When To Let Go (13 page)

Still coming across as though it's no big deal, Dakota added, “I didn't know he had a girlfriend.”

Violet’s gut reaction was that she was lying. Her dad always told her to trust her gut, and so far it had never steered her wrong.

“I guess she didn't put out,” Dakota kept making excuses, “not even hand jobs. Religious freak or something.”

Violet had gone to the same school as Vicki since preschool. She did have strong religious values. Vicki stood by what she believed in, despite the negativity and jokes people threw at her. An admirable trait in Violet’s opinion. Vicki could do way better than Bradley if he was so willing to give up such a giving, friendly girlfriend just to get laid.

Maggie came over, not looking at anyone (especially her sister). Violet sensed she didn't want any more lectures, stealing Ava away to go hang out somewhere else.

Dakota cleared her throat next to Violet, “So you guys are all pretty close, huh?”

“Of course.” They were triplets, how could they not? It was like having a part of yourself break free and roam, but you always had this invisible rope binding you together.

“That's really cool. I only have a stepbrother, who’s a complete ass,” Dakota talked with casual ease. “Have Wes and Ava really been together since they were kids?”

“Yeah,” Violet answered, not expanding even though she could tell Dakota wanted her to. She was going to listen to her gut.

“He's pretty loyal...” Dakota didn't really ask, just faded out, probably catching Violet's vibe.

“He is, so if you think you can get into his pants you'll be disappointed.” Violet wanted to make it clear, not knowing her intentions for befriending Ava. It wouldn't be the first time a girl tried to become friends with Violet or Maggie just to get close to their brother.

Dakota’s eyes got wide, “No, not at all! I was only making small talk, wanting to get to know my new best friend's other friends.”

“Maggie's her best friend,” Violet knew she was being rude, but her defenses were up.

Dakota flipped her hair over her shoulder, “Obviously you don't like me for whatever reason.”

Violet felt bad, she didn't mean to come across so bitchy in her protectiveness, “Sorry, I think I'm just tired.” She tried giving her a friendly smile before leaving the group to find her date and hopefully dance some more.

She didn't have to search long. He was in what had to be a smoking room, based on the large cabinets showcasing cigars.

Violet thought this room was ridiculous; it had to have more than a lifetime’s supply for an entire family.

Her date was with three other team members, sitting in the room’s ginormous leather chairs puffing on cigars. All four of them tried to come across as though they had done so countless times. The coughs they kept trying to conceal told otherwise.

“You gonna try and hit that?” One of them said. Violet was pretty sure he was one of the players that was usually benched.

Another one, Chad, Chaz, or something like that tried responding, coughing on an inhale he wasn't supposed to take, grabbing his beer to wash it away.

Violet's date coughed as well, “You guys have seen her dad, right?”

The room shared their opinion on possible theories of why he was so scarred and scary looking. It wasn't anything Violet hadn't heard before: prison, the mob, what it would look like if The Hulk and Thor had a baby. That got them talking about how maybe all those comics were based on truth.

Violet rolled her eyes, getting out of view, wanting to hear her date’s answer if he had one. She didn't know if she was repulsed or excited by the idea. She pushed away any thoughts of Parker and how she never once questioned it with him.

“You’re still going to try and get some right?”

“Dude, you have to, you would be
legendary
,” a fourth piped in. “She's like the hottest fucking girl in our entire fucking town and it shows you’re not scared of her dad. You'll be a total fucking BAMF.”

“You at least have to try and get a hold of her tits.”

“Definitely,” her date agreed. “I got this far. Why stop now?”

A whole discussion began on who had the best rack in their school. They all agreed it was Ava. They chose not to count her since she was off limits and they had too much respect for Wes.

Disgusted and a little bit hurt, Violet left.

She wanted to cry.

The only reason he had asked her was because of the way she looked and not who she was. Is that why Parker only wanted to kiss her?

Violet never would have considered herself an insecure person, but at this moment she was – everybody had their limit.

She went outside and rested against a wall, watching the drunk kids playing in the pool.

She wasn't naïve enough that she didn't know that's what guys talked about, but she truly thought that he had also found her interesting.

So stupid of her. At what age did boys start acting like men and rate a girl off of more than just her looks? Was there even an age, or is that how they always were?

She'd ask her dad, but now that she was older that would turn into him freaking out about sex and how she was too young to be thinking about those kind of things.

Everything and everyone around her was changing. It left her confused, and for the first time since she was six, in need of her mom, just wanting her comfort; something she knew would never change and would always be there.

Her phone buzzed, vibrating where her bicep rested along her side. Pulling it out from behind her bra she had a moment of exhilaration, the way she always did when it was a text from Parker.

Parker: Need me to come save you?

Violet's immediate reaction was yes.

She deleted the three letters.

Tonight was supposed to be about her finding a life outside of their friendship.

What a joke that had turned out to be.

She wasn't giving up though, even if it meant she leaned against a wall by herself for the rest of the night.

Violet: Nope.

Parker: Having fun?

She
was
, until a few minutes ago. Instead she texted a more vague answer.

Violet: It's been interesting, curious to see how the night goes.

Parker: How's your date?

She didn't want to answer that, not now, or ever to him.

Her first date, and it was only because he wanted to conquer what no one else in the school had.

Violet: Gotta go.

She turned her phone off, not wanting to read his reply.

A loud screech came from close by, followed by a splash so big it almost got Violet.

Inside the pool were her sister and Xavier, laughing and goofing around.

They had obviously patched things up, and if it was anything like history, it was Maggie coming to apologize, giving her apologetic, sad face that had everyone forgiving her. Even Violet and Wesley, who
knew
she used that look to her advantage, fell victim to it.

This was Violet’s chance to redeem the night and still make it worth remembering.

Slipping off her heels, she placed her phone in the toe and kept them hidden behind a plant, not wanting water to ruin them.

Violet took off running, plunging straight in, coming up for air to be met by her sister, who flung her arms around her neck, thrilled she joined them.

It wasn't long before Wes and Ava were right there with them.

The night turned out to be one she'd never forget, but for completely different reasons than she had planned. It was spent with four people she had known her whole life, all of them laughing, dunking, and splashing one another.

Even though everything was changing, there were still some things that never would.

Wesley finished drying off Ava as best as he could, trying to ignore the way her dress clung to her sinful body but failing miserably.

His girl had the perfect amount of curves, and combined with the fact that she had agreed to sleep with him tonight, he was at half-mast all night.

He watched a droplet of water trail between her breasts. It was hard for him not to lean over and see how far down it went. It was time to go.

As much fun as he was having, he wanted to get to the part where Ava fully gave herself to him, making her completely his, or at least until he could put a ring on her finger.

He tenderly kissed her lips, “I'm going to round up everybody else so we can go.”

She nodded, blushing a deep shade, giving away that she knew what it meant.

If he wasn't a guy, he’d probably be skipping inside with how elated he was.

He easily found Bradley, who was sulking, nursing a beer, stalking Vicki's every move from the darkened corner of a couch. Bradley wanted to stay and watch his ex like a creepster. Wesley let him, making him promise to crash there if he couldn't find a ride. He couldn’t find the last couple, so instead of searching the whole house he texted them. A quick text back told him they were busy in one of the rooms upstairs and they'd catch a ride with somebody else.

That left Dakota.

He found her smoking with a bunch of guys in the cigar room, sitting on the lap of Violet's date, reminding Wes he was part of their group too. The guys greeted Wesley with whoops, hollers, and fist bumps all around. He let them all talk about how tonight meant they were closer to their shitty football season coming to an end and that basketball would begin soon. He laughed, considering that everyone there was on the football team as well. It's not that the football team couldn't be good, but even the players seemed to care more about the basketball team winning another national title.

Basketball was what their school lived and breathed.

To Wes it was a way to get a scholarship, not burdening his parents with the cost, knowing they had two other kids to pay for – at the same time. He prayed multiples didn't run in Ava's family. Then again, they hadn't for his mom...

He didn't let himself think about that; they were practically a decade away from starting a family.

“You two ready to go?” He asked the two, who were still too close for having come with different people.

“What? We just got here,” Violet’s date complained in disbelief. “Do you know what happened to your sister?”

Wes didn't like the way the other guys tried to conceal their smirks.

“She's already getting in the car,” he explained. “You coming?”

“We going someplace private?”

“No,” he clipped. “I'll be taking you home.
First
.”

“Nah, man, I'm cool. Jimmy here will give me a ride.”

“Great,” he looked to Dakota. “How about you?”

She hopped off Violet’s date’s lap, “That would be great, I'm beat.” She walked to the door in a way that Wesley knew was for attention, brushing past him with her breasts (even though she had plenty of room to avoid it) and blowing a kiss to the room in farewell.

The boys ogled at what was, without a doubt, one of the most attractive girls at their school, only Wesley could have cared less. Only one person, one girl, held his interest.

He rolled his eyes, saying his farewells and following her.

Dakota had taken out a tube of gloss from the side of her bra, reapplying it to her already glossy lips.

She gripped his arm to make him stop, “I need to talk to you about something.”

He jutted his chin for her to explain, waiting far more patiently than he thought anyone should for her to finish applying more glob to her mouth. He was grateful Ava never got into that crap. How was a guy supposed to feel the natural soft moisture of a girl's lips? It was one of the most intoxicating sensations in the world.

Dakota pursed her lips together. He never understood why she did that. To make them look fuller?

“So, you know how Ava and I are pretty close now, like super best friends?”

What the fuck’s a super best friend? He only answered with a nod, wondering if Maggie knew about this. He had thought they were more school acquaintances. On the other hand, Wes was glad his girl had made friends. He knew how hard it was for her to put herself out there.

“Okay, so like, she'd never tell you this, but she's my girl and I have to look out for her.” She paused.

He tried not getting irritated at how long this conversation was taking. He raised both brows for her to continue.

“I'm sure you’re aware she's a virgin?”

She better be.

He smirked, “Yes.”

“Huh,” she scrunched up her nose. “You don't talk much do you?”

He shrugged, peering over the crowd to the front door that he should have already passed through.

“Anyway, in confidence she told me that she's scared to, you know, lose it.”

That got his attention, and all his focus was put on Dakota, who smiled from it, “But she will 'cause you want her to. I care about Ava and I don't want her being with some guy who doesn't care about her feelings and makes her do something she's not ready for.”