Page 13 of Reckless Youth
“Shit.”
The wonder and magic of the moment quickly chilled as reality dawned and I felt the wetness of Sage’s climax begin to seep out. He moved quickly, jumping to his feet and heading to our downstairs bathroom.
Fumbling for the blanket to cover my nearly naked body, I pushed myself upright and sat up, reaching down to locate my shorts and shirt. As I slipped them on, Sage came stalking toward me. I blinked up at him, taking in his beautiful presence, as he bent down and gave me a quick kiss.
“I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
Confusion and hurt swept over me. I felt a sharp stab of pain in my heart as if he’d used a knife to slice through my chest cavity. It was that acute of a pain; to have him just walk out of there without any other endearment or acknowledgment of what we’d just done together
Even though fully clothed, I was left naked and exposed.
I sat unable to even squeak out a goodbye as he took the stairs two at a time until he was no longer visible, and the front door closed with a quietsnick.
This wouldn’t be the last time Sage would walk out of my life without a backwards glance, but it was the first time I felt utterly alone.
Chapter 7
Our senior year began with a flurry of activities and celebrations that sent the three of us scurrying off in different directions.
In fact, I tried to keep myself busy to avoid both Cam and Sage as much as possible, still confused over everything that happened that summer.
Sage later apologized about that night, citing that he’d felt guilty for messing around with me. But even after we seemed to regain our balance, there remained a rough edge to our friendship. Like it was Humpty Dumpty, an eggshell teetering on the brink of ruin at any given moment.
Cam was in daily, if not twice daily, football practices, as well as his Junior ROTC program. He’d also been active in some student council activities.
As for me, I was back to my twice weekly dance classes, volunteering with my church youth group events, along with the planning committee for both the homecoming festivities and the spring carnival.
We were rarely together, except for one weekend at the end of September. We’d all planned on attending a party being held in the field adjacent to Jace Lambert’s house. The nights were still warm enough to wear our summer clothing, but with the bonfire going, the blazing heat made for a sweltering evening.
Cam had picked us both up in his truck, with me in the middle, as always. It gave us the opportunity to e all get caught up on each other’s lives. It felt good, but a little stilted and stiff at first.
I nudged Cam in the side, his muscular arm resting behind my head in the cab of the truck.
“What’s this I hear about you asking Hallie Cunningham to homecoming? Why didn’t you tell me?”
My voice was light and amused, but inside, a small prickling of jealousy welled up, ready to crash into me like a gigantic wave. After the kiss we shared this summer, I had hoped he’d begin to see me in a different light and would consider asking me. Honestly, I’d hoped to go with one or both of my boys.
Fat chance.
Sage twisted in the seat, leaning over to stare incredulously at Cam.
“He’s apparently looking to get laid with a sure thing. Isn’t that right, bro? ‘Cause we all know Hallie is hot to drop those panties for Cam.”
“Fuck off, Sage. That’s not the case.” Cam stared straight ahead as both Sage and I looked at each other, trying to stifle our laughter.
It didn’t work. We couldn’t contain our outburst, knowing full well that Hallie had been trying to get Cam for years and would do anything to hook her claws in him, especially if it meant sleeping with him. I’d heard it on good authority, too, that she was quite experienced in that department, having hooked up with half the boys in our class already. Sage had even had a short-lived thing with her.
Cam’s hand shot out behind me and shoved Sage’s shoulder, whose head was now bent in roaring hilarity as he tried to catch his breath.
The truck came to a stop along the side of the field and it suddenly grew silent. Cam shut off the engine, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his head bent to rest his forehead against it. His own deep, self-deprecating chuckle was all we needed to hear to prove we knew him better than himself sometimes.
“Shit,” he laughed, peering sideways at us through his fingers. “I guess that’s how it looks, huh? I just assumed the two of you would go to the dance together,” Cam explained, looking at both of us for confirmation. “I didn’t want to be the third wheel.”
None of us had ever even discussed the dance up until now. In fact, we’d never even attended those school activities with other people, either. We’d always just gone together as friends and had a good time. Somewhere along the way, something changed between us. Shifting our roles and creating a different look and feel to our threesome.
I laid my palm against the thickness of Cam’s thigh, and then turned and did the same to Sage, turning my head each direction as I spoke.
“I’d hoped you’dbothtake me.”
