It seemed when my sister left the room she took Reid’s attention with her, which suited me perfectly. He quickly became immersed in TV while I pulled out a pair of shorts, my electric blue Chucks, and Pulp Fiction Tasty Burger T-shirt with Samuel Jackson’s fuck-with-me face on it. I scurried to the bedroom and changed while Paige showered, then ran a brush through my slightly wavy hair, along with a little oil to weigh it down and tame the fly-aways. After applying some heavy liner and mascara, I glossed my lips in loud, pink berry and spritzed my wrists and neck with Paige’s perfume. Reemerging, I found Reid in the kitchen. He paused, a bottled water to his mouth, as he looked me over. “Nice shirt.”
“I agree.”
“You think you’ll get a job dressed like that?” Offended, I took in his jeans, boots, and T-shirt.
“Looks like you did.”
“Whatever you say, little sister.” He brushed past me and resumed his spot on the couch.
I wasn’t looking for an office job. If anything, I wanted to find something at one of the clubs on 6th Street. I knew it would be hard considering I wasn’t of age, but there was no harm in trying before I was stuck taking Tex-Mex orders.
Ready to wage war on a stilted Austin, I flipped through my phone to message Lexi, who was the only person I really regretted leaving behind in Dallas. She’d been assuring me she would come to Austin as soon as I got enough money for a place, and her only job would be to furnish it. She was very much like me in that her mother didn’t have the means to support her a day after high school. And because her mother depended on her to watch her little brother, a nine-year-old surprise souvenir she caught while vacationing in Puerto Rico, she couldn’t break free and move in with me until he started back to school. And that gave me weeks to make it happen. I needed someone other than my sister, who was busy living her life, to help keep me motivated.
I’m going crazy here. Was this a mistake?
LEXI: Hell no, I can’t wait to get there. Did you get a job yet? Why didn’t you come to Dallas this weekend?
Black Betty blew up. I texted you twice. Broke up with asshole too. It’s been a shit week.
LEXI: You texted? Shit, I’m sorry. I was watching ‘The Rico.’ He’s a full-time job. Jesus, I will never have sex without a condom and spermicide bodysuit. I’m almost positive that’s why my mother has trapped me with him for the summer before she lets me loose in the world. And what the hell with Dylan?
He broke up with me. And that’s on good assumption because we haven’t talked. AT ALL. He just stopped calling.
LEXI: I’m going to kick his ass. I mean it. If I see him, it’s on.
Please don’t do that. And don’t call me. I’m sitting next to a guy.
LEXI: You moved on quick.
It’s my sister’s friend, and I’m getting the prick vibe.
LEXI: No shit? Hot? Take a pic.
Of course, she’d ignored the prick part of the text. For Lexi, that vibe was a neon sign that translated: Stop and graze here! But I had to admit, she held her own with men. She never held her heart on her sleeve when it came to them. Her tough exterior was a force to be reckoned with. She had a philosophy she stuck to: nothing serious before twenty-five. She vowed only to let her hormones run her sex life. Her head ran the rest of it. I was quickly coming around to her line of thinking.
Hell no, I’m not taking a pic. He’s sitting feet away!
LEXI: DO it. I want to see.
To hell with it. I lifted my phone, just as Reid turned in my direction, and snapped a picture.
He arched a brow. “Did you just take a picture of me?”
“Nope.”
I hit send.
He saw me do it. I hate you.
Lexi: FUCKING HELL HE’S HOT!!
Her mother was right to frighten her. Lexi had skipped the moving-on phase of boy crazy. But I had to admit, for a love ’em and leave ’em girl, she had pretty high standards, and was more of a kissing whore. That I agreed with on all fronts. Kissing was everything, next to an opening guitar riff.
I’m done with men for the moment. Really done. D.O.N.E.
LEXI: Fine with me. I’ll come down this weekend for your birthday and snatch him up.
I rolled my eyes as Reid cleared his throat.
I glanced up. “Yes?”
“Did you seriously just take a picture of me and send it to who you’re texting?”
“You’ll thank me for it later.”
His eyes hardened. “I don’t need your help getting hooked up, little sister.”
“Oh? Well, good, because I just registered you as a sex offender.”
LEXI: Do you know who he looks like?!
Defendant number #2345678
LEXI: What?
Nothing. What an awesome plan for you. You come down on a manhunt. Will there at least be cake?
LEXI: SORRY. I know you’re hurting.
I’m okay. I’m brushing it off a lot better than I thought I would. He didn’t give a shit about me. I’m not that stupid. You know what’s weird? I’m more pissed off than hurt. At myself.
LEXI: He was hot and funny at times. But I told you he was a douche. I promise your birthday will be epic. I’ll make sure of it. But seriously get somewhere and call me. I need to decipher whether you’re full of shit or not.
I’m not. And I don’t want to talk about him. It’s weird, but I’m okay. I knew. Deep down I knew.
LEXI: He was a total tool.
A pathetic part of me wanted to defend him. But I knew better.
In hindsight, I think you may be right.
LEXI: I’m here if you need me.
I know. Love you. XO
I looked up to see Reid watching me. “What?”
He pressed his lips into a line, and I had a feeling whatever was about to come out of his mouth might wage war, but Paige interrupted us.
“Ready?” She looked between us, and I was sure she could feel the tension and confirmed as much with a frown before she grabbed her purse from the counter. Reid and I were on opposite sides of her living room, but we might as well have been on different sides of the planet.
Feel Good Inc
Gorillaz
“Turn this up, please,” I asked from the back seat, still a bit pissed that Reid had no intention of acting like a gentleman or offering me shotgun. It was apparent he’d stuck me into some sort of category where he felt I was entitled to little and better off ignored.
I wasn’t a fan of Reid.
But he got along famously with my sister. Conversations and private jokes were easy between them. In fact, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
“Can you please turn it up?”
They both ignored me as my sister drove toward downtown, rattling on about some shenanigans they’d gotten into recently.
I sat back fuming, sure one or both had heard me at some point. When the song was over, Reid slowly moved his hand toward the console and turned up the next song. I narrowed my eyes as a slow-building smirk spread over his face while he glanced my way.
Oh. You. Dick.
And that was when feeling became certainty. I did not like Reid.
“Let’s hit up the pub after work,” Reid muttered.
“Can’t.” My sister nodded back at me.
“Oh, please. I’ve had a fake ID since I was seventeen. You know this, Paige.”
Reid shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to try.”
“No way, and have those assholes pawing on my little sister? No thanks.”
“She’s safe. You know I won’t let anything happen.”
My next announcement might have come out something like, “I’ve got condoms.”
Paige glared at me through the rearview as Reid chuckled.
“Stop playing the mother role. I’m well versed in penis and vagina. I don’t need you protecting me from anything.”
Reid looked back at me as I crossed my arms like a four-year-old. “Jesus, if I knew you were going to be this damn protective, I would have stayed in Dallas.”
Paige sighed. “Penis and vagina?”
“Well, I’m only going into my third year of college. Experimenting hasn’t started yet, but I’ll keep you updated.”
Reid’s head shot back on a laugh. I ignored him and moved forward, gripping my sister’s headrest as I spoke to her. “What’s got you acting all Mary Poppins all of a sudden? You know I can handle myself.”
“You just got dumped by the lead singer of a band called Meat.”
Pissed at my sister’s inability to keep my private crap between us, I fired back. “And I saw the vibrator in your dresser drawer. Are we going to openly discuss every private detail in front of him?” Paige slammed on the breaks at a stoplight and turned around to glare at me.
“What in the hell, Stella? You’re going through my shit?”
“What in the hell, Paige? You had to mention him? Equally as personal of a detail. Just forget it. I don’t want to go out with you. I’ll get the key and take a cab home.”
“You don’t have any money,” she snapped.