Fallen Fourth Down
Page 27
“Matt?”
“Matteo. It’s his birthday this weekend. We had a dinner last night, but he was tame.” He sat on my bed later in the evening for a ‘serious’ talk about Park Sebastian. The talk never started. Matteo declared that he was hot and started taking his clothes off. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, he was spread eagle on my bed, naked. Too much sake had him snoring loud enough to wake the two rooms on both sides of us. I corrected myself, “I think he was tame last night. I’ve got a feeling tonight will be a night to remember with him.”
“Where’s he at?”
“They’re at Cliché.”
Logan’s girlfriend jerked forward, clinging to my brother’s arm with both hands.
“What?”
“Did you say Cliché?”
“Yeah.”
Logan glanced to her. “What?”
“That’s the hottest club here. Oh my god. We’re going there?”
Sam sighed beside me.
Logan prodded, “Have you been there?”
Her lips pressed tight and she shook her head, but a squeal left her.
“All right,” I continued. She’d been annoying this summer, but as she started bobbing up and down and more squeals left her, I held back the usual blast I might’ve given someone in the past. Logan liked her. I had to deal with it.
“Sorry.” Her cheeks were red. “We used to live not far from here, and I know it’s the place to go. Charlie used to go there a ton, but she’s forbidden me to ever step foot inside.” She started clapping. “I’m so excited.”
Logan was grinning at her. “And this is why your sister hates me.”
“I don’t care.” She began waving her hands instead. “I’m so excited. You guys have no idea. This place is epic.”
“Well, whatever.” Her hands fell down at my abrupt tone. I ignored how she jumped back a step, and said to Logan, “The birthday party’s there. I figured we’d go. Nate can show off his house to you guys, and we can head there after?”
“Sounds good to me.” Logan’s tone turned predator-like. He shared a look with Sam, who didn’t say a word. When she saw that I caught the brief exchange, she gave me a slight nod and slanted her eyes towards Logan’s girlfriend.
I got the message so I said, “Give me a ride to my car? We can head to your hotel, switch it up, and take one car?”
“Sounds good to me.”
We piled into the car and left for where my car was parked, clear on the other side of the stadium. On the drive to Logan and his girlfriend’s hotel, Sam told me what had happened between Logan, Park, and also Nate. I wasn’t surprised. The guy was a dick, but I also knew that I might need to watch Logan a little more than I had planned.
I waited in the parking lot as Logan and his girlfriend went to check in. They took their bags up to the room, and Sam put her bags in my car. She was standing next to me when Logan came back out. Seeing that he was alone, I didn’t waste time.
“Sam told me what happened with Park.”
Logan sneered. “That guy’s a dick.”
“I know.”
“He needs to be brought down.”
“Not by you and not tonight.”
Logan’s head reared back an inch. “Say what? He’s a fight waiting to happen. The guy’s a creep about you.”
“I know, but I’m going to handle it, and I’m going to do it on my timetable.” Logan snorted. He began to turn away, but I caught his arm. He looked back, reassessing me. I told him, “I mean it. You get to leave. I don’t. This is my world, and I’ll handle him when I have to. Right now, I don’t have to. All he’s doing is kissing ass.”
“Whatever. Yeah. Fine.”
“I mean it, Logan.”
“I know.” He gentled his tone. “I mean it. I know. I’ll bite my fucking, no-nonsense, butt-muncher tongue tonight. It’s your call. I’ll follow your lead.”
I relaxed, slightly. “Butt-muncher?”
He flashed me a grin, his eyes darted to Sam’s, and he shrugged. “You see. That’s what happens when you get all big and old and move away to a Division One school. You miss out on inside jokes, like what a butt-muncher is.”
His girlfriend came out of the hotel and headed our way. I glanced at Sam. She rolled her eyes. “It’s really not that funny—”
“Ah,” Logan cut her off. “But it’s our funny. It’s Fallen Crest funny.” He pretended to sneer at me. “And you’ll never know.”
His girlfriend got to us, threw her arms around Logan’s neck, and the two kissed. I punched him in the arm and he broke it off to glare at me. “Yes?”
“Keys, asshole.” I flashed him a grin. “You get backseat, bitch.”
Handing the keys over, he pressed them into my hand harder than necessary. Yeah, he got my slight insult. My grin grew as I got behind the steering wheel. Sam sat next to me, and the two gropers slid into the back. I turned the car around and headed for Nate’s fraternity house.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When we got to the fraternity house, Nate met us at the door. He gave me a slight frown. “I thought you were doing dinner first?”
“Change of plans.”
“Oh.” He continued to frown. “Okay.” A quick smile covered his face and he reached behind him. Tossing a beer to Logan, he said, “Help yourself. I figured you wanted to release some stress this weekend?” A second beer was handed to Logan’s girlfriend. She took it and her eyes lit up like Nate had given her a hundred dollars.
The girl was weird.
Logan laughed, throwing his arm around her shoulders. He jerked his chin up, saying to Nate, “Forget the bullshit about who you’re bunking with, you’re a good man to me.” He glanced sideways at me as he added, “I’m all about staying out of trouble, you know.”
I grinned, but Nate narrowed his eyes. “Uh. Okay.” He turned to me. “Anything I should know about?”
“We might not stay long.”
“Yeah.” A knowing look came over him. “I figured.”
Logan snorted, opened his beer, and took a swallow. As he finished, he gestured the beer to me. “Mase wants to put off the battles for as long as possible, but we all know his tolerance for ass kissers. He’s got none. Do him a favor, Nate, stop bringing your buddies around him.”
“Matteo. It’s his birthday this weekend. We had a dinner last night, but he was tame.” He sat on my bed later in the evening for a ‘serious’ talk about Park Sebastian. The talk never started. Matteo declared that he was hot and started taking his clothes off. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, he was spread eagle on my bed, naked. Too much sake had him snoring loud enough to wake the two rooms on both sides of us. I corrected myself, “I think he was tame last night. I’ve got a feeling tonight will be a night to remember with him.”
“Where’s he at?”
“They’re at Cliché.”
Logan’s girlfriend jerked forward, clinging to my brother’s arm with both hands.
“What?”
“Did you say Cliché?”
“Yeah.”
Logan glanced to her. “What?”
“That’s the hottest club here. Oh my god. We’re going there?”
Sam sighed beside me.
Logan prodded, “Have you been there?”
Her lips pressed tight and she shook her head, but a squeal left her.
“All right,” I continued. She’d been annoying this summer, but as she started bobbing up and down and more squeals left her, I held back the usual blast I might’ve given someone in the past. Logan liked her. I had to deal with it.
“Sorry.” Her cheeks were red. “We used to live not far from here, and I know it’s the place to go. Charlie used to go there a ton, but she’s forbidden me to ever step foot inside.” She started clapping. “I’m so excited.”
Logan was grinning at her. “And this is why your sister hates me.”
“I don’t care.” She began waving her hands instead. “I’m so excited. You guys have no idea. This place is epic.”
“Well, whatever.” Her hands fell down at my abrupt tone. I ignored how she jumped back a step, and said to Logan, “The birthday party’s there. I figured we’d go. Nate can show off his house to you guys, and we can head there after?”
“Sounds good to me.” Logan’s tone turned predator-like. He shared a look with Sam, who didn’t say a word. When she saw that I caught the brief exchange, she gave me a slight nod and slanted her eyes towards Logan’s girlfriend.
I got the message so I said, “Give me a ride to my car? We can head to your hotel, switch it up, and take one car?”
“Sounds good to me.”
We piled into the car and left for where my car was parked, clear on the other side of the stadium. On the drive to Logan and his girlfriend’s hotel, Sam told me what had happened between Logan, Park, and also Nate. I wasn’t surprised. The guy was a dick, but I also knew that I might need to watch Logan a little more than I had planned.
I waited in the parking lot as Logan and his girlfriend went to check in. They took their bags up to the room, and Sam put her bags in my car. She was standing next to me when Logan came back out. Seeing that he was alone, I didn’t waste time.
“Sam told me what happened with Park.”
Logan sneered. “That guy’s a dick.”
“I know.”
“He needs to be brought down.”
“Not by you and not tonight.”
Logan’s head reared back an inch. “Say what? He’s a fight waiting to happen. The guy’s a creep about you.”
“I know, but I’m going to handle it, and I’m going to do it on my timetable.” Logan snorted. He began to turn away, but I caught his arm. He looked back, reassessing me. I told him, “I mean it. You get to leave. I don’t. This is my world, and I’ll handle him when I have to. Right now, I don’t have to. All he’s doing is kissing ass.”
“Whatever. Yeah. Fine.”
“I mean it, Logan.”
“I know.” He gentled his tone. “I mean it. I know. I’ll bite my fucking, no-nonsense, butt-muncher tongue tonight. It’s your call. I’ll follow your lead.”
I relaxed, slightly. “Butt-muncher?”
He flashed me a grin, his eyes darted to Sam’s, and he shrugged. “You see. That’s what happens when you get all big and old and move away to a Division One school. You miss out on inside jokes, like what a butt-muncher is.”
His girlfriend came out of the hotel and headed our way. I glanced at Sam. She rolled her eyes. “It’s really not that funny—”
“Ah,” Logan cut her off. “But it’s our funny. It’s Fallen Crest funny.” He pretended to sneer at me. “And you’ll never know.”
His girlfriend got to us, threw her arms around Logan’s neck, and the two kissed. I punched him in the arm and he broke it off to glare at me. “Yes?”
“Keys, asshole.” I flashed him a grin. “You get backseat, bitch.”
Handing the keys over, he pressed them into my hand harder than necessary. Yeah, he got my slight insult. My grin grew as I got behind the steering wheel. Sam sat next to me, and the two gropers slid into the back. I turned the car around and headed for Nate’s fraternity house.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When we got to the fraternity house, Nate met us at the door. He gave me a slight frown. “I thought you were doing dinner first?”
“Change of plans.”
“Oh.” He continued to frown. “Okay.” A quick smile covered his face and he reached behind him. Tossing a beer to Logan, he said, “Help yourself. I figured you wanted to release some stress this weekend?” A second beer was handed to Logan’s girlfriend. She took it and her eyes lit up like Nate had given her a hundred dollars.
The girl was weird.
Logan laughed, throwing his arm around her shoulders. He jerked his chin up, saying to Nate, “Forget the bullshit about who you’re bunking with, you’re a good man to me.” He glanced sideways at me as he added, “I’m all about staying out of trouble, you know.”
I grinned, but Nate narrowed his eyes. “Uh. Okay.” He turned to me. “Anything I should know about?”
“We might not stay long.”
“Yeah.” A knowing look came over him. “I figured.”
Logan snorted, opened his beer, and took a swallow. As he finished, he gestured the beer to me. “Mase wants to put off the battles for as long as possible, but we all know his tolerance for ass kissers. He’s got none. Do him a favor, Nate, stop bringing your buddies around him.”
