It’s not because he’s blindly loyal. It has more to do with his instincts. The man is rarely wrong about people. So, when he takes to you, and I mean really takes to you, it means he sees something deeper than anything at the physical level. Something we’re obviously not privy to.
This doesn’t take away from Rowan’s points, but he’s far more hot-headed than any of us, and is oftentimes led by his emotions and slights to his ego. Emma has dinged both in her short time here in Calloway.
The glowing sign in front of the diner signals we’re just about there and thank fuck. I think I can only take so much more of this topic. Emma is hot, but all this bickering over her is unnecessary. We don’t know enough to make a decision. Not to mention she’s not a local. So, August’s crush can only be that. Once we choose, we can’t mess with anyone that isn’t one of the selected.
“Look,” Karl begins, with what I’m hoping are words of reason. “You both are making valid points. Rowan, yes it’s odd that Emma moved here during this time and we’re going to look into it but,” he turns him, “even if that’s the case there is no way she would know what our dads are up to. So, it would be stupid for us to take it out on her or her family.”
Rowan grits his teeth at this comment and August smiles, but the smile quickly disappears once Karl makes his next point.
“And Wy, we get it. You like the girl. You have a feeling in your gut that she’s our girl. But come on dude, it hasn’t even been a full forty-eight hours since she’s been in this school. Give us some time to get to know her before you have us proposing, marching down the aisle, and putting babies in the poor unsuspecting girl.”
At least August looks sheepish for five seconds. That’s a new record for how long he allows himself to look reprimanded.
“Yeah yeah yeah, I’ll give you all time. Just enough for me to be able to say I told you so,” August replies.
“Great, now that Thing One and Thing Two are done wreaking chaos, can we go get some food?” I cajole.
Chuckles cut the remainder of tension from the air as we all move to get out of the car.
Just as we all step around the car to head toward the front door of the diner, a nondescript black four-door sedan pulls into view. My nerve endings begin to rapid fire, an alarm of pending danger shoots up my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise like they’re standing at attention. My mind threatens to lock me in place, but instincts trounce any debilitating memories.
Before the passenger side window can begin to roll down I spring into action and start pushing August to the ground and shout, “Get down!”
August’s body hits the paved ground with a smack, causing him to grunt out in surprise. I don’t take the time to see if he’s hurt. He’s safe. We can deal with bruises and scrapes later. I look up to make sure Rowan and Karl got down in time. Instead, I’m greeted with Samantha freaking Davenport’s smirking face peering at me from the car window while waving.
“Hey boys. I didn’t mean to startle you all like that.” That fake concern in her voice is only magnified by a slight lift to her top lip before morphing into a smarmy smile.
I hop up from the ground ready to attack, but Karl hops in front of me and whispers in my ear.
“Calm down, she’s not worth it. She’ll get hers soon enough.”
His calm voice can’t settle the fire growing in my veins straining to rise to the surface and lash out on the hateful bitch sitting in the car that resembles the kidnappers’ car. I don’t know how Karl isn’t attacking. The guilt from that day haunts me and somehow this bitch knows.
I grit out through clenched teeth, only loud enough for him to hear, “Karl, get the fuck out of my way.” My chest is heaving, no bone in my body leashing the rage emanating from me. My body is coiled tight, ready to pounce on its intended target. “The stupid bitch did that shit on purpose,” I growl, pushing out of his hold only to be dragged back. Sam giggles and waves from the front seat like she’s pulled off the world’s greatest prank, but it’s far from funny and she knows it. Fuck just about everyone in this damn town knows it.
Karl, trying to be the voice of reason, reaffirms his earlier sentiments, “She’s not worth it. She’s trying to get a rise out of you. Out of all us. She’s mad because she was embarrassed not only by the new girl but then by us. She’s trying to reassert her place. Don’t give it to her. She’ll get hers when she’s not chosen for the selection.”
With that last sentence he calms my thirst for blood, but not before I look the she-devil in the eyes and promise her retribution.
EMMA
I’m home comfortably resting in my bed, but I keep thinking back to what that idiot Rowan said when he had me by my throat in the damn janitor’s closet. My hand instinctively goes to my throat, feeling at the now yellowing hand prints around my neck. What did he mean by a selection not being able to save me from him?
It’s been a hell of a first week at Calloway and I’m happy that it’s finally Friday. Now, I won’t have to see the assholian or his skank’s face for two days. But now that my brain has finally had time to process the week, I keep going back to our little closet interlude. More like closet assault, but no one in the office would hear of the school’s namesake accosting a girl. Those were the exact words of the bitchy administrative assistant when I went to report him.
Stupid ass elitist town.
Shay told me not to continue in my quest of reporting him, saying that it would only make my stay here worse and I would’ve listened to her, but fuck that. Assault should be reported and victims shouldn’t be forced into silence.
After trying to speak to someone all week, I had to think of the kids. I need to make our time here as drama free as possible and with our mom still unaccounted for, I really can’t make too many waves.
Speaking of the mini tyrants, they’re all at sleepovers for the night. It’s great that they made friends so easily. They should be able to put down roots and just be able to be kids.
Them being gone means it’s me and
Uthred of Bebbanburg all night. I love me some Alexander Dreymon. If I thought about it, Karl kind of looks like if Alexander and Jason Momoa had a super baby. Maybe that’s why I almost drooled when I was taking their order the other night, at the diner. Too bad he’s friends with a major dick.
Oh well.
That doesn’t mean I can’t flick the bean to him on occasion, am I right?
Just as I get ready to hit play on the tv, my phone rings and Shay’s name flashes across my screen.
I slide the button to answer, “Hey bish, you’re seriously intruding on my alone time with my man. This better be life or death.” My tone is joking but her response is comical.
“What? A man? How could we be so close and you not disclose you were slapping skins with someone, you bitch?” Shay asks me back, in mock horror or maybe true horror, the verdict is still out on this one.
“Bahaha Shay, I am talking about my imaginary relationship with Alexander Dreymon, but I do love your level of hurt over our five day friendship. It’s touching. However, we might need to get you into therapy for attachment issues,” I say back. I can almost hear her eyes rolling back at me through the phone and it only makes me crack up even more.
“So, what has you interrupting Friday date night with bae?” I ask, causing her to choke on whatever she was drinking.
She takes a minute to compose herself before she responds, “This only confirms you need to come to the game tonight. I can’t have you in your house continuing with your imaginary man. It’s obviously detrimental to your mental health and I would be remiss in my best friend duties if I allowed this to continue. Plus, Alexander is mine, ho.” With that, the bitch hangs up on me, giving me absolutely no time to refuse to go to the game, but more importantly, rebuke her blasphemy! Because duh, Alex is mine!
* * *
“Talk about some
Friday Night Lights shit. You can see the stadium lights all the way from the entrance to the sports park,” I say to Shay, as we pull into the packed parking lot of the football stadium.
Calloway spared no expense when they built this monstrosity that looks like it could rival the AT&T stadium, in Texas. I mean I read about the state of the art sports park, but seeing it in person is on a whole different level.
“Yeah, sports are a pretty big deal here. So, about ten years ago the town began building the park and they add on to it all the time. Just another way to be pretentious if you ask me. But pretentious is Calloway’s first, middle, and last name.” She shrugs.
As we walk toward the entrance of the stadium, she begins to point out the various areas of the park from the building that houses the olympic-sized pool, to the state of the art gymnastics arena.
Luckily, she has box seats so we don’t have to wait in the long ticket line. Apparently, people come from all across the state to watch this charity scrimmage and if you don’t get your tickets in advance then you will be in line well into the first quarter.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.