Page 80 of Kickoff

I rested my forehead against the cool glass, not sure how to climb down if she wasn’t in her bedroom. Clouds blocked the moonbeams, and now I was here, underdressed, in the dark, with no clue what to do. I tried to fish my phone from my back pocket to call my brother. He would have a blast helping me off here. Hopefully, he could save my ass without Mr. Shepard noticing. If he did, I would forever be forbidden to near his daughter again. My night was going from awful to horrendous way too quickly for my liking. My device wasn’t there. I cringed. I had left it in my jacket pocket earlier.

I knocked on the window once more.

The glow of a night-light appeared through the gap in the curtains. I squinted, trying to spy through the slit, but couldn’t see anything. “Pleassse, don’t let it be Mr. Shepard. Pleassse, whoever is listening to meee, don’t let it be Mr. Shepard on the other side.”

I held my breath, a weird acidic taste coating my throat.

Time stilled as I stayed suspended on the side of the house. My muscles burned, and the grip of my shoes on the ledge below wasn’t so strong anymore. My legs shook. Soon I would crash and shatter into fragments of bones.

Gathering every last piece of my ego, I tapped on the glass again.

I almost bawled my eyes out when Melinda’s figure appeared. It took her a second to notice me. I offered her my best apologetic half-smile. Her hair was damp and loose on her shoulders, and she was wearing a tight pale-pink top that did nothing to conceal the outline of her nipples that grew harder the longer she stared at me. Because I had no fuck left to give tonight, I trailed my eyes down her toned legs only covered by a tiny pair of black night shorts and gulped.

Melinda opened the window and folded her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up, the swell peeking from the neckline doing weird things to my body. At least, my dick wasn’t as intoxicated as I was.

Melinda did nothing to help me out of my neck-breaking precarious position, watching me with a frown. “Mase? Care to explain what you’re doing here at one in the morning?”

I coughed to ease the tightness around my vocal cords. “I’m heeere to make amends… and to explaaain myself.”

She snorted. “Make amends. Yeah, right. You owe me nothing. I thought we… Never mind.”

“You thought whhhat?” I was hanging on to every word coming out of her mouth while hanging on for dear life, my grip loosening with every ticking second.

“Doesn’t matter now. Forget it. You shouldn’t be here. It’s late, and I’m pretty sure”—she looked down—“you’re five seconds away from falling down a two-story house and breaking your neck.”

“I’m druuunk.”

“Yes, you are.”

“It was stupppid. Help…help a guyyy out. Pleassse.”

She stepped back. “And why would I do that?”

“I screwwwed up. Well, I didn’t. Sarah and I were just watching some football games on her phonnne. Her brottther. He plays for CWU. I was curious abouuut their team.”

“Why would you be curious about Crestwood University? Didn’t you commit to Alabama last year?”

“Nooo. Don’t believe everything you hear.” My foot slid from the top of the ledge. “Helppp me inside and I’ll tell youuu everything you wanna know. Don’t let me diiie.” I winced when I risked a glance down, now that the moon was peeking from between clouds and I could see better in the dark.

Melinda opened the window wider and tugged at my arms until I was half in, bent at the waist, my feet dangling outside and my head and torso kissing her floor. “This is ridiculous. You could have fallen and killed yourself.”

“Thannnks,” I slurred once I stood on my feet. I felt lightheaded, thanks to the booze still swirling in my veins, but I didn’t feel as drunk with Melinda standing before me, her breaths hastening as my eyes zeroed in on her chest once more.

“Stop ogling me.” She pointed to the door. “You should go.”

I pushed my hands into my pockets and nodded. “Yeah.” All the words I had rehearsed in my head since I started climbing her house vanished. I had no idea what I should tell her now. I took two steps to the right, ready to forfeit my mission when her small hand reached for my wrist, and she stopped me.

“What is this?” Melinda lifted my T-shirt, exposing the side of my stomach. Her fingers were cold as they traced my flesh. A shiver skated the length of my back. She bent forward before bringing her eyes back to mine. “Mase, you’ve hurt yourself.”

I shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. Just a scratttch.”

“You’re bleeding. It’s not nothing. Let me look at it, okay?” Her fingertips lingered on my taut skin, sending a ton of mixed signals to my body.

“Don’t worrrry. Tomorrow it won’t show.”

“You need to clean it.”

“I’m finnne.”