“Dad and Jace are watching football.” She cringes. “They’re so loud.”
I study her soft, feminine features. Penny is one of those naturally pretty girls like Charlotte, but she frowns so goddamn much you almost don’t notice. Of course I notice. My dick notices pretty things. Getting my head cracked open like an egg didn’t change shit where that’s concerned.
“It’s quiet here,” she says, hugging her knees that are pulled to her chest. Penny is covered in layers. Thick socks. Sweatpants. Hoodie.
“Thank fuck,” I murmur. “What happened today?”
Her blue eyes harden and her lips thin out as she presses them together. “I played like shit.” She shrugs. “Blame my period.”
“Don’t lie,” I drawl out. “We both know something set you off.”
She swallows, her throat moving in a way that draws the eye. “I like to dribble.”
“So you had a meltdown when I wouldn’t let you?”
“Stop talking.”
I arch a brow at her, noting how she shudders. Her fingers mash at her phone as she turns up the volume. My eyes flick to see what song she’s using to drown me out.
White noise.
Not the song, the sound.
She shoves her phone inside the pocket of her hoodie, closing her eyes. I study her features, wondering what’s going on with her. Drugs? Penny doesn’t seem the type. She’s an athlete through and through. Cares too much about being the best—which she fucking is. Despite her meltdown, she killed it today. The team is lucky to have her.
Penny cracks an eye open. When she catches me staring, her nostrils flare, and she smashes her eyes closed again. A smile tugs at my lips. She’s such a brat. A cute one, but still a brat. Always up in everyone’s shit, throwing shade at them like it’s her job in life.
She’s wearing her blond hair in a ponytail like usual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her with it down. Ever. I’ve known her since before she hit puberty. Back when she was one of those zombie kids obsessed with her iPad and shit. It’s fascinating to me that she changed so much over the years.
Reaching over, I tap on her pert nose, getting her attention. She pulls the headphones off, her signature scowl morphing her features.
“Staring’s rude, Humpty Dumpty.”
“I wasn’t done talking to you,” I murmur. “You can’t shut people out because you don’t want to talk to them.”
I’ve hit a nerve because she bristles.
“What?” she demands, fatigue in her voice. “Are you going tell me I played like shit? That I won’t make the team?”
No tears or wobble of her lip. Nothing.
Expressionless. Seemingly uncaring.
Her eyes don’t lie, though. They flash with shame.
“You goofed on one drill,” I admit, “but, let’s be real, Penny. You whipped everyone’s ass today.”
Her blue eyes widen slightly. “I can do better.”
“I don’t doubt it.” I reach over, tugging at a loose strand of blond hair. “You made the team in case you were worried. You and Tierra both.”
She relaxes, the tension bleeding from her body. “Good.”
“You going to Roan’s New Year’s gig?”
“It’s either that or hang out with Jace and Dad.” Her lip curls up. “I’m not eager to spend an evening watching Dad suck the face off his girlfriend while Jace watches.”
“He watches them make out?” I ask, amused by this tidbit of information.
“Jace is a freak,” she reveals. “I bet he did all sorts of freaky shit in prison. Probably had orgies with guards and stuff.” Her eyes flash with wickedness. “We should ask Jordy if he was into it too.”
I smother a laugh as I imagine Penny asking Jordy what sort of sexual shit he got up to while in the pen. That poor fucking guy will never live that shit down. I sure hope Little Hoodlum was worth it all.
“Keep your ten-inch dick away from my little sister,” Cal says as he saunters into the living room.
She flips him the bird before retreating back to her headphones. Cal’s an idiot. Like I’d be trying to get into the pants of Penny English. A fucking teenager. I’m too old for her, not to mention, I prefer my women sweet.
Penny is fucking sour.
She’s way cooler as a friend who likes to give me shit any way she can.
Still, I can admit she’s pretty. She’ll make some guy her age very happy one day. Or girl. Hell, maybe she’s bumping uglies with my cousin for all I know.
The thought of Tierra fucking anyone makes me cringe.
Fucking gross.
“Dude,” Cal mutters, punching me in the arm with his good hand as he plops down on the other side of me. “What’s going on?”
I tear my stare from Penny’s nose that I only noticed tonight is sprinkled with a dash of freckles. “Hmm?”
“You, man. You’re checking Penny out.” His brow is lifted, confusion swimming in his green eyes as he picks at a frayed end of his orange cast.
“I’m not checking her out,” I grumble. I’m not. “I was checking on her. Your player ass doesn’t know the difference yet. The rest of the human population can see women as more than something to stick their dicks into.”
Cal snorts. “Please. Save me the hero speech. Like your ass wasn't fucking your way through every female at OSU.”
“Just because I like to fuck doesn’t mean I want to fuck everyone I come in contact with.”
“If you guys are done comparing who was the biggest manwhore in college, the spaghetti is ready,” Charlotte says, interrupting our bickering.
Like she has him tethered on a string, Cal rises to his feet, making his way over to her. I take the moment to peek over at Penny. Her eyes are zeroed in on them, watching them with barely hidden interest. It makes me want to ask her what she’s thinking about. When she catches me staring, she rolls her eyes, yanking off her headphones.
“Cal,” she calls out, “your ugly friend is broken. He won’t stop staring.”
I laugh, shaking my head at her as I stand. “You’re such a little asshole, English.” I hold my hand out to her, offering to help her up from the couch.
She eyes it like it’s a venomous snake. I could grab her hand and haul her up, but something in her tight expression has me dropping my hand at my side. She scrambles to her feet, unassisted, and walks around the coffee table, keeping herself at a distance from me.
The dark, disgusting thoughts that sometimes overwhelm me rear their ugly heads.
You’re a freak show, T.
They can’t look at you now.
“Don’t stand there looking like I kicked your puppy,” Penny says, her eyes sharp as she cuts them through me. “Just because I don’t wanna hold hands like a lovesick groupie doesn’t mean I don’t like you, ugly.”
Her words chase away the shadows in my mind. Penny always has a way of doing that. Cutting through the bullshit and telling it like it is, but in a way that makes you laugh.
“Yeah, yeah, mean-ass. I’m coming.” I tug on her blond ponytail. “Lead the way.”
Penny