Unbreak My Heart (9 page)

His shrug said: it is what it is.

Props to him for not denying it.

“I’m surprised they’re partying tonight when they have a game tomorrow.”

“None of the starters are drinking booze.” I pointed out a dozen team members in our vicinity. “Water or energy drinks. Ky kicks them out early and he’s in bed before midnight.” When I noticed Boone looking at me oddly, I said, “What?”

“I said it before but I’ll say it again. It’s weird to think you’re hanging out with Kyler. He used to bug the crap out of you on the bus. You’d hide from him in the back seat, remember?”

Wrong. I sat in the far back because that’s where Boone always sat. “There’s nothing more obnoxious than a twelve-year-old boy, so anything is an improvement.”

He grinned. “Why didn’t we throttle the McKay-kateers every day when we had the chance?”

“We?” I poked him in the chest. “
You
stopped riding the bus.
I
still had to deal with them.”

“I would’ve preferred being on the bus to working two jobs.”

Hayden caught my eye and started to jog over.

“Speaking of the McKay-kateers…”

Hayden draped his arm across my shoulder for a one-armed hug. “S’up?” He saw both my hands were empty. “You’re not drinking tonight?”

“I’ve yet to reach the keg and I’m in dire need of a beer.”

“I’ll grab you one,” Boone said, and he was gone.

Hayden caught me watching Boone walk away. I bristled. “What?”

“You two are acting awfully cozy.”

“Cozy is not the word that comes to mind with Boone. He’s as cozy as a grenade launcher.”

“He said the same thing about you.” Hayden stepped in front of me. “Just watch yourself with him, okay?”

“Sex it and exit” Hayden had the balls to issue me a warning? Asshat.

Formerly the shiest of the McKay-kateers, the lone blond of the trio had shot up and bulked out. Now a super-hottie with charisma and brains galore, he’d made a name for himself as the sweet talker who could charm any woman into his bed.

“Aw, look at you, manwhore, concerned for my virtue.” I patted Hayden on the cheek. “Don’t worry that pretty head of yours, brainiac. The only thing I’m making with Boone is conversation.”

He laughed. “Right. I give it a week before you getcha some of that, ’cause he is as hot for you as you’re pretending not to be for him. Just keep it casual, true?”

“Whatever.”

“You coming to the game tomorrow?”

“Have I missed a home game yet this season?” I’d become a huge football fan over the years. Watching my talented cousin killing it on the field just kicked up my excitement level.

“No, football fanatic.” He punched me in the arm. “I can’t wait to see how bloodthirsty you get at Mase’s hockey games this year.”

Since the Scorpions were consistently at the bottom of their division, we scored great season tickets for fairly cheap. Mase had blushed when I showed him the Scorpions jersey I’d bought sporting
Morrison
on the back and asked him to sign it.

“There’s an extra ticket floating around to tomorrow’s game. You should invite Lu.”

“Lu has to work.” I returned his punch to the arm. It was our thing from our school bus days. “And dude, stop bird-dogging my roomie. She will chew you up and spit you out.”

“Or she might prefer a taste of Wyoming sage in her man-meat.” He smirked. “Anyway, I came over to tell you it’s Meat-topia weekend.”

“It is? Good thing I didn’t get tickets to Sunday night’s game.”

“Don’t bring that up with Kyler. His ticket deal fell through.” Hayden frowned. “It’s killing him his beloved Broncos are in town and he can’t be in the stadium.”

“Ky is the ASU quarterback! Why isn’t he just given tickets to every damn event?” I huffed. “That is so not fair. Sun Devils stadium is his
home
stadium. He plays on that field. He deserves—”

“Simmer down, big cuz.”

Boone returned with the beer before I could retort. His gaze winged between me and Hayden. “Is everything all right?”

“Sierra just gets het up when it comes to family.” Hayden squeezed my shoulder in a half-hug. “That’s why she needs a beer.” He plucked it from Boone’s hand and passed it over to me.

“That was fast,” I said to Boone.

“I told Tug it was for you.” He sipped his beer. “Both cups actually. Then he said he admired ‘a chick who could drink like she had a dick.’”

“Tug’s been influenced by Lex,” Hayden complained. Then he looked at me. “Have you talked to Lex tonight?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t know he was here.”

“I saw him inside. He asked about you.”

What was Hayden doing? Trying to piss me off and warn Boone away?

The exact opposite happened.

Boone growled, “Who the fuck is Lex? Another football player who’s so freakin’
shy
with all the grid-bunnies that he needs your special help too?”

“And…I’m done here. I’ll find people to talk to who aren’t judgmental dickheads.”

My first thought as I walked away?
Don’t stop until you get to your car.

My second thought? Even a crappy conversation with Boone at this party was better than how things transpired at the first and only party we’d ended up at in high school.

I hadn’t planned on running into him that night either.

Now I was running again—away this time. I cut across the lawn, searching for a spot in the dark shadows of the house where no partiers would find me. I slumped against the stucco and sipped my beer. Warm. Yuck.

Why had Boone brought up that horrible party almost first thing? It’d been the most humiliating night of my life. Nearly eight years later, I still wanted to curl into a ball in the corner and hide my face in shame when I thought about it.

That’s probably why I subconsciously hid in the shadows now—because that memory kept floating closer and closer to the surface.

Maybe letting it come won’t be so bad. Things and perceptions change. You’ve changed.

Good freakin’ thing. Because during that time of my life? I thought I was
the
shit.

I had my driver’s license.

I had a car.

I had the burning desire to prove I was cool.

It was as if I followed a “How to Fuck Up Your Life” checklist for bratty sixteen-year-old girls.

Finding new friends with a “question authority” attitude? Check.

Lying to my dad? Check.

Making dumb decisions with booze? Check.

Showing bad judgment with a bad boy? Check.

I’d implemented all of those fantastically stupid choices in one night…

My new pal
Kara knew where all the cool parties were. Not the “lame high school ones” but private house parties with booze and older guys.

I’d become a regular at these parties the last month. I stuck close to Kara and Angie because I was actually shy around boys and these older guys sort of terrified me. I hated that I was still hung up on Boone, even when I hadn’t heard from him at all since before Christmas. So a few beers filled me with the liquid courage to approach the new guy who’d just shown up. He was seriously cute, even if he looked rough around the edges.

As soon as I smiled at him? He was by my side.

“Hey, hot stuff. What’s your name?”

I smelled pot smoke on his clothes, which I ignored because…hello? Cute guy flirting with me? “Sierra. What’s yours?”

“Tyler.” Tyler eyed my chest first and then the cup I held. “Whatcha drinkin’?”

“Beer.”

“This is better.” He waggled a bottle of Jack Daniels he’d been carrying around. “And I’m willing to share.”

“What’s the catch?” While there was always booze at these parties, it never was free.

Tyler grinned. “Smart girl. Do a couple shots with me and we’ll figure something out.”

I said, “Sure,” as if I accepted shots from strange guys all the time. I drained my beer, intending to reuse the cup for the shot, but Tyler plucked it out of my hand and tossed it aside.

“No drinkin’ it like a pussy. Take your shot straight from the bottle.”

I snatched the bottle from him and drank. Somehow I withheld a shudder. Jesus. The stuff tasted like vomit. The Crown XR my dad drank was way better.

He laughed and grabbed the bottle back. “Eager to do what I tell you. I like that.” He tipped the bottle, keeping his gaze on my chest while he guzzled. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Really? I was here last weekend.”

“I wasn’t. I had to work.”

“That sucks. It was a great party. Been a lot of great parties lately.”

“And you’ve been to all of them?”

I attempted a flirty smile. “Yep.”

“So you don’t got a job?”

“No.”

“Must be nice.” He knocked back another slug. “So if you ain’t workin’, what do you do for fun?”

“I’ve been stuck at home for a few months without wheels, so it’s been a long time since I’ve had any fun. I’ve been making up for lost time.”

“Then you’re in luck, ’cause I can think of a whole lotta ways we can have fun together tonight.” He passed the bottle back to me. “Drink up and drink deep.”

I held my breath and managed to swallow another huge mouthful. But I didn’t stop the shudder.

“Gets better by about the fifth shot. After that, you won’t know
what
you’re swallowing.”

My warning bells went off.

Then Tyler violated my personal space and touched me without permission.

He wrapped his fingers in the necklace I wore and tugged me closer, like it was a come-along. “Heard some things about you. You’ve got a nice ass, pretty face too.” He kept putting pressure on the necklace chain, forcing me to move closer to him.

My brain warned me to tell him that he was choking me, even as I feared he was fully aware of what he was doing.

“Now. How about we talk about payment?”

Two shots in a row on top of five beers made my head spin.

“Wanna hear your options?” Tyler said.

No. I want you to let me go.
I’d barely been talking to this guy for five minutes and he acted like this? I needed to get away from him and fast. “I could just pay you.”

“Nah. I’m wantin’ something else. Your money is no good.”

“But mine is. I figure she drank maybe five bucks worth of Jack.” A hand waved a five-dollar bill between my face and Tyler’s. “So consider this payment in full.”

Boone.

Oh God, Boone was here. I didn’t know whether to be happy or embarrassed.

Tyler released my necklace.

I sucked in a deep breath and was snapped back against Boone’s chest.

Tyler glared at Boone. “What the fuck is your problem, West?”

“Don’t have one, Ty. Just watching out for my girl.” He tucked the folded bill in Tyler’s shirt pocket. “We square?”

I remained frozen.

“You’re with her? Bullshit,” Tyler spat. “Kara didn’t say nothin’ to me about that.”

“That’s ’cause Kara doesn’t know. No one knows.” Boone dropped his arm over my shoulder. “Our families would have a shit fit if they knew we were together.” Then Boone’s hot mouth teased the skin below my ear. “Right, sugar bear?”

He’d said the words loud enough for Tyler to hear. But my tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of my mouth.

“Don’t pull that silent treatment crap with me,” Boone warned me testily. “Tell you what. You don’t get pissed off at me for bein’ late and I won’t get pissed off at you for drinking with another guy. ’Cause you know how jealous I get, baby.”

Tyler’s skeptical gaze flitted between us. He looked ready to kill Boone. And maim me.

Boone twined his fingers in my hair and pulled my head back in a move that showed his displeasure I hadn’t answered him. Then he put his mouth on my ear and whispered, “For Christsake, Sierra, act like we’re together or Tyler will fuck me up and then he’ll fuck you.”

That snapped me out of it. “Sorry, Boone. Don’t be mad.” I turned my head and buried my face in his neck.

Boone sighed. “Look, man, I’m sorry. She’s a big fuckin’ cocktease when she’s been drinking.” He offered Tyler his hand. “No hard feelings?”

A beat passed before Tyler shook Boone’s hand. “You’re lucky you got here in time. Me’n her were about to have us a private party. You’d better keep a tighter leash on her. Most guys ain’t as understanding as me.”

“I appreciate that.” Boone curled his hand around my hip and squeezed. “Any rooms open so Sierra and I can…talk privately?”

Tyler laughed. Then he yelled, “Jimbo. Clear out my bedroom so these two can fuck and make up.”

His bedroom? Omigod. This was
his
house?

“Thanks, man.” Boone dropped his free hand to my ass and kept his arm around my neck, almost in a headlock as he maneuvered me through the crowd.

I felt everyone staring at us, but I kept my gaze on my feet. Even that didn’t keep me from stumbling. I heard laughter and Boone’s grip tightened.

He steered me into a bedroom and slammed the door behind us.

The shots hit me the same time as the reality of the situation and I felt ill.

I tripped over something on the floor and Boone caught me before I fell.

He pushed me against the door, bracing my shoulders, and got right in my face. “What the fuck were you doing?”

“I don’t know.”

“That is goddamn obvious, Sierra.”

I closed my eyes.

“Huh-uh. Look at me. Keep those eyes open because the room will start spinning and I don’t wanna deal with you being sick as well as being stupid.”

Stupid. I hated being called stupid. And it stung hearing it from him. “I’m not that drunk.” I put my hands on his chest and shoved him as hard as I could.

Boone wasn’t expecting it and stumbled back two steps.

“Leave me alone. I don’t need you to fucking babysit me, Boone.”

He clenched his hands into fists at his sides and stared at me. “What the hell do you think would’ve happened if I’d left you alone with Tyler?”

“I would’ve figured something out.”

“Before or after he fed you more booze, dragged you into his bedroom and raped you?”

“What?”

“Rape. Sex without consent,” he snarled. “Tyler doesn’t fucking care if you’re conscious.”

I felt sick. “And how do you know that?”