Page 9 of My Sweet Cherry
“What do you mean?”
Ian leaned toward me. “I hear you give great head,” he whispered against my ear. I gasped.
He’s been saying some things.
He said that you were a wild thing in bed.
I seethed. “Are you just asking me out because you want me to suck your dick?” The harsh words scraped over my tongue, and I winced, but the frustration flooded through me.
“Well, I’d at least buy you dinner first.” Ian chuckled like he had just said something clever. When he smirked and wiggled a single brow, I clenched my teeth together. “I might even splurge for dessert after the story I heard.”
“I can’t believe this.” I started to walk away, feeling his eyes following me every step of the way.
“Oh, come on, sweet thing. Don’t be like that.”
I continued to walk, ignoring his protest. The scrapes on my knees didn’t hurt anymore, even though I knew there would be a gnarly bruise tomorrow, but my pride ached. When had I become the girl with a reputation I couldn’t uphold? Outside in the courtyard, I saw Amy and Isabella walking toward me.
"Woah, what’s wrong with you?” Amy asked when she saw me.
“Yeah, you look pissed.”
I huffed. “That guy back there just asked me out.” My friends looked at me with even more confusion. “He only asked me out because Benny told him that I apparently give really great blow jobs.”
“Ooh,” they said together.
“What a dick,” Isabella continued, throwing her arm around my shoulder. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him no.”Kind of.
Isabella hugged me while Amy looked like a dog ready to attack. “So what are you going to do now?” Amy asked.
“I have a new reputation. I may as well embrace it.” I didn’t know what I was thinking when I started planning it, and the more I thought about grabbing my new, less-than-savory reputation by the reigns, the more it made my stomach twist. “I guess we’re going to a party.”
Chapter 10
Beth
“Keg is out back!” the man guarding the front door said when he handed us a couple plastic red cups. Loud music bumped through the speakers stationed around the room and drowned out my nerves. Amy and Isabella skipped ahead of me, lifting their arms and dancing as they weaved through the crowd.
I followed, turning to slide between groups of people dancing or yelling over the tune. I ducked behind a tall man wearing a denim jacket to avoid the stares from girls I had seen at the library before—girls that knew this wasn’t my usual scene.
When we turned into the kitchen, a group of guys shuffled past me, separating me from Amy and Isabella, who wasted no time making their way into the small group of people surrounding the keg. They held their hands up, shaking their cups to get the next pour. I looked at my empty cup, less interested in filling it the more people bumped into me with slurred apologies.
I scanned the party. What was I doing here? The neon lights, sticky floor, and crowd that smelled like cheap beer were hardly my scene.Tonight it is.By the time I saw Benny standing off to the side with his friends, I had almost convinced myself to change my mind and go home. Then I made eye contact with Carter, and he lifted a brow just before he narrowed his eyes. He knew I didn’t belong here too. Maybe he even looked disappointed.
Amy and Isabella returned with full cups, cheering as they slipped past me to get to the makeshift living-room-turned-dance floor. At first my eyes followed, tempted to join them until I felt the stare. I looked up, glancing past Carter’s glare and making eye contact with Benny. He smirked, and stubbornness caused me to straighten my spine, holding my head up. If they were going to stare, I was going to give them something to stare at.
The familiar frustration I felt earlier returned when the song changed, getting louder.I hear you give great head.I took a deep breath, setting my sights on a tall, blonde man standing off to the side alone. I recognized him—I had seen him walking through campus before. The letters on his jacket matched the ones Benny wore.Perfect.
I stepped with the beat, strolling through the party toward him, constantly aware of the way Benny’s eyes followed me. My hips swayed when the music changed and when I slid up next to my target, he looked down at me. “Uh, hey there,” I said, relieved when the man smirked and turned his attention in my direction.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” He looked over my shoulder in the direction of the stares I could still feel on my back. “I’m Ethan. And you are…?”
“The girl you won’t forget anytime soon.” I winked, surprised by my own sudden confidence. Where had this girl come from? Then I remembered the stares likely still drilling into my back, and I took a deep breath. “I’m Beth.” He took my hand when I offered it to him, and near-recognition crossed his face.
“Ah,” he said, giving me a slow once over and pausing on my empty cup. “Soyou’rethe Beth I’ve heard so much about.”Jackpot.
I giggled, running my tongue along my bottom lip. “Well, I guess that depends on what you’ve heard.”
