Taking Chances
Page 15
“So much for the PG rating.” Chase sneered as he made his way towards the back door with the girl from earlier.
My eyes went wide when the party came back into view; I had completely forgotten we weren’t alone. Looking down at the position Brandon and I were in, I quickly climbed off his lap and sunk down next to him, trying to keep my eyes off Chase.
Brandon looked at me confused, “Wait, 'PG' is a rating they gave you?”
I blushed fiercely and looked at my hands. I guess the guys hadn't informed him.
“What, she didn't tell you? Princess over here was as virgin as someone could possibly get until she met you. Now she's just simply a virgin, I guess we can raise it to PG-13 until later. I'm sure she's ready to get rid of it all together. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.”
My breath was coming quickly for a completely different reason now, and I couldn't meet Brandon's eyes again, though I knew he was still staring at me. Chase and his nightly tramp snickered as they walked outside and I took off for his room. I should have known he would lock it while people were here, but I was two seconds from breaking it in so Brandon wouldn't see the embarrassment covering my face. I turned into the bathroom and shut the door as I heard him and someone else approaching. Less than a minute later, there was a soft knock and Bree walked in, shutting the door again behind her.
“Will you ever forgive me?”
I looked up at her, “Forgive you? For what?”
“For telling them the last time.”
“Bree you didn't tell them maliciously. You weren't even completely coherent when you said it! What he did is completely different.”
She sat on the floor next to me, and ran her fingers through my ponytail.
“Did everyone hear him?”
“No, everyone was still in the kitchen, I just happened to be standing there with Konrad when they walked by.”
I nodded and tried to be happy about that. “Can you get the key to his room please?”
“Harper, you can't just hide when someone tries to embarrass you.”
“Breanna. Please. I can't face Brandon right now.”
“Why not?”
“Did you not just hear everything your brother said? How could I after that? He'll probably start calling me PG like the rest of them.” I looked at her like this should be obvious.
“I don't know him well, but from what I have seen this week and what you've said I would bet he isn't like the rest of them. He's seriously pissed at Chase for embarrassing you. I had to talk him down from going after him and coming to your rescue. I figured you'd want to talk to me first.”
“Thanks Bree, you're a good friend. And I'll talk to him, but later. Can you please go get the key, I really just want to be alone right now.”
She shut the door behind her, but a few seconds later I heard her voice coming back towards the bathroom. “She doesn't want to see you right now, just give her some time.”
I could tell it was Brandon by how deep the voice was, but I couldn't make out what he was saying to her.
“Because she's humiliated! She'll come around though...No, if you want to blame someone, you can blame me. I'm the one who told everyone the first day she met them...Look, Chase is an ass, but you're going to embarrass her more if you confront him. He'll make sure of it, so drop it.”
I didn't hear anything else for a few minutes until Bree came back with the key. She checked the hall before leading me to Chase's room.
“My first two parties ever, and I hide out for most of them.”
“Well I don't exactly blame you for this time. But I wish you would talk to Brandon. He doesn't understand why you're avoiding him.”
I laughed humorlessly and grabbed a pair of pajama shorts and racer back tank top from my bag. “Thanks for talking to him for me. I think I'm just going to go to bed.”
“Really? It's only eleven.”
“Yeah, we got up early; I'll stay up later tomorrow, kay?”
I grabbed my mouthwash, toothbrush, paste and clothes and ran back to the bathroom. Before shutting the door, I turned to Bree, “Thanks again Bree. If you see Brandon again tonight, will you please tell him I'll see him tomorrow?”
She frowned but nodded. After I was make-up free and clean, I put on my pajamas and climbed into the bed. I don't know how long I'd been in there, but it wasn't long before Chase came barging in.
“Can't you just leave me alone?” I groaned and rolled over to face him.
“Once again Princess, you're in my room.”
“Fine, then I'll go.” I tried to make my way around him but he planted his hands on my shoulders holding me in place. “Chase let me go!”
“Not until you talk to me.”
I couldn't even throw my hands out in exasperation, “We have nothing to talk about!”
“I'm sorry I hurt you but I was just so damn mad!”
“Do you know how immature you sound right now? You decided to hurt me because you were mad?! What did I ever do to you Chase? And why do I always end up with your hands on me? Let. Me. Go.”
“Because you won't stop and talk to me for five minutes!”
“Then you should understand that I don't want to talk to you.” He still didn't let me go, “Answer me! What did I do to make you mad?”
His face was suddenly directly in front of mine and he gripped even harder, making me gasp from the sudden pain; it felt like his thumbs were digging into the sockets. “Nothing! You did nothing, I'm not mad at you!” The scent of vodka was pouring out of his mouth, I'm pretty sure I could get drunk just from his breath.
My eyes went wide when the party came back into view; I had completely forgotten we weren’t alone. Looking down at the position Brandon and I were in, I quickly climbed off his lap and sunk down next to him, trying to keep my eyes off Chase.
Brandon looked at me confused, “Wait, 'PG' is a rating they gave you?”
I blushed fiercely and looked at my hands. I guess the guys hadn't informed him.
“What, she didn't tell you? Princess over here was as virgin as someone could possibly get until she met you. Now she's just simply a virgin, I guess we can raise it to PG-13 until later. I'm sure she's ready to get rid of it all together. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.”
My breath was coming quickly for a completely different reason now, and I couldn't meet Brandon's eyes again, though I knew he was still staring at me. Chase and his nightly tramp snickered as they walked outside and I took off for his room. I should have known he would lock it while people were here, but I was two seconds from breaking it in so Brandon wouldn't see the embarrassment covering my face. I turned into the bathroom and shut the door as I heard him and someone else approaching. Less than a minute later, there was a soft knock and Bree walked in, shutting the door again behind her.
“Will you ever forgive me?”
I looked up at her, “Forgive you? For what?”
“For telling them the last time.”
“Bree you didn't tell them maliciously. You weren't even completely coherent when you said it! What he did is completely different.”
She sat on the floor next to me, and ran her fingers through my ponytail.
“Did everyone hear him?”
“No, everyone was still in the kitchen, I just happened to be standing there with Konrad when they walked by.”
I nodded and tried to be happy about that. “Can you get the key to his room please?”
“Harper, you can't just hide when someone tries to embarrass you.”
“Breanna. Please. I can't face Brandon right now.”
“Why not?”
“Did you not just hear everything your brother said? How could I after that? He'll probably start calling me PG like the rest of them.” I looked at her like this should be obvious.
“I don't know him well, but from what I have seen this week and what you've said I would bet he isn't like the rest of them. He's seriously pissed at Chase for embarrassing you. I had to talk him down from going after him and coming to your rescue. I figured you'd want to talk to me first.”
“Thanks Bree, you're a good friend. And I'll talk to him, but later. Can you please go get the key, I really just want to be alone right now.”
She shut the door behind her, but a few seconds later I heard her voice coming back towards the bathroom. “She doesn't want to see you right now, just give her some time.”
I could tell it was Brandon by how deep the voice was, but I couldn't make out what he was saying to her.
“Because she's humiliated! She'll come around though...No, if you want to blame someone, you can blame me. I'm the one who told everyone the first day she met them...Look, Chase is an ass, but you're going to embarrass her more if you confront him. He'll make sure of it, so drop it.”
I didn't hear anything else for a few minutes until Bree came back with the key. She checked the hall before leading me to Chase's room.
“My first two parties ever, and I hide out for most of them.”
“Well I don't exactly blame you for this time. But I wish you would talk to Brandon. He doesn't understand why you're avoiding him.”
I laughed humorlessly and grabbed a pair of pajama shorts and racer back tank top from my bag. “Thanks for talking to him for me. I think I'm just going to go to bed.”
“Really? It's only eleven.”
“Yeah, we got up early; I'll stay up later tomorrow, kay?”
I grabbed my mouthwash, toothbrush, paste and clothes and ran back to the bathroom. Before shutting the door, I turned to Bree, “Thanks again Bree. If you see Brandon again tonight, will you please tell him I'll see him tomorrow?”
She frowned but nodded. After I was make-up free and clean, I put on my pajamas and climbed into the bed. I don't know how long I'd been in there, but it wasn't long before Chase came barging in.
“Can't you just leave me alone?” I groaned and rolled over to face him.
“Once again Princess, you're in my room.”
“Fine, then I'll go.” I tried to make my way around him but he planted his hands on my shoulders holding me in place. “Chase let me go!”
“Not until you talk to me.”
I couldn't even throw my hands out in exasperation, “We have nothing to talk about!”
“I'm sorry I hurt you but I was just so damn mad!”
“Do you know how immature you sound right now? You decided to hurt me because you were mad?! What did I ever do to you Chase? And why do I always end up with your hands on me? Let. Me. Go.”
“Because you won't stop and talk to me for five minutes!”
“Then you should understand that I don't want to talk to you.” He still didn't let me go, “Answer me! What did I do to make you mad?”
His face was suddenly directly in front of mine and he gripped even harder, making me gasp from the sudden pain; it felt like his thumbs were digging into the sockets. “Nothing! You did nothing, I'm not mad at you!” The scent of vodka was pouring out of his mouth, I'm pretty sure I could get drunk just from his breath.
