#Hater (Hashtag #2) (13 page)

“I didn’t expect you to wait. I would’ve hurried.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you,” she said, brushing her fingertips across my cheek. “I want you to enjoy tonight. You earned it. But I also wanted to be here to tell you how happy I am for you.”

“Is that the only reason?” I asked, pinning her with a stare.

She sighed and pushed back so I would set her on her feet. I did and we started walking out toward the parking lot. “I really wish this could wait, but I know it can’t.”

“I know you called Braeden.”

Her teeth sank into her lower lip and she glanced at me swiftly. “What did he tell you?”

“Nothing. Sisters before misters, ya know.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What?”

“Exactly.” I agreed.

The snow was still drifting from the sky when we stepped out into the parking lot. The Hellcat was covered with a fine layer of the white stuff because it’d been parked there for so long. Beside me, Rimmel shivered, and I felt like an ass because she’d been out in this cold half the day and then stood in the drafty tunnel and had to wait on me.

The engine was already purring; I’d hit the electronic start as soon as it came into sight. I pulled off my varsity jacket as we walked around to the passenger side, and I draped it around her shoulders.

“Pretty soon I’m gonna have your entire wardrobe.” She smiled and pulled my coat farther around her.

“You can have whatever you want, baby.”

I opened the door and ushered her inside. On my way around the hood, I remembered my phone was still off and I powered it on. Inside the car, I turned on the wipers to clear the loose snow off the window.

My phone started beeping with a bunch of notifications. I grinned and picked it up to silence it. “This thing is gonna be going off all night.”

Rimmel gave me a tight smile and my eye caught one of the notifications that flashed on the screen. It was a Buzz from a couple hours ago.

It was about a #Nerd in a towel…

Oh, hells no.

I looked up at Rimmel and turned the screen so she could see.

“You better start talking.”

Rimmel

Silence was not golden.

Silence was scary.

Especially the kind of silence that Romeo was exuding right now.

His silence was so quiet that it was the loudest sound I’d ever heard.

The minute he’d seen the Buzz, he knew it was about me. The BuzzBoss only called one person on this campus a #Nerd. I didn’t put him off. I didn’t try to downplay what happened or even drama it up.

The truth was bad enough.

So I told him. I told him everything.

Okay.

Not everything.

I left out the part about Zach touching my underwear.

Or the picture I destroyed.

There were some things better left unsaid.

He didn’t say anything. Not once. He didn’t look at me either. He stared out the windshield and into the dark.

He stared so hard and so long that I turned to stare too. The only thing I saw was the dancing snow in the headlights of the idling Hellcat.

Finally, after what seemed like endless hours of hushed tension in the confined space of his car, he did something.

He reached out and griped the steering wheel so tightly that his hands turned white. I swallowed thickly. I wasn’t scared of Romeo. I was scared of what he might do.

I was beginning to realize that Zach wasn’t just an asshole. Well, he was. Everyone knew it. But when it came to Romeo, it was more.

It was hate.

In its true form.

It was almost unfathomable. What could cause such wretched animosity? Did Romeo hate Zach in return?

“I really need to teach you how to drive this car,” Romeo said, his gravelly voice breaking into my thoughts.

It wasn’t at all what I expected him to say. “What?”

He kept his eyes trained out beyond the windshield. “Because if you knew how to drive this car, I’d tell you to leave so I could go find that son of a bitch and beat his ass.”

“Gee.” I snorted, nerves making me extremely awkward. “Well, if that isn’t a reason to learn to drive a stick, I don’t know what is.”

He glanced at me, his eyes hard. “Did he touch you?”

“I told you he didn’t.”

His eyes drilled into mine. “I wanna rip off every last layer of clothes on your body right here, right now, just so I can look you over for bruises.”

I shivered against the idea of me naked before him, but the thrill quickly vanished. “Are you saying you think I’m lying?”

Something very close to anger bit at the back of my throat.

“Fuck!” he growled and hit the steering wheel. “I’m saying the thought of him near you makes me crazy.”

“That’s exactly what he wants, you know,” I told him. “The only reason he bothers with me is because he wants to get under your skin.”

“Well, it’s goddamn working.”

“Hey,” I said softly and reached across the seats to pry his white knuckles off the wheel. “Don’t let it. It was stupid. It was nothing.”

His fingers tangled with mine and he looked at me, his eyes tortured. “It wasn’t nothing. He scared you. He locked himself in a room with you. You were vulnerable.
You were fucking naked.
How the hell did he get in there anyway?” he muttered.

I’d wondered that too, but I didn’t voice it because Romeo was already pissed enough.

“Don’t let this ruin your night,” I pleaded. “I wouldn’t even have said anything until tomorrow, but I knew you’d hear something. There were people who saw me come out of the bathroom. I wasn’t dressed. And I’m sure he stepped out just moments later.”

That was the worst part. People were going to think I cheated on Romeo. People were going to be talking; rumors would spread like wildfire.

“That’s why you called Braeden,” he said like he was just realizing something. “You told him to get me to turn my phone off.”

I nodded, wanting him to understand. “I wasn’t going to let anything upset you before the game. This day was too important to you.”

The muscles in his jaw worked, and again he said nothing.

“Romeo?” I asked softly, minutes later.

He glanced at me.

“You believe me, don’t you? You know I would never…” For some reason, nerves tightened my guts. I felt like there was some Boy Scout in there trying to earn a badge in knot tying.

Romeo moved fast and flung open the driver’s side door. Cold air swirled in and mingled with the heat the vents blew out. He leapt out, and I stared after him in shock.

Small white flurries rushed inside and melted against the leather of his now vacant seat.

Did that mean he didn’t believe me…?

My car door was forced open. Cold air rushed me from both sides now and my seatbelt was tossed aside. Strong hands lifted me out and pulled me up into the snow.

“I oughtta make you walk home for saying something so stupid,” he said, staring down at me.

“It’s cold.”

He groaned and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Look. At. Me.”

I looked up, blinking away the snowflakes that wet my eyes and cheeks.

“There was never a single doubt in my head about you. I never once thought there was any kind of truth to that stupid notification. I know you love me.”

“Do you?” I worried, feeling my eyes grow misty. “I know I don’t say it that much. I’ll say it more—”

He stopped my words with a kiss.

I melted against him like a snowman in the middle of Bermuda.

We kissed so long that snow began to cling to our clothes and in his hair. Whenever I would pause to suck in a breath, the difference between the air and the heat inside me would shock me.

When at last he finally pulled away, I was breathless and forgot what we’d been talking about.

“I fucking love that hat,” he murmured, dropping a kiss to my nose.

“You look like a snowman.” I smiled, taking in his white-covered hair.

“Honey, if I was a snowman, I’d be a puddle at your feet by now.”

“I do love you,” I whispered, our conversation coming back.

“I know, baby.” He gently guided me back into the car. “I love you, too. Now c’mon. I gotta make an appearance at my party.”

Inside the car, the ride was quiet. When we pulled onto his street, I gasped. The entire road was lined with cars. “I thought this was a private party?”

He grinned. “I think word got out.”

Even though there was a ton of cars and people were likely everywhere, there was still a clear path up his driveway. Snow coated the pathway like some kind of opulent white carpet. The Hellcat purred up the driveway, and people started cheering and surrounding the car.

It was surreal. Like some kind of movie.

Romeo honked the horn and yelled out the window.

The huge crowd left me feeling a little self-conscious and awkward. All my years of trying to be invisible came rushing back, and I wondered if there was a quiet spot inside I could hide.

Once the car was parked, he gave me a grin. It relaxed some of what I was feeling, but not all of it.

Because I saw.

I saw that beneath that smiling exterior anger still burned.

Romeo wasn’t going to let this go.

I grabbed his arm before he could get out of the car and be swallowed by the waiting crowd. “Promise me something,” I said.

“What?”

“Promise me you’ll just let this go. Promise you won’t make it worse.”

Slowly, gently, he pulled my hand off his arm and brought it up to his lips to kiss the back of my knuckles. “Now, baby, you know I can’t do that.”

It took a few moments for his denial to sink in.

By that time, he was already out of the car and the conversation was over.

I leaned my head back against the seat.

I never drank. Alcohol wasn’t my thing.

But right about now, a strong drink sounded like a really good idea.

Romeo

This was my fault.

I should have made him pay the second I saw those bruises on Rimmel.

I’d been too wrapped up in football, in my own life, that I let the first incident with Zach go unpunished for too long.

And now he’d done this.

That little cocksucker attacked her in the bathroom. It was like waving a blood-red flag in front of an already enraged bull.

He was stupid.

He was also gonna pay.

No, she wasn’t hurt, but that was the point, wasn’t it? He wanted her scared, embarrassed. He wanted to make me look like some lovesick whipped puppy who let his girl cheat on him and still dated her.

He wanted my reputation.

He also wanted to mess with my head and screw with the game.

It backfired. I doubt he expected Rimmel to keep her mouth shut. He probably thought she would run straight to me. Shows what an utter loser he was.

She was stronger than that. Stronger than him. She held it together, did damage control by calling Braeden, and then sat in the stands with her head held high, despite the rumors, and cheered me on.

She’d protected me.

And I’d done a piss poor job of doing the same.

It ended now.

Yeah, he wanted me to come after him. And I was going to play into his hands, but he didn’t know which way I was coming.

I threw back my fourth shot of the night and chased it with a chug of beer. “Another!”

Everyone cheered.

We were sitting around the large stone fire pit off to the right of the pool house. People were everywhere, on the patio, near the pool, and spilling out of my house.

My mother was probably inside the main house having a heart attack at the mess everyone was making.

To my left sat Braeden, along with half the team, and to my right was Rimmel, Ivy, and Missy. Rimmel was giggling at something Ivy was saying, and she had a red Solo cup in her hand. I reached out and tilted the cup toward me to see it was empty.

I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into my lap. “Do a shot with me!”

She laughed. “Okay.”

“I was pretty sure she was a little past tipsy. Okay. She was probably drunk. It was the first time I’d seen her like this. But tonight was a celebration. It was the night to get drunk and not remember!

Okay, yeah, I was drunk too.

Braeden produced three shot glasses of clear liquid. Rimmel and I each took one and Braeden held his up. “Fuck the toast! Just drink!”

Everyone cheered and all three of us tossed the alcohol into our throats. Braeden and I watched Rimmel as she screwed up her face and her eyes watered. Then she started coughing. Everyone laughed and I patted her on the back.

“That burns!” she croaked.

“Burns so good!” Braeden sang. He produced another shot and held it out to Rimmel. I took it and tossed it back.

“Dude,” he said. “That was hers.”

“Dude,” I echoed. “She’s like a hundred pounds. And she’s already drunk.”

As if to prove my point, Rimmel collapsed against my chest in a fit of giggles.

“Lightweight,” Braeden muttered.

She laughed some more. The way she was wiggling around in my lap was causing my cock to stir. Even drunk, I was still able to get it up for her. Lusty thoughts started crowding my head and I started making plans to escape back into my room with her.

Just as I was about to slip through the crowd with her in my arms, a hushed silence fell over the party.

Beneath his breath, Braeden grunted, “Fuckhead.”

“What?” I asked.

He motioned with his beer across the yard.

I glanced over to see Zach walking through the crowd. People parted around him with speculation in their eyes. I could practically hear people smacking their lips for the taste of drama.

Just the sight of him caused my fuse to ignite. My calm, cool demeanor flew out the window. Even drunk, it couldn’t be subdued.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” I growled.

In my lap, Rimmel sat up straight and started looking around.

I felt her body stiffen when she saw him.

It only pissed me off more.

“He’s here for his ass whooping,” Braeden yelled and jumped to his feet.

Behind him, several other Wolves did the same.

That was the thing about being on a team. They didn’t even know the full story. Hell, I’d been hearing phones going off all night. I knew people were talking. But these guys didn’t care.

They were behind me. They had my back. No matter what.

I stood slowly and deposited Rimmel beside Ivy. “Watch her,” I said.

Rimmel huffed and muttered something about not being a dog.

Then she barked.

Ivy laughed.

It probably wasn’t my best idea to have one drunk girl look after another, but I had a jaw to punch.

Everyone moved out of the way as I stalked toward Zach. But no one left. They all rushed to get good seats for whatever was about to go down.

“The fuck you doing here?” I spat, strolling over to the wannabe frat president.

“Celebrating the Wolves championship like everyone else,” Zach said, a slight sneer on his mouth.

“You aren’t welcome here,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest in challenge. Most of the team stood behind my back and Braeden was right beside me.

“That was a lowlife move,” Braeden said, hard. “Attacking a woman like that.”

Zach pretended to look surprised. “Is that what she said?” he asked, amused. Then he nodded. “I guess I could see why. Imagine what the girls around here would do to her if they knew the girl who managed to take you off the market was getting naked with me in the girls’ dorm bathroom.”

“You shut the fuck up,” I growled. Red was starting to tinge my vision, and I balled my hands into fists. “Get the hell off my property.”

“Stop,” Rimmel yelled from somewhere behind me. Seconds later, she pushed between Braeden and me.

Zach looked her over appraisingly. “I gotta say, Anderson, she is pretty hot when she’s not drowning in clothes.”

I lunged forward so fast that no one saw it coming. I jerked him forward by the front of his preppy button-filled coat with so much force his head jerked on his neck.

I brought my free hand back and drove it into his jaw. He slumped forward, but I was still holding him up. I held him out and buried my fist in his midsection.

When I let go, he crumpled onto the ground.

I leaned down to where he was slumped and whispered in his ear. “If you go near her again, this is gonna look like a day at the playground.”

Zach’s head snapped up and he smiled. Blood was running down the corner of his lip. “Anyone else hear that? That was a threat.”

I grabbed him up and slammed him on his feet. “Get out of here.”

Zach turned to walk away, but not before I saw the glint in his eye. He came back swinging. When I knocked his fist away, he came in low like he was gonna tackle me.

I planted my feet into the ground and let him rush me. The force of him hitting into me caused my steps to falter, but otherwise, I didn’t budge. He wrapped his arms around my waist and shoved.

I grunted and lifted him up by the waist and flipped him over my shoulder. I wanted to pile drive him into the ground, but I held myself back. Instead, I tossed him down.

Everyone was silent as they watched the exchange. Braeden was right there. I could see him itching to come forward and give Zach a piece of him as well. I shook my head subtly. This was my fight. He messed with my girl.

Braeden hung back as Zach stayed down on the ground.

“Asshole,” I muttered and turned to walk away.

My eyes sought out Rimmel. She was standing nearby, at the edge of the crowd. Her face was pale and her eyes were round.

“Anyone wanna take out the trash?” I asked and hitched a thumb over my shoulder toward Zach.

Braeden and Trent exchanged a look and nodded grimly.

A scraping sound cut through all the low murmuring in the crowd, and I started to turn at the same moment Rimmel screamed, “No!”

I glanced at her to see what was wrong, but she wasn’t there. She was rushing forward with fear on her face.

“Romeo,” she cried and zigzagged around me.

Braeden let out a curse, and I spun.

It all happened so fast. Zach was coming at me with a chair. He had it poised in the air, ready to bring it around and take me out.

But Rimmel was in the way.

I shot forward, but it was too late.

Zach brought the chair around and Rimmel jerked away to try and avoid the hit. She ended up slipping on the pavement and fell to the side.

There was a large splash; droplets of water splattered everywhere.

Surprised, Zach dropped the chair and turned to stare at the pool.

The pool Rimmel just plunged into.

The pool she was deathly afraid of.

I watched her small body struggle for a mere second and then she went stiff. She began to sink in the icy cold water.