Even if the stars and moon collide
I never want you back into my life
Chapter 03 ~ Really Don't Care
Trey Carter
I woke up on the floor, again.
This time, it was under strangely similar circumstances. My hearing was impaired, most likely due to the incredibly loud dance music pounding through my ears. With a stubborn struggle, I peeled my eyes open, only to be greeted by a pair of feet placed in bright red converse sneakers. I tried to crane my neck to see the source of the sneakers, but that only resulted in a sharp pain ripping through my spine, so I gave up.
"Would you get up already?" I heard a voice say. It was definitely male, but I didn't recognize it.
I let out a frustrated groan.
The man sighed. "Oh, for the love of God!"
The next thing I felt was the collar of my shirt tightening. It took me a few moments to realize it was because the person was pulling me up by my shirt. I wanted to scream in protest but my throat was too dry to produce any coherent sound. All I was able to muster were a few grunts and moans, but nothing that did me any good.
This was exactly why I didn't get drunk!
The man managed to lift me far enough off the floor to position me onto a bar stool. It was then I was able to see his face; he was older - much older - older than my dad, old. Yet, he was looking at me with curious eyes as though he was expecting me to say something.
"You passed out in the middle of the dance floor," he noted. "Had to get you outta there before your parents sue this place, even though their underage kid put this on himself."
"What? How did I—" I stopped mid-sentence when all of my memories came flooding back, hitting me like a fucking tsunami.
Owen had stopped by my house to return my dildo, then he insisted that we go out to a nightclub. I drank, but he barely drank anything, which was really weird. I pulled him to the dance floor and then I...
Oh, God.
My stomach tightened and I doubled over to prepare myself for what was about to come.
"Do not vomit on my counters!" the man basically screamed. I scowled at him, but still swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. He let out a disapproving huff, then he turned his attention to the counter as he wiped it down with a damp cloth.
I glanced over my shoulder to take a peek at the dance floor. My jaw dropped when I realized the club was relatively empty aside from a few workers who were doing their best to clean up the floors, but the music was still alive as ever.
"What time is it?" I questioned as a frown slowly crept onto my face.
"Four in the morning," the bartender said without meeting my gaze. "I would've left a long time ago, but I had to wait for you to wake up."
My brows knitted together. "Where's Owen?"
"Don't know who that is."
Frown deepening, I dug my hand into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone and wallet. Since that asshole decided to leave me alone in a club where I knew no one, it was clear that I'd have to find my own way back home. My first thought was to call a cab, so I immediately checked my wallet to see how much money I had. To my surprise, the emergency cash that I always kept on me - 80 dollars - was gone.
I blinked, feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous, and the loud music wasn't doing much to help my headache. I needed to get out of here.
Since a cab was out of the question, I reached for my phone to call Scar. He didn't pick up the first time, not like I had expected him to, but I kept calling until he finally did.
Except it wasn't his voice on the other line. "What the fuck do you want, Trey?"
I rolled my eyes. It would've been stupid to think that Scar wasn't with Jamie. Ever since they met at the kissing booth a year ago, Jamie slowly began to replace me as Scar's right-hand man. I don't think that Scar ever realized it, but it actually hurt to know we weren't as close as we used to be.
"I need to talk to Scar."
"He's sleeping," he retorted.
"I know, but I need to talk to him. It's important."
Jamie sighed in frustration, but he eventually complied. The first thought that entered my mind when Scar's voice flowed into my ears was that he had one of the sexiest voices in the entire world - deep and rough.
"Trey, it's four in the morning," he noted.
"Yeah, I know, I just need a ride home. I went to a club with a dude and he got me drunk, then he ditched me and I have no money to call a cab and my parents are—"
"Trey," he drew out. "I'll be there. Just text me the address."
A sigh of relief escaped my lips. "God, thank you!"
"Uh huh," he responded, then hung up the phone.
As soon as I got the chance, I texted him all the necessary details and slid off the bar stool. My body was undeniably hurting, but it was nothing compared to the pain of betrayal in my chest. I knew I shouldn't have trusted Owen, but I managed to put myself in harm's way just because he was sorta attractive.
But I learned my lesson: don't ever date racist guys.
Desperately stumbling out of the club to relieve myself of my throbbing headache, I stepped onto the sidewalk and leaned against the nearest wall, wrapping my arms around myself and watching the streets for any sign of Scar's jeep.
In just two days time, I had thrown a huge birthday party, slept with someone I couldn't remember, got a tattoo, bought a dildo, got beaten up, met a stranger who stitched me up and took me to a club, only to get me hammered enough to completely pass out just so he could steal my money.
My first two days of adulthood were just dandy!
"Hey, you're still alive!" I heard a familiar voice call out. Sure enough, when I turned my head to meet the voice, I saw Owen lurking in the darkness with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. As he neared closer to me, I found myself being swarmed with a wave of anger. I swore to myself that if he got any closer, I would punch him in the face.
And that was exactly what I did when he stopped just a few feet away from me, wearing a conceited grin.
He stumbled backwards, clutching his jaw. "What the fuck! You little..." He advanced toward me and gripped onto my neck with both hands, his nails digging into my flesh. Out of pure instinct, I grabbed onto his wrists in a pathetic attempt to release his hold on me, but that only made his forest green eyes flare with anger. He shook me roughly and threw me against the brick wall. My body hit the wall so hard that I couldn't stand anymore, so I slumped onto the asphalt.
Owen laughed. "Look at you, kid. You're so fucking helpless. You should be grateful. If I hadn't saved your ass..."
His words washed over me. I couldn't find it in myself to listen to him. All I knew was that I really, really hated him.
I lunged at his feet, grabbing them so he would topple to the ground. As soon as I saw the opportunity, I hovered over him and pinned him down with one hand while using the other to punch him repeatedly. He fought under my control, but my growing rage was enough to keep him subdued.
"You fucking asshole!"
Right when his nose started to bleed, he kneed me in the gut and pushed me off him. Instead of getting his revenge, he crawled as far away from me as possible, groaning in agony. "Fuck, kid. Over eighty bucks?"
I wanted to go at him again, but the side effects of my hangover had already gotten to me. I tried to hold it back, but it seemed as though my stomach had a mind of its own. In just seconds, I puked onto the cold asphalt.
I caught a glimpse of Owen's disgusted facial expression. Blood spilled out of his nose at a steady rate, but he didn't seem to mind it. "Gross, dude."
I rolled my eyes so deep into my sockets that it hurt. "I hate you."
He scoffed. "I hate you, too. You're a dick."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "I'm a dick? You stole my money and left me passed out on the floor!"
Owen wiped his nose with the back of his hand and tugged out a silver flask from his pocket, obnoxiously waving it in the air. "You people always try to play the victim." He took a swig of the alcoholic beverage and set it down beside him, a smug grin plastered onto his face.
"I am the victim!" I yelled.
"Not really," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "You're the one who tried to give me all your gay shit by forcing yourself on me."
"I'm not gay," I spat for the millionth time that day.
Owen sighed. "Look, kid, I felt bad for ditching you, so I came back to give you the money and take you home. The least you can do is say thank you."
"For what?" I cried out in exasperation. "That's like telling a burglar thank you for returning the stuff he stole!"
He wasn't the least bit fazed by my whirlwind of emotions. He just continued to stare me down with that piercing gaze of his while he took occasional sips from his drink. "You're still an ungrateful piece of shit."
I let my eyelids flutter shut so that I could regain my composure. I felt a sudden urge to punch him again, but somehow, I managed to refrain from doing so. Instead, I sat up and took a deep breath. "So are you gonna give it back to me?"
Owen raised a brow.
"My money."
He grinned as he gestured to the flask. "I already spent it on my way here. Needed something to drink."
"There's no way it cost that much."
He nodded. "It didn't. I bought a dildo, too."
I narrowed my eyes at him, scowling. After everything I had done to him, he still found the courage to mock me? There was something seriously wrong with this guy, I concluded, and I really didn't want to stick around to find out what it was.
Owen seemed to notice my sudden change in mood, because his shoulders fell in defeat. With a long sigh, he fished out a wad of cash from his pocket and threw it into the pool of puke. "There ya go, kid. See? I'm nice."
I opened my mouth to retaliate, but the sound of a car's horn grabbed my attention. I snuck a peek over my shoulder to see that Scar's orange jeep had pulled along the curb and he was rushing over to my side, eyes wide in shock.
"Shit, Trey! What the hell happened?" He knelt down beside me and hooked his arms through mine to lift me up.
Owen was smiling. "Is this the girlfriend you were talking about?"
Scar lifted his head to look at him. "What?"
I simply rolled my eyes as I slipped off my jacket and used it to grab hold of the wad of cash. "Just ignore him. He's an ultimate jackass."
Scar gave me a slight nod as he helped me into the Jeep, but he kept looking over his shoulder at Owen. Eventually, he circled around the car and slipped into the driver's side, getting the car started as soon as possible. But before he drove, he turned to face me with a worried look written all over his blue-green eyes. "Do you want to call the police?"
I glanced out the window at Owen, who was still sitting against the wall with his silver flask in hand. He still hadn't done anything about his bloody nose.
Shaking my head, I said, "I just want to go home and sleep for eternity."
Scar chuckled at that. "Alright. To the Carter residence, it is." He pushed the gear into drive and didn't hesitate to press on the gas, zooming onto the highway in the matter of minutes.
* * *
I felt something warm beside me, setting my body ablaze in a wave of heat. I could vaguely remember getting home at around six in the morning, struggling to climb the stairs, and finally plopping onto my lovely, king-size bed. Sleep plagued my body shortly after and I would say it was the best sleep I had ever gotten in a long while.
When I opened my eyes, it was morning. The sunlight was still peeping through the blinds, evading my room, even though the curtains were closed. I groaned at the eyesore of lights and turned onto my side, only to have my heart stop beating when I saw a female sitting beside me, staring back at me with curious, green eyes. I was going to make a note of our strangely close proximity, but I stopped myself when I realized I had no idea who this girl was or how she could've gotten into my house.
"W-who are you?" I stammered out as I inched away from her.
The girl's mouth fell open as she slapped a hand over her forehead. "Oh, right! I forgot we haven't actually formally met." She held out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Alexa."
I stared blankly at her hand. "How'd you get in my house?"
Alexa slumped her shoulders. "Your parents let me in."
"My parents?" I questioned. "My parents are back?" In one swift move, I tore myself from the sheets wrapped around me and practically sprinted to the bedroom door. Before I continued, however, I whipped back around to look at the girl. "Why are you here?"
Alexa pouted. "Oh, um, well I thought after what we did on Friday, you'd—"
"What!" I yelled in a sharp whisper. "What did we do on Friday?" I already knew where this conversation was heading, but I was silently hoping that it wouldn't go there.
She folded her hands in her lap. "We had sex."
I heard my heart shatter. Suddenly, my brain felt fuzzy and every time I opened my mouth to say something, I quickly closed it when I realized I didn't know what to say.
How the hell did this happen? Sure, I was drunk and sure, Scar forgot to look out for me like he promised he would, but how could I have been so careless to sleep with a girl? Even worse, a girl that I didn't even know!
Don't get me wrong, she was pretty. Her green eyes stood out against her golden brown skin. She had a cute little button nose with tiny, but noticeable, freckles and pink lips that stretched into a breathtaking smile; but sleeping with her would only open a can of worms. Hell, she had already came into my house uninvited!
"Trey?" she prompted with a perfectly arched raised eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
I stumbled backwards until my back hit the door. "Yeah, yeah m'fine. I'm just ... you ... I'm ... we ..."
"It was just sex," she concluded. "Yeah, I get it. I don't know why I would think any different. I mean, any guy that looks like you is bound to be an asshole, right?"
I gave her a skeptical look, but I agreed anyway. "Right..."
She smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter if you remember it or not, but the sex was great. Thanks for pleasuring me the way you did. It was a thousand times better than my ex-boyfriend ever did."
I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. "You're welcome?"
She stood to her feet and sauntered over to me. "Maybe we can do it again sometime. If you don't want any strings attached, that's fine by me. I'm willing to be your fuck buddy." She closed the space between us and ran a finger along my chest.
I gulped. "Um, Alexa, actually you—"
She snaked her hands around my waist and pushed them into the back pocket of my jeans. "Left my number in your pocket," she stated just as she retracted her hands. "Call me whenever you're lonely."
I really should've told her that I wasn't interested, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I figured I could just agree to her demands, but never follow up on them.
Which is exactly what I did. "Sure."
Alexa smiled again. "Awesome." She patted my chest and moved around me to slip into the hallway.
I waited until I could no longer hear her footsteps to press myself against the door and stare blankly at the chandelier hanging in the middle of the room.
Great. I got all the unwanted attention from girls and the only male attention I got was from a racist guy who got turned on by being a major asshole.
Life's great.
I released a strangled chuckle laced with pure irony and shuffled out of my room. I continued to laugh at myself until I reached the foot of the grand staircase and saw my parents conversing in the family room.
"Thanks for telling me you were home!" I raised my voice to let them be aware of my presence.
My mom whipped around, her long blonde hair following the movement. As soon as she saw me, she ran towards me and brought me into a tight, motherly hug. "Trey, honey, we missed you!"
"I missed you, too, ma."
My dad cleared his throat, letting us know that he was going to speak. He adjusted the position of his glasses on the rim of his nose and set a stack of folders on the coffee table. "That girl that came to see you, she's real pretty. Maybe you should have her over for dinner sometime so we can get to know her."
I frowned. "Dad, she's not my girlfriend."
My mom placed his hands on her hips and gave me a disapproving look. "Well, why not? She's gorgeous! And she's just your type."
I squinted at them. They really had no idea what my type was because Alexa was anything other than my type.
"You better get a girlfriend soon," my dad added with an underlying threat in his voice. "I don't want anyone to think you're one of those gays."
I sighed. "Okay, Dad. It's nice to see you, too."
My mom rolled her eyes. "You know your father is only joking, but we are a little bit concerned. You never tell us about any of the girls you like."
"Because you guys are never here," I snapped. That seemed to shut her up. Her lips pressed together tightly as she stood up straight and exchanged glances with my dad.
A moment of silence ticked by and I gave up all hope of ever having any real family bonding time. My parents didn't even know the real me, partly because I chose not to tell them how I felt about boys and partly because they never cared enough to ask.
Scar lost his father in a car accident and his mother suffered several alcohol relapses, but she loved him way more than both of my parents ever loved me. I could never quite understand how my own parents could feel like strangers.
The tension between us was almost tangible. My mom certainly didn't like the silence, so she clapped her hands together and tried to change the subject. "How about we enjoy a nice family breakfast?" Her smile was back on her face as she sashayed into the kitchen to bother our personal cook. "Rita! Trey feels like eating pancakes!"
I stood still and watched as my dad overlooked some papers. He wasn't even paying any attention to me anymore, because work was way more important.
I gave an inward sigh and turned on my heel, fully intending to lock myself in my room and laugh over how horrible my life was.
________
a/n: So it's been a while, but I came back with another update! I think this might be my favorite KB book yet and I know I say that every single book, but I really mean it this time. Both of the main characters have backgrounds that shape who they are and I'm so excited to play with those backgrounds and watch these characters come to life.
Anyway, so my question for you guys is what do you think of Trey's parents? How do you think Owen will help him accept himself?
I know updates have been kinda slow lately, but it's honestly because school is keeping me really busy. I'm trying my best not to make you guys go too long without an update, but you gotta understand my schedule. When summer comes, updates will be much faster!
If you enjoyed this chapter, then please leave a comment and vote! Random commenters get dedications!
Until next time,
Lara <3