The first few rooms I tried were already occupied. I finally found an empty laundry room.

Alexa leaned up against the dryer and pressed her fingers to her temples. I just stood there and waited, sipping from my piss warm beer.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” she said.

“What happened to your dress?”

She looked down at her clothes. “I brought a change of clothes with me.

“Damn, wish I thought about that.”

She gave me a once over. “I think you look good in a suit.”

I crept closer to her and leaned on the washer. “That’s the second compliment you’ve given me. Exactly how many beers have you had tonight?”

She laughed.
I almost died; the feeling was fucking heaven. Her smile tortured me. “None, actually. Brandon’s had enough for both of us.”

“
How did you end up going to the dance with Brandon?”

She gave a little shrug and looked down at the tiled floor. “He was over at the house with Drew one day and just asked me. I didn’t even want to go, not after everything that just happened. I mean
, it’s barely been two weeks since Dad’s funeral. But you know my mom…she practically forced me into it.”

I scratched the back of my head. Why the fuck was I so nervous? “They’re good at doing shit like
that.” I was sweating like I did at practice. Hope I didn’t smell like it, too.

“She just doesn’t get it, you
know?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll never be that girl who wants to buy pretty dresses and get made up to go to a dance. I’d rather be working at the restaurant. I felt so out of place tonight.”