Say You'll Stay

Lucas

“There he is!” my best friend Joel yells out from across the room.

I just got to a party at someone’s house on the lake. After a while, you stop finding out who the house belongs to and wait until you see the family pictures on the wall and hope their parents or cops don’t show up. I scan the room until I find him standing next to Katrina Vandenburg. I’m pretty sure this is her parents’ house, considering they have more money than anyone else in a hundred-mile radius.

But you never know.

Katrina is easily the hottest girl in school. Cheerleaders, am I right? She knows exactly what she has with long blonde hair, toned and tanned legs, and the type of ass that will guarantee her a pro baller husband and the life of luxury she’s already accustomed to. Thing is, for now, she’s got her deep blue eyes locked on me, and her lip between her teeth.

And I plan to take everything she’s willing to give up tonight.

“Hey Lucas, was starting to think you wouldn’t show,” she pouts, with her long fingernails running down my chest. She’s got bright red lipstick on that I can already see wrapped around my cock when she sucks my damn soul out. I’ve heard about her talented mouth, and that will be the first stop with her tonight.

It’s a done deal.

“Yeah, got caught up with my dad in his shop longer than expected.” Act cool, Lucas. Don’t look like a fucking dweeb right now.

“Well, you’re here now, that’s all that matters.” Yep, in fifteen minutes I’ll be seeing the fucking stars.

Joel wags his eyebrows at me, then mouths “get some” before turning to walk away. He’s probably off to find that preacher’s daughter from El Dorado Union. It’s the other school on the other side of town.

“Wanna dance?” Katrina asks while grabbing my hand and twirling around on the spot. She grinds into me, getting the reaction her buzzed state wanted. With her back to me, Katrina leans her head against my chest and presses that magnificent, tight ass up against me.

God, what did I ever do to get this fucking lucky? She’ll be mine in a matter of minutes.

I hold on to her hips and lean into her neck, smelling the sweet shampoo she uses. I’m willing to bet anything she spends more on her hair in a month than I paid for my car.

It’s a shitty car, but at least I have one. I spent all of last summer fixing it up with my dad in his garage.

Katrina and I spend the next few songs dancing, kissing, until she says she’s going to go get another drink. I nod and let her know I’m going to head up to the bathroom. Need to make sure I didn’t get any calls from my dad asking me to come home.

Ever since my mom died, he can’t stay home alone for long before he goes into depression. Today he asked for the number of this lady he’s been giving ridiculous discounts to for months on her car. Guess he could finally man up and make a move. Though I’m pretty sure she would have just left it if he didn’t ask for it soon.

No calls or texts. I’m in the clear to stay out all night.

One short, one-way conversation with the mirror practicing asking Katrina to show me whatever is under her dress and an armpit check later, I head out of the bathroom. In the five minutes I was gone, Katrina went from buzzed to shit-faced.

She’s dancing on a table doing some sort of striptease—at least, that’s what it looks like she’s trying to do. Her red lacy bra is sticking out of the top of her dress, and she’s wearing a matching crown made from a thong. Guess I won’t need to use those shitty lines I practiced in the bathroom. She wouldn’t even remember it, or anything else, for that matter.

Even at 18, I don’t find sloppy drunk sex appealing. However, it’s Katrina. She’s hot as fuck and I am already frustrated from thinking about this all day.

“Lucas! There you are!” She stumbles off the table she was on, nearly falling face-first to the hardwood floors. I catch her just before she face-plants, and needs a new nose. She glances up at me through her hooded eyes and mumbles between burps. “I’m was thinking...we should takethump-arty to my room, no?”

What the hell? I was gone for five minutes. How plastered could one girl get in that amount of time? “Uh sure, lead the way.”

She stumbles across the room and makes it halfway up the stairs before I scoop her up and have to navigate this massive house with her directions. Her use of landmarks in the house include that purple vase by the picture of me swimming and was not helpful in the least.

I finally make it to the typical teenage girl’s bedroom. Pom-poms, a perfectly pressed cheer uniform, pictures of Kat with her best friends, a shit ton of makeup on a table in front of a mirror. “Hey, you found it!”

“Heh, yeah. You want me to put you on the bed?” She nods, and I set her down on the king-size bed. What a fucking princess. She has everything in life. Looking at the things in her room, I compare it to the modest lifestyle my dad and I have. We’re not starving or scraping a barrel, but this girl has several pictures with her family in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower.

“Lucas, wanna cuddle.” That raspy groan shakes me from my thoughts. I lay down on the bed and put an arm around her and we make out. It’s slow, wet, and sloppy and as I rub my hands up her dress, she stills. I glance up to see if she’s okay. It’s the first snore that gives her away. She’s fucking asleep.

Fuck my life. I sigh and kiss her forehead. “Another time.” I drag my feet and make my way out of her room, back to the party.

There are plenty of other girls here that I can score.

Allie

“Allie, I swear you look perfect, okay? Just come on, you never get to come to these. Just embrace being a teenager for once!” My best friend Charity, a preacher’s kid, somehow dragged me to this party after threatening to reveal my lifelong schoolgirl crush on her brother, Ted.

“How can you wear something this short? I feel like my butt is hanging out! If my dad finds out, he’s going to kill me.” Charity and her brother came to parties like this all the time so she doesn’t understand I am on the verge of a slight anxiety attack. Despite being preacher’s kids, they have chosen their own way of life outside of their family’s small church. They have good hearts but enjoy life like any other kids at our school.

In other words, they get to be normal.

“Please, you look hot. Besides, no one here is going to know you, anyway. They’re all from Bear Valley.”

“How are you aware of this?”

“Ted is friends with the girl that lives here,” she shrugs.

“Oh...” I know Ted has girlfriends off and on and it’s not like he knows I draw his name in hearts in my notebook. I still hold on to hope that someday he will notice me as something more than a friend.

Charity sighs, holding my hand in hers while she gives me a small smile. “Allie, it’s not like that. I don’t think. But seriously, who cares? Let’s just have fun tonight since your dad never lets you do anything.”

She’s right. My life is pathetic. My dad is the head coach for the football and basketball teams at my high school, El Dorado Union. He loves sports and played professional football for a couple of seasons, but suffered an injury and came home to coach his old high school instead. He loves his job. His life motto is “Family, Football, Food.” He’s a wonderful dad and has set a clear “no boys allowed” rule. He wants me to focus on medical school instead. Ted doesn’t count because my dad thinks his father’s position makes him a well-behaved young man and not some miscreant.

Yeah...this is why I never get out or do anything kids my age do.

I’m not entirely sure how we persuaded him to let me stay with Charity for the weekend, but once we got my dad on board, Charity and Ted somehow convinced their dad they were staying at friends’ houses tonight.

Charity drags me up the steps to the most beautiful glass house I have ever seen. It’s something one might see in a magazine. I’m guessing it belongs to the Vandenberg family, since they are the wealthiest people around. When we walk inside, the house is jam-packed full of drunk kids.

I notice some kids sitting around a table full of red cups and bottles with some green tube-looking thing they were sucking something out of it.

It didn’t take long for Ted to acquaint himself with some guys that go to Bear Valley, since he knows practically everyone. He walked in before us after he parked his car, and Charity had to drag me out.

Charity hands me a cup with something in it and tries to convince me to drink it so I appear less like a snob. One sip and I nearly puked it out on the floor. I’ve decided I’m just going to hold it and pretend to drink. When the opportunity approaches, I’m dumping it.

A few minutes later, we make our way further into this house and catch some girl dancing on the table. It’s like watching monkeys behave in the wild. I think she was trying to take off her clothes, but she was more so rearranging them on her body. A guy helped her out of the room after she fell off the table. Thank goodness she had a hero in that moment.

Once the show is over, Charity lugs me around the party, introducing me to a couple of people she knows, and then takes me dancing. It takes a few minutes before I can relax and enjoy myself, but I’m tired of pretending to sip the clear acid she got me, so I excuse myself to the kitchen.

I’m doing it. I’m dumping this garbage out.

There are people in the kitchen fixing drinks. Unless I want them to tease me, I am not pouring it out in front of anyone. I will not risk whatever social outcast jabs come with not finishing a beverage like this at a party. Nope. I just want to blend in.

The last three lingering people leave, and I am taking my chance.

Okay. Go time. Straight to the sink.

“Never. Again.” The acid goes straight down the drain seamlessly.

“That’s just wasteful, you know. There are starving children in the world.” I turn around and the guy that carried that girl upstairs from earlier is standing there, leaning against the wall. How did I not notice him before?

Gathering my courage to speak to a complete stranger, I clear my throat. “I’m sure starving children in the world don’t need to drink acid.”

The corner of his mouth lifts and I catch a glimpse of a perfect smile. Wow, he’s gorgeous. He’s at least 6’3 with short, but messy, dark hair. His chest and shoulders are broad and biceps stretch out the sleeves of his t-shirt, so I’m presuming he’s an athlete. That would explain the tan lines, too. Also, the air of confidence surrounding him. I would guess the pitcher for his baseball team or quarterback.

His best features are those eyes. He has one blue eye and one gray. They are unique and the power behind them pins me to my spot. They go perfectly with his handsome face, and promise loads of trouble.

I’ll bet my allowance he is going to be the king of his prom.

“True,” he says, moving to lean against the counter beside the sink. “I’m not into that stuff either.”

Nervously, I offer a smile and nod before turning to leave, swallowing the high-pitched giggle making its way up my throat. My cheeks are burning already. If I stay any longer, I’m certain a girlfriend will show up and think this is something it’s not. This guy wouldn’t flirt with me, especially if he knew who my father was.

“You know, if you go out there, they’re just going to force another drink in your hands. You’d have to find another way to dump that one. Your night will be one trip after another, wasting perfectly fine alcohol that some other underage high schooler could enjoy right now.”

I stop and turn back to face him, try to determine whether he is being sincere. Also, I can’t tell if he is a jerk or not. He seems to think my squinting eyes are amusing by the way he smirks back at me.

“I’m just saying this based on personal experience. It’s up to you to believe me or not.” He holds up his hands and shrugs his shoulders.

“Maybe I’ll hang out in the bathroom.” That doesn’t sound appealing to me in the least.

“Then people might think you’re doing something other than hiding in there.”

“Like what?”

“There’s a girl in one bathroom giving blow jobs to half of my teammates. There is another girl that was caught cheating on her boyfriend last week. The possibilities of things people might accuse you of doing are endless.”

Great. I can see the rumors flying already about me. No matter what these people come up with, I’m screwed, no matter what. “My options seem to be limited. Tell me...” I put a finger to my lips and try to remember if we introduced ourselves or not. “What’s your name?”

“Lucas.”

I like that name. It suits him. “Tell me, Lucas. What would you suggest?” If there was a time to know how to appear confident, I fail miserably because he smiles again and pushes off the counter toward me. My heart beats wildly against my chest and my breath hitches.

“Follow me.” He grabs my hand and leads me through another door that goes outside. The evening chill offsets the sweltering heat from this afternoon. Lucas walks us toward the lake behind the house and up to the docks.

I stop in my tracks. This is called a boundary, and I am setting it now. “Umm, I’m sorry. If you’re planning to throw me into the water, please know you’d have to get me. I can’t swim and would drown. My father would have your head. Literally.” Not literally. My dad isn’t violent. I just need him to get the picture.

Lucas laughs, and I didn’t even know someone’s laugh could be attractive. It’s deep, like manly deep. “Good to know, but I wasn’t planning on throwing you in. Just wanted to sit and enjoy the view.”

I sigh in relief. “Fine, but if you try anything stupid, I have a black belt.” I am not lying about this. It’s just not a martial arts belt.

Lucas and I sit at the end of the dock with our feet dangling above the water. We talk for a while, mostly about him. We keep it superficial, neither of us wanting to talk about anything deep or personal. Good thing since I wouldn’t tell a stranger my life story. He talks about playing football and how he had to sit out the last game of the season because of an injury.

“Wait, Lucas... Lucas Kennedy? As in, quarterback for Bear Valley, Lucas? Is that you?”

He chuckles. “Yeah...” his eyes narrow like he’s trying to figure out if I’m a stalker. “Are you a fan or something?”

“No, I just know too much about local football teams.” I pause for a moment. “So, you had that busted shoulder. Are you completely done, or will you be able to play in college?”

“I got the scholarship and am going to play. I’ll see how the shoulder does. I doubt I’ll go pro or anything before my shoulder goes out altogether. Coaching is more of my dream, anyway.”

My dad was talking about that hit. Lucas got trampled by another player. A guy twice his size. Technically, it was an illegal move. But kudos to him for being positive.

“I’m sorry, that kid that hit you shouldn’t have a football career either. He shouldn’t gain from your loss.”

Lucas shrugs the good shoulder. “I’m over it. I shook the guy’s hand last week at a party and we’re cool now.”

Again with the friendly attitude. He isn’t the jerk I was afraid he might be. He seems like a genuine person.

We sit in silence, just taking in the scenery while the music and laughter of everyone at the party plays in the background. I lay on my back, gazing up at the stars.

“So beautiful,” Lucas murmurs.

“Yes, they are. I love the stars. They’re like diamonds in the sky.”

“I wasn’t talking about the stars.”

I turn to see Lucas staring right at me. The dancing butterflies in my stomach are a first for me. They’re fluttering around at the sound of Lucas calling me beautiful. To have a boy pay me a compliment is still foreign. What do you say to a boy when he tells you that? Thank you?

My brain misfires and thoughts spiral when he leans in to kiss me. He grabs the back of my head and cups my cheek with his warm hand while his lips move to mine.

The kiss differs from the one I had at Charity’s church camp she, again, dragged me to. It was with that boy, Joel...something. That was just quick and weird and I never counted it. This is...I don’t know, but it has me floating up toward the sky.

Lucas’s tongue comes out and works my mouth open until it’s inside. With each stroke of his tongue, he drags his hands down my sides and pulls me closer until I’m on top of him.

I’ve never had much experience with guys at school or anything. The whole dad being the head coach keeps every guy at a distance from me. I wear the proverbial flashing sign that says “off limits.” Guys aren’t wrong to assume he is the shotgun on the porch kind of dad, though.

This is what freedom tastes like. Kissing this gorgeous guy. I guess I’d be just fine doing something bad for once in my life, even though it’s just kissing. No big deal, right?

Lucas breaks the kiss. “Do you want to go somewhere more private?”

“Okay.” Oh. My. Gosh. We are going to keep making out. I think. I’m not sure; I’m not positive about whatever going “somewhere more private” entails, but he seems nice. He wouldn’t try to take advantage of me. I’ll be able to set boundaries.

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