AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That also led to me and Tyler Pryce spending a lot of time together all summer. But we haven’t even gotten to the sex part yet. I’m nineteen and still as virgin as Mary herself. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is that turns me off about losing my virginity, but I suppose it’s the fact that I believed that guys changed after you finally gave them what they wanted. That and my weak point is committing to things long-term. The idea of forever scares me.
I thought I liked him. I mean I do because that’s the same reason I decided to go along with this in the first place. But as far as sex goes, I think we’ll just be sticking to the kissing part for now. I’m not going to force myself to enjoy something I’m not sure I completely want yet.
“I can’t do this today,” I say, as I push him back again so that I can get up from beneath him.
Thankfully, he gets the hint and moves off from above me, before stepping back and leaning against the row of ash-blue lockers.
“Pike,” he says and rubs his hand across his jaw.
Tyler looks like your typical good-looking American boy that has a big home with his mom always baking and his family always going on family vacations to South Carolina at their fancy country club home. I know it’s very specific, but only because it’s very true.
His dirty, beach-blonde hair is short and he has really pretty aquamarine eyes. Add his clean-shaven, chiseled jaw and broad shoulders and you have perfection. Perfection that a lot of girls would like to have around all day.
“What do you want?” he asks. “I thought you were ready to finally…you know?”
“Have sex?” The words tumble out of my mouth more bluntly than I intend for them to. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just not in the mood today.”
I thought I was ready today too. I didn’t even care about losing my virginity today. I just wanted something else to think about other than the news my dad gave me yesterday. This entire week has been a shitshow.
My stomach coils with that odd feeling again and the bile in my throat rises. For the first time in years, my bile is coming up on its own accord.
I get up from the bench and adjust my grey cable-knit sweater, before standing there in front of Tyler, not sure what to say or do.
“When I came to you at the start of the summer, you were down for it. And you know I like hanging out with you.” He walks towards me and raises his hand and I’m staring directly into his beautiful eyes.
He touches my cheek and then drops his hand again. “But I thought you wanted more. I’m willing to give you more of me. It’s just that I’m not sure if that’s what you want anymore.”
“I do,” I stupidly blurt out before I can think of anything else smarter to say. “I just have things going on at home that I don’t want to deal with.”
That is true. I’m basically just using Tyler to help me forget the shit that I don’t want to deal with.
Tyler smiles, showing off his perfect row of teeth. “I can’t imagine what you’re dealing with. Did Daddy not get his princess something she wanted?”
Tyler’s words irritate me. It’s no secret that my family is rich. My dad’s family comes from old money and even though he could have done anything in the world, his life has always been all about hockey.
But we haven’t always been this way. We haven’t always been able to sustain ourselves without having to worry about food for the next day. Things were dark before. It’s not entirely great now either, but it’s not like how it used to be. That’s why Tyler’s comment annoys me so much. He thinks someone who’s sitting with a load of old money doesn’t have any problems in the world.
He can make out from the look on my face that I’m not joking, so he drops the smile and curls his arm around my neck.
“I’m sorry. I can be a real jerk sometimes. That’s not what I meant,” he says, his jaw clenching and then unclenching.”I’m just trying to lighten the dullness in here. I mean we were having fun one second and now you’re all glum.”
You were having fun.
He takes a strand of my black hair and twirls it in between his fingers. “We’re all hanging out at The Bounds later after the game. We have a new guy on the team and he’s on a scholarship, so he’s good,” Tyler says. " We’re definitely gonna be celebrating tonight. You gonna be there? There’s a keg and probably shitty drugs, but it’ll be fun.”
I nod silently. Maybe that’s exactly what I should do tonight. Besides, The Bounds is one of my few favorite places in Columbus.
It’s the one place I can truly forget my shitty life for a minute and just exist.
“I’ll be there,” I tell Tyler and then leave the locker room.
It’s late. It’s already 5:33 p.m. and I should have been home hours ago. But that means going back and facing my dad and he’s going to want to talk. And I really don’t want to talk right now. Not about anything.
I wait outside the black iron-cast gates of St. Charles after I call Greg, our chauffeur. He shows up fifteen minutes later in the sleek black Rolls Royce. I get in and we head home silently as the grey clouds in the sky grow darker and heavier, indicating that a storm is on its way.
Chapter 3: PIKE
Now
