Page 2 of Fervency Love

“I was asking if we wanted some ciggies?”

“Hey, Phil, listen, do you know that chick?”

“Which one?” he asks, looking around.

It’s only now that I notice they’re here together.

“The one over there.” I bob my head at the girl discreetly.

“Can’t say I do, but I heard a thing or two.”

“What did you hear?”

“That short one is Abigail Brooks. Don’t know how old she is, but she tends to keep weird company. The taller one is her friend, Lizzy Spencer. Pretty hot, if you ask me. The both of them.”

Back at the Den, I ask the others, “Guys, you know that girl? Abigail Brooks?”

“That little slut?”

Slut? No fucking chance. She doesn’t look that way. The way she blushed, noticing I was checking her out… There’s no way in hell she’s a slut.

“What about Lizzy Spencer?” I keep asking.

“Nice piece of ass. By the way, want to bet who’s going to be the one to bring one of them here and score first?” says Ted.

“I’m in,” Philip replies, surprisingly.

“What about you, Ve? You in or out?”

“Of course, I’m in!”

I don’t know if I made that decision knowing I have a way with the girls—I can see how they watch me—or because I felt a pang of envy when Phil agreed to that bet of Ted’s. He’s more experienced than I am, or at least likes to brag that he is, so everyone thinks that. I wasn’t going to let her fill my head too much, but now it’s a whole different story. A bet’s a bet, and I’m going to win it. Somehow, strangely, I feel it deep down inside that I can’t let Philip put his hands on that girl.

Since that fateful day, I’ve gone to church every Sunday, trying to see her. She’d always stand in that same spot, so pristine. I couldn’t keep her out of my head. And that one day I saw her with some scrawny fuck. Who the fuck was that? The first thing that came to my mind was to beat the living crap out of him.

“Come on, Ve, get yourself together. You see she’s in with some kids.” Myro tried appeasing me, seeing me bubbling with anger.

“A bet is a bet, Myro. No way I’m going to let Phil win. Just… How do I get to know her? I’m not going to walk right up to her, am I? I need a plan. Play my cards right and win this thing.”

One Sunday, I was sitting by the Den when Myro, Ted, and Philip came over. They stepped out of the car all giddy with excitement.

“What’s so funny, dickwads?”

“Ha! We’ve just said hi to your Abigail. She was on her way from church. We drove by and talked some shit at her. Asked her if she’d date us.”

“And? What did she say?” I asked, a bit nervous though hiding it.

“Not much. She told us to fuck off, gave us the finger, and went her way.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Was I holding my breath the entire time?

“But that’s not the end. We saw where she lives. Ted went up the other elevator, and when she shut the door to her apartment, he rang the bell and bailed.”

What a bunch of idiots, I thought. That made Philip’s position a lot harder, on the other hand, which put a smile on my face. They screwed themselves over. I’d win this in no time. In the meantime, I learned that Stanley was in the same class as that guy she had been walking with before. And that he knew her, as she was friends with his friend.Fate seems to favor me,I thought. I had to put that knowledge to good use.

Chapter 2

Connor

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