Stupid Boy: Senior Year - Spring 08

Chapter 8 -- Valentine's Day Massacre

Tuesday February 14

Paul was driving Cassidy and me to school.

I hadn't planned any grand gestures for Valentine's Day this year.

To be honest, it was more depressing than anything else. All it did was remind me that Brook was in Cincinnati, and we were no longer officially going out. I'd learned from my breakup with Tami that chasing someone who didn't want you was a waste of time and energy. Not to mention the broken heart that came along with it.

That didn't mean I couldn't give Brook a call to just hear her voice, though. I could justify it as still being friends, or at least that was the lie I was telling myself.

"Hey, Hotness," I said and cringed.

Was I allowed to use my pet name for her now?

"I was just thinking about you. I heard you went out on a date Friday night and had a good time."

Cassidy! I glanced over at my little ninja and gave her a pointed look.

"Did you hear what my date pulled Sunday?" I asked.

"No. What?"

"She asked me to go to Sunday school with her, and they ambushed me with a purity pledge."

I think I made her day.

"Seriously? You?" Brook asked.

"Hey! Why couldn't I?" I asked.

"You did break up with her, didn't you?" Brook asked.

"We were never officially going out."

"David," she said sternly. "Even if you weren't 'officially' anything, you still have to say the words to her."

This was the Brook that I hated, the one that made me a better man, even if it was hard.

"I'll do it," I reluctantly agreed.

"There's something I need to tell you, too. I have a date for our school's Valentine's dance."

"I'll have my mom call Ian to give him pointers on how to talk to your date when he comes to pick you up," I offered.

Her dad was a complete pushover when it came to intimidating young men.

"I'm a liberated woman. Did you not even consider that I might be picking him up?" Brook shot back.

"I knew you were into younger men. I'll let Dare know that he still has a shot."

She ignored my dig that her date was too young to drive.

"You okay with this?" she asked.

"Thanks for asking, but I don't expect you to sit around and become a spinster. Just go have fun tonight," I said, surprising myself.

Maybe I was growing up because I really did hope that Brook found someone who made her happy.

"What are you doing tonight?" Brook asked.

"Going to Wesleyan and being the fifth wheel. Tim and Wolf talked me into getting a suite at the hotel where the dance is being held. Sarah said it would be worth my while."

"Wolf is okay with you sleeping with his girlfriend?" Brook said to put a smile on my face.

She did get my sense of humor.

"I asked him," I admitted. "I guess we'll see tonight."

"You sure he didn't put Sun up to the chastity pledge?"

That caught me by surprise and actually made me laugh.

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too. Have fun tonight," Brook said and hung up.

I guess I had gotten lost in my thoughts after I hung up because Cassidy startled me when she touched my hand.

"You okay?" she asked.

"No. Not really," I answered honestly.

"I miss her too," she said, and then added, "Brook's just trying to move on. This guy tonight isn't someone you need to worry about."

"It's okay. She prepared me for this," I said to Cassidy. "I just keep thinking that she might be the one that got away. We could have made it for the long haul."

"Nope," Cassidy said, shaking her head. "You and I haven't gone out yet."

That made me feel better.

"Maybe we'll wait on that. I need a little time to get over Brook," I suggested.

"Plus, you're not ready to settle down."

"What high school senior is?" I asked.

---

When we pulled up to the school, I saw Sun waiting for me. I'd managed to avoid her yesterday. It hadn't been hard because we ran in different circles and didn't have any classes together.

"Hey," we said at the same time.

"I should have warned you about Sunday school," Sun said.

I understood why Sun had invited me. They were encouraged to 'spread the word' and invite other teens. What I had a problem with was the topic. It felt like Sun had asked me there so I could be judged, or it was some sort of intervention.

"No, I get it, but that isn't something I want to do."

"It's not like you can pick and choose what you believe," she said.

I'd heard that many times and disagreed. That was why God gave you free will.

"Sun, I like you as a friend, but I don't think we're right for each other as more," I said to rip the band-aid off this relationship.

"Is this because I won't sleep with you?" she asked.

I could see that Sun was about to start crying. The worst part was that, due to my morning 'walks' to school, most of the student body was out watching our little drama unfold.

"Could we maybe take this somewhere more private so I can explain?" I asked.

"No, I agree. We aren't right for each other," Sun said, then twirled around and marched off.

Well, hell, that didn't go well. This Valentine's Day was off to a terrible start. It could only get better from here. In the back of my mind, I remembered a saying that goes, 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.'

---

At lunch, everyone was sharing what they would be doing tonight.

"We're going to the dance and then the party at State," Jill announced.

I looked over at my dumbass brother.

"You better have bodyguards for this one," I said, tilting my head towards his girlfriend.

"Why would I need bodyguards?" she asked.

"Because there will be drunk college boys there," Wolf explained.

"We'll be with him," Yuri said as he pointed to Roc.

"Keep an eye on things," I said as I looked Yuri in the eyes to let him know I was putting him in charge.

"We'll be fine. Stop acting like my big brother," Jill complained.

Phil looked torn, but he was too whipped to tell his girlfriend 'no.' Jill was a worrisome combination for the kind of party they were going to: hot, a flirt, and absolutely clueless that anything bad could ever happen to her.

I knew for a fact that Kevin, Luke, and Magic planned to get women drunk and spend some quality time with them. I worried that things would get out of hand and regretted telling the guys about their party without me there.

Magic had called and let me know that it looked like a lot of people were coming. My announcement on social media that I might attend had convinced the sorority Luke was working on to come tonight. I would bet that they, in turn, would invite frat boys. Frat boys and college football players were a recipe for disaster, as far as high school girls were concerned. Even worse if the girls were drinking.

"I heard that Sun dumped you," Gina said to change the conversation. "Do you have anyone lined up for tonight?"

Everyone turned and looked at me. I got the vibe that Gina was asking to see if I might take her out. That wasn't happening.

"I'm going stag tonight. Who knows, I might meet someone hot."

"Exactly how hot? Bang her against a wall because you can't make it to the bed hot? Or merely take her home at the end of the dance when you haven't found anyone else hot?" Tim asked.

I smirked because Tim typically played the straight man to Wolf's comedy.

"Men are pigs," Cassidy grumped.

"Hey, don't include me," Don, her wimpy boyfriend, said.

You know that feeling you get when the hair on the back of your neck stands up because your 'spidey senses' are going off, and you just know you're being talked about? Well, that's what I suddenly felt. I looked across the lunchroom and saw Lisa Felton huddled with Sun, obviously getting the details on our breakup this morning. And by the guilty expressions on their faces when they saw me look at them, I knew I was right.

Lisa stood up and began to walk over.

I said a bad word.

"What is your problem ... oh, shit," Gina said when she saw who was walking our way.

"I think we have our answer as to 'how hot,'" Cassidy said.

"Dude, that is a bad idea," Wolf warned.

I put on my best smile and heard groans around the table. I think they'd all seen this car wreck before. There was just something about Lisa that turned me on. It had been suggested numerous times that hooking up with Lisa was probably the wrong thing for me to do. The problem with that was we'd hooked up once, and let me just say, it'd been spectacular.

My ex-best friend Alan had posted Lisa's private diary online for the whole school to see, which included her description of our encounter. The only positive to come out of that was that Lisa's reputation had been rehabilitated as best it could. From my friends' reactions, I didn't think it would ever be fully fixed, and that was sad. I still contended that Bill Rogers and his deviant friends had spread the unfounded rumors about her sleeping around.

"Lisa."

"David."

"How's your brother?" I asked.

"They caught his cancer soon enough. They expect a full recovery," she shared. "How's your dad?"

"Better. They say he should be good too."

Lisa and I had gotten to know each other better when I visited her brother in the hospital during his first cancer go-round. He'd been back in when he had a checkup that showed it was back, and I'd gone to visit him. Our hospital wasn't all that big, so I suspected she'd heard about my dad while there. Then again, it could have simply been that we were a small town with no real secrets.

"Call me when you get a chance."

"Sure," I said, and she continued on.

They say bad things happen in threes. Brook announced she had a date tonight, Sun and I broke up, and now Lisa Felton had announced to the world that she had me in her sights. Was the last one really all that bad?

"Don't you dare call her," Gina said as she gave me this holier-than-thou attitude as if I was some kind of, well, 'stupid boy.'

Cassidy shook her head in defeat.

"Don't ever tell Boy Wonder not to do something because it has the opposite effect."

"What's wrong with her? I can totally see David taking her out," Dare, my new best bud, said to defend me.

We were both saved by the bell before Gina could explain it to us. What Gina didn't know was that I no longer felt the need to bow to peer pressure. I could date anyone I wanted, or so I told myself.

---

Tim and Wolf drove separately because they planned to spend the night and skip school the next day. I had a mother who, while letting me do some stuff most parents wouldn't dream of, would always draw the line at me skipping school.

On the way, I took advantage of the opportunity to talk to Paul about Scarlet.

"Paul, what do you think of Scarlet?"

"I like Scarlet. Chuck was a complete knucklehead."

I was relieved to hear that. Scarlet had particular desires that I didn't wholly understand. She was much more into role-play than I had ever experienced. While it sounded like fun, it wasn't really for me. If it worked for Paul, I figured it was a win-win. He was a nice guy and seemingly was attracted to Scarlet, too. I only hoped that Scarlet would like him.

"I just want to make sure she's happy," I said to explain my interest. "I suggest you give her a call."

"I'll do that," Paul said, and then went quiet.

I turned on some music and kicked back to enjoy the ride.

---

Since I was paying for dinner, I got to pick the place. I chose the Brazilian steak restaurant where the waitstaff brought around chunks of different meats on giant skewers for your dining pleasure. They also had an extensive salad bar. The bonus was that Harper was drafted to be my 'date' for dinner, so I wouldn't feel weird.

Personally, I would have been fine being the fifth wheel. We were all friends, and I was comfortable with my exes dating my best guy friends. I'd pushed the memories of dating Harper out of my mind after the incident in Chicago when she hooked up with an old flame at a party I'd taken her to. Then, to top the sundae with a cherry, she'd dated my archnemesis, Mike.

Somehow, Harper decided she needed to explain her and Mike's relationship to me over dinner. That led to her voicing her confusion about why I disliked the guy.

"I never got why you didn't like Mike. He was good to me ... well, until he wasn't," Harper said to defend him.

"Isn't this where you tell me Mike's really a nice guy? And if I spent some time and got to know him now that he's changed his ways, that I'd really like him and we'd become good friends? And maybe I'd forget the fact that he was sticking his dick in my ex-girlfriend?"

"David!" Tami chastised.

"I'm sorry, Harper, that was cruel. How about we agree that I don't like how Mike treats women? Nor do I like how he tries to stick it to people he envies by fucking up their friends. And because of that, Mike and I will never be friends, regardless of whether he changes his ways."

"But he said that you used to be close," Harper prodded.

"We were close until he technically raped my girlfriend."

"Technically?" Harper asked.

"She was drunk. She was in no condition to consent, and Mike had sex with her anyway. You're right. There was no 'technically' about it," I said.

"He sent David a picture of the evidence when he'd finished," Wolf added.

Harper looked confused, but Tami bailed me out when she whispered what the picture was of.

"I think I understand now," Harper admitted with a disgusted look.

What got me was that Harper had broken up with Mike when she'd discovered that he was hitting on another girl. What was it with girls not getting it when a guy is completely wrong for them?

"Why are we talking about the douche, anyway? I thought we were going to have fun tonight," Tim said.

"What's going on tonight?" I asked.

"You guys go back to the hotel and change. We'll meet you in an hour and go to the dance," Tami said, taking charge.

"When does Sarah make this all worth my while?" I asked.

"What's he talking about?" Sarah asked.

"I shared with him that you'd told me that if he got a suite, it would be worth his while. The dumbass purposely misinterpreted what I said," Wolf explained.

I gave Sarah my sexiest look, which made her laugh.

"I think you're the one who'd better worry," Harper teased Wolf.

That was the Harper I'd dated. What I liked most about her was her sense of humor. Unfortunately, she had no chance to get a rise out of Wolf because he knew how I felt about going after other guys' girls.

---

We dropped the girls off at their dorm so they could change. I told Tami that I'd left keys for the hotel rooms for both her and Sarah at the front desk so that she and her friends could use them freely. I reminded everyone that if they took anything from the mini-bar, they were paying for it. A bottle of water was six bucks. They could get a glass and use the sink if they were thirsty.

Tami had made it clear to me that Missy Stone was going to the dance stag. The thought of her put a smile on my face as we entered the hotel. She was one of my favorite girls at Wesleyan, and I looked forward to getting reacquainted with her, even if just for a few dances.

"Did you know the first French fries weren't actually cooked in France?" Wolf asked and then paused for effect. "They were cooked in Greece."

I groaned.

"Did you hear about David's new movie called Constipation?"

Tim shook his head 'no.'

"No? That's because it hasn't come out yet," Wolf said proudly.

"Get it out of your system. I doubt the ladies will appreciate your humor tonight," I said, trying to get Wolf to tone it down.

"Girls like a guy who has a sense of humor. I think I read that in Cosmo," Wolf complained.

"They like a guy who's actually funny," Tim retorted.

I burst out laughing at the expression on Wolf's face as the elevator door opened on our floor.

"You guys are just jealous of my obvious talent," Wolf said as I unlocked the door to the suite.

I began to step in and then froze. Standing in the middle of the living room was Gwen Larkin, the British actress whom Brook and I had met in Palm Springs. She was in a silk robe, and it was evident that she was naked underneath because the garment did little to hide the naughty bits.

"Did you miss me?"

Aw, hell, no! What was I supposed to say to that? I was a little worried because I suspected Gwen had escaped the loony bin. That was when I remembered that Paul was downstairs parking the car. Wolf and Tim pushed me into the room so that this little drama didn't play out in the hall.

I stood perfectly still because I didn't want to be the guy who admitted she hadn't even crossed my mind since the last time I saw her get heavily medicated and hauled off. Gwen gave me a hard look.

"It's a 'yes' or 'no' question, David. Did. You. Miss. Me?"

"Could you give us a moment?" I pointedly asked Tim and Wolf.

"Tami would skin me alive if I didn't stay to witness this," Tim admitted.

"Yeah, what he said," Wolf agreed.

I would deal with them later. I had crazy-town on my hands, and she was starting to be the bad kind of crazy if the twitch in her eye was any indication.

"Look, Gwen," I started.

"Don't 'look, Gwen' me. I came to your place in Malibu, and now I've made this grand gesture on Valentine's Day. I would think you would get what I feel for you."

"How did you get in?" I asked.

"I told them I was your girlfriend and wanted to surprise you."

I sometimes forgot what star power could accomplish. We would have to add a warning at the front desk not to hand out a key card to my room if a celebrity were to ask for it. You would think that was already a policy.

My pulling a Dawson and going quiet caused her to transform into someone you would see in a horror movie. I was thinking specifically of the part where they became the killer who lost their mind and decided to go on a rampage. I wasn't impressed when both Wolf and Tim took a step back. Then I watched in abject fascination as her facial features suddenly changed, and she gave me a sexy look and walked to me with her hips swaying. I think this was why she was such a good actress.

I heard one of the guys groan in appreciation. No question about it, she looked damned hot. I think Mr. Happy was as confused as I was when she grasped my groin. His not being aroused seemed to confuse her. She looked me in the eyes, and I could see the crazy start to come back.

"You don't want me?" she asked in a small voice.

Seeing her look so vulnerable almost made me want to wrap her in my arms and protect her. I caught a brief flash of an expression on her face that worried me and made me stop. Then she got a determined look.

"I'm desirable, and I'll prove it to you," she said as she untied her robe and turned to Tim and Wolf. "You both want to spend time with me, don't you?"

She walked up to my two friends and checked their arousal. I momentarily thought of Groper, the girl who had checked everyone's package in LA. Was this something new I hadn't heard about? Tim and Wolf looked like they weren't quite sure what to do as she got a firm grip. Then Wolf seemed to snap out of it.

"Hell, yeah," Wolf said.

Gwen grabbed a hand from each of them and pulled Wolf and Tim towards one of the bedrooms. She turned her head and gave me a dirty look. The guys were focused on her magnificent body.

In the past, they'd both commented on how they wished they could spend time with her. I think they'd been fantasizing about her since seeing her on screen. I stood in stunned silence as the three of them went into the bedroom, and the door closed.

Paul picked that moment to come into the room.

"We have a security breach," I told him.

I explained about Gwen, and when we heard the unmistakable sounds of lust, I decided I'd had enough.

"Let's get out of here. I need to go for a drive to clear my head," I admitted.

---

I didn't want to be pissed at my friends for taking advantage of the situation. Gwen Larkin was smoking hot, but I felt betrayed that they would be so easily led into having sex with her.

My personal code would never have allowed me to do it if she'd hooked up with one of them before me. At least, not without checking to see if they were okay with it. I also had a slight problem with wondering if she was in her right mind or not. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me.

We were stopped at a red light behind a couple of cars when I glanced out the window down an alley.

WTF! Did someone fall out of a window and straight into a dumpster? Did they jump, fall, or were they pushed?

I unlocked my door and hopped out to assist whoever had dumpster-dived.

"David ... for fuck's sake. What are you doing?" Paul called after me.

I ran down the alley, came to the dumpster, and heard a moan. Behind me, horns blared as Paul made an illegal U-turn and parked the car in front of the alley.

"You need help?" I asked as I looked into the dumpster.

Looking up at me was a woman on her hands and knees in bags of trash. I was guessing we were behind a bar because the smell of sour beer was overpowering.

"Eww, I'm all wet," she complained.

Paul came pounding up behind me.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

I pointed at my dumpster find.

"Someone threw a perfectly good girl in the trash. I figured we'd better claim her before someone else did," I said.

"I can hear you," she grumbled.

She stood up and looked at us.

"Is one of you going to help me out?" she asked.

Her tone said she thought we were mentally challenged when we just stared at her.

Gazing back at us were sparkling blue eyes that captured my full attention. I wanted to simply look in them for the rest of the night. She had kinky black tresses that went every which way, like a rag doll you'd just pulled out of the dryer, and its hair was full of static electricity.

Her small frame and delicate features made her look more like a young girl than the full-grown woman she obviously was. One look at the swell of her breasts and the curve of her hips confirmed she was older; I would guess in her early 20s.

I was about to assist her when Paul stepped forward and offered her a helping hand.

"Here. Grab hold," he said, and then hoisted her out.

When she landed on the ground, she stumbled back because one of her shoes was missing. I reached out and grabbed her before she fell down.

"Oh, no. My shoe and purse are still in there," she said as she hobbled to the side of the dumpster and looked in. She pointed. "See. Right there."

"I'll help hoist you back in," I suggested helpfully.

We locked eyes. I hated her at that moment. Mainly because Mr. Happy suddenly made his presence known, and he thought I should jump on my white charger and help her because he wanted to do naughty things with her later. The big brain couldn't quite get over the fact that she smelled like she'd just come out of a dumpster.

"You have something in your hair," I said, pointing.

"Get it out," she said, freaking out a little.

I took a closer look and wrinkled my nose, which caused her to start running her fingers through her hair. When she touched the wet napkin--that was what I hoped it was--she almost lost it.

"Eww!"

Paul stepped forward and plucked it out. It stuck to his fingers, and I laughed when he tried to flick it off, and it sailed onto her blouse, causing her to flail around as she attempted to knock it away. It finally came loose and splattered on the ground, leaving a disgusting wet spot. I would have to throw my shirt away if it got something like that on it. I could see her shiver in disgust when she inspected it more closely.

Paul, seeing that she didn't look happy with him, did the dumbest thing I'd ever seen: he jumped into the dumpster to retrieve her shoe and purse.

"You're not getting in the car if you got that crap on you," I warned him.

I cringed a little because I sounded like my mother.

Then my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Tami. Frick! I'd totally forgotten that she and Sarah were coming to the hotel after they changed clothes. I hoped they were in the lobby and hadn't gone upstairs yet.

I answered and just heard crying on the other end. Could this day get any worse?

---

Against my better judgment, I let Dumpster Girl and Paul get in the car so we could drive to Tami's dorm.

"Why are we going to your friend's dorm?" Dumpster Girl asked.

"Their boyfriends were lured into a threesome with Gwen Larkin ..."

She began to shake her head.

"Stop right there. There is no way that is true. Gwen Larkin is a sweet girl who would never do something like that," she said, obviously confusing her character with real life. "Plus, why would she be here? I think she lives in Hollywood or something."

"She came to see me," I said.

"Are you putting me on?" she asked and then looked at Paul in the front seat. "Is he putting me on?"

"Nope. She really did come to see David," Paul assured her.

"Enough about my drama. Why were you dumpster-diving?" I asked.

"I went to that bar to meet a group of my girlfriends so we could celebrate the fact that men are a lower life-form and we're lucky to be rid of them. That was when my ex showed up with his new girlfriend. I escaped to the bathroom so he wouldn't see me. I figured I would climb out the window so I wouldn't have to face him. Landing in the dumpster was an accident," she explained.

"I can see that. I would rather climb out a window and into a dumpster than have to face some of my exes," Paul said.

We pulled up to the dorm, and Paul parked.

"I need to move the car," Paul said, pointing at the sign that said that only people with Wesleyan parking stickers could park there.

"I'll pay for the ticket if you get one. I just want to pop in, be supportive, and get out. While we're there, maybe you two can figure out how to smell better," I suggested.

"Is he always a dick?" Dumpster Girl asked.

"Pretty much," Paul replied.

I flipped them both off and led them into the dorm. The girl at the desk recognized me and waved me in.

I found Harper and Missy consoling Tami and Sarah. The two wronged girls leaped into my arms and began to cry as soon as I walked in. I looked over their shoulders at Harper.

"Can you help those two out?" I asked as I tilted my head towards Paul and Dumpster Girl.

Once Harper figured out what was wrong, she was all business, and I could focus on my friends.

"So, what happened?" I asked as I led them back to the couch and sat down.

"We got the keys you left us. We first went into the adjoining room and didn't find either Wolf or Tim," Tami started.

"The door was open between the rooms, so we went into the suite," Sarah explained.

"It is nice. I'll have to tell my parents when they come down for graduation," Missy shared.

"Wait. You were with them?" I asked.

"Along with Harper," Tami said and then blushed.

It didn't take much to imagine what Sarah had meant when she said it would be worth my while to show up tonight. I was bummed the night hadn't gone according to plan.

"We heard ... well, you know," Sarah stumbled over her words.

"We thought you were with someone," Tami admitted.

I could imagine what happened next.

"You decided to spy on me," I offered, letting them off the hook of spelling it out.

It seemed like people found ways to watch my activities. The last time had been when I went to the party in Cincinnati with Brook. I was starting to think I might be some female voyeurs' favorite target.

"I can't believe they were with Gwen Larkin. How am I ever supposed to compete with someone like that?" Tami asked, and I could see she was going to cry again.

Sarah also looked defeated.

"You have to be kidding me," I said indignantly. "I would rather spend time with both of you than touch Gwen."

Missy began to chuckle, which caused the two girls to glare at her.

"Did you hear what he said?" she asked, looking back and forth at both of them. "He said both of you."

Harper came back in with Paul in tow. I guess Dumpster Girl needed more cleaning up. I noticed that Paul now smelled like girly perfume, but that was preferable to freshly dipped dumpster.

Tami and Sarah gave me a suspicious look.

"Hey," I said, holding up my hands. "What did we do when Harper dumped me?"

Sarah blushed. I turned to Harper.

"Sorry."

"No problem. Sarah was just being a friend," Harper said.

I almost believed her. I wouldn't be quite as forgiving if Wolf or Tim had slept with Brook to help her get over me. Suddenly, I saw it from her side and felt horrible.

"God, Harper, I'm so sorry. I only now realized what a dick move that was," I admitted.

"It did feel like you were piling on," Harper agreed.

"I am sorry. I was hurting and only thinking about myself."

Dumpster Girl was back. I saw she'd borrowed clothes from Harper, and hers were in a garbage bag.

Tami shook her head in disbelief.

"Why do you suddenly sound grown-up when all I want to do is have you kick their butts for me?" she asked.

"Slow down," I said, and then smiled. "Someone wiser than me suggested that I not do what first jumps to mind."

"Don't you start using my own words against me," Tami warned.

"Let's step back for a moment. You both planned to dump them at the end of senior year," I reminded Sarah and Tami.

"That doesn't mean that I wanted to be the one dumped," Sarah said.

I stifled my urge to laugh. Maybe I was the grown-up here. Then again, Wolf and Tim had cheated on them, and the girls had every right to be mad. I could tell they were hurting, so I decided to try to lighten the mood.

"What were they supposed to do?" I asked with a straight face. "It was frickin' Gwen Larkin."

I gave them my awed-teen look like I'd just been told that the baseball player had dumped Kate Upton and she had come to her senses. My mistake was forgetting that Tami had grown up a tomboy and had a vicious right hook. She slugged me in the chest. Maybe it was too soon to joke about this colossal mess.

"Dang, Girl," I complained. That was going to leave a mark.

That was when my phone rang. I looked at it, confused. The caller ID said, 'Cassidy.' Then I got worried that something had happened to my family, so I answered it.

---

I hung up and looked at Paul.

"We have to go," I said, and then turned to Tami and Sarah. "Are you going to be okay?"

"No," Tami grumped.

Missy hugged her.

"We'll be fine," Sarah assured me, and then asked, "Where do you have to go?"

Sarah and Wolf had been on shaky ground when we were in LA, so it didn't surprise me that she wasn't as hurt as Tami was. Tami, on the other hand, had no reason to believe that Tim would ever pull a stunt like this. I foresaw a long talk with Tim and Wolf in the near future.

Regardless of how that went, I vowed never again to set them up with or allow them to date any girls I was close to. They'd lost my trust when they pulled this tonight. I didn't care if it was Gwen Frickin' Larkin or some girl they picked up. This was a total dick move if you claimed to have a girlfriend. I suppose high school boys are indeed 'stupid boys.'

"Cassidy Hope just got dumped at a restaurant, and her date left her with the tab. She and the other couple with them don't have enough money to pay for it, and they need a ride," I explained.

"Is it your job to clean up everyone's mess tonight?" Dumpster Girl asked.

"It says something that David is the one we call when we really need something," Tami observed.

I gave all the Wesleyan girls one last hug and started for the door. I was surprised when Dumpster Girl seemed to be going with us.

"Your night seems a whole lot more interesting than me going home and drinking alone," she explained.

I looked at Paul, and he shrugged.

"Okay, let's get going," I said.

---

On the drive to pick up Cassidy, Dare, and Chrissy, I wanted Dumpster Girl to talk to me. I wanted to know her name, for one thing. Then the romantic in me wanted to know all about her. What were her dreams? Was she in school, or did she have a job? Was she into younger men? What did her laugh sound like? What did she like to do when she wasn't leaping into dumpsters? How would it feel to wrap her in my arms and kiss her?

"I'd like to kiss you," I blurted out before thinking.

"We don't know each other. You could have a serious girlfriend."

"I don't."

"How is that even possible?" Dumpster Girl asked to slow me down.

"That's a long story. What I want to know is how a woman who's as stunning and amusing as you, and who is irrational enough to jump through a bar bathroom window, can be single?"

"I'm not stunning."

"I have to disagree with you on that," I said.

"Don't get me wrong; I'm pretty in the right light and the right makeup. Crawling out of a dumpster isn't my best look," she admitted, and then killed me. "Besides, you're too young for me."

"What about me?" Paul asked.

WTF! My driver/security was trying to steal my dumpster find. I rolled my eyes when she blushed. Frick! She was into him.

"Pull over," I ordered.

Paul looked confused. He was even more confused when I got out of the car and walked around to the driver's door. He rolled down his window.

"What are you doing?"

"Driving. Now get in the back," I said.

For once, he didn't argue with me. By the time we'd gotten to the restaurant, the two in the back seat were starting to get a little frisky.

"Just drive around for a bit," Paul suggested.

I now knew how my drivers felt when I asked them to do the same. I ignored him and got out of the car.

---

Cassidy, Dare, and Chrissy were sitting in the lobby. Cassidy caught me entirely by surprise when she jumped up, put me in a hug, and began to cry. My fierce little ninja wasn't one of those girly-girls who did things like cry over a guy. She was more the type who would kick him in the junk and leave him curled up in a little ball to think about what he'd just done to her.

"Let me pay the bill, and then you can tell me all about it," I suggested as I worked to get free.

"Shut up and hug me," she ordered, so I did just that.

Paul and Dumpster Girl came in.

"Hey, go pay their bill for me," I told Paul.

The jerk pulled my wallet out of my pocket and went to pay. Cassidy let me go when she saw we had a girl with us.

"Who's that?" she asked suspiciously.

"I found her in a dumpster, so I claimed her as mine," I said, which caused both Chrissy and Dare to smile.

"He found you in a dumpster?" Cassidy asked.

"Yeah. It's a long story," she said, and then looked at me. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, yeah. This is Cassidy; Darius, who we call Dare; and Dare's girlfriend, Chrissy. Everyone, this is Dumpster Girl."

They all gave me dirty looks.

"Hey, if you pull them out of the trash, you get to name them," I said.

"She's not a puppy," Chrissy said.

Paul came back and handed me a receipt to sign for the bill. I added a nice tip for their trouble.

"Thanks," Dare said as he handed me cash for his and Chrissy's portion of the bill.

I led everyone out, and Cassidy gave me a funny look when I got in the driver's seat. She claimed shotgun.

"Paul and Dumpster Girl are getting to know each other," I said. Then I leaned over and told Cassidy in a low voice, "Keep an eye on them so they don't do anything to scare the children."

We dropped Chrissy and then Dare off. I was impressed that Mr. Bashful kissed her goodnight. Greg had done well in helping him figure out what to do with a girl.

On the way to Cassidy's, I got another call, this time from Yuri. I was starting to dread answering my phone tonight. I showed Cassidy who was calling.

"That can't be good."

"This is David."

"Phil got the crap kicked out of him, and Jill is missing," Yuri said.

I turned on the Bluetooth so that everyone could hear his side of the conversation.

"Tell me what happened."

"This place is a madhouse. The party spilled out into the parking lot, and there have been several fights so far," Yuri said to give a feel for the party.

"What happened to my brother and Jill?" I asked.

"You're not going to like this," Yuri said and paused. "Luke and Mike kicked his butt. We think Jill is in Luke's bedroom."

---

I didn't want to walk into that party without backup, so I called Wolf and Tim. The only good news so far tonight was that they were almost home. Wolf initiated the call tree to seek additional assistance. We agreed to meet at my brother's complex, which was a couple of blocks away from Luke and Magic's. It didn't sound like we would find parking anywhere closer.

Yuri and Roc were tasked with taking care of my brother. They didn't think he needed to go to the hospital, but his face was pretty bruised.

Once we got to Greg's, we went inside to wait for everyone else. I explained to my older brother what was going on.

"Why don't you just call the police and let them deal with it?" Angie asked.

"Because this has to end. Mike and Luke need to learn not to mess with us anymore. If this continues to escalate, it could get nasty," I said.

"Inviting more people to go over there is a bad idea. Plus, you have to expect that if you start this, you will be videoed for sure. It'll cause you more problems than it's worth," Greg advised.

"What I want them there for is to keep everyone off me. I don't need Luke's football friends holding me while I get my ass kicked. If that happens, I won't hold back, and someone will end up in the hospital. Someone other than me," I explained.

When Wolf and Tim arrived, they were accompanied by several football team members. I explained this was like baseball. I was the designated fighter, and they'd better not join in unless it looked like I needed help.

---

We got to the party, and it was entirely out of control. I think my original guess of a couple thousand people might be low. It was only a matter of time before the police showed up. As we pushed our way in, we saw a frat guy get clocked by what looked like a football player. This was going to turn into a brawl soon.

"Make a hole," Wolf barked.

Paul was out front with Tim and Wolf right behind him; I was behind them with Cassidy at my back. The other football players from Lincoln were on my sides and behind Cassidy. The partygoers parted to allow us through.

I should have been happy we made it as far as we did before someone noticed me.

"It's David Dawson!" a sorority girl squealed.

That caused everyone to take notice, and we were suddenly surrounded. I was glad that Paul doggedly kept pushing through, or we would have been trapped. For once, I didn't want to deal with fans.

I spotted Luke and Mike. Luke said something to his brother, and Mike took off into the apartment building, while Luke came out to meet us. I saw he had some State football players backing him up.

"Where's Jill?!" I barked.

"Calm down. She's sleeping it off in my bedroom," Luke said as we faced off.

"If your rapist brother has touched her, I will kick the shit out of both of you," I said.

Luke took a swing at me. My first instinct was to pound him into the dirt, but I knew that would be all this party needed to turn into a free-for-all. There was already too much testosterone and alcohol flowing for it not to.

I saw the punch coming, so I deflected it and then jabbed Luke in the back of the arm. There's a bundle of nerves there that, when struck, causes your arm to go numb.

"Fuck!" Luke complained as he shook his arm to get feeling back in it.

When he tried to protect his arm, I grabbed his hand and got hold of his thumb. Luke's backup surged forward. Then Luke let out a blood-curdling scream as I applied some pressure.

"Back off, or I'll end his football-playing days," I warned.

"Stop! Do as he says!" Luke begged.

He was a true believer, and his buddies saw I wasn't playing around.

"I understand you held my brother while your brother beat the hell out of him. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip off both your thumbs and shove them up your ass?" I asked.

"Please, no. I'll do anything," Luke begged.

Frick! I saw a few people with their phones out.

"If--and I mean IF--Jill hasn't been touched, we'll call it quits," I said loud enough to be picked up on the recordings. I then bent down so I could talk to Luke without anyone overhearing. "You do know that I'm going to kick the shit out of Mike, right?"

"Yeah."

"You and I aren't going to have a problem later, are we?" I asked.

"Just don't do any permanent damage," Luke said.

"Deal," I said as I released him.

"We're good," Luke said to his friends to let them know to stand down.

I turned to Wolf, Tim, Paul, and Cassidy.

"Mike went into Luke's apartment. I need you to clear it out and keep everyone outside. Mike and I need some alone time."

"Finally! Someone has needed to do this for a long time," Wolf said.

Mike wasn't happy when Luke unlocked his apartment door to let us in.

"What the hell, Luke? Are you going to let all of them beat me up?" Mike asked his brother.

Luke just shook his head, turned around, and walked out. Mike looked like he might start crying. Tim and Wolf quickly got everyone out. I sent Cassidy and Paul out, so it was just Mike and me.

"Did you think I would let it slide that you went after my brother's girlfriend and then used him as a punching bag?" I asked.

Mike must have been drinking because he suddenly had his beer muscles.

"She's too much woman for some pencil-dicked wimp like your brother."

"Is getting them drunk and passed out the only way you can get a woman?" I shot back.

"You think you're something special, don't you? My brother banged your first girlfriend, Tracy, like a drum. I showed Mona what a real man is. Harper, she said, you came up short in the equipment department. Now, I'm going to kick your ass and then show your little brother that he isn't man enough to keep his girl," he sneered. Then he added, "And my old man banged your mom."

I think he thought I was going to start this fight. I couldn't. Paul had warned me that Mike had to hit me first. Once that happened, I could defend myself.

"I was just with Harper tonight. She said you were as quick on the draw as your brother. You realize that you have to last more than a minute to satisfy a woman, right?" I asked.

Yep, that did it.

When you get into a fight with someone who isn't trained, there are usually only a couple of styles you see. The first is where they lean back to keep their head from being punched. Cassidy had taught me to sweep their legs to get them on the ground and then go all Krav Maga on their ass. Another style was to bull-rush your opponent. With that, I would use my judo moves to throw them and again get them on the ground.

Mike fancied himself a boxer. When I saw that, I wasn't worried. That was until he jabbed, and I made the mistake of taking that as an opening to close with him. The uppercut all but knocked me out. Mike must have thought he was a professional boxer because he instantly came in for the kill, raining punches down on me.

Mike should have known that I had worked with Cassidy long enough to defend myself. Little head and body movements could negate wild punches. If I didn't do something soon, though, the cumulative damage would begin to take its toll.

I figured I had taken enough punishment that I could now go on the offensive. I threw a vicious overhand right that hit his left eyebrow, splitting it wide open. Mike staggered back as I closed and threw a left that bloodied his right cheek. Mike suddenly realized that I wasn't going to be a pushover. He made the mistake of standing straight up, which exposed his ribs to me.

Over the last four years, I'd worked on my strength training, quickness, and endurance. I'd also been in a car accident and knew how excruciating it could be to get hit in the ribs. I threw three devastating right hooks into his side, which had Mike crying out in pain. He dropped his elbow to try to protect himself when I came over the top and smashed his nose. I was shocked at how much blood suddenly gushed all over the front of his shirt. For it to bleed that much, I had to have broken it.

"Enough," he begged.

"Did you stop with my brother?" I asked.

Mike knew we both could guess he hadn't.

"Get out of here. If I ever hear you pull something like this again ..." I left hanging.

"It will never happen again," he said and went for the door.

As much as I wanted to beat him senseless, I knew that was a bad idea. My bodycam would show that he started it. I didn't need it to show that I continued to kick his butt after he'd given up.

---

As Mike left, Paul, Cassidy, Tim, and Wolf came in.

"We need to get going. The police have been called," Paul warned me.

He must have been listening to his police scanner app.

"Give me a minute. I need to check on Jill and get her home," I said.

"Okay, but we don't have all night," Paul said. Then he told Cassidy, "Go get the car."

I tossed her the keys and went back to Luke's bedroom.

When I opened the door, I came to a stop. I'd expected to find Jill passed out. What I saw was something entirely different. In fact, I had to step back into the hall for a moment to make sure I wasn't imagining what I was seeing.

I looked back in and confirmed my eyes weren't deceiving me. Jill was in the middle of the bed, blouse gaping open, eyes closed, earbuds plugged into her phone, with her hand down her panties.

I licked my lips as the sexual beast in me held me in place while she squirmed in pleasure. What was it Scarlet said? "Holy sweet baby Jesus riding on a unicorn." I suddenly got what she meant. Jill Lacier was magnificent to behold at that moment.

What should I do? I contemplated my options as I began to breathe hard. I could do the right thing and close the door until she finished. That way, I could act like I never saw my brother's hot girlfriend pleasuring herself. I would take that image to my grave.

Better yet, I could use it to fuel my fantasies when I wanted to pleasure myself late at night. I would have to somehow get my bodycam footage of this out of my security's clutches. They never let me keep the good stuff.

Then I remembered something. Tami always said I shouldn't do the first thing that came to mind. My second through fifth choices were to watch. I won't even mention what number six was. I was sure I would burn in Hell for that one.

Seven, I could go out to the kitchen and down a couple of Jell-O shots. Or ... choice eight was that I could still perv out and watch. Better yet was number nine: I could let Jill know I was here to save her. I contemplated how I might manage to do that.

Mr. Happy and the Sexual Beast both had some fantastic ideas that would definitely alert her to my presence. All that stopped me was that I was sure it would embarrass her to be caught in the act.

Or ... I could watch.

The big brain finally figured out that the evil twins were distracting me into inaction. Mr. Happy and the Sexual Beast had paralyzed me so they could watch. At least, that was the story I was going to tell if anyone caught me.

Jill was getting close to her goal, as evidenced by her biting her lower lip and pushing her hand in deeper. She was almost angrily abusing herself. Jill then reached up and pushed open her blouse, so I got a full view of her breasts.

They were as spectacular as I'd imagined, and when she began to play with her nipple ... let's just say I was a big fan of how Jill pleasured herself. She gasped in short and desperate breaths, and her hips bucked as she twisted in on herself. The moan she let out caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

Jill frantically used both hands to push her jeans off her hips so she had better access. I swear that if her panties had come down, it would have been game over. I found myself rubbing the bulge in my jeans. I resisted the urge to get a grip on myself as I watched her hand gain purchase. Every fiber of my being wanted to come with her.

In the throes of her pleasure, she accidentally flipped her phone over, and I caught a glimpse of the video she was watching. From the shock, I grasped my length, squeezed hard, and moaned with Jill. She was watching my love scene from The Secret Circle. My brother's girlfriend was jilling off to me.

The male ego is a funny thing. Knowing that Jill would use me to help satisfy her masturbatory fantasies was one of the greatest turn-ons I'd ever experienced. The old me might have shared that little tidbit with my friends. It would kill me not to tease my brother about this little factoid.

Surprisingly, learning what she was doing with my video allowed the big brain to reengage and keep me under control. That didn't mean that Mr. Happy wasn't impersonating a steel rod trying to rip through my jeans. I shuddered when Jill finally reached her goal, and her eyes popped open.

Jill shrieked and promptly fell off the bed when she saw me in the doorway. I walked around the side of the bed as she frantically worked to get her shirt and jeans back in place.

"You okay?" I asked as I grasped her wrist to help her stand up.

Jill jerked her earbuds out. I could tell she was either stoned or drunk, as she almost fell again. The look of confusion in her eyes made me worry she might bolt. I made gentle noises like Zoe had taught me to use with a young colt that wasn't sure of people yet as I tried to tame it.

Mr. Happy wrenched control of the body. I pulled her hand up to my lips, sucked her fingers into my mouth, and closed my eyes as I tasted Jill. That was the closest I would ever get to that glorious pussy. When I opened them, she just blinked and then began to giggle, which broke the tension.

"You really are a pervert," she drawled as she accused me.

I gave her a lopsided grin. What could I say to that?

Then it was as if everything from tonight came rushing back to her, and Jill collapsed on the floor.

"Oh, God. You warned me."

"Come on. Let's get you home," I urged her.

Jill was dazed as I led her out. Paul, Wolf, and Tim worked to get us through the thinning crowd. When the police arrived, the horde had scattered. I guess college kids were the same as high schoolers in that regard. Cassidy was able to pull up to the building. I saw Dumpster Girl in the front seat with her. She'd stayed at my brother's place while I'd taken care of Luke and Mike.

Cassidy got out and helped Jill into the car. I turned to Wolf and Tim.

"Thanks for having my back," I said, shaking their hands.

"No problem," Wolf said.

"How mad is Tami?" Tim asked.

"Dude. Don't get me in the middle of that mess. Suck it up and call her," I suggested.

"Are we okay?" Tim asked.

"What did I say I would do if you ever hurt her?" I asked.

He hung his head, and Wolf looked worried.

"Look. I'm not cool with what went down. Even so, it matters that you both showed up when I needed you. Give me some time to sort it out for myself."

They relaxed a bit.

"Tell the guys I appreciate them showing up, too," I said.

"We'll take care of it. I need to get home," Tim said.

---

Jill's dad wasn't happy when I dropped her off. I shared with him how Phil had defended her, which calmed him down some. I was betting there would be hell to pay come morning. I didn't tell him that I suspected someone had given Jill some sort of drug. Much as I was tempted to, because the repercussions for Mike and Luke would've been severe, the consequences for Jill would've been almost as bad.

Our next stop was Cassidy. I got out of the car and told Paul to take Dumpster Girl home, and that I would walk to my house. I still hadn't learned her name.

Cassidy looked at me funny when I followed her into the house.

"I need to talk to your dad," I said.

"Why?"

"He and I need to straighten something out."

That didn't make her happy, but she went and got her dad.

"Coach."

"What can I do for you, David?"

"Your rule about Cassidy only going on group dates needs to stop."

"Son, I hate to say this, but she is my daughter and ..."

"Just listen to me for a minute," I said to cut him off. "Cassidy isn't a little girl anymore. Both you and I know that none of her dates are ever going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to happen. And tonight, she got dumped because she can't even go out alone with her boyfriend on Valentine's Day."

"Don broke up with her?" Coach Hope asked, clearly dumbfounded.

"Yeah," I said and sighed. "She's pretty torn up about it."

"If this was a big deal, why didn't Cassidy tell me?"

"Because you're her dad, and she looks up to you and wants to please you. I want her to keep looking up to you, but that won't happen in the long run if you keep this up. I know you want to protect her, but what you're doing is stifling her and stunting her social growth."

Coach shook his head and frowned for a second, processing what I'd said.

"Okay. I'll talk to Cassidy about it," he assured me.

I was halfway down the drive when the front door burst open, and suddenly I had my little ninja in my arms.

"Thank you."

I chuckled. For as bad as this day had been, at least something good had come out of it.

"You're welcome. Now you better get back inside before your dad decides he needs to track me down."

"Daddy would never hurt you," she said and then bounded back into the house.

I knew he was about to change his dating rules for her. There was no way he could say 'no' now. No father could when they saw how happy their little girl was.

---