Take Me Away (4 page)

“Not happening.”

"We'll see," I wink, sipping on my coffee. The girls are behind us and I can feel the staring. I guess it's interesting seeing me actually talk to another girl instead of having her suck me. Well, this one is a keeper.

My phone rings and I pick it up to answer. "Hi, Mom."

"Oh wow, my son picks up his phone," she sarcastically says.

"I love you too. What's up?"

"Come over today. It's nice out. Your father and I are home and we bought steaks and I made a lot of food. So bring the guys, Katy and Jamie."
Zara too
. "I'll see you at 1p.m., sharp."

"Yes, Mom," I smile, hanging up the phone after we say bye. I get up and turn to the girls. "Regina Parker would like to have everyone come over, so get ready and let's go," I announce. "Move it ladies. You know how my mom is."

When everyone meets back at the house we take three cars to my parent's house. The drive is quick and soon we're walking up the driveway and to my backyard. I love living in North Carolina and feeling the sun. I have no idea how people can deal with snow and all that shit. The sun’s out, there’s a very light breeze in the air and my pool looks pretty damn inviting.

The guys help my dad with the grill and bringing the food out from the kitchen. My mom’s showing the girls pictures and embarrassing the shit out of me.

In the corner of my eye I see Katy and Jamie on the lounge chairs. Looking around I don’t see Zara. I head inside and into the kitchen where I hear laughing. Stepping in I see my mom and Zara putting the desserts together.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Zara,” my mom gushes. “How are you liking Duke so far?”

“It’s nice to meet you too Mrs. Parker.”

“No, no. Please call me Regina. When I hear Mrs. Parker I cringe.”

Zara laughs and it makes me smile. “Well I love Duke so far. It’s a great campus. I’m lucky to be part of the team.”

“That’s great, honey. And how do you know Treston?”

I’m not going to lie, but it gets me a little excited to hear what she tells my mom.

“We actually met last night. He’s nice and kinda silly.”

Nice? Kinda silly? Was this girl wasted last night?

“Oh,” my mom claps her hands. “I’m so happy to hear that.”

Slowly stepping away from the hallway and back outside I think about Zara’s words. Why the hell would she say that about me?

Once everything is set up, we all change and jump in. The girls are still in the house, so this gives me time to talk to Jackson to make sure we’re cool.

“Hey, man.”

“What’s up?” He asks me.

“Just want to make sure we’re good. I’m sorry I didn’t know that was Zara. If I knew, then I wouldn’t have danced with her.”

“Don’t worry about it. Actually, I’m fine,” he answers, “I had some time to think and it’s cool. I know I was a dick to her so I’m gonna try to talk to her at your house. I won’t make a scene or anything.”

“Yeah, man. Whatever you need to do.” I swim away, feeling better. When I turn around, I nearly fall over. I need to come over with my friends more often. Standing in front of me is Zara in the sexiest bikini I’ve ever seen. Her black bikini is simple, but there’s nothing simple about her mouthwatering curves. I stare at her toned body and my eyes set on her D cup boobs. Damn. The girl is hot as sin. She slowly gets in the water with Katy and Jamie and all I can think about is fucking her against the pool wall.

“Stop staring,” Jamie laughs, splashing water on me. She swims over and stands next to me, “So, Zara told me that you two had a nice little chat. Really, Treston?”

“What?”

“Come on. You’re such a dick. She’s a nice girl.”

My eyes go back to this beautiful girl. Yeah, she’s definitely nice and I feel like a fucking tool for saying what I did to her. But the motto between us will always be
dicks before chicks
. I’ve been with these guys for years. Sure Jackson just got here, but he’s on the team and we’re teammates. Adding girl drama isn’t good for anyone.

“She’s Jackson’s ex. I’m not trying to cause drama when the season hasn’t started yet.”

Jamie doesn’t respond. Instead, we relax in the pool. Gavin and Katy are on the lounge and I can’t find Zara or Jackson. Not that I care.

My mom calls all of us to have dinner. I get out of the pool, grab a towel and look for the two lovebirds. Or ex lovebirds. Who knows?

Jogging over to the pool guesthouse, I see the door’s slightly open and hear voices from inside.I’m not a nosey person, but this is too good to not eavesdrop on.

“I get it,” I hear Jackson say, “I really do. It took me a little while, but I’d rather have you in my life as my friend than not. You still mean a lot to me, Zara.”

“You do, too. And I’m sorry and will always be sorry. I don’t want to lose you because you’re my best friend.

“You won’t lose me. I promise."

And I’ve had enough. When I open the door, again, they turn around and I'm greeted with another nasty look. Yet all I can do is stare at her. The girl is standing in the middle of the room, still in her bikini, with her hair up in a bun. Her face is makeup free and she looks better than last night. She can pull off the natural look better than a caked on face.

Her bright blue eyes meet mine and I can’t breathe. I don’t mean to sound like a girl, but damn she's making me feel things I haven’t felt since Emily.

“Well, time to eat guys, so come on,” I finally say and watch her leave the room. Of course, my eyes go directly to her ass and I swear it’s beautiful.

I feel a slap and glare at Jackson. “Ex-girlfriend, bro.

“Hot ex girlfriend,” I joke, rushing out of the guesthouse before Jackson slaps me again.

CHAPTER 4

ZARA

“GOOD JOB TODAY, LADIES,” COACH says, telling us to be ready tomorrow. My legs feel like they’re on fire. The burning sensation travels up my calves to my thighs. It’s a miracle I didn’t throw up today. Preseason is serious. We’ve been running, sprinting, conditioning under the hot sun for at least two hours a day. Classes started today and lucky for me no class on Monday, Wednesday or Friday's. I'm not sure how I managed this awesome schedule, but I'm not complaining. The downfall though, I have four classes in a row without a break starting at 10 a.m., on Tuesday and Thursday. And then after spending hours in class, I'll be busting my ass in practice.

“Looking good out there,” Jamie says, walking beside me. I grunt, wishing I could get a massage now. “Do you need to get anything for your classes?”

“No, I’m good I think,” I let her know. We walk the rest of the way to Katy’s car in silence. She’s standing there with Gavin, in their lovey dovey stage. I’m happy for my best friend and am glad she has someone as sweet as Gavin, but I won’t lie; I’m jealous. It makes no sense why I'm jealous. Breaking up with Jackson was my idea.

“How are you doing with everything? I know seeing him isn’t easy.”

I look at Jamie, “Honestly, we’re fine now. After Treston’s yesterday, we went for a drive and talked. Like, really talked. He understands where I’m coming from and respects me. We’ve been friends for so long, so it’s hard to not be in each other’s lives.”

“That’s really good, babe. I’m happy for you!”

“Why, thank you,” I smile and we get in Katy’s car. “I’m so freaking hungry.”

“I think Gavin and some of the guys are hitting up the pub,” Katy says, “I say we go.”

“Okay,” Jamie and I both answer.

We get to the house and the three of us shower and get ready. Standing in front of my closet, I look through my clothes. I don’t want to look too girly, so not my style, but I don’t want to look like a bum either. I kneel down and find baby pink shorts to wear. “Perfect,” I mutter. Putting them on, I look in the mirror and gasp. I forgot how short these are. If I bend over, you can see my ass cheeks.

“Oh my god!” Katy says, coming in the room, looking at me. “You brought out your booty shorts.”

“No, no. These are going back.”

“Shut up. Wear them. You look great.”

I hesitate and then figure why not. We finish getting ready and head to the guys’ house. It’s so convenient that they literally live two minutes away from us. Going inside, Gavin, Ethan, Jackson and Treston stand up and we head out.

“Baby, you can drive the girls and we’ll meet you there.” Gavin instructs us.

When we get into Katy’s car, Jamie has the biggest grin on her face. “What’d I miss now?” I ask her.

She looks at Katy and they both grin. This is so annoying. “So, we totally saw Treston checking out your ass.”

“Ugh. Hello? Just got out of a long-term relationship. I don’t care if he was checking out my ass. He totally was a dick to me at the party.”

“That’s Treston for ya,” Jamie says.

I sit in the back seat, staring out the window, thinking about how he dismissed me at the party. I mean, we were dancing and having fun. I didn’t want to hook up with the freaking guy or anything.

When we get to the pub, the guys are already there. Gavin meets us in the front and we follow them to the back. Everyone slides in the booth and I notice Treston’s not here. Picking up the menu from the table, I open it and figure out what to get. Seriously, if I could, I’d order everything and not feel guilty.

Feeling someone sit down and move me over, I look to the side and see Treston. Instantly, I’m annoyed.

“Can you say
excuse me
?”

“Yeah,” he smirks, “I can.”

I roll my eyes, “You’re rude.”

“Nah, just funny.” He takes my menu from my hands and flips through the pages. Is he serious right now? I look around and find our friends looking at us. Jackson has an interesting expression on his face and I’m wondering what he’s thinking. Shouldn’t he be getting mad that his friend is flirting, well I think he’s flirting, with me?

"So, since we're sitting next to each other, I figure we should start on the right foot." He extends his hand to me, "Hi, I'm Treston Parker."

"I know who you are."

He holds his chest with a shocked look. "I'm sorry, did I offend you or something?"

"Let me remind you about Friday night. We danced and had fun, and then you went all bro code on me when you found out my name." I hear snickering and turn to find Ethan and Jackson. "Hush up, the both of you."

"Be nice," Jamie shouts, throwing a piece of bread at Treston.

He spreads his arm out on my shoulder and I hit him with my elbow. "Well, ow. Now look who's being rude."

"I can't even," I mutter, snatching the menu back.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you, Zara." His lips are near my ear and my body is nearly shaking. Oh no. Oh no. "I promise, I'm not that big of an asshole."

"Oh."

Soon, the server comes and takes our order. We all talk about the Fall Invitational and the upcoming season. Everyone at the table, except me, are seniors and this is their last year playing.

"Hi, Treston." Everyone stops talking and looks up. A beautiful, blonde bombshell is stroking his arm and I'm so annoyed. Really? We're having dinner and this skank is standing here as if none of us are here.

My phone vibrates and I unlock my phone to read the text.

Jackson:
What's up with that face?

Me:
What face?

Jackson:
LOL your annoyed face

Me:
Well maybe Miss Barbie needs to learn manners and leave so we can go back and talk...It's annoying

Jackson:
I know...That's how it always is

Me:
Awesome

"Audrey," Katy waves her hand, getting skank's attention. "Hi! We're about to have dinner so please take your STD walking ass out of here."

Audrey scoffs, "Whatever. Baby, are we getting together tonight?" Just as she's about to sit on his lap, he moves and she falls to the floor. I hold in my laughter, but wow, priceless.

"What the fuck, Treston?"

"I believe you were asked to leave." Treston turns back to us and winks. God, he's so full of himself.

When our food comes, I'm doing my best to ignore him. I wish I were sitting next to Jackson and not Treston. He's leaning with his side against me and keeps stealing my fries.

"You have your own, you know?"

"I do," he nods his head, "but eating yours is so much better." A smirk appears on his face and my face flushes.

"You're such an ass." I pick up my burger and eat.

Looking over at Jackson, he catches me and smiles. I’m glad we were able to get through the breakup and remain best friends. The two of us being here together shows how close we are and that the bond we have is unbreakable.

“How’s your burger?” He asks.

“Actually, pretty good. They made it right.”

Treston looks at my burger then at me. “I think it’s still mooing.” He makes a sickened face and turns away.

“Mmm just the way I like it.” It is kind of gross how I like my beef as close to rare as possible, but I still love it.

“So you like it raw and dirty?” His arm brushes mine, causing goose bumps to raise on my arm. Shit. Not good. I don't like the way my body's responding to his.

“Why must you turn everything into something sexual?”

Shrugging his shoulders he reaches over for more of my fries. “Baby, if only you can see what I’m thinking. I’m a guy. We think about sex every five seconds.”

I look over and see the other guys nodding their heads in agreement.

“And this is why your dick is going to fall off,” Katy states.

Laughing at her comment I turn to Treston and nod my head. Seeing him at the party with his groupies and then tonight with skank, oh, I mean Audrey, proves that he’s a player. He needs the attention of these girls to feel good. He’s probably never had a girlfriend. What girl would want to mess with him?

Back at the house, Katy, Jamie and I are lounging in the living room watching
Criminal Minds.

“I think I could definitely get away with murder if Gavin ever pissed me off,” Katy expresses, “I mean how hard could it be?”

“Well,” I tap my chin, “You would have to clean all the evidence and then come up with an alibi. It’s a lot of work to murder someone.”

“Well,” she responds, thinking, “I would have you girls be my alibi and it’s not like I’d chop up his body or anything.”

Bursting out into a fit of laughter we go back to watching our show for the next few hours before heading upstairs to sleep.

Tomorrow’s the first day of classes as a freshman in college.

The next morning, I change into my workout clothes and go for a run before my first class - English. I love working out in the morning. It helps me think. The cool breeze hits my face, but the humidity sucks. I turn the corner, going up the hill, breathing in and out, staying focused on running. Hitting the two-mile mark, I turn around and head back to the house. Walking into the house, I run upstairs and jump in the shower.

Finishing my shower, I get ready for class. Putting on shorts and a soft pink tee, I sit at the vanity and put on light makeup. I’ve never been a girly girl. Don’t get me wrong, I like to get ready and shop, but mostly my wardrobe consists of workout clothes. My friends hate it, and I love it.

“Are you seriously wearing that to class?”

I turn around and look at Katy “Why do my clothes bother you?”

“Because you have the cutest body and you hide it behind baggy clothes.”

I lift my legs in the air, “See, I’m showing off these babies today.”

She rolls her eyes at me, “What about your other girls? Seriously Zara, it won’t hurt to wear
some
of the clothes your mom got you.”

I look at my closet and see the cute dresses and tops. I want to dress cute and show off my body, but I don’t want the attention. I couldn’t deal with the gazing eyes and focus. It’s hard enough when I have people watching me when I play.

“I’ll see you later!” I blow a kiss to Katy and head outside, ready to take on back to back classes for the next few hours.

After my first two classes, English and math, I pull a banana from my bag and head to class number three. An arm is soon around my shoulders and I look up with see Jackson staring down at me.

“Morning love,” he says, taking a bite of my banana.

“Morning Jackson,” I sweetly smile.

"So today’s your first day. How's it going?"

I tell him about my first two classes and tell him that since the team mostly has morning and early afternoon classes, our practices are mostly going to be at night.

"I'm glad it's going well. So you and Treston." Immediately my eyes glare at him. "Oh that look," he laughs, "You're letting him get to you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I’m trying hard to not slap my ex boyfriend slash best friend in the face. I have no idea what his game is, but I don’t like it.

"I know you, Zara. You hardly ever let guys get to you. So what's up?"

"Nothing," I answer him, "He's annoying and I don't like him."

"Why?"

"Well, I mean, he was rude to me at the party and then kept stealing my fries."

"Ah, I see. Well, he apologized about the party right?" I nod, "Then he did give you some of his fries, yes?" I nod again.

"You're my ex and he's your friend. How are we having this conversation? You do realize we’re the most messed up exes right?”

“That’s what makes us unique. Even though we aren’t together we’re still close and I care about you. So back to Treston.”

“What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing,” he laughs, “I know when my friend is interested in someone."

"I'm not interested." How can I be interested in the school's man whore? Sure he's sexy as hell and I love how he makes my body shiver and the way his deep voice makes me sigh. That doesn't matter. "We just met. I don't even think we're friends."

"Don't let what we had stop you from living. I know we just broke up, but there's no rule that says you have to wait to move on. I'm okay and so are you. If you want to like him, then like him."

I throw up my hands in the air, "Who? What? Huh?"

"Exactly," Jackson touches my cheek and kisses my forehead.

I groan, "Gotta go to class. I’ll talk to you later.”

I walk out of the building and to another building where my history class is. Racing up the stairs, I walk inside to the air conditioned heaven. Checking the time on my watch, I run to the vending machine for a bottle of water before walking into class. I thread through the bodies of students and find an empty seat in the back row.

I hate sitting in the front of the classroom. I’m already getting attention when playing lacrosse, I don’t want it in class. Plus, when you’re sitting in the front, the professor is morelikely to call on you.