Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Nick

Forty five. Forty six. Forty seven. Forty eight.

I’m doing sit-ups to pass the time. Carter came home yesterday, and I haven’t seen her. I walked by the dorm room earlier today, hoping to bump into her so we can talk, but she’s still resting in her room. I’ve texted her many times if I can come over to see how she is, at least, but she hasn’t replied.

“Yo, Nick, I’m—Are you still doing sit ups?” TJ pokes his head into my messy room. “Jeez, you’d swear a bomb went off in here.” He chuckles, stepping further inside and taking a look at my room. “My room is cleaner than this, and that’s saying a lot.” He walks over to my desk to sit, throwing my sweats to the floor. Wheeling out the chair he plonks himself down while I continue my workout. I’ve been working out so much for two reasons: one, to keep my mind preoccupied. And two, so I’m not outside to beat Ryan to a pulp.

Our door bell rings, and both TJ and I stand up to answer it. The guys are too invested in playing Madden on the XBox right now, the cheerleaders sitting desperately on their laps pressed for attention. TJ beats me to the door, but I mainly came out to get water from the fridge.

“Hey, what’s up? Is Carter alright?” TJ asks. Thinking it was Haley and Danielle, I come around the corner to see her father and brothers. FUCK!

I lick my lips and muster up the courage to stand in the hallway. The Steels’ eyes dart to me and my sweaty self. Her dad raises a daring eyebrow at me. I feel like I’m being scrutinized. I probably am.

“Hey, TJ, I’m looking for a Ryan Averman.” He doesn’t break eye contact with me when he speaks. He taps TJ on the shoulder to not only greet him, but to also move him aside.

Ryan comes into view on his phone, not realizing who is standing at our door. “That’s me.” He slips the phone into his back pocket and looks up to see who is asking for him. “Holy shit! You’re the Steels!” he exclaims, but judging from the looks they’re giving him, they’re not here to sign autographs. With that, the other guys come rushing to the entrance, moving the girls out of the way to see for themselves.

The three amigos strut into our home, dominating it with an aura of confidence. The girls are ogling them, even Rodger Steel.

“You’re Ryan Averman?” her father asks while pointing at him. He nods, smiling up at him. He thinks he’s got a shot with him. “You and I need to have a little talk, boy.” The lower tone in his voice makes me smirk, and Ryan looks like he almost shit himself.

Rodger Steel is one scary man.

He walks by me and stops, turning his head in my direction. I straighten my body up knowing he has something to say to me. “You’re next, Jackson.” He continues on his way. Into the living room, Austin pushes Ryan onto the sofa and turns the TV off. All the guys are standing there frozen. Just the fact that these people are in our home is such a shock.

Rodger towers over Ryan with his boys on either side of him. “Word is, you took my sister on a date?” Ryan nods his head nervously back at Austin, who folds his arms in front of his chest, making him look even more intimidating. His veins look more prominent in that pose. “You didn’t even ask for permission to do that? Not from him”—he points to Chris—“or me”—he points to himself—“and certainly not from him?” He’s now pointing to Rodger, who has a cold stare directed at him, his hands in his pockets with a baseball cap on to cover his face.

“I didn’t realize I had to?” Ryan snorts as he leans back.

“Well, you do now.” Rodger leans over him, scaring the shit out of the smug Ryan. The low growl has everyone taken back. We’ve seen him lose his cool many times on TV, but to see it in the flesh makes it even more terrifying. “Another thing, kid, you won’t run your mouth when you’re talking about women. You won’t run your damn mouth objectifying my daughter. And don’t me give the excuse of ‘It was locker room talk.’ I don’t know what you said about her, but if you say another word about her ‘pussy,’ ‘ass,’ or any part of her, I will rip your balls off clean and feed it to a hog on the farm while you watch. Is that clear?” Ryan nods out of fear.

Damn, this man is brutal.

Rodger then looks up to the rest of us and continues his speech, “If I hear any of you boys talking about any woman like that, I will make damn sure you won’t get a contract with any team. Is that understood?” We all nod, shaken by the threat. I know he will, he’ll make sure none of us get into the league. “Have some respect for women.” He stares at the girls over to the side, who are staring doe eyed at him, who I doubt have any respect for themselves. No doubt they’re turned on from his words. I can practically see the wetness dripping from their panties.

“Next time you decide to ask a woman on a date, have the respect to ask her father first. It makes you a man”—he puffs his chest out with pride—“and not a boy.” He looks down at Ryan, who is completely speechless on the sofa. “And stop sliding your dicks into anything with an opening!” he finishes and pushes past his sons, who are smirking. He was also talking to them, they’re worse. “If you do, wrap it up.” He sighs, knowing that he’s talking to a bunch of players both on and off the field.

Stopping before us, he swivels to the group of guys and stares down at them. He points at the table, which has pot on top of it. “Clean that shit up! Don’t make me ‘advise’ a drug test to your coach. You’re football players who need to be clean all the time. That shit stinks!” He has disgust written all over his face. They don’t smoke it often in the house. I think it’s owned by one of the girls. I never touched that shit in my life and I don’t plan on it either.

“That was so sexy,” one girl comments as Rodger walks by her, who just rolls his eyes. They actually checked him out; they checked Rodger fucking Steel out.

Making a beeline towards me, he fists my shirt and grumbles, “Outside.” I’m next. This is not going to be good. I’m on his shitlist. I stumble out the front while Chris closes the door, and I start to walk along the grass with my back to them, preparing for the shakedown. “Face me, Jackson,” he orders me and I follow. I turn around and face the father of the girl I like. This has never happened to me before. I stare straight into his eyes. If it’s one thing my father thought me, it’s to never show weakness; that includes showing you’re terrified. “Start talking.” He points to me.

“I was set up, by the guy you were talking to in there and the girl I’ve been getting with for years . . . It looks bad, I know, but I swear that I pushed her off me,” I defend myself, the water bottle sloshing around in my hand.

“Nick, explain. NOW!” he booms over to me, and I almost drop the water bottle in my hand. That’s how shaken I was by his voice.

“I came home from the hospital and took my shirt off because it was hot and I was going to take a shower. I walk inside the house and see some girls in the living room. But the girl I was getting with in high school was at my door. I told her no earlier in the day, but she couldn’t take the hint—”

“Don’t we know.” Chris rolls his eyes. He probably knows this situation all too well. Rodger glares at him to shut him up.

“Continue,” her father says tersely.

“So, as soon as I walked into my room, she pretty much jumped on me, making me land on the bed. I held my hands away from her but she took off her top and kept kissing me. The next thing I know, Ryan’s in my face with a camera and sent it to Carter. Then I lost it and knocked him out cold,” I say in one breath, trying to get the story out before Ryan comes out and lies again.

“All lies, Jackson! You’re convincing no one!” Here he comes with his posse behind him. The smug tone matches his smile. I really want to fuck his face up.

“Fuck off, Ryan! This is all you’re doing, you idiot!” I yell back at him, and he makes a break toward me but Rob catches him in time.

“Both you boys need a get a grip on yourselves. You’re on the same damn team! And don’t think I didn’t see you not passing to him. He was wide open.” Rodger turns to face me at the end, clearly fuming at my lack of interest in passing to Ryan. He wasn’t going to get the ball from me, that’s for sure.

“He didn’t deserve the ball!” I spit out and turn away from them.

“Deserving or not, he was open! You pass the fucking ball to an open man if you want to win, Nick! It’s simple!” He walks over to me and turns me back around to face him. I nod, knowing he’s right. “You’re on the same team.” he tells me with a low tone, and I shut my eyes. “If you boys were my players, I would’ve suspended you for the next few games until you get your act together.” He raises his voice at both of us not looking away from my stare. “So, your little petty fighting needs to not involve my daughter, are you understanding what I’m saying?” We both nod as he waves his finger between the two of us. Papa bear is out again, and he needs to be put back inside the cage right now. Also, little psycho Ryan needs to be put down.

“Good, because if I hear from her that either of you hurt her, I will catch the next flight down here and do unspeakable things to you,” he says with a snarl. “Now, get him back inside.” He waves Ryan off so we can finish our conversation. He turns back around to face me and grips my shoulders hard, his finger tips going white. “You hurt my little girl, Nick,” he says to me calmly, and I’m not sure whether to be worried or not?

“I know, I didn’t mean to Mr. Steel, I really didn’t. But I promise you, I didn’t do it. And I’d be stupid if I did. I would never want to hurt her.” I sigh, knowing that this is going to be a long process. She’ll make me work for it, but all I want is for her to hear me out.

“I believe you, but give her time. She’s a little weak at the moment, so don’t push her.” I nod in understanding. She just got out of hospital, and I can’t make her stressed. I’ve got to wait to talk to her about this. “Look, I know it’s eating you up because you look like shit, but it’ll work itself out. She’s stubborn, I know, but she’ll understand eventually.” I laugh at how true his words are. He smiles back at me. “She’s like her mother.” He chuckles through his nose. Stepping away from me, he stares down at the ground and then twists his ring on his finger.

“Son, if you keep hurting her, I will have to ask you to keep your distance from her. She’s a sensitive girl and she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s my little girl, and I won’t let her heart get crushed because of some boy who can’t keep it in his pants. So, consider this a warning; if you fuck up again, I will tell you to walk. Not temporarily, but for good. I mean it,” he warns me.

I sigh, understanding what he’s saying. I don’t want to walk away from her. I’m so drawn to his daughter, it’s beginning to scare me. I want to be around her, I enjoy her company. But I get heart palpitations wanting to see her, and when I do, I’m just a mess.

“I understand, Mr. Steel, but if you wouldn’t mind, can you keep this between the two of us?” He understands that we’re both taking things slow. “I don’t want her hearing about me and Ryan constantly fighting. She’ll get stressed, and I don’t want that.” Austin smirks over his dad’s shoulder at me, and I give him a stern look, communicating that I mean him too. I don’t want her to know that Ryan and I keep fighting over her.

Leaving it at that, they get into their truck and drive back in the direction of her dorm. Sighing at what a mess this has all become, I stay outside longer, walking around in circles in the heat. It’s not as intense as it has been. It’s getting closer to winter anyway; closer to exams.

Walking back inside, the guys have gone back to playing Xbox. TJ is sitting on the counter in the kitchen talking to Reggie. I decide to join them because Ryan scowls at my entrance. I can’t be bothered talking to that idiot anymore.

“ ’Sup, man!” Reggie clasps my hand as a greeting and I stand over near him.

“Hey,” I huff out. I’ve lost all my energy because I was on edge outside with the three Steels. I have lectures later today, but I think I might skip them. I have one with Reggie, so I’ll ask him for notes.

“How are you, man?” Now it’s TJ’s turn to talk. He knows what went down anyway, but he wants to hear it from me first. Ryan said some bullshit to him.

“I’m good; drained though,” I reply while my shoulders sag. I’m tired of all of this. I just want her. That’s all.

I just want her.

They both stare at me, silently telling me to expound, and they both smirk at me. “They want me to give her some space. Even though she’s out of the hospital, she needs her strength back. And right now, I’m causing her nothing but stress. So, I’ll give her some space; I’ll give her time to rest and then I’ll talk to her about that FUCKING PHOTO!” I yell out, making sure Ryan heard me loud and clear. He’s a fucking asshole for doing that just so he could have her. He’s not getting her, she’s mine and mine only.

“Man, I saw it! So did Cas!” Reggie winces at the thought. No doubt his girlfriend will eat my head off the next time she sees me. I spoke with her for a while when I bumped into her outside of my class the other day and we talked about how Carter was. I knew she and Carter would get along great. “You’re in her bad books right now, Jackson.” He chuckles heavily beside me.

“Which girl?” I roll my eyes at them putting me on their shit list. They both laugh, knowing exactly how it’s going to go with the two headstrong women we know.

“Haha! Both, buddy!” Reggie pats my bare shoulder, pushing and pulling my body. “So, you coming to class?” I shake my head and he copies me, not accepting the answer. “Ohhh no! You’re coming with me! You’re not going to skip class and sulk about her. Nick, come on, get your shit. We’re going.” I groan loudly and make my way out.

“I’ll call Lynn!” TJ shouts down at me as I grab my stuff to leave with Reggie, walking back to meet him in the hallway.

I nudge TJ’s shoulder and tell him, “You do that, I’ll make sure you don’t get any chocolate cake ever again! Along with my foot lodged up your ass!” I point at him as we leave out the door. Reggie pulls me by my neck and rubs my skull with his knuckles, playfully laughing with me to cheer me up and pull me out of my funk that I’ve been in since the day she saw the picture.

“How is your mama?” he asks me as we both get in his small car.

“She’s good, still on my case though. What’s new, huh?” I click the belt in beside me and we make our way to class.

“Oh yeah? Still up your ass about a girlfriend too?” He chuckles, looking at his side mirror for oncoming cars.

“You know it.” I shake my head from side to side and drop it back with a bounce on the headrest. It’s all she ever talks about, although she’s met Maya multiple times and hates her. Mainly because Haley talks nothing but negative things about her. So my mom has heard all the crap she’s done to others through Haley; Maya’s number one fan. Safe to say, my mom doesn’t want her as even a consideration. But I knew she wasn’t fond of her the first time they met at the grocery store. I knew by my mothers face that it was a no-go area.

“Any candidates?” he teases me, and I know where he’s going with this. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.

“Reg, shut up.” He parks up his car. Immediately, I bolt out of the door, trying to leave that question behind. But much to my displeasure, he continues to tease me. We got all the traffic lights, and there was barely anything on the roads which made for a quick trip. Just over a minute actually. It usually takes about five.

“Dude, come on, you’re meaning to tell me that you have no potential girls lined up?” I shrug my shoulders as he falls into step beside me. We both look around the campus, making our way to the building our class is in. I see some people hustling around, laying on the grass and sitting at the picnic tables. “I mean, seriously man? The amount of girls on campus that are dying to go on a date with you is enormous! You’re the first string quarterback for Ole fucking Miss! You pretty much have an NFL career in your hands! Any girl would want to be the one beside you on that journey!” He laughs.

He’s right, but it doesn’t mean I want that. Any girl would drop what they have for me in this college, even if they weren’t single. But that’s exactly what I don’t want, I don’t want them to like me for my name. There’s only one girl that I’ve come across who’s like that, and she’s upset with me.

“That’s the problem dude, I don’t want just any girl.” He smirks as we open the door to the building.

“So, you have thought about dating.” As soon as he asks that, I could feel the eyes on me; I refuse to look anywhere else other than Reggie.

“No man, dating isn’t on my agenda right now.” He laughs once and covers his mouth with the side of his fist. His shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Yeah, yeah. Keep lying to yourself, man! We all know there’s one girl on your mind.” He taps my shoulder knowingly as we swerve down the hallways, ignoring the looks from people as we bulldoze our way to class. “Look, I know you guys love that single life, hoeing it up for whatever comes your way and all. It’s hard to leave, I get that, but that’s because y’all haven’t found the right girl to make you want her and only her . . . I found that out as soon as I kissed Cas. I knew she was the one for me. She still is and always will be. She’s my rock, and ever since my mom died, she was there for me and listened to me. I love her for that, I love her full stop.” The left side of my lip turns up in hearing how much he loves Cas. It takes me back to think about my own parents. Growing up, I saw how much my parents adored each other. Sure, they fought, but they always made up soon after. My dad has always been a hard lover, especially when it came to my mom. He shows it everyday.

So, why did I become a player? Usually, some guys have a sob story of that one girl who rejected them; the one that got away that made their heart grow cold. Not me, I just liked the options. Ever since I knew what a kiss was, I let loose. I’ve grown to be afraid of commitment because I have to be all in. I never wanted to be all in with a girl. Relationships seem like too much of an effort for me.

“I can see you’re both obsessed with each other, Reg.” We trudge up the steps of the auditorium to get to the back row. I slip into my seat first and sit in the middle of the row while Reggie follows me.

“Yeah, bro, I love that woman so much. I prefer being with her than being with anyone else. I don’t miss being single at all, man. I love being with her. She’s my baby mama.” He winks.

I snap my head around to face him, shocked. “Cas is pregnant?” I squeal, stopping my motions.

“No, haha! No, no! Not yet, I’m working on that! She’s my future baby mama. I can’t fucking wait to have kids with her.” He sighs, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling, smiling at the thought of a mini-Reggies running around.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have my own kids, just not right now, not before I get into the NFL.

“How many do you guys want?” I ask, laughing at this beefy guy sitting next to me turning to mush at the thought of having kids with Cas. He’s crazy to be thinking about that already.

“Five . . . maybe more?” I laugh at him not holding back. I nearly fall off the seat in the hall. My laugh is echoing around the room, but I can’t stop. I can’t hold it in.

“How many does she want?” I ask, knowing that Cas isn’t going to pop five little Reggie’s out now or in the future.

“Two,” he grumbles, narrowing his eyes down in front of us. “A boy and a girl.” He sighs. “I want all boys. Girls are a fucking handful, plus I would have to protect them from the likes of you, Jackson,” he teases me. I laugh back at his playful dig.

I’m not that bad? Right? “Hey, I’m a nice guy!” I defend myself.

“Uh-huh.” He rolls his eyes and I punch him square in the arm, giving him a dead arm. I chuckle at his expression which is soaked with discomfort. “I fucking hate when you do that! You give the worst dead arms known to mankind!” I smirk at what he said. It’s true. I get them in the right spot on their arms and they’re limp for ages. “So, come on.” He nudges his head.

“Come on, what?” I ask as we watch people flow through the door getting into their spaces.

“Tell me what Rodger Steel spoke to you about. I know it was about his daughter. Did you bang her? Is that why he spoke to you?” I stay silent, not wanting to talk about this. “Oh . . .” He starts to laugh and bangs the desk in front of him. “Oh man! You fucking like her, you like his daughter! That’s why you and Ryan are fighting! That’s why you keep dodging the girlfriend question!” I don’t speak a word, but all of it is true, maybe except for the last part. I’m not sure how I feel about that just yet. “Dude, some advice, make a move before some other guy comes in and sweeps her off her feet and runs away with her in his arms—”

“That won’t happen!” I suddenly yell back, and his eyes widen to the size of plates by my outburst. We stare at each other, not saying a single word to relieve the tense atmosphere. Our professor breaks the silence between us, and we both drift our eyes toward the front to listen to what he has to say.

The lecture starts with what’s expected in our next assignment then continues on to the course material. He emphasizes what will possibly come up in our final exams. I take some notes that will be helpful for when I’m studying with Reggie.

It’s not the most exciting class happening, so I feel my mind drifting back to Reggie’s words. “Make a move before some other guy comes in and sweeps her off her feet.” Imagining her with another guy gets my blood boiling. Another guy touching her, another guy’s eyes on her, another guy kissing her, another guy inside of her, inside of what’s mine. I squeeze my eyes shut because I’m making myself more and more annoyed. I hate this silent treatment she’s giving me because she’s driving me crazy.

I’m so close to bursting. I’m so close to just ignoring what her dad said to me earlier on and running up to her dorm room, kicking the door down, and finding her. I want to drag her into her room and kiss the shit out of her.

But I know that’s a bad idea. She hasn’t gotten her strength back at the moment, and I want to make sure she’s alright. I want to be there for her. I want to hold her like I did before, minus the paramedics.

I don’t want anyone’s hands on her or near her. I know some of the guys in the house thinks she’s hot. I can see the look they give her when they see her. It pisses me off, their eyes undressing her right in front of me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve glared at them to stop.

I don’t even like that Kevin guy around her. It’s clear as fucking day that he likes her. Then again, she’s so oblivious to how gorgeous she is. She doesn’t even notice some of the girls’ glares that are directed towards her.

But I do. I see the jealousy in their eyes because she has my attention and they don’t. That fire lights in their eyes when she enters the room, but with Maya, it’s an explosion.

It was funny at the beginning, but now, it’s turned into a dangerous game between her, me, Maya, and now Ryan. Clearly, Maya and Ryan have teamed up so they can get what they want. Maya wants to be my girlfriend, which I can safely say will never happen, and Ryan wants to date Carter and possibly make it official, which I can also safely say will never happen. Not while I’m still alive and kicking. Maya isn’t girlfriend material, she likes to sleep around too much. I don’t want a girl like that. Sure, she was some fun every so often, but now, I’m over it.

I’ve been over it ever since Carter walked into that house party at the start of college in that sexy red-hot figure-hugging dress. Good lord, did my dick get hard at the sight of her that night. I had plans for her that night, but it came to screeching halt when I found out she was my sister’s roommate. Since then, she was like the forbidden fruit I so badly wanted. The more I ran into her, the more I wanted to get to know her. For most nights, I thought about her without even realizing I was. She would constantly be on my mind, every goddamn day. I would almost plan my day around her, hoping to bump into her. It mainly consisted of me going over to their dorm, pretending I was seeing Haley. In reality, I wanted to see sexy Steel.

When I did see her, I was happy. I would leave with a stupid smile on my face after seeing her, and when I didn’t, I would sulk. I knew she was responsible for my mood swings, and it was annoying me at first. I kept wondering why she was such an influence on my behaviour. It took a while, but I figured it out when she fell on the floor after Haley was roaring at me for stealing the last slice of cake. I wanted her. I liked her more than I cared to admit. She meant something to me. After careful consideration, I realized that she, in fact, was special to me.

Carter Steel is a very special girl to me.

It amplified when she was cleaning up my busted lip that night the fight between Ryan and I kicked off after their date, when she sat on my lap and cleaned me up. I watched her eyes focus on the task, and I truly got to see her for myself, alone in a bathroom. Not the most romantic setting, but I took it and she looked like true beauty.

When she stared at me, my heart started to pick up and race away from me and towards her. It has never happened before. I felt funny that night. I was on cloud nine even when it started off as being a shitty night. I used Maya to make Carter react. I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. The whole thing was my fault, I shouldn’t have ignored her the day before at Ellie’s party. Why did I have to do that to prove a point? My mom can be so annoying sometimes.

“You can’t hide it from me, Nicholas.”

“I can see it all over your face, sweetie.”

“I’m not stupid, I know there’s something there.”

“When am I going to see you with a girlfriend?”

The same shit, but a different day.

I’m stubborn, but so is my mom. Where do you think I got it from? I still haven’t openly admitted to liking Carter to her, but I know she can tell just by the way I look at her. I mean, it’s so fucking obvious now. I shut down completely when she’s around.

Plus the fact that Ellie likes her so much that she takes my mom’s phone and calls me to ask if I’m with her. She begs me to tell her if Carter is there just so she can read her another story. I like the fact that my little sisters like her. Ellie is very shy, but so is Carter, I think that’s partially the reason why she likes her.

Carter is so kind to people, yet awkward around them. I think that’s what drew me to her in the first place. Her uncertainty around me that night piqued my interest in her. The way she checked me out as I did with her, the way she would avert her eyes elsewhere when they met mine, the way she walked away from me instead of to me, and the way she said my name, that was the icing on the cake for me.

For my plans to be ruined by my sister, I was in deep shit. I was hard that night; Maya thought it was for her, but it wasn’t. I fucked her anyway, but I thought about her while I did. I was a little drunk by the time I reached Maya’s room. I just slipped in with ease, like always, and I knew it was time to give it up with her. It’s like passing a parcel around with her, I’m lucky I haven’t gotten an STI from her. At the velocity she spreads her legs at, I’m really surprised.

“Yo! Class is over, Nick!” Reggie taps me out of my daydream. I grab my notepad in my hand and leave with Reggie in front of me. Walking down the steps to leave, he turns his head around to face me. “So, TJ is at the café. You wanna get some food before practice?” I mumble a yes and we walk down to the open door that people are spilling happily out of.

“I’m so fucking hungry! Did you hear my stomach in class?” Reggie laughs, looking down at his stomach and patting it with an open hand. “Hah, why am I asking you? Of course you didn’t hear it, you were too busy thinking about a certain lady.” I feel my cheeks heat up because how spot on he is. “Knew it!” he gloats and we’re met with fresh air as we step onto the grass heading towards the café.

“Whatever,” I scoff at how annoying he’s being about this. But I still love the guy.

Once we enter, we look around for TJ and once we see him, we see his lips move as he’s talking to someone across him. Hearing Haley’s laugh, I slide in beside my sister, who covers her giggling fit with her hand.

“Hey, Nick! Hey, Reggie!” She waves at the monster beside TJ. I greet her with a side hug like always. We all greet each other and settle down. I decide to go up to the counter to buy a sandwich and coffee. The guy behind the checkout keeps smiling at me and it’s creeping me out a little.

“That’s ten dollars, please.” Is he flirting with me? I think he’s flirting with me. I hand him over the ten dollars and wait for my order to be made. I’ve never met a guy who has checked me out before. To say I’m uncomfortable is an understatement.

“Yo, man! You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Reggie chuckles as he comes up behind me. I cough to clear my throat a little and look to see if my order is ready, but I keep making eye contact with the guy behind the counter. “Umm . . . is there something you’re not telling me, Jackson?” I whip my head around to see Reggie darting his eyes back and forth between me and the guy.

“Hell no, Reg!” I yell, shaking my head. “Strictly pussy, please.” I cringe at how crude I became to defend my ways. I’m as straight as an arrow, ladies and gentlemen. “Usually, it’s girls. I’ve never been checked out by a guy before . . .” I run my hand down my face, groaning at my own discomfort.

“Well, there’s a first time for every—”

“Don’t you dare finished that sentence!” He lets out a bellowing laugh as our orders reach the counter. I couldn’t take it quick enough to sit back in my seat. Reggie is still laughing at me and how I reacted to that whole situation. I mean, it’s flattering but I don’t swing that way. I like girls, not guys.

“What’s so funny?” TJ asks with a smile on his face, wanting to be in the loop.

“Your brother just got checked out by the guy behind the counter.” Reggie points to Haley, who leans forward to see who he’s talking about. TJ does the same and they both break out in a congregated laughter, setting Reggie off again.

“Shut up!” I mumble and take a bite out of my sandwich. I curse them under my breath at the fact they’re drawing attention to me. Everyone is looking at us, and I roll my eyes at how annoying they’re being. I look around to see many girls looking at us and I couldn’t be less interested even if I tried. The fact that I don’t have her here with me right now is putting a downer on my mood.

It’s all gone to shit.