< -- eighteen -- >

• • •

Shattered glass, turned tables, SOLOS cups all over the floor. Cracked glass door, blood on the floor, busted lip, broken skin, bloody knuckles, ripped buttons, aching bones, recording phones, coaching peers, yelling and tears, eyes widening, jaws dropping . . . blood rushing . . . heart racing . . . ears ringing . . .

.

.

.

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"She's going to think it's stupid." Cas rolled his eyes. "Both of you are stupid. Who becomes best friends with a girl?"

"She's different." I defended.

"You're right. She'll have boobs for starters."

"Gross Cas."

"It's the truth!" He shrugged. "It was supposed to be you and me."

"You don't even like hanging out with me." I said honestly even though the fact hurt. Cas was hanging out more with his friends from baseball leaving me behind. Touching over the matching best bud charms I really hoped that Neema would like it.

Her party was in forty minutes and I waited until the last minute to get her something. It wasn't on purpose though. I had been thinking hard over it for the past month and whenever I asked what she might like she would just say anything from me would be perfect.

I didn't want to get her a Barbie because she was turning eight, almost a preteen and she wanted to seem mature. I thought about buying her a bracelet but I didn't want to ask my dad for an increase in my allowance so here I stood with my twelve year old brother in a girlie store hoping that no one from school will walk in and see us.

"Are you going to buy the necklaces or not? I don't want to be caught dead in here. I'll never hear the end of it."

Flipping it over to look at the price on the back I smiled knowing it was within budget even with the added tax. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go."

.

.

.

" . . . fighting over who's going to punch Griffin first is the dumbest thing I've ever witnessed in my life."

I felt something cool dab at my bottom lip. Keeping my face still as possible I fought off the urge to flinch at the open wound that was being touched.

"I don't think it had to do with who punched Griffin first." I heard Ethan somewhere in the distance. "I think Lars was more pissed about you . . . you know."

"Yeah," I heard her exhale. Warm breath fanning over my bare shoulder, "but he wouldn't let me explain."

"Would you have listened if the roles were reversed?"

"Of course I would! . . . Maybe . . . I would need a minute to gather myself then yes, but he could have said that. He just pushed me away."

The coolness was now over my brow.

"Derrick wanted to meet up and apologize." She said after a while. "He didn't want there to be any bad blood between us before he went to college."

"So you accepted his offer to meet up?"

"I thought it was a nice gesture but then when he was supposed to be taking me home he talked me into coming with him to the party. I figured I could come here and then seperate myself from him while he socialized and hopefully he wouldn't leave me here stranded. Then I saw Lars and it all went bad from there."

"Maybe try again once he wakes up. I think Derrick is waking up now."

"Okay." The cool cloth on my brow vanished as my eyes shot open grabbing a hold of Neema's wrist. Catching her flinch a little I released my prosthetic fingers cursing at myself for grabbing her so hard. "Hey." Her eyes softened. "How are you feeling?"

"Where is he?" I tried to sit up ready to continue where Derrick and I left off when my shoulder was pushed back.

"You need to be still and calm down. You both fell through the window pretty hard. I think I got most of the glass out." Leaning down the sound of water being ringed out of the towel was heard before she sat up again raising it to my face. Moving my head back she lowered her hand with a huff. "Now that you're awake I can't help you?"

"I don't need help." I mumbled lifting myself to a sitting position. Across the room Derrick laid on the other red couch face cut up, bruised knuckles, and shirtless like me. "But thanks for cleaning the glass out."

"You're welcome. Ethan did all of the lifting so thank him as well."

In the chair behind Neema, Ethan sat forward with his arms on his knees a concerned look on his face. "Thanks E."

"You don't need to thank me. It was my fault for trying to stand up to him."

"Ahh." We all looked over to Derrick groaning as he tried to sit up. "What the hell?"

"You both need to bandage your shoulders." Easing up on my death glare I looked at my shoulder where the skin was torn and hanging. Bright red blood in between the white gaps of fat I did notice that the rest of my arm was clean.

Still mad that she came to the party with him - that she was even talking to him after the way he treated her, I knew that my frustration was pointless since I heard her reasonings and we weren't actually dating but the fact was . . . I liked her.

I genuinely cared for Neema. I cared how people treated her and how she looked at me. I cared for her in a different way from how I cared for Ethan. Asking her to be my actual girlfriend was still a thought even after learning the truth about our past. She was beautiful and caring. Smart and fun. She was what I needed in my life, plus Eloise and mom would love her.

Placing my hand on her wrist I cupped her face with my prosthetic drawing us together until our lips touched.

Soft . .

Warm . . .

The taste of her lips were beyond my expectation somehow reminding me of cotton candy.

She didn't pull from my bionic hand when I reached out for her. She didn't flinch or smack my hand away . . . She leaned into my robotic touch as if it was where she wanted to be . . . Wanting my hands on her skin . . .

Following her lead as she tilted her head I moved with her in dance deepening the kiss leaning forward. The body aching pain no longer in the forefront of my mind I slipped my hand around her waist needing her closer.

The tips of her fingers brushed up my cheek into the brown strands of hair. "There are other people in the room." Ethan cleared his throat from afar.

Neema disconnected our lips first resting our foreheads together with a matching smile. "I didn't mean to get carried away like that." I apologized.

"I like getting carried away with you." She whispered pecking my lips. Moving to scoot away from me I pulled her into my lap tightening my jaw to choke back the grunt. The few rib shots Derrick got in had my body sore with a nice bruise forming.

"Look man," Derrick rubbed a hand over his low cut hair showing his torn knuckles, "I wasn't trying to come in between your beef with Griffin or your relationship with Neema."

"Yet here you are with a fucked up face because you felt the need to talk to my girl and step into a fight that didn't involve you."

"From what I heard it didn't involve you either. Ya' boy Ethan was growing some balls and here you come trying to over shine him."

"What did you just say?" Moving Neema to the side I flexed my fingers quickly scaling the pain of making a fist and after pain once I punched Derrick in the face again.

"You heard what the hell I said." He replied not moving which was fine by me. I had no problem knocking him out his seat. "'Ole boy could have fought Griffin on his own but yo' ass always there. Let him fight his own battles, damn nigga."

Turning to Ethan his eyes remained on the floor tapping his thumbs together. "Is that true?"

"I told you," he cleared his throat, "I told you I had it." He looked up to me. "I can fight my own battles. Losing fights happen and I'll take my loss if it does but you have to let me handle it. You promised that you would."

"I . . ." I was at a loss for words. Standing up for Ethan was what I did for years even with his protest for me to just let it go. I didn't know for sure if he had ever thrown a punch or that he worked out until witnessing him shirtless today. Clearly he was lifting weights, "I'm . . . sorry."

"As for Neema." Derrick continued after Ethan nodded. "I wanted to apologize to her and make sure that we were good before I left." His eyes moved over from mine to hers, "She was a good friend before we started dating and I don't want to lose that."

"And how do I know that this so called friendship you say isn't just a cover up to stay in her life and wait for your shot?"

"It's not even like that man." He leaned back against the couch looking down as Neema slid her fingers in my prosthetic hand. Tightening my hand just enough to hold her firmly I could see her smile from my peripheral. "At first I thought what ya'll were doing was fake but . . . it's clear the two of you got something that she and I didn't have." He looked out the pool house window back to the party were everyone was still talking about the fight while watching on their phones. "I'm not going to lie and say that I like seeing you two all over each other but . . . I'm leaving in a few weeks so being jealous would be stupid."

Hissing as he stood Ethan stood as well hesitant to reach out and assist. Hearing a ping Derrick held out his hand stopping Ethan from helping him any further, "Thanks man. I got it. Shit." His dark brows lowered as he shook his head. "We're all over Instagram." He turned his phone showing us going through the window.

"Shit." My mom is going to be pissed if she finds out.

"Oh no." Neema scooted away over to Derrick for a closer look.

"At least you guys won't get suspended for this." Ethan tried to reason.

Grabbing my shirt from the armrest my thoughts were never on being suspended. There wasn't a single fight that I've been in that made me worry about not going to school. I hated school. Hated the teachers minus a few. Hated the students except the few I could count on one hand. Hated the principal. Hated it all. If homeschool was an option I would have jumped on that shit after Cas' death.

"Well as much fun as this was," standing up keeping my face void of the pain I blinked a few times when everyone began to sway a little to the right, "it's time for me to go."

"Us." Ethan corrected.

"Right." I pointed at him holding my side hoping it would help when I inhaled. "Us. You too babe, let's go."

"Lars wait. You shouldn't be driving." Ethan offered to drive solving the small problem. "That's fine but um, you know." She nodded towards Derrick who rolled his eyes. "What about him? He shouldn't drive either."

"He is standing right here and I'll be fine."

"You heard him." I grabbed her hand pulling her to me. "He'll be fine. Have fun in college. Let's schedule for another fight when you're in town." I waved behind me moving us towards the door."

"We can't leave him Lars. He might get into an accident."

Knowing her soft heart was ripping open due to me not wanting Derrick to be near us any longer than necessary I slowed us down, "What do you want me to do Neema?"

"Could you drop him off at home?"

"You want him in my car?"

"Lars."

"I'll take him." Ethan spoke from behind us. "It's no problem."

"Ethan -" I began to tell him the same thing I was repeating to Neema that Derrick would be okay and if he wasn't then he could stay right in the pool house and sleep it off. I wanted to go home and possibly talk Neema into making out with her wounded fake boyfriend a little.

"It's okay. I'll Uber from his house."

"He is still standing here."

"It's fine. You two go."

"Are you sure?" Derrick would never be one of my favorite people but Ethan was and I wanted to make sure he was honestly okay with being alone in the car with Derrick. I didn't want him to get hurt then I would have to really damage Derrick so he couldn't go to college.

"I'm sure. Now go and rest up." He smiled. "We have training on Monday."

"So everyone is just going to ignore me? You know I have my key-" he patted his shirt stopping as Ethan jiggled them.

"Derrick." He tilted his head looking from the keys to me. "You hurt a single hair on his scalp and I'll run you over with my car."

Derrick waved me off as if I was joking. Giving Ethan one last look I let Neema lead me out of the pool house around the side of the main house to avoid as many partygoers as possible until we got to the car.

Getting ready to reach for the car door as if I couldn't open it myself, I slammed my hand over it pinning her to the door with my hands on both sides caging her in. Lowering my head to her neck I traced her jaw with my nose up to her ear, "I can open my own doors Ms. Marshall."

"S-Sorry." She whispered. Her glossed lips slightly open showing her straight white teeth.

"Come home with me."

"I have to drop you off."

"Come home with me and stay. I might need your help with other things."

"Other things like what?"

"Other things that also need to be opened."

• • •