Page 6 of My Sweet Cherry
“We didn’t doubt you,” Anthony said, stepping up to the pool table to take his turn. He bent down, lining up his shot and pausing before he took it. When he finally did, the cue ball rolled, bumping into a variety of others but not knocking any into the pockets.
Benny scoffed. “You said I wasn’t smooth. You said I couldn’t bag any woman you chose.” I pictured the quiet brunette tucked under his arm on our couch the night before and shook my head quickly to clear it. Why was I trying to remember if I had heard them?
Anthony’s eyes widened, and he clearly didn’t care anymore that he had completely messed up his shot. “You didn’t.”
“I did.”
“The goodie girl?” Anthony’s jaw dropped, and I knew he was picturing the girl from the bar that looked like she had never belonged there a day in her life.
When Benny nodded, I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t focus on the chalk-stained cue ball or the red, striped ball sitting just off to the side from the pocket. “Mhmm.” He dragged it out, and I felt as annoyed as I had when I saw him macking on her the night before. Benny didn’t need an invite to continue, and, in that moment, it was like his pool cue had turned into a microphone. “Turns out she’s not just good at roller skating. She has some skills, if you know what I mean.” He tucked his tongue into his cheek and wiggled his brows like it explained everything.
“You dog!” Anthony threw his hand in the air for a high five Benny was more than happy to deliver. “You nailed her?”
“We didn’t get that far,” he said, and I narrowed my eyes. I looked at him, pausing my turn.
“What do you mean?” My curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know the details as badly as I didn’t. Maybe I just wanted to know how he had convinced the obviously nervous girl on our couch last night to go from shivering under his touch to whatever he was about to tell us they did.
Benny nodded his head. “You saw her, bro. She could hardly focus on the movie. As soon as you left the room—” He paused to form his hand in a fist and bringing it toward his mouth. Then he stopped, wiggling his brows as if to fill in the blanks.
“Oh she gave you lip service, huh?” Anthony did exactly that. Then he cupped his hand around his mouth and barked twice. “Youarea dog!”
“She didn’t even ask, just went for it. And I was like, well alright!” Benny leaned back against the table again like nobody could bring him down. “I just let her do her thing.”
Anthony was more interested than I was. “How was it?” he asked.
Maybe I just didn’t believe it had happened. If it had, it hadn’t been as enthusiastically as Benny was about to make it sound. “She choked a bit, but not saying I minded hearing it. You know what I mean? Girl was hungry for more.”
You would have thought that he had won some sort of award, though, with Benny, bragging rights are kind of the same thing. Usually I handled his full-of-himself attitude with more patience. I’d been living with him since freshman year. After four years of hearing someone boast about his rare-but-occasional hook-ups, I learned to take most of it with a grain of salt. I couldn’t figure out why this one annoyed me more.
Then I pictured her choking on a tequila shot with her friends and the way her eyes watered with regret and embarrassment when she saw me standing behind her. That had been the same girl that looked like she could sink into the couch and gladly disappear rather than watch a movie she didn’t seem to have any desire to see. She didn’t seem like the type to like stupid comedy anyway—or Benny.There was no way she was hungry for anything.
“Think you’ll see her again?” I asked when my curiosity got the best of me. I leaned over the table again, lining up my shot and sinking the striped ball into the corner pocket.
Benny shrugged his shoulders and before I had even straightened up again, I was frustrated with his answer. “Nah, bro. She’s cute, but she’s not really my type.”
Chapter 7
Beth
There was something about the tall shelves lined with old books and the dust that swirled in the light shining through the window that always helped quiet my mind. I pulled another book from the cart, fanning the pages in front of my face and inhaling deeply before I returned it to its home on the shelf. As I reached for another book, I started to zone out, letting the quiet focus of the other students fade away.
“Hey.” I jumped, hugging the book to my chest and turning around. “Beth, right?”
“Uh, hi.” I tilted my head when I recognized the man standing behind me. It seemed like I was running into him everywhere inthe last couple of days. When I realized I was taking too long to respond, I shook my head. “Yeah, sorry. You startled me. You’re Benny’s roommate.”
The man nodded, but his dark, intense stare didn’t leave my face. “Carter.” He just stood there, staring at me, and I debated bending down and picking up the book I had dropped on the floor between us.
“Can I help you with something?” He didn’t look like he needed me to help him find a reference book. When he shook his head abruptly, I was more confused. Why was he here?
“I just wanted to tell you to watch your back.” His voice was low, but my stomach sank lower. What if the other students could hear us?
I blinked multiple times like it would clarify what he’d said. When it didn’t, I crossed my arms. “Excuse me?”
“Look,” Carter said with a sigh. “Benny is my dude, and he’s not a bad guy. He’s not really a good one either though. So just be careful.” I watched him bend down, picking up the book in front of us. He fanned the pages before closing the cover, and I watched his finger glide along the edge of the page.
When Carter held the book out to me, I just stared at it. “Why?”
“He can be selfish, and his intentions aren’t always good.” He shook the book when I still hadn’t taken it from him, and I reached for it. I closed my fingers over the well-read copy, but Carter didn’t let go. “Like I said, just be careful.”
