Chapter 9

Georgina

PJ saunters back downstairs after having disappeared with Katy about fifteen minutes ago, a toothy grin plastered on his face.

“Yo, girls! Think your friend needs a little...uh...assistance upstairs.” He tips a little salute and walks out the back door.

Macy and Robyn pull away from the pseudo-lesbian display they have been putting on in front of Drew and giggle before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of Jake’s lap.

I look pleadingly back at my best friend, holding my hand out toward him, but he just laughs, shaking his head, and follows Drew out into the backyard after PJ.

We find Katy upstairs in the bathroom, giggling drunkenly, her cheeks flushed and her hair messy.

“Oh. My. Gawd! You guys!” She grabs Macy and Robyn’s hands and leads them into my bedroom.

I follow slowly, trying to be inconspicuous in looking around to see if I can see any sign of sex having taken place in my sanctum.

~Thank the lord my bed is still perfectly made.~

~

“So PJ definitely lives up to the stereotype of the BBC.”

The three blondes collapse in a laughing heap on my bed. Seeing the frown on my face, Macy clarifies for me. “It means Big Black Cock. I can’t believe you’re still so innocent, Gina.”

“And he really knows how to use his hands…”

I wrinkle my nose in disgust and quickly make my way back downstairs and away from yet another graphic conversation I don’t want to be a part of.

I find the boys all outside smoking. Jake throws me the tin I gave him a couple of Christmases ago to keep his weed in, and I help myself to a perfectly rolled joint.

Jake spent hours watching YouTube videos on how to roll the perfect joint after embarrassing himself in front of the stoners at his school when his first blunt unraveled when he’d tried to light it.

After spending some time smoking and shooting the shit with Jake, I notice that AJ has disappeared back inside.

~Probably past his bedtime.~

~

I say goodnight to Jake and trudge tiredly upstairs.

Walking up to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I push open the door to find AJ leaning up against the vanity unit with Robyn kneeling in front of him, obviously pleasuring him with her mouth.

I feel my cheeks rage as his eyes open and meet mine. He grunts slightly, the muscles of his stomach tensing, and I hear Robyn gag.

~Oh no freaking way did AJ fucking McGabe just come looking into my eyes! So gross!~

~

I slam the door shut and press my back up against the wall, my chest heaving with the embarrassment of what just transpired.

The door reopens a few seconds later, and AJ walks out and back downstairs, not noticing me standing there.

I can hear Robyn being sick in the bathroom, so I grab Macy and Katy from my bedroom, and we go to check on her.

“Robyn, why do you insist on going down when it always makes you puke? It’s disgusting.” Macy wrinkles her nose as Robyn rinses her mouth with water straight from the faucet.

“It’s not my fault he bolted in my mouth without any warning. It’s only the taste that makes me get ill, not the act itself.” Robyn rinses and spits again, a shudder running down her spine.

I grab her a spare toothbrush, and she smiles gratefully.

We settle ourselves back in my room, Katy and I sharing my queen bed with Macy and Robyn sharing a double air mattress on the floor.

In the flickering light of the television, we listen to the boys come upstairs and settle in Jake’s room next door.

“I hate it when guys shoot their load with no prior warning.” Katy giggles next to me, and Macy soon joins her.

“I mean, it’s bad enough that they feel the need to push us down by the back of the head, but a little warning is all I ask for,” Robyn huffs.

“I blame porn.” The girls all hum in agreement with Macy’s statement.

I stay quiet.

“I mean, have you watched those disgusting videos of guys shoving their dicks so far down the throats of their partners that they gag all over them?

“If that’s what guys think we like, it’s no wonder they spare no thought to not telling us when they are about to finish.”

My friends continue to talk about this subject until I feel my throat start to clench and my stomach turn at the thought of some of the awful things they are describing.

I excuse myself to escape downstairs to get myself a glass of water, hoping they’ll have moved off this topic by the time I come back.

Standing lit in the streetlight pouring through the kitchen window, I’m surprised to find AJ filling his own glass.

I grab a glass from the cupboard and angrily push past him to get to the sink, making him stumble backward.

“What’s your problem?” He growls when water sloshes out onto his bare foot.

“My problem? My problem is that you left my friend when she was being sick because of you…” I trail off, feeling my cheeks heat in embarrassment.

He catches my hesitation and smirks. “Because of me…?” He quirks an eyebrow.

I try to focus on filling my glass, but my hand shakes a little.

He leans a little closer to me. “Because I came in her mouth.” He says, conspiringly.

“You’re such an asshole.” I push him again, trying to ignore the hard muscles I can feel under his sweatshirt.

“Your friend just needs to work on her gag reflex. I’ll happily keep teaching her…you too if you want.” He winks and smirks again as he downs the rest of his water and walks back upstairs, leaving me standing with my mouth open.

~Arrogant little douchebag sexist prick…as if I’d let him anywhere near me!~

~

***

Katy studies the collection of family photos with which I covered the wall behind my bed.

She’s aww-ing over the pictures of Jake and me when we were little kids, when I was taller than him, and my hair was a brighter red, when he was going through that awkward, gawky stage just before puberty properly set in.

Macy’s mom has already picked up Macy and Robyn to go get ready for their gymnastics meet, and Katy is waiting for her brother still.

“How come you don’t have any photos of your mom?” she asks, scanning the rest of the wall.

I blanch at her inquiry and suddenly become very interested in my fingernails.

“Bad divorce? It’s okay; my mom is a complete bitch.” Katy walks over and sits on the side of the bed with me.

“She ran off with the pool boy, like total fucking cliché. But my dad seems happier now, so it’s whatever. I just dodge her phone calls.” She laughs without humor.

“My mom…um…she died.” I force out quietly, kind of hoping she doesn’t hear me. Which, of course, she does, flinging her arms tightly around me, pulling my head into her chest.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so, so sorry!” I try not to giggle, given the conversation matter, but her over-the-top reaction tickles me.

“It’s okay. Honestly, it happened a while ago.” I sit back as she appraises me skeptically.

“If that’s really true, how come you’ve never mentioned it before?”

“What was I supposed to say? Hi, my name is Gina, and my mom is dead.”

Katy tries to hold back a smile.

“It just never came up.” I shrug and smile back at her.

“So how did it happen? Was it cancer or…?”

“No, she…um…it was a rail accident.” My smile drops. Katy gasps at my confession. I wring my hands in my lap. It’s been ages since I’ve had to tell anyone.

“It’s why we moved here. It was too hard to see the pity on everyone’s faces when we were out, and my dad just couldn’t move forward…” I trail off as a lump forms in my throat, and tears cloud my vision.

Katy grips my hand as I take a few deep breaths. The obnoxious beep of a car horn outside breaks our moment, and she grimaces apologetically.

“That’s Callum, sorry, but I can’t keep him waiting, or he’ll just leave without me,” she says, standing and pulling me up into a hug.

“It’s okay, really.” She gives me one last squeeze and grabs her bag.

~Maybe it’s not so bad to let my friends get closer to the real me.~

~

I hide in my room until I hear Jake and his friends get up and relocate downstairs noisily. I sneak across to the bathroom to have a shower.

I wrap myself in the biggest towel I can find, but it still barely covers my ass, and make my way back to my bedroom.

~Thanks, Jake, for using all the big bath sheets…again!~

~

“Looking ~good,~ ~Evans! Woo!”

I jump and spin around to find PJ leaning on the banister at the bottom of the stairs, grinning up at me, his white teeth in stark contrast to his dark skin.

My cheeks flush as I try to pull the towel tighter around me, hoping he can’t see underneath it from his low position.

He walks up a few steps, still grinning. “That bathroom saw a lot of action last night. Wanna show it some more this morning?”

He raises a thick black eyebrow questioningly. Before I can reply, Jake appears behind him and slaps a heavy hand down on his shoulder.

“See you later, dude, yeah?” Jake doesn’t notice me standing on the landing at first, but his gaze follows PJ’s, and his brow furrows when he sees my state of undress.

“Man, stop perving on George.” He pulls PJ back down the stairs and pushes him out the front door, pretending to kick after him.

After closing the door, he looks back up at me and shrugs, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Boys will be boys, I guess?”

“That’s bullshit, Jake. Your friends are just perverts. Tell them to stay the fuck away from my friends and me.” I rush into my room and slam the door, ignoring his shout for me.

***

“Come on, Georgie.” Jake knocks pathetically on my door, as he has been doing for the last two hours.

It is now Sunday lunchtime, and I ignored him for the rest of Saturday after my last run-in with his friends, only leaving my room to get food when I knew he was otherwise occupied.

Our dads are due to arrive home in a few hours, and Jake knows he’ll be in for it if I am still mad when they get back.

In truth, I stopped being upset last night but decided to drag it out to see what I could get him to agree to. Jake hated it when I was pissed at him.

“What can I do? I’ll buy you ice cream every day for a month. I’ll give you back rubs whenever you ask. I’ll let you paint my nails again…”

I hear him slide against my door, and I choose this moment to open it, making him fall into the room onto his back in surprise. I stand over him with my hands on my hips.

He looks up at me and winks. “Knew you couldn’t stay mad at me for long, Smidge.”

“Who said I’m not mad? I’m only here for the ice cream, back rubs, and nail painting.” I try to step over the pile of boy in my doorway, but he grabs my ankle and pulls me back.

I stumble over his legs and fall on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. I try to get up, but in the jumble of limbs, I end up with my hand dangerously close to his crotch.

Jake looks down and grins. “Aww, Smidge! Never knew you felt that way about me.”

I blush and push him away, groaning.

“Come ‘ere darlin’.” He croaks out in a terrible British accent. He grabs my arm and pulls me down closer before licking up the side of my face and laughing as I try to hit him.

“You’re so gross, Jake!” I scowl as I wipe the drool off my cheek. He grins and pulls me back into a proper hug.

“I’m sorry my friends were jerks to you and your friends.” He squeezes me lightly and helps us both to our feet.

“I told you AJ and his friends were assholes.” I shrug.

“Honestly, they’re actually really cool. I just think they have trouble keeping their dicks to themselves.”

He laughs at my ~ewww~.

“But hey, we’re all just hormonal teenagers. And from what they said, it wasn’t all on them. Your friends are just as bad.”

“I guess.” I sigh deeply and lean my head back against the door frame. “Macy wants to sleep with all the football team before she graduates, so look out for that.”

Jake grimaces. “Yeah, no way is that happening.” He shudders, and I laugh at his extreme reaction, happy that my friend has more taste than testosterone.

“Now, come on, I think I promised the little lady some ice cream?”

***

After cheer practice on Monday afternoon, PJ stops me on my way off the field by shouting for me.

I wait as he jogs across the field to me. I see Macy pause by the doorway to the locker room, watching us.

“Hey, Gina. Look, I wanted to say I’m real sorry about the other day. I was totally out of order.” He actually looks totally remorseful.

“It’s ok. Thanks for apologizing.” I notice Jake standing on the other side of the field, grinning. “Although if you’re only doing this because of Jake…”

“No! I mean, he did threaten to kick my ass, but I was going to anyway.” PJ breaks into a wide grin, and I can’t help but return it. “So I’m having a party on Friday. You should come this time.”

“We’ll see.” I give him my standard answer.