Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
There it was, the question I’d feared since our kiss because I didn’t know how to respond. But now that I heard it, I suddenly knew what my decision was. There was something so comforting about being with Alex. He was someone I could let my guard down around. Last night at the party I thought I had lost that, and now I wasn’t going to give it up again.
I answered him with my lips.
***
I was almost positive that Parker was stalking me the next morning. Normally she made an effort to avoid me, sometimes even leaving a room if I came in, but at breakfast she sat down right next to me. While I was in the bathroom straightening my hair, she came in and spent ten minutes brushing her teeth. Later that day, I opened my bedroom door and found her lingering in the hallway.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to, Parker?”
She smirked, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks. “Waiting.”
“For what?” I asked.
“The wrath of Cole,” was her only response, and I had no clue what she meant until I heard the fighting. “Oh man,” Parker complained when she heard the angry shouts. “I was hoping he was going to go all Hulk on you, not Alex.”
She rushed down the stairs toward the sound of the voices, and I followed quickly after her, but by the time we reached the living room George was already pulling Cole and Alex apart.
“What is wrong with you two?” he demanded, glaring at both of his sons. He had a tight grip on both of their shirts as he held them away from each other. Alex was sporting a bloody lip but had a smug smile on his face, while Cole looked like he was going to explode.
“He started it,” Alex said. “Went all crazy and just attacked me out of nowhere. No clue what I did to piss him off.” From the pleased tone of his voice, I knew Alex wasn’t telling the whole truth.
“Well?” George asked, turning to Cole. “Is that true?”
“He was being a punk.”
“And that counts as a good reason to punch your brother? God, Cole, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately,” George said and shook his head. “If this happens again, you’re going to be mucking the horse stalls for the next month. You hear me?”
Cole nodded his head and George released both boys. When he was gone, Cole got right back up in Alex’s face. “You think you’re so cool now, don’t you?” he hissed. “Just remember, you only took the first round. We both know from experience that I always win.”
The grin on Alex’s face faltered, and I saw something dark flash in his eyes.
“Guys?” I asked hesitantly, but as soon as Cole heard my voice he was gone, storming out of the room without another word.
“Dammmnn,” I heard Lee say.
Turning around, I found that most of the boys had gathered behind me to watch the scene.
“Shit,” Isaac hissed back. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
“You lose,” Lee told his brother. “Pay up.”
Isaac dug into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a twenty and slapped it into his brother’s hand with a scowl. Danny was standing next to him, and I noticed that his usually blank face was covered in surprise. It gave me the feeling that this fight was somehow my fault, and as dread started to lace my veins, I went over to him.
“What the heck just happened?” I whispered.
Danny shook his head, and I thought that he wasn’t going to tell me, but then he grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me out onto the deck where we wouldn’t be overheard. He explained that last night, Alex had bragged about me being his girlfriend to everyone except Cole. It was like he was purposely trying to entice his older brother, and when Cole found out in the morning, Alex got the reaction he was looking for.
Cole was furious, and he spent the rest of Sunday out in the garage, working on his car.
The next day at school, Alex was no better. When class ended and we walked out of anatomy together, he pulled me against his locker and kissed me hard, his hand weaving behind my back so he could hold me against his body. In the moment, I thought he was being romantic, but when he pulled away, I caught him glancing over my shoulder. Following his gaze, I saw Mary standing with her group of friends, a killer glare on her face.
Lunchtime was a headache. Riley, Heather, and Skylar bombarded Alex and me with questions the moment we sat down. They grilled us for the entire thirty minutes that we had to eat, and while Alex didn’t seem to mind, I just wanted the news of us dating to die down so things could go back to how they used to be. Kim, the only one I could count on to act normal, never showed up.
By the time school was over, I was so exhausted that I took a nap, something that I never allowed myself to do. I ended up sleeping for so long that when it was time to actually go to bed, I couldn’t fall asleep. That’s why, even thought it was well past midnight, I sat straight up in bed when I heard the knock on my door.
“Jackie, you still awake?” Alex whispered, peeking in.
“Uh-huh,” I answered.
“Can I come in?” he asked again even more quietly.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, sitting up. “What’s up?”
He closed the door quietly and tiptoed over to my bed. I looked at the clock. It was already midnight.
“Do you have any black clothes?” Alex asked me.
“Somewhere in my closet,” I said, nodding my head. “Why?”
“You’re going to have to dig them out,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.
“What for?” I asked, but I headed over to my closet anyway. I searched through a few long-sleeved shirts until I found my old Hawks sweater with my name stitched into the pocket.
“The guys all voted, and we decided to let you come along on our little end-of-the-year tradition.”
“And that is?” I asked, pulling on black pants.
“We always toilet-paper the principal’s house.”
***
“Shhhh,” Isaac whispered as everyone crowded into Lee’s and his room later. Alex explained that his cousins’ room was the best for sneaking out because of the giant oak tree right by the window.
“All right, does everyone have their roll of toilet paper?” Cole asked, looking around at everyone—everyone except me.
“Yup,” Danny answered, holding up a roll. “I also grabbed that box of plastic forks that Mom was going to use for our graduation party so we can fork the yard.”