“You want a Coke, Amanda?” Marcus asked, and I looked over at him and realized he and Willow were both sitting now and no longer kissing. I was more in the mood to leave, but I decided staying and watching Preston all over another girl might be just what I needed to get him out of my system.
“Yes, thanks,” I replied.
“Where is everyone else?” Willow asked.
Marcus nodded toward the dance floor. “Preston is dancing. Dewayne is on his way. Rock and Trisha are hanging out at home. Cage and Eva are probably locked up in Cage’s apartment, where they always are lately.”
Willow laughed. “Leave them alone. I love seeing Cage like this. He’s so happy.”
“Trust me, baby, I love seeing him obsessed with someone too. Makes me breathe easier.”
Willow rolled her eyes.
As the song ended I glanced back up at the dance floor to see Preston walking toward us with the girl he’d been dancing with following close behind him. At least he wasn’t touching her. Normally, Preston had his hands all over the girls he played around with.
His focus was on me, and I was extremely grateful that Marcus’s back was turned to the dance floor. The waitress placed a coaster and my Coke down on the table in front of me. I dropped my eyes from Preston’s and took a sip of the cold soda.
“Hey, Low,” he said once he got to the table. “Amanda.”
I didn’t lift my gaze to his. I simply replied with “Hello” and kept drinking.
“Hey, Preston,” Willow said cheerily. “Haven’t seen you on campus yet. We must have no classes together.”
“Guess not,” he replied.
“I want a beer,” the girl said as she took the empty seat beside me. “Hi, I’m Jill.” It took all my restraint not to shove her off the stool.
“Amanda. It’s nice to meet you,” I replied. The politeness was trained into me. My mother had drilled it into my head. I could feel Preston’s eyes on me. He was watching me. Did he think I would be rude to her? Just because he’d chosen her to screw tonight instead of me? I’d have to dislike the entire town if that was the case. He’d slept with most of the women in it.
“Oh, you’re Marcus’s little sister. I remember seeing you with Sadie White.”
She knew Sadie? “How do you know Sadie?” Because she was not the kind of girl Sadie made friends with.
“I don’t
know
her. I know
of
her. I’m a huge Jax Stone fan.”
That made more sense.
“Amanda is dating Jax Stone’s brother,” Willow chimed in, smiling brightly.
“You are?” the girl asked in a disbelieving voice.
“No, not really,” I replied, shaking my head and wishing to God that Willow would shut up.
“He is trying real hard. He was texting her today and making her smile awfully big.”
This was my cue to leave. I reached for my purse and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.
“Jason Stone is still contacting you? Didn’t he leave with Sadie and Jax?” Marcus asked curiously.
Crud. I wasn’t going to get away from this.
“You’re still talking to Jason?” Preston asked, surprising me. I hadn’t expected him to pipe up in this conversation. Not with Marcus sitting here. I looked at Marcus to answer. I would not look at Preston. This was not his business.
“Yeah, he’s in LA. He just wants to see if we might could see each other again sometime.”
Willow covered up a laugh with a cough. I shot her a pleading look to please not say anything more. She understood and nodded.
“He wants to date you?” that girl, Jill, said. “His picture is plastered all over the place with models and actresses.” The disbelieving tone of her voice was grating on my nerves. I was well aware that I couldn’t exactly compete with his normal choice in females, but surprisingly, Jason Stone liked something about me. Even if Preston Drake didn’t want me.
“I need to go. I’ve got a paper to write, and I need to check in on Mom,” I said, standing up.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Don’t leave because of my big mouth.” Willow sounded concerned.
I smiled at her reassuringly. “Really, I didn’t mean to come in and stay. I just wanted to say hello to everyone. Now Preston can have my seat.”
I didn’t glance over at him.
“Thank you so much for today. You were so much help, and I had so much fun with you,” Willow said, standing up to hug me.
“I loved it,” I replied, and hugged her, then stepped back and made one big sweep of the table, including Preston, who was still standing on the other side of Jill, watching me.
“Bye, y’all.” I waved, then turned and headed for the door. I could not get out of here fast enough. This was a bad idea. I wouldn’t be back here. Not for a while. Pretending like Preston wasn’t a man whore was easier when I didn’t have to witness it. Tonight was a reminder I needed but really wanted to forget.
“Manda,” Preston’s voice called out from behind me the moment I touched the handle on my car.
What was he
doing
?
I could act like I didn’t hear him and open the door and get inside and drive away. Or I could see what had him running out here to talk to me. My decision making only gave him time to reach me. My escape plan was no longer possible.
“What do you want?” I asked, lifting my gaze to meet his.
He shook his head, and the sad, confused look was there in his eyes again. Dang it. I hated that look.
“Are you going to see him again?”
This was about Jason. Really?
“Probably,” I replied, and jerked my door open.
“No, wait.” Preston walked closer to me and blocked my entrance into the car.
“What are you doing?” I was growing impatient with him. He was back to his hot-and-cold thing again. I couldn’t keep up.
“Do you want to see him?”
What was this? Did he want me to just want him? No one else? He liked having little innocent, stupid Amanda panting after him. Well, he could kiss my ass. I was over that. And I wasn’t so innocent anymore, thanks to him.
“Yeah, Preston. I do. He likes me. He wants to be near me. He doesn’t push me away.”
Preston stepped closer to me, and his worried expression became a scowl. “How close has he got to you, Manda? Has he touched you?”
This was not happening. I was dreaming this insanity. Preston was not getting possessive of me when he didn’t even want me.
“Move, Preston. I’m done with this. I can’t do it anymore.”
Preston grabbed my waist and pulled me up against him. “I’m sorry I can’t be who you need me to be.”
A few weeks ago I’d have wanted to prove to him he could change. I’d have believed I was the girl to change him. But I knew better now. He couldn’t even enjoy touching me sober. I was not the one to change him.
“That’s fine. I get it. Now move. I want to go home.” I pushed at his chest, but he didn’t budge.
“I want to change. You make me want to change everything. I just can’t.”
I let out a weary sigh before looking back up at him. “I know. One day someone will come along and you’ll change for her. She’ll be the one you can’t live without, and she’ll be more important than anyone or anything else. When that happens, you’ll change. I’m just not her. Now please, just let me go home. We’re done here.”
Preston gritted his teeth and shook his head as if to keep from saying something, then let out one long breath before stepping away from my car door and letting me get inside. He stood there watching me as I closed the door. I backed out of my parking spot, and he was still standing there watching me. Once I pulled out onto the road, I glanced into my rearview mirror and he was still there. A week ago I’d have turned around and gone back to him. But I knew better now. He’d only send me packing after he tried to make it work with me and couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Chapter Twelve
Preston
Amanda was avoiding me, and I was going to let her. One of us needed to be strong enough to stop me from hurting her. She’d realized this and was putting a major halt to any interaction between us. I didn’t see her after she’d left me standing there, watching her go at Live Bay, until calculus class the next week. When I’d walked into the room, I’d found her immediately. She’d surrounded herself with people and was sitting toward the back of the classroom instead of the seat close to the front where she’d sat last week.
Smart girl.
I took a seat in the front and didn’t look back at her. She’d only distract me. The douchebag who’d been looking down her shirt last week was behind her today. I wanted to check and make sure he wasn’t leaning up behind her. He needed to keep his eyes to himself.
I was battling with myself over turning around and checking on her or keeping my attention on the board, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I slipped it out and saw Jimmy’s name flashing on the screen. It was the emergency phone I’d given my brother. It was also after nine in the morning. He should be at school. Something was wrong. I grabbed my books and hurried out of the classroom.
“Jimmy?” I answered as I stepped into the hallway.
“Momma didn’t come home last night, and Daisy has a real bad fever. She had one all night and I used cold rags on her head and gave her some Tylenol, but it keeps getting higher. She won’t eat, and now she just cries real soft like.”
Shit. I took off running for the parking lot.
“Okay, go get more cold rags and put them on her skin. Get her to sip on some ice water and tell her I’m on my way.”
I hated my mother. She had no redeeming qualities. If something happened to Daisy because of her neglect, I was going to kill her.
“Brent, go get some ice water,” Jimmy instructed. “I’m gonna get more cold rags.”
“I’ll be there soon. Take care of her. Call me if she gets worse.”
“I will,” Jimmy assured me, then hung up the phone.
I unlocked the Jeep and jerked the door open at the same time I heard Amanda calling my name. Glancing back, I saw her running after me.
“Preston, wait, what’s wrong?” she asked in a panicked voice.
“Family stuff. I gotta go,” I replied. I hated to run off on her when she was just being nice, but Daisy needed me.
I cranked up the Jeep, and the passenger-side door opened and Amanda jumped inside. Ah, hell.
“Manda, I don’t have time for this. I gotta go.”
She nodded. “Yes, you do,” she agreed. “Go.”
“Then get out of my Jeep,” I replied, frustrated.
“No. You never get anxious or worried. Never. Something is wrong and you need help.” She was right, but I was not taking her to my mother’s trailer.
“Manda, please—” I was cut off by the ringing of my phone. Shit.
“What?” I asked, slamming the Jeep into reverse. I didn’t have time to argue with a stubborn woman. My little sister needed me. This wasn’t the time to worry about my pride. So what if Amanda saw where I grew up? Why did I care? It wasn’t like I was trying to impress her.
“She sipped the water, then threw up,” Jimmy said. The tightness in his voice told me he was scared. This was not something kids should have to deal with. Jimmy was having to be the adult at eleven, and it made me furious.
“Okay, keep the towels cold and keep them on her. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Okay, we will,” he replied, and hung up.
I dropped the phone in my lap and pressed the gas as I pulled out onto the road. “Put on your seat belt, Manda.”
I could see her buckle up out of the corner of my eye.
“What’s wrong? Who was that?” She was starting to panic too.
“It was my brother. My other one. He’s eleven. Daisy, my little sister, is sick, and my sorry-ass mother hasn’t been home all night. Jimmy and Brent said she’s really hot and she won’t eat or drink. They just got her to sip some water and she threw up.”
“Oh God,” she replied. “Okay. She’s going to be okay. We need to get her to the hospital. She’s got a fever, so the vomiting sounds like a symptom of the high fever. Give me the phone,” Amanda ordered, reaching for it before I could hand it over.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Calling your brother,” she replied as she chewed at her nails nervously.
“Hey, Jimmy, this is Amanda. I’m a friend of your brother’s. Listen, go to the freezer and get any ice you have. Go rub it across Daisy’s forehead, her cheeks, her lips, and even up and down her arms. Cooling her down is real important.”
I turned down the road that led to the trailer I hated so fiercely. The trailer not even Marcus had seen. I didn’t bring people here. But right now I was extremely grateful Amanda had come after me and jumped in my Jeep. I wasn’t as scared with her here. She was nervous. I could tell by the tone of her voice and the way she was biting her nails, but she was keeping it together. I didn’t feel alone. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone.
“Good job. Yes, it will melt fast ’cause she’s hot. Keep it on her. No, it’s okay, Jimmy. She’s gonna be fine. We are almost there. We are going to get her to the hospital and get her the medicine she needs. Everything will be fine.”
A tightness in my chest came out of nowhere. As I listened to Amanda reassure my brother, I wanted to pull her into my arms and cry. How damn crazy was that? This girl was making me a nutcase.
I pulled up to the trailer and reminded myself that getting Daisy to the hospital was all that mattered. Having Amanda see this place didn’t matter. She could think whatever she wanted.
Amanda flung the door open before I’d put the Jeep in park and was running across the yard to the door of the trailer without waiting on me. I took off after her.
She didn’t knock but went right in and called out Jimmy’s name. He ran into the living room just as I got into the trailer. His eyes went from Amanda to me, then back to Amanda. “She’s back here,” he told her.
Amanda didn’t look around the place in disgust like I’d expected. She didn’t seem to notice anything other than Jimmy, who she hurried after.
“Hey, Amanda,” Brent said as he looked up at us from his spot beside Daisy. He was icing her arms down just like Amanda had told them to.
“Hey, Brent. You’re doing a really good job,” she praised him, then walked over to the bed and touched Daisy’s head. Daisy looked up at her with glassy eyes and whimpered.