Norma Jean

chapter 12



Norma



“Why do you love snakes and spiders so much?” Creed asks me from his position lying down on my bed. My dad had to head up to New York to meet up with his publisher, so we decided to spend spring break here. It’s actually really small with only two bedrooms but the living room is epic. It is spacious with my dad’s writing desk in one corner but it’s the back wall you have to see. It’s completely made of glass and it overlooks the lake. DeGray is man-made but that doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful.

“I guess I relate to them. Most people think they are ugly and dangerous. It’s human nature to shy away from the strange and unknown. If people took the time to actually find out about them, then it wouldn’t be so bad. Rydstorm and Daisy aren’t even poisonous.” What I don’t tell him is I feel like I was treated the same way my entire life. I wasn’t pretty and I was weird so that made me an undesirable. So I took up with other undesirables.

“Do you love them more than me?” I take the mouse out of the box I got for Rydstorm earlier. I was freaked out the first time I had to feed him, but I kind of figure it’s like me eating a burger. We all have to eat, and this is the only way Rydstorm knows how. He can’t very well sit at the table with me using a fork and plate.

I’m taken back by Creed’s question. I know it’s a trap because how could I love him at all? I did love him when we were first together but he quickly changed that when I found out what he was really up too. The first time his fist hit my face, I lost all respect for him. I just wish I could dig myself out of this hole. “No. I love you more than anything.” I simply state. Yes, I lied but it’s better than getting the shit beat out of me.

I pool all the love I have for Rydstorm, my parents, Marley, and even the little bit I have stored away for the Chance I had for a short time. I direct it at him, hoping he believes it is all for him. He gets up off the bed and I suck in a breath. “See why don’t I believe you?”

His hand fists into the back of my hair pulling my head back, hard. I feel strands pulled from my scalp and I let out a whimper. “No one will love you as much as me. Yet you can’t really seem to muster up love for me. I give you everything you could ever want, Norma. Do you want to go back to that cheater I saved you from?” he sneers down at me.

After meeting the real Creed I’m 100% positive all that was bullshit. There’s no way the Chance I knew was the guy Creed makes him out to be. So why did I believe him in the first place you ask? Because I was insecure. Chance made fun of me, bullied me for being ugly, why the hell should I believe he really wanted me? I was a complete dumb ass. Every moment was real with him. I still don’t know why he loved me, but I’m thankful I can remember that time now.

“I do love you, more than anything.” I plead out hoping he can believe me. Maybe he will believe the lies because he never believes the truth.

“You’re lying. Like you always do.” He lets go of my hair and I breathe a sigh of relief. Creed leaves the room and I pray to God he calms down. My ribs are still bruised and hurting from the last time he got mad at me.

He returns with a butcher knife and I feel my skin pale. He walks over to Rydstorm’s cage and picks him up just the way I taught him. They sit on the floor and before I can even think to stop him Creed chops off Rydstorm’s head. I feel myself scream. And scream.



I sit straight up in my bed and clutch the sheets to my naked body. It wasn’t a nightmare but a terrible memory I wish I could forget. I never want to remember Rydstorm that way. He was my best friend when I had no friends at all. My poor beautiful snake.

I start sobbing big and ugly when Chance pulls me down to lay on his chest. I take in his warmth and thank the heavens he is here with me right now. “Bad dream?” he asks softly. I only nod my head. I don’t want to replay it for him. Ever. “Want to talk about it?”

“No I just want to forget about it.” I wipe the tears out from under my eyes and sigh against his skin. I love the smell of him. It’s all male with a hit of cologne that only makes it better.

“It might help. I don’t want you to bottle it up, okay smalls? I’m sure it has to do with Creed. You were terrified. He can’t hurt you anymore.” I look up at him and see the sincerity in them.

I sit back up and pull my knees up under my chin. “Last year for spring break Creed and I spent the week up at my dad’s cabin. He started asking me if I loved my snakes and spiders more than him. I lied and told him no, that I loved him more than anything. He didn’t believe me and chopped off Rydstorm’s head.”

Chance flinches and sits up next to me. The sheet falls from his chest and pools around his hips. He has muscles upon muscles and I recall the feel of all that strength under my fingers. “I’m so sorry Norma. That f*cker will get what is coming to him. I won’t ever let him hurt you again. I swear that to you.” He kisses my cheek and I want to believe him

I just don’t think he knows how crazy Creed really is. What he put me through isn’t even half of it. I suddenly feel so stupid for leaving Chance like I did. I don’t care anymore if I was young and immature and only doing what I thought I should. I should have talked to him about it. I just refused to believe he really wanted me.

I turn to face Chance and pull his face towards mine. I place my nose against his and cup his cheeks. “I’m so sorry for what I did Chance. I shouldn’t have left like that. I shouldn’t have believed him. It was the stupidest thing I ever did.” I place my lips softly against his and climb into his lap.

A few tears escape down his face and I kiss them away. “I should have come after you. I didn’t try hard enough. You just make me so crazy and I just couldn’t face that you didn’t want me.”

I start grinding my hips down on his groin making both of us groan. I feel his dick get hard and I grind faster until it’s hard enough for me to slip him inside of me. “I want you. I will always want you.” I whisper in his ear.

I start rocking back and forth slowly making both of us crazy. He’s letting me have all the control as his hands fist into the sheets. I slowly rise up until he is almost out of me and slowly sink back down. He finally grabs my hips and with a growl he says. “Yeah you like that girl? Well I’ll make it better.”

He starts rocking me faster and harder, my * rubbing against his stomach. I don’t last long before I throw my head back and cover my mouth with my hand as I scream my release. I swear I see lightning behind my closed eyes. He starts trailing kisses up my neck as he says, “That was f*cking sexy as hell.” I shiver as he reaches my ear, our bodies still joined and rocking together. “I wanna make you come again.”

I lift his head towards mine and look into his eyes, “Not without you.” I kiss his mouth and our tongues snake out to twine together. I hold onto his shoulders as I feel the sensations build up in my stomach again.

“Look at me when you come, Norma. Always look at me.” He growls as his hands start moving me even faster. His thumb glides down my neck, over my erect nipple, past my stomach and stops at my * where he flicks it once, twice, three times. My back arches at the exquisite touch and I moan out really loud. When he starts rubbing it hard I meet his eyes as my climax takes over my entire body.

He forces our mouths together to smother the cries and growls from the release. He jerks under me as I see the lightning again behind my closed eyes. We fall down to my bed and he curves his body around my back. His arm lays over me protectively and I can’t help but to feel completely in love with him. Again.



*****



The sun shining right into my eyes is what wakes me the next morning. I feel safe and protected here in Chance’s arms. I honestly never want to leave. I roll over and look up at his face. His eyes pop open as I move and I give him a shy smile. “Good morning.” He says, his voice rough with sleep.

“Good morning.” I reply. He kisses me softly on the lips right before my mom bursts into the room.

“Good morning kids. Get up I have coffee and pancakes!” and then she is gone. I’m going to have to talk to her about drinking too much coffee again. She doesn’t work graveyard anymore since I’m not living here.

“Is she on crack?” Chance asks and I can’t help but to laugh. We smile at each other and climb out of bed.

I get distracted pulling on a clean pair of undies by his glorious naked bod. I seriously want to lather him up with whipped cream and eat him up. Okay that was a little weird but you would too if you got one look at him. All those muscles hiding just under his skin. I could do my laundry on his abs. His pecks are buffed out and his shoulders are wide and strong.

It takes me a moment to realize he is eyeing me the way I am him. My underwear are half way up my legs and I kind of feel like a deer caught in head lights. He swallows and licks his lips, “Later. I will bend you over something later.” He states before he turns around to get dressed.

My mom is in her robe sitting at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” I ask pointing at her cup.

She looks at me and rolls her eyes. “No. I have been up since three when I had to hear my daughter having sex. Excuse me if I’m a little freaked the hell out.” Chance drops his cup to the floor and coffee goes everywhere. I feel my cheeks turn red and I kind of sputter. “It’s okay though. At first I was really upset, but then I got to thinking you’re grown and I’m just jealous you’re getting some and I’m not.”

I think Chance is about to faint and I sputter some more. Then I didn’t blurt out, “Whatever happened to that guy you had over when I was little? This is a trailer mom. It shakes, and I might have been ten but I’m not stupid.”

And mom didn’t blurt, “It was just your father. And don’t tell him you remember.”



Chance



“So that’s Norma Jean? That sexy little thing over there with all that hair and perfect butt?” Caden points with his free hand, the other holding a keystone light.

I knock his hand down before she realizes he is pointing at her. “Yes that’s her. Now shut up.” I glare at him before taking a sip of my own beer. My mom decided to throw a party to celebrate that Macy is safe and okay. It’s really more for Macy since the kid loves parties.

“No seriously Chance. You are thinking of leaving that behind? Cuz if you really are I’ll go holler at her. I’d love to bend her over something.” He winks at me. Declan walks up behind him and slaps him on the back of the head.

“Shut up Caden. You stay out of his love life, because you sure as hell don’t want anyone in yours. I think out of the three of us, yours is the most messed up.” He gives Caden a pointed look. The three of us make a strange pair. The tortured bad boy artist, who isn’t really tortured. The football star with daddy issues who is going to be a lawyer and is in love with his best friends little sister. And the silent strong type who’s into math. We all came together for the single fact we have f*cked up love lives.

Caden won’t admit it even on his dying breath that he is in love with his twin brother’s girlfriend. Declan and Teagan were still apart when I met him, but they have since worked things out. Which is a relief since Declan was a scary guy with a broken heart. And of course me, who fell in love with the girl he made fun of and hurt irrevocably.

Not something you would want to bring a group of people together but it did. Can’t say I’m unhappy about it. I have friends for life in these two. I was happy when they showed up about an hour ago, being back home brings out things I would rather not think about. Like my dad who is currently drunk off his ass and groping my step mom. In front of everyone.

“Dude your dad is a freak. How did his ugly ass end up with your step mom?” Caden sips his beer eyeing the disgusting couple.

“She’s after his money. Though he got her to sign a pre-nup so she is pretty much stuck with him unless he cheats. Which he will, the man gets bored after a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if he already has. He would still be with mom if I hadn’t caught him cheating.” I turn away from them in horror when dads hand snakes under Mary Beth’s shirt. Gross.

“Well look at it this way, at least your dad didn’t cheat and end up with a daughter who is two weeks younger than your youngest children with your wife.” Caden shrugs his shoulders and looks over at Teagan. Her black hair shines in the sun and her smile is bright. I wasn’t around but the way Caden talks she lost that spark she seems to carry around for a while.

“Look man, you got to snatch that girl up before some really decent man does. She isn’t going to wait around for you forever. Look at that body, she has a sex goddess hidden under that sweater and jeans.” I raise my hand to smack him but Declan stops me.

“He’s just trying to get you to do what you have to. Don’t pay him any mind. We all know you love her and she loves you. Hell it comes off you two in waves. I know what it’s like. I will say you need to hang on to her.” He nods and I’m about to reply when my name is called from the back door.

“Chance!” Spencer jogs over, patting me on the back when he reaches me.

“What’s up?” I ask looking behind him for Dean. Paige showed up earlier and I figure he wasn’t far behind.

“Dean’s helping your mom in the kitchen. He feels really bad about what happened, but you have to realize he didn’t have anything to do with it.” Spencer grins at me before his head starts turning looking for a certain red head he is madly in love with.

“I know. I may not have really known my best friend but I know when a guy is in love. Working with Creed would have hurt Paige and Dean would never do that.” Spencer winces but I didn’t mean it like that. Which I tell him. He didn’t set out to hurt Harley.

“I know but it still totally hurts when people say shit like that. Anyway I just wanted to know if it was going to be weird with him around.” I shake my head no and watch him make his way over to Harley.

She squeals and throws her arms around his shoulder. Spencer’s hands travel down to her ass and I smile and shake my head at the couple.

“So that’s the one that cheated? You know after the…tragedy?” Caden asks doing finger quotations around tragedy.

“Yeah. Really sucks but as long as Harley is happy, I’m not one to say anything about it. I think that girl has enough going on what with her dad being a murderer and her long lost brother being a gangster.” Caden and Declan’s eyes bug out at that I almost laugh. Though it’s not funny.

“There are gangs in Arkansas?” Declan asks shock written over his entire face.

I do laugh at that. “I don’t know about true down to earth gangs but Mason hangs out with a bunch of guys with tattoos and guns. Though they honestly do only good. The church on Main Street burnt down and the next week they were over there rebuilding it, asking no pay.”

“Dude.” Caden shakes his head. “I have seen stranger shit.” He looks off lost in thought.

Declan and I laugh turning towards our girls. Maybe I should let go of my doubts and go for it.

Norma who stands next to Teagan looks over at me, like she could feel my eyes on her. Which they were, the girl has a nice ass. One I had my hands on last night.

That had to be the best sex of my entire life. It really makes a difference when you have true feelings for the person. I felt like sparks were coming off our skin, we were electric. I look at her now through my lashes and crook my finger beckoning her over. Like she is attached to a string she excuses herself from the group of girls and stumbles over to me. “Wanna dance?” I ask softly close to her ear.

She nods her head and we walk to an empty spot in the yard. One More Night by Maroon 5 starts to play and Norma’s hips sway to the beat of the music. “But baby there you go again there you go again making me love you.” I sing swaying my body with hers.

She stops dancing and looks up into my eyes. “Do you mean that?” she asks on a whisper almost like she didn’t mean to say anything.

“Always have. Always will.” I tell her bringing her body into mine hugging her close like I won’t ever let her go. And I really don’t plan on it.

I’m about to really say the words when her phone starts ringing. She fishes it out of her pocket and her face goes completely pale. I snatch the phone out of her hand and read the name on the screen. Creed. “You better hope I don’t find you. You aren’t going to get saved a second time.” I say harshly into the receiver.

“Well hello there to you too Chance. How’s my girl doing?” I hear a lighter clinch shut in the background. A sense of foreboding overcomes me.

“She was my girl first, jackass. You stole her from me and proceeded to ruin her life.” I really want to reach through this damn thing and ring his neck.

“It was so easy too. Played right into my hands. I told you I get whatever I want. Now I own her and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He flicks the lighter open and close a few times and I flinch at every single one.

“You don’t own her f*cker. She isn’t a piece of property. Besides her heart and soul belong to me.” Norma looks at me in anger and tries to take the phone out of my hands. I turn out of her reach putting a finger over my mouth to keep her quiet.

“Think what you want. Norma Jean knows who really loves her.” He goes silent for a minute flicking that damn lighter some more. “You tell her I’m taking my revenge for sleeping with you in my bed no less. I’ll see y’all later.” The phone goes silent and I hand it back to Norma.

She glares at me before stomping off towards the front of the house. I give it a minute before I follow behind her. I figure she is pissed because I egged him on. I can’t help it though. The guy was my best friend for years, I thought we were brothers for life. Only to find out he took the only person who could love me for me. And destroyed the girl I knew with his actions.

I find her beside her car smoking a cigarette. Naughty girl. I could have sworn she told me she quit.

Norma blows the smoke out and I take in the familiar menthol scent. It was something I missed about her. I used to run into smokers and inhale hoping to drag up old memories of her. Here's hoping I never have to do that again. "I thought you said you quit?" I ask her with a grin on my face.

Her cute little nose wrinkles and she glares at me, "I did. Then you show up. I can't decide whether to kill you or f*ck you." she takes a drag looking away from me. "So I picked this back up to keep myself from doing either."

A chuckle forms and I bite my lip to keep it in. "You've already f*cked me three times, smalls. Kind of think you're wasting your breath...and your lungs."

That earns me an eye roll. "You seduced me, big foot." she replays mockingly.

I step close to her, until I'm in her personal space. "Payback for all the times you seduced me." I bite her ear lobe, which always seems to make her crazy. And horny.

She gasps before her hands come up to clutch my shoulders. "Quit." her fingers loosen. "You know that makes me insane."

My lips trail down her neck before I raise my head to catch her eyes. "Good. You should always be insane for me." Right before I kiss her full lips I say, "I'm always f*cking insane for you. You walk into the room and I look for things to bend you over." My lips meet hers frantically our tongues come out and tangle together.

I bend her back over the car as my hand snakes under her shirt. That’s when her mom comes running out of the house calling Norma’s name. We both look up at the hysterical woman with a phone gripped tightly in her hands. “What’s wrong mom?” Norma questions.

“Honey, your Grammy’s house is on fire. They thought they got her out on time but she didn’t make it.” The second she said fire all I hear is the lighter in the background of the phone conversation I had with Creed.