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zoom button.”
    I bite my lip
to stop from laughing, but Sammy breaks into a loud stomach-holding
belly laugh. Jasper’s eyebrows rise nearly up to his hair line. He
drops to the last step, grabs my hand and cups it to his crotch.
“Mmm,” Jasper says into my ear. “My package is plenty big enough to
get you screaming, sweetheart.”
    He isn’t wrong.
His package begins to grow underneath my pinned hand and it’s
impressive. I know he is only being playful, but I’m not use to men
being this familiar with me because Danny would kill them.
    I gulp and look
over to Sammy, who has stopped laughing, and now has a scowl on his
face. Jasper laughs and releases me from his grip, walking into the
kitchen. I cradle my hand to my chest like it’s injured. I’m still
rooted to the spot when Jasper strides back into the living room,
holding a box of cereal and eating them dry, straight from the
box.
    “I brought
milk.” I hold the carton up and Jasper beams a perfect smile at
me.
    “Awesome.”
    “So, Twink,
sexual groping aside, what did you come here for?” Sammy asks with
a raised eyebrow and an annoyed edge to his tone.
    “I thought Jase
would need milk to go with the cereal,” I answer, confused at his
change in attitude.
    “Well, you’re a
half hour late. My aunt picked him up early for a day at the
zoo.”
    I check my
watch. It’s 7:45. “Oh, okay. Well, I’ll just go, then.”
    I turn to
leave, but Sammy’s question stops me. “Twink, what’s with the
top?”
    I look down at
my work logo and then to Sammy. “I run the office at the
garage.”
    He shakes his
head, confused. “What about college? You were offered an early
dance scholarship?”
    My shoulders go
limp and a sigh leaves my lips. “With everything that happened, I
couldn’t accept the scholarship. Blaydon needed me, and Danny...” I
don’t finish because saying Danny would rather kill me than let me
leave him isn’t something Sammy will understand. He grows stiff at
the mention of Danny’s name so I leave without a goodbye.
    I leave feeling
punctured. Telling Sammy I gave up the scholarship was so painful,
bringing back the reality that I don’t get to have the things I
want. I belong to Danny, and I’ll never belong to me or Sammy
again. I walk down the path leading to my Mustang GT 500 that Blay
had bought me when I was eighteen. Back then, it resembled scrap
metal, but he restored it to its former beauty and I love her;
she’s my small sliver of freedom. I dig around my pocket and slip
the keys out, unlocking the door and sliding in behind the wheel.
The engine roars to life with a twist of the ignition and begins an
aggressive purr. I’m just about to pull out when I notice an old
Nissan pull up to the curb in front of me, and Chelsea Banks steps
out. My stomach threatens to expel any remnants that line its
depths. Chelsea fucking Banks. I hate that bitch. Memories of her
with Sammy re-run in my mind like episodes of torture. Why is she
here? I watch her apply more lipstick to her already overly made-up
lips. I can’t pull away, so I watch her saunter up the garden path
and knock on the front door. Sammy answers, still in his boxer
shorts. Her manicured hand rakes down his perfect abs, then with a
smile from him, and his eyes flicking in my direction, he welcomes
her in and closes the front door. I have no rights to him, but the
squeeze in my chest hurts. Even after all these years, Sammy still
owns my heart.

 
     
     

     
    I can’t believe River had to give up her scholarship
and is now running the fucking offices at K’s. She’s suffered so
much since I left. Her haunted eyes hold secrets I’m scared of
discovering. Why hadn’t Blaydon got in contact with me? I was
selfish to leave him. We were best friends, and it’s only these
last few months I even bothered to contact him.
    I hear a V8
engine roar to life outside and I spring from the chair I’d planted
my ass into to look out the window. “Fuck me,” I mutter,