Page 14 of Dirty Roulette
“I don’t want him. Do you really wanna throw away the three years we shared?”
“I dunno if I’m ready or if I’d try again. I need time to process everything and figure out what I want.”
“Well, maybe this will help you process.” Her eyes lock onto mine in a passionate gaze, reminding me of the surge of electricity we shared. Her cold fingers brush against my cheeks as her lips meet mine in a tender kiss. I melt with the taste of cherries on my tongue. Her hand finds its way to my inner thigh, and she rubs me. God damn it. My balls catch fire within seconds.
Dating Brittni turned me into an addict. Every night I wanted a piece of her. I loved having her soft pink nipples in my mouth and the way she’d blow me in the Jeep before class. I miss having empty balls. But that was all I had with her – sex, booze, and fighting.
Silence is all I can offer. I push her off and remember why I came here in the first place. I need to find my sister and Payton. Plus, I’m better off with nothing but memories of Brittni’s face when I actually felt butterflies in my stomach. I walk off, open the beer, and chug half of it. Jared is preoccupied. He dragged himself into a game of beer pong with guys cheering. When I head inside to the chaos, someone cuts right in front of me and leans over a trash can to hurl.
“You’re shitting me.” I weasel past him and head upstairs. Another door opens, and I watch Nick stumble out with a satisfied grin. A dark red substance coats his right hand and forearm. It’s still wet too.
“That white chocolate was worth it.” He fumbles on his feet, his dark eyes in a haze. I peek into the room and spot a girl passed out naked on the bed. “I gotta...” He hiccups. “I gotta work tomorrow.”
“Do you have a ride?” I ask.
“No man... I’m uhh... uhh, I’m gonna drive.” Nick hiccups.
“No... you’re not driving. Let me take you.”
“Alright...” He wobbles and sways back and forth, reeking of weed and sour booze.
“Where is my sister?” I ask. Nick lifts his right hand pointing to the door at the end of the hallway, but I stare at the dark maroon ooze all over his arm.
“Is that blood?”
“Uhh...” he brings his hand six inches from his face, studying it. “I dunno man...”
“Okay... meet me downstairs.” I pat him on the chest and slide past him. The girl on the bed snores steadily, so I pull the cover up overher naked body smeared with period blood. “Charlie?” I ask and then storm to the back room where he points. The voices and laughing are loud. I jiggle the handle and it’s locked.
“Spin the bottle emo girl!”
I hold the door handle and take a deep breath. There is no other choice but to bust the lock and I won’t feel bad for the dumbass stupid enough to host a party that is this out of control. It’s their mistake in the first place. I slam a shoulder into the door, and it bursts right open with splinters flying.
I stare directly at Payton and I’m paralyzed.My Payt.Pretty icy blue eyes meet mine and so does her perfectly round breasts. Long dark hair flowing over one of her shoulders and her perfect waist put me in a chokehold. My mouth goes dry as she leans over to spin the glass bottle. She’s naked – the girl next door who invaded our house and refused to leave, my sister’s best friend, the girl I’ve never allowed myself to fantasize about. Fuck she’s naked... and I’m begging my dick not to go hard. I’m basking in the solace of regret for staring as she covers her chest with her bony knees.
The bottle twirls around the guys in the room, and my heart beats loud in my ears as it slows down and points directly at the bedroom door I stand in front of. Everyone turns their heads to me.
“Spin again, that doesn’t count! He ain’t playing!” Brody snatches the bottle and throws it at her. She shrieks as she holds two hands up to block it as he hollers, “Spin that bottle again!”
Payton gulps, shaking her head. “It didn’t land on you. Shove your ego up your ass.” Her knees shift and Satan wags a taunting finger like a pendulum on an antique clock to not look.
“Payton...” I say. She scuttles around, clutching onto a shirt to cover her perfect perky pink nipples. She’s stumbling over her feet as Brody snatches the shirt, and she trips with it fisted in her hand.
“Let go! I didn’t land on you!” They fight over it like a tug of war.
“You’re just scared you’d like it!” Brody laughs.
“In your dreams!” she screams.
Their argument is drowned out by the ringing in my ears.
It’s like walking in on Brittni all over again. Brittni had screamed for me to stop. I blacked out. Jared and Nick were hauling me out into the hallway before I could land one punch. Jared shouted in my face and held my head in his hands to knock sense into me, telling me to get some fresh air. Fighting Brody wasn’t worth losing my chance at having a career in a real stadium.
Jared said I should forgive and forget. I’ve tried, and I can’t. Brody feeds off my suffering like a cannibal. He’s severed off my limbs, ripping Brittni from my grip, and the only antidote is drinking and smoking until my brain cells melt away. The girl I thought I loved told meI’m not the oneby cheating, leaving me to crawl to sleep in shame.
Now Brody wants Payton too, a girl I’ve only admired through a rearview mirror. An uncomfortable weight of anxiety digs deep inside the pit of my stomach – attracted to Payton when I know I shouldn’t be. Her pretty plump lips, the freckles over button nose. I’m sweating. Brittni’s words sink in my bloodstream. Maybe I do have a thing for her. Maybe she had a reason to react the way she did. I never pushed Payton off me when she fell asleep. I just admired her and pushed away strands of hair stuck to her face. My heart swells up and hurts with each beat. Payton’s hourglass figure consumes me and every unholy thought runs through my brain.
The bottle landed on me, and suddenly Brody wants to change the rules of Roulette? I don’t think so. I’ll be the one to end it.
