Wanna Bet? (27 page)

“
God I love you guys” I
sigh as I pull out two more chairs for them at our table. “You know
everyone right?” I ask before pouring them both a drink to which
they nod and greet everyone.

“
What have we missed”
Sophie asks settling into the group like she’s known them all
years.

“
I have a few questions
about some of your answers” Lucy grins at me.

“
Oh no” I groan.

“
Let’s see. The tats for
one” She says still grinning at me.

“
I was wondering about them
considering what you were wearing the other night there isn’t too
many places they can be” Derek points out.

“
Tats? As in plural? I
thought you only had one” Sophie asks intrigued.

“
I have two” I stand and
turn pulling my hair away from the back of my neck where there is a
simple script reading
Sine Virtus, Sine
Laus
across the back of my
neck.

“
What does it mean?” Mel
asks staring at the tattoo.

“It’s Latin it means
no courage, no
glory
” I reply sitting back
down.

“
The other one?” Jamie asks
raising an eyebrow.

“
I’m not going to be
showing any of you my other one”

“
The two people at the
table you have kissed?” Jess asks.

“
Andrew and Tucker” I reply
when everyone looks between me and the two men.

“
The person or people in
the club that you have had sex with?” Lucy asks

“
I’m not answering that” I
reply

“
Okay anyone at the table?”
She asks looking at Andrew and Tucker who are both watching each
other.

“
Enough questions, you had
more than you’re twenty three” I plead not answering the
question.

Everyone at the table
heads over to the dance floor leaving me with Sophie and
Matt.

“
So Tuckers here” Sophie
notes.

“
Yeap and you didn’t tell
me” I turn my most accusing look on her.

“
You seem to be getting on
fine” she shrugs

“
It would have been nice to
be prepared. You know the fist time we bumped into each other, I
was wearing a pair of shorts and a bikini top while dancing on the
bar” I stress

“
Sorry, I didn’t want you
to freak out” she apologizes once her laughter is under control.
“How is it between you two?” she asks seriously now.

I shrug “Fine I
guess”

She sighs “Brooke, it
can’t be fine, the last time you two spoke … he hurt you ... you
told him you loved him … you were both so angry” she struggles to
fit a sentence together.

“
We haven’t mentioned that”
I explain

“
What? How can you have not
talked about it?” She demands slapping her hand on the table
causing everyone to look at us even the band. I turn to
her.

“
We just haven’t that’s
part of my past and in case you haven’t noticed I’ve left all that
crap behind me when I left. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m a
different person now and I hope he is too”

“
Bull, have you been with
anyone since him?” She demands

“
I’ve had boyfriends” I
defend feebly

“
Have you slept with any of
them?” she pushes

“
Only one since him” I
shrug “I haven’t met anyone that you know…” I trail off unable to
explain it.

“
I know Brooke but two
years? I know you’re a different person now and I’m so happy for
you but you either have to talk to him or get over him”

“
I am over him; I have been
for a long time”

“
OKAY fine, so you’ve
noticed how him and Mel keep staring at each other and flirting
with each other. They are probably going to have sex tonight, how
does that make you feel?”

“
Sick” I admit looking down
at the table.

“
See you still have
feelings for him” she insists softly.

“
And we all know how well
that worked out the last time. In fact if my memory is right, half
the university saw how well that worked out last time” I
snap.

“
That was two years ago,
feelings that last this long when you haven’t even spoken to or
seen him and after what he did are strong Brooke”

“
I can’t trust him again
Soph”

“
He saved your life
Brooke”

“
Yeah so he could tick
another box on his list” I practically growl at her.

“
That’s not the reason he
did it and you know it” she says while rubbing my arm.

“
I never would have been in
that position if it wasn’t for him in the first place” I tell her
getting both her and Matt’s full attention

“
What do you mean?” Matt
asks looking slightly sick.

“
Remember that night I came
back to the dorm after Beth slapped me and I stormed out?” They
both nod silently “Well I went to my mum’s house and woke them all
up by banging on the door. My mum answered and I barged in there I
was winding up
him
and she went for me but I elbowed her and then
he
came after me which
is what I wanted and then I just lost it and attacked him. He tried
tackling me but I moved and he fell into my mum and they both fell
down, I grabbed a lamp and attacked him. I attacked him Soph and I
couldn’t stop, he was bleeding out and I carried on. The only
reason I stopped was because Phin was there and called my name.
After that I knew he would try to kill me” I take a deep breath
pushing back the memories of the night and trying to hold back the
tears. “The point is, that if Tucker hadn’t hurt me in the first
place, I never would have gone back there again”

“
He never meant to hurt you
Brooke” Sophie says softly to me.

“
No so what about
humiliating me, accusing me of cheating on him, using my past
against me in an argument and calling me a whore. In front of
everyone we knew? Because to me that isn’t something you do to
someone you care about”

“
He was hurt Brooke” Matt
insists.

I snort “Yeah so was I” I
feel a stubborn tear roll down my cheek and quickly wipe it away.
Remembering the look on his face when we were arguing. The hurtful
things he said to me all come back at once as it if was happening
now.

I’m not even all that
surprised…

I should have known from
the beginning…

Play the abused quiet girl
…

Making me care for you and
then what, what is this? Some sort of twisted lesson you are
attempting to teach me? …

Getting me back for all
the girls that I slept with and never bothered with again?
...

Is that it …

Do you want to know why I
did it? …

I had never been with a
virgin before you were just something to cross off a
list…

Because you’re a
whore?...

I squeeze my eyes close
and breathe through the pain of my heart breaking all over again.
The tears won’t stop coming. I shake my head to try and clear it as
I push the memories back.

“
He loved you Brooke”
Sophie whispers adamantly.

“
No!” I shout at her, not
caring who’s watching us anymore. “Two years Soph!” I practically
scream at her as I push my chair back roughly and stand up. “Two
fucking years, that’s how long it’s been and do you know how I got
through it? By not thinking about it!”

“
Brooke, I’m sorry pretend
I never said anything” She says starting to stand.

“
Forget it” I shake my head
“I know exactly how to end this”

I clean my self up in the
bathroom and take the time to calm down.

I just need to take my
mind off it and the pain will fade away just like
always.

Running a few ideas
through in my head I take my place behind the bar.

“
Everything OKAY Brooke,
you look pissed and not the type you should be, considering it’s
your birthday” Will asks putting a protective arm around my
shoulders.

“
I’ll be fine” I assure him
patting his arm.

“
What you doing behind the
bar on your birthday anyway, don’t even attempt to try and work
tonight” he scolds making me giggle.

“
I was thinking about
providing some entertainment actually” I wink up at him.

“
Just be careful” he says
as he walks back into his office leaving me stood behind the bar
watching the crowd.

I mess about behind the
bar and flirt with a few customers. I smile reassuringly at the
curious glances from Lucy and Jess. I completely ignore Mel not
able to get the picture of her and Tucker out of my mind, and I
shake my head at Sophie every time she gets up to come over to me
when she’s not watching me worriedly.

I straddle the bar and
laugh while a group of drunken students slur through singing ‘happy
birthday’ to me.

“
I’ll buy you a tray of
shots if you can impress me in less than two minutes” one of the
students grins up at me.

“
Are you sure?” I ask as I
jump down from the bar and pour out the six shots that make up the
trays we sell.

“
Yeah, I don’t think you
can do it” He says smugly.

I smirk at him and reach
my hand under the bar next to me to grab a cherry, pulling the stem
out I hold it up for him to see them slip it in my mouth. Ten
seconds later I pull it out with a perfect knot in it.

“
Okay you win” he stutters
amazed. I laugh and shake my head at him.

“
Want me to do it again?” I
ask laughing when as soon as I’ve said it he calls a group of men
over to watch. I stand on the bar and grab the
microphone.

“
Hey Andrew!” I call into
the mic trying to spot him through the crowd. I finally spot him
dancing with Jess. “Get your sexy ass over and up here, I need ya.
Don’t worry Jess you’ll get him back in one piece” I
laugh.

Zack our weekend bartender
pokes me in the leg and I look down to see he is holding out a
handful of cherry stems to me. I take them and one at a time put
them in my mouth and tie in knots them handing them down the guys
stood at my feet.

“
What are you doing?”
Andrews voice full of laughter comes over the speakers as he walks
across the top of the bar watching me curiously.

“
Showing these very
handsome men what I can do with my tongue” I reply grinning at him.
“Wanna see?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him.

“
Always” is all he replies
and watches as I repeat the process and pass him the knotted stem.
“Wow no wonder you’re so good at ...” I cut him off by smacking the
top of his head making him grin and the crowd laugh.

“
Anytime baby” I sing into
the mic at him.

“
So what did you call me up
here for?” He asks cocking his head at me.

“
Well” I start as I turn to
face the crowd. “As you all know it is my birthday” The crowd
cheers and says happy birthday and I curtsey to them making them
laugh “Anyway I thought what better way to celebrate than with … a
little … bet?” I whisper the last word into the mic and turn to
Andrew.

“
I’m up for that what were
you thinking?” he asks.

I walk over and lower my
mic as I whisper in his ear. “Well as it’s my birthday and I should
celebrate, I was thinking you should pick the man I’m going to
celebrate with, the bet being on if he is still with me in the
morning”

The crowd starts chanting
“what’s the bet” so I lift my mic back up to tell them but when I
open my mouth Andrew cuts me off straight away.

“
Are you fucking crazy?” he
yells into his mic making me wince from the sheer volume of
it.

“
Why the hell not?” I
demand swinging around to face him.

“
I can think of about a
hundred reasons why, the first one being is that it’s dangerous the
second one being have you lost your god damn mind?” he
snaps.

“
It’s not dangerous if I
use a…” he cuts me off again by grabbing my arm and pulling me into
him.

“
HEY!” I hear Matt shout
from the table. We both ignore him.

“
You’re not doing it”
Andrew says into my ear so only I can hear.

“
I can do what the god damn
hell I want” I snap back.

“
What’s this about Brooke?”
he asks as he pushes me away but only far away enough so he can
search my eyes.

“
I just want to forget” I
whisper to him sadly remembering the last photo I looked at last
night of me and Tucker hugging at a house party covered in paint
from a paintball fight that’s broke out.

He must have seen the pain
in them because he pulls me into a hug. “I won’t let you do it,
I’ll follow you around all night if I have to” he says stubbornly
letting me know I don’t have a choice.