Slow Burn Part 5

"No? Okay, bye, then."

I attempt to slam the door in his face, but he easily stops me with an outstretched arm. He muscles his way through, and I seriously consider using my bat on him. Nah, I've already physically a.s.saulted him enough for the night.

Johnny looks awful. Well, awful in that s.e.xy way that only hot guys can pull off. You know...bloodshot eyes, messy hair, tormented? My eyes are swollen, my hair is a mess-and I'm about as s.e.xy as a potato.

But Johnny's looking at me like he's starving and I'm a steak dinner. His eyes fall on me, approving and possessive. "You're wearing my s.h.i.+rt," he says huskily.

I glance down. I hadn't even realized...My favorite sleep s.h.i.+rt happens to be an old jersey of his. He left it here one day, and I'd claimed it for my own. It's huge on me.

Shrugging, I casually strip out of the s.h.i.+rt and throw it at him. He catches it against his chest, dumbstruck. I go over to the hall closet and find a hoodie, slip it on, and zip it up.

There, a.s.shole. That's the last time you'll be seeing them.

"Juliet." He moves towards me, expression darkening in that intense way that means he's turned on.

"Nope," I say, and head for the kitchen. He follows right on my a.s.s.

He's refusing to give me any s.p.a.ce. I lean against the stove, and he's right there-crowding me in with his familiar smell and heated presence.

"I know I can't make it right, but just let me explain, okay?"

I turn my head away, refusing to acknowledge him. I don't want to do this, not now. I'm afraid I don't have the strength. To not let him kiss me, and make it all better.

"After we won the game, and everyone was celebrating...the first thing I did was look for you. You weren't there, of course-you hardly ever are. And I get that you have a life, and s.h.i.+t, but sometimes...I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm low on the list of your priorities."

I roll my eyes so hard I give myself a headache.

"Dani was there. She comes to all the games, and she always makes it a point to find me and give me a big hug and congratulate me. We're friends, we hang out with the same group of people. And she..."

I grit my teeth, and shake my head. "What is the point in retelling the events that led up to the grand finale? We all know how it turns out."

Johnny gently grabs my face with both hands and forces me to look at him. "I have to explain, okay?"

I jerk my face away. "Whatever."

I feel the sigh coursing through his body before he continues. "I should have never started drinking, but...I don't know. I was excited, and I needed to let off some steam. I was counting the minutes, waiting for you to get there, and Dani just kind of glued herself to my side. Then Arianna..."

"She said she had just come from the mall, and she saw you there, making out with some guy. At first, I didn't believe her-but she had pictures on her phone. You and some d.i.c.khead-he had his arms around you. You were walking close together-and there was one where he was touching your face, and you were smiling and looking at him-"

"Smiling and looking at him?" I interrupt, my voice horror-filled. "In a crowded mall, of all places? d.a.m.n me and my s.l.u.tty ways!"

Johnny just gives me a look. "When she showed me the pictures...I thought you had ditched me to be with him. I got so p.i.s.sed. I started really knocking back the drinks. Then Kara said-"

"Kara? That redheaded b.i.t.c.h?" I snap. "What could she possibly have to say, considering I never met her until tonight?!"

He frowns. "She's my friend. She..." He wisely trails off on his own, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Look, it was a huge mistake. I didn't mean for it go that far with Dani. I was stupid drunk, and-"

"And what?" I give him an incredulous look. "You tripped and fell into her v.a.g.i.n.a?"

"I didn't have s.e.x with her! I never intended to. We were fooling around, and it got a little out of hand-"

"A little?! I saw you, Johnny! You weren't that drunk. And the way you looked at me...and the things you said..."

"I know, I'm an a.s.shole. I wanted to p.i.s.s you off." He closes his eyes, face full of useless regret. When he opens them again, they're s.h.i.+ny with unshed tears. "I'm messed up, right? I destroy everything I love."

Love? Oh, now he can say the word. That's just awesome.

I try to pull away again, but he doesn't let me. "Please," he begs, lowering his face to mine. "Give me another chance. Don't let me ruin us."

I take in a shuddering breath, trying to steel myself. "Have you done this before?" I ask almost fearfully. "Cheated on me? You did it so easily tonight."

Johnny catches my face with both hands and looks me dead in the eye. "I swear to G.o.d-I've never even looked at another girl since I met you. Tonight was-I don't even know. It's always been just you, Juliet."

The next thing I know, we're kissing-pa.s.sionately, desperately. I can't tell you who reached for who first. I can't even tell you that there wasn't biting involved.

You know the really sick part? I've never been more turned on.

"Juliet," Johnny whispers, dragging down the zipper of my hoodie.

I suddenly come back to myself, pus.h.i.+ng him away. "No. Stop."

"I can make this up to you. I swear."

"We're over. We were over the second you believed the words coming out of some lying b.i.t.c.h's mouth. Go home, Johnny."

I jerk myself out of his arms, and this time, he releases his hold, shoulders slumping. But as I start walking away from him, he says quietly, "I'm never letting you go."

Why does it sound like a threat?

Oh, yeah. Because that's what the stalker said to the girl right after he tied her up and left her in his bas.e.m.e.nt for a year.

The next morning, I stumble into the downstairs, only half-awake. I need caffeine...I need...what's that s smell? Nose wrinkling, I walk into the kitchen, and almost b.u.mp into my mother carrying a steaming cup of coffee.

"Careful," Mom hisses, wincing as the hot liquid sloshes out of her mug.

"Sorry!" I gasp. I wet a dish towel and hand it to her. "Did you get burned?"

"No, it's fine." She takes the towel and wipes her hand and the sides of the cup. Then she gives me a hard look. "You look worse than I do. Rough night?"

I collapse at the kitchen table burying my head in my arms. "Boys suck," I groan.

"Yeah, they do," she agrees readily. "Speaking of boys, did you know there's one asleep on our lawn right now?"

My head shoots up so fast I give myself whiplash. "What?"

"That boyfriend of yours."

Mom points toward the front of the house, eyebrows raised. I run into the living room and peek out the curtains.

And there's Johnny, lying under the big oak tree in our front yard. His jacket is bunched up under his head, used as a makes.h.i.+ft pillow, his hands resting on his stomach. He looks like an innocent little boy, sleeping there so peacefully. I bite back a scream of exasperation.

Mom is sitting at the table, calmly sipping her coffee when I stomp back into the kitchen.

"He's an idiot!" I seethe, plopping down next to her.

There's a spark of malice in her usually calm eyes. "Want me to turn the sprinklers on him?"

I consider it-for a very brief moment. "No. Let's just leave him. He'll get the hint eventually, and go home."

Mom just shrugs. I wait to see if she'll ask me about it-but she doesn't. "What are your plans for today?" she asks instead.

"Oh...I guess I'll head over to Dad's in a bit. I'll be back tomorrow before dark. What about you? What time do you go in today?"

Mom is an RN at Golden Valley Hospital. She practically lives there. If you're going to hide from your own life, the hospital is the perfect place to accomplish that. I never see her anymore. Even when she's here, she's not here, you know?

"I don't go in until four," she finally answers me. She pushes her dark hair away from her face, and stares down at the table. "Guess what you forgot to do last night?"

"Lock the door? Feed the dog?"

"We don't have a dog." She smirks. "The laundry...?"

I stare at her blankly for a second. Then... "Oh, c.r.a.p! I forgot to move the clothes to the dryer!"

Mom waves her hand dismissively. "It's okay, I took care of it. I ran it through the wash again. It's drying right now. When it's done..."

"I know. I'll put it away before I go," I promise her. "Hey, did you see what I left you in the fridge?"

"The clam chowder? Yes, I had some early this morning. It was fantastic." She gives me a tired smile. "Thank you. I think I'll go have a shower now."

I watch her wearily climb to her feet, using the chair to brace herself. "Okay, Mom."

"Oh, what are you going to do about Sleeping Beauty out there?" she asks before she goes.

"Absolutely nothing."

When she's gone, I let my head fall back onto the table. It comes back up a second later when I suddenly remember something. My gaze shoots to the wall Johnny's fist left that big old dent in yesterday.

It's fixed!

I jump up and rush over to inspect it. He must've patched it, then painted that whole wall last night-you can tell, since it's brighter and whiter than the other walls in the kitchen. It still smells like paint in here-that's what I was smelling! How did Mom not notice? When did he do this? Last night, obviously. He just broke in, and did a little home improvement while I cried myself to sleep.

My heart tries to melt, just a little. Then my brain reminds it of Johnny and that girl in the laundry room. Way to go, Brain.

Stupid spin cycle.

Chapter 6.

Once the laundry's done, I fold it and put it away. I can't help but glance out the window to see if Johnny's still there. He's not, and his truck is gone. I'm relieved, and also slightly disappointed. Shaking my head, I head upstairs to my room to get ready to spend the night at my dad's.

I forgot to text Heather! She's going to be p.i.s.sed. While I pack my bag, I call her up and fill her in on all the drama she missed.

Why did I wait so long to call her? Her profanity-laced rant against Laundry Room Girl, Johnny-and guys in general-brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.

"Oh, my G.o.d, Jule," Heather says, after she finally takes a breath. "I never told you this before, but-I know people. People who can make accidents happen. Know what I mean?"

"No, I don't." I switch her to speaker phone, and start rifling through my drawers for a sleep s.h.i.+rt. "And how do you know these people?"

"My uncle-Josiah? I don't know if you've ever met him. He works for these guys, and...anyway, I could call him. Johnny can kiss his NFL career goodbye," she says seriously.

"What? No. Don't call anybody." I let out an incredulous laugh. "It's done, we're over. I don't want revenge, I just want to get over him."

"Mm-hmm," Heather hums wisely. "You know, they say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody new."

"Yeah, I think that would be about the worst thing I could do," I say wryly, pus.h.i.+ng my hair back. "I think I'm going to give up boys for a while-maybe forever."

"Aw! I always knew you'd make a great lesbian!"

"Thanks. Look, I have to go. Call you later, okay?"

"Yeah, you'd better."

Shaking my head, I hang up with her. I scoop up my backpack and a jacket and after a quick goodbye to Mom, I'm running out the front door.

And tripping over something on the porch. I land on my face, of course.

"Ouch."

Rolling over painfully, I sit up to see what could have made me fall. My eyes land on the huge bouquet of roses, and the giant teddy bear-wearing my former sleep s.h.i.+rt-lying in front of the door. Unbelievable.

Groaning quietly, I quickly scan the street for any signs of Johnny trying to slink away after nearly killing me. All I see is the old lady next from next door, standing on the lawn with her fluffy gray cat. They both stare at me like I'm a dog c.r.a.pping in their yard.

I rise to my feet and dump the roses and the giant bear in the trash can. The stuffed bear barely fits, so I have to smoosh it in there. Pathetic, Johnny. Because nothing says I'm sorry I cheated on you like roses and a stuffed animal.

Sigh.

Dad lives one town over, in Hidden Cove. He rents an apartment over Nico's Pizzeria, and consequently, the whole place always smells like bread and pizza sauce. I can gain weight just by inhaling. Weirdly, it always makes me hungry for tacos.

Dad and I used to get along great. He's pretty funny, and he used to make me laugh with his dorky sense of humor. Now...

Now we make awkward conversation, at best. When he can't think of anything to say, he asks about Mom. It's on the tip of my tongue to say, "She's as miserable as you are, dumba.s.s!" Of course I'd never call him a dumba.s.s. Not to his face.