With today being moving day, I’ll be out of here within the next two hours. My brother, Hart, is on his way over with a couple of his buddies, who are on leave with him for the next two weeks, to move me.
“Seriously, Harper, you need to learn to chill out. I mean, why do you think we did it anyway? You’re constantly acting like you’re better than everyone else and need to lighten up.” Of course, Salina would say that. She can be a total bitch sometimes.
“So it’s okay to drug someone without their consent? Yeah, no, I’m good on that. I don’t even remember what happened that night. Do you know how bad that is? I woke up in a hotel room alone with a hickey on my neck and my body sore.” I leave out the part about the white gold band that sat on my ring finger and the fact I’d lost my virginity that night.
It’s almost as if I’m living through the movie Hangover, but in my case, I don’t have a tiger in my hotel room or a tattoo on my face. I do, however, have the ring that tells me I’m married to someone I don’t even know. Or at least I think I am.
Shoot, I can’t even remember anything about the concert besides getting into the Uber with them.
After that, it’s blank. Nada. Zip.
Gigi starts to protest, but I hold up my hand to stop her as the front door opens to my brother and his friends. I told him to not worry about knocking, not today. He didn’t object to this. Hart’s not a big fan of either Salina or Gigi. This is probably due to both of them ruining his relationship a few months back with his girlfriend, Kana.
“Yo! You ready to get this shit on the road?” Hart calls out.
“Yep,” I announce, walking past both Salina and Gigi. I know what it is they’re pissed more about. I’m taking my furniture with me. The living room set, TV, and all of that were bought with my money, so I wasn’t leaving it behind. “Other than the mattress and bedframe, everything’s in here waiting to be carried down to the trailer, Hart.”
“Cool deal. You just show Forest and Jag what you want to be taken down. I’ll go take the bed apart,” Hart says.
“You got it,” I say, giving him a salute, jokingly.
Grinning, my brother leaves me while he heads for my old room.
I tell both guys what furniture goes, but, of course, Salina and Gigi start-up their flirting and start fussing. “Oh, you two don’t need to do that. I mean, I’m sure you do, but what about we go to my room for a while.” I can’t roll my eyes hard enough at Gigi’s suggestion. I swear now that I took the blinders off, I see them for what they really are—skanks who need to get checked for the clap.
Ugh.
“Sorry, doll, you are not my type,” Forest sasses, first removing Gigi’s arms from around his neck.
“What do you mean not your type?” she pouts. Gigi doesn’t like to be turned down. I know this because she complained every time it happened.
“You got tits, doll, and I go for dick. I actually go for only one dick and his is way better than any you can get being easy. Take note, being easy gets you one or two things, knocked up and alone or getting crabs, some shit like that and alone.” I can’t stop myself from giggling at Forest’s blunt forwardness toward Gigi. He’s hilarious. I’ve met him a few times. Every time I’ve been around him, he’s always gotten me to laugh. Turning his attention to me, he grins. “Wheeler is stuck on base for guard duty. Otherwise, he’d be joining us. He says hi.”
“Tell him I said hi, in return and that I thank him for letting you help out,” I say. I appreciate all of their help. Forest especially. I know Wheeler, his partner, isn’t someone who shares much, and they’re both beefy dudes, Forest isn’t only funny. He can be sensitive when he wants to be. It’s why he’s the perfect match for Wheeler, who’s all gruff and tough.
It only takes a little over an hour to get all of my stuff put into the trailer. After Forest informed Salina and Gigi he was gay, they persisted in hitting on Hart and Jag both. Hart and Jag both kept sneering at them when they would get close to them.
With the last load being taken down, I scan the living room. Ignoring both women, I take the key to the apartment off my key ring and place it on the table close to me. “Here’s my key. I’ve already informed the landlord I’m moving out today. He’s already taken my name off the lease. If you get another roommate, you’re going to have to get them put on it. Have a nice life,” I purr, and without another word, I follow the guys through the doorway, ignoring both women fussing.
The sad part is they’re fussing over the fact they now have to split the cost in half. I guess they thought I wouldn’t say anything to the landlord and figured I would still be responsible for my part of the rent.
Yeah right. I’m not stupid.
Well, I am stupid when it comes to some things, such as allowing them to somehow drug me. If I told my brother about what happened that night, he’d lose his shit.
“You ready for your new job?” Forest asks, hopping into the passenger seat of my 4Runner.
“Yep, I’m looking forward to my first year as a teacher.” I nod.
“Cool, so you wanna talk about why you’re up and leaving the area, or do you wanna talk about wicked bitch one and two?” Of course, Forest is intuitive and can see when something is really wrong, but he’s still one of my brother’s friends. I don’t want him in a predicament that leaves him feeling he has to tell my brother my secrets.
Ready to move on, I put my sunglasses in place over my eyes and put the car in gear. There’s no way I can tell him. I pull out onto the road behind my brother’s truck with the trailer hooked to it and settle in for a long ride to the new little house that I’ve rented. A sweet little three-bedroom ranch-style house close to the school.
Here’s to starting anew and getting somewhere I can breathe once again.
Chapter Two
Whip
Present Day
“Are you sure you don’t mind taking Linc to school this morning for me?” Amaya asks, playing with the hem of her shirt.
“Naw, you know I like my time with the little man. Shit, if we leave in the next five minutes, we can hit up that chicken place and get some chicken and waffles.”
“Waffles?” Lincoln yells from his room, where he’s getting ready for school.
“Of course, you would take him to get waffles.” Amaya sighs.
“What’s this about waffles?” Venom asks, coming up behind his ol’ lady and wrapping his arms around her. She’s the perfect match for my brother.
“The matter is Whip wants to go get Lincoln hyped up on syrup before he gets to school. I don’t want his teacher to call about how he’s bouncing off the walls and getting into trouble.” Amaya might sound annoyed by this, but we all know she’s laughing on the inside, because she knows Lincoln isn’t that bad. She’s more worried about him getting too much sugar in his system because over the summer, he was diagnosed with diabetes.
The kid handles it like a champ and knows he can’t have some things like others. We all cut out regular sugar in the house. We have sugar supplements and diet shit. I don’t mind it if it means supporting him.