Wyatt
Cole turns to face me, and I'm close enough now to smell the sharp acidic scent of the rotten apple I beaned him with moments ago. He swipes a hand across the back of his neck where the fruit burst, only to fling fetid bits of pulp and peel at my face.
Bold and stupid.
The prick even has the audacity to smile as he takes a step toward me. "Haven't you had enough? Haven't you done enough?" Cole growls, so low I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can hear him. We're about a dozen yards from the crowd now, having wandered off toward the apple grove.
All around us are the faces of anxious onlookers, undoubtedly hungering for a fistfight over Wynn's honor.
I won't oblige them.
"Colby wasn't enough for you, huh?" Cole continues, shoving me in the chest. "You just had to have Wynn, too. That's pathetic and selfish."
"Seriously, Cole?" I hiss, regaining my footing. "Wynn and I have never been a thing!"
"Well, neither have we been!" he spits. "And now I know it was because of you! You're the reason she turned me down. You have to be..." I see regret written all over his sour face, along with something else.
I'd know that dopey look anywhere.
"Hell," I say, incredulous. "You're in love with her?" I thought it was nothing but a friends with benefits scenario. Shit just got interesting.
His fist collides with my eye socket. "Never," he spews. "Not after you've had her."
"Dammit, you idiot!" I huff, clutching my eye. That's definitely gonna leave a mark. He's lucky I'm not in the mood to fight back, 'cause he'd be sorry.
"Babe!" Colby shouts from behind me, and I hear multiple sets of footsteps approaching. Hot on Colby's heels are Wynn and Ari. If I weren't hella pissed right now, I might laugh at the site of a sparkly vampire, Jolly Green Giant and Playboy bunny hurtling toward me. There's nothing funny about this though.
"Babe, are you—are you alright?" Colby pants, breathless from her sprint to reach me. She touches my eye gently, assessing the damage blooming beneath the white makeup.
"I'm fine," I say, grimacing as her fingers brush my bruising face.
"I'm sorry, Wyatt," Wynn breathes when she reaches us. She glances Cole's way, hurt filling her deep brown eyes as a fresh round of rejection washes over her.
"What was that, asshole?" Ari roars, stalking toward an indignant Cole, who squares his shoulders, unafraid of Ari's posturing. I decide I'd better put a stop to this before it becomes an all-out brawl.
"Hold up!" I bellow, bringing everybody up short. A hush falls over our gathered classmates, eager for the imminent fallout to ensue. Only I'm gonna do my very best to disappoint them all. It's none of their business.
"Look, Cole," I continue. "Wynn and I have never been together. Everybody in this damn county knows I've been desperately in love with Colby for my whole life. What kind of dummy would throw that away?" I gesture toward the prettiest girl in all of Texas, and Colby smiles shyly.
"The kind of dummy that made a mistake while the girl he was pining over was getting with me," Cole grumbles. "The kind of dummy who's jealous." He turns, striding away from the four of us in frustration, muttering obscenities.
"Right, okay," I growl. "Go ahead, Cole, walk away!" What a ridiculously stubborn bastard. I kick at the dirt with the toe of my boot, sending it spraying in Cole's retreating direction. I dunno how many more ways I can explain things to that dense dickhead. All I can figure is that he's got to come around eventually.
"Are you alright, Wynn?" Colby asks, and I hear the caution in her tone. She throws an arm around Wynona's shoulders, tugging her close.
"I'm fine," Wynn sighs. "I mean really, what did I expect after all those rumors flying around? This was bound to happen. My turning down of a relationship between us didn't help matters either."
"This will resolve," Colby says, smiling that big beautiful smile of hers in encouragement. "He just needs time. It's a lot to digest."
"Yeah, no kidding," Wynn scoffs, her hand landing softly on her abdomen. "And soon, he'll have even more of me to love." She frowns, and Colby snickers.
"Oh, please Wynn," Ari says, smiling widely. "You'll be the hottest pregnant chick I'll have ever seen. C'mon, let's bust a move and deal with all this shit tomorrow."
Ah, the ever-present tension reducer. He's in full-on charm mode. Wynn nods, a reluctant grin spreading across her face as Ari grabs her hand, leading her back toward the makeshift dance floor. "Get some ice on that shiner, Wyatt!" Ari tosses over his shoulder. "Your face is gettin' uglier by the second."
"Thanks for backing me up, veggie boy," I reply. He turns to face me briefly, saluting before he returns his attention to Wynn. Lifelong friends like Ari are hard to come by. How I ended up with a half dozen of them is beyond me.
"Do you wanna go home?" Colby asks, wrapping herself around me as she glances at my swollen face. "That looks like it hurts."
"Nah," I say, folding my arms around her tiny frame. "Let's stay and have some fun. This is the last year we get to do this."
She frowns. I don't think she realized.
"You're right," she agrees. "We better make the best of it then."
...
One hayride, two apple ciders, and six dances later, and the night is finally looking up. I haven't been to the Harvest Festival with B since our freshmen year. I'd forgotten what a riot she is.
"We're going to the pie eating contest next," she decrees, her eyes alight with humor when she sees my expression.
"You are gonna eat an entire pie while being timed?" I ask skeptically. "You're the slowest eater I've ever met. It takes you an hour to finish a hamburger!"
"That's why you're doing it," she declares, patting my cheek adoringly. "Win me that big stuffed giraffe sitting over there. That's the next prize."
I spy the four-foot tall reward that has suddenly become my nemesis, perched at the end of a table covered in various berries and crust crumbles from all the previous rounds. I eye my classmates, faces covered in purple and red berry stains, rolling about in agony in the dirt. Guess that's what happens when you eat a ten-inch pie in two minutes. It ain't worth it.
But I'm gonna do it anyway.
"Okay," I concede.
"Babe!" she squeals, stretching up to kiss me on the shiner-free cheek. "I love you."
"I must love you somethin' fierce, considering what I'm about to do," I return, grinning. I take her in my arms, kissing her to pieces as she giggles away.
What in the hell did I do to deserve this perfection? Only the good Lord knows that. I owe him one heck of a thank you for this life of mine.
I saddle up a few minutes later, taking my place at the picnic table. A blueberry pie is placed before me, and it smells great. Suddenly, I'm not so sure this'll be that bad.
"Do work, darlin'!" Colby shouts from behind me. Onlookers have to stand several feet away, to avoid the spray of juices from the furious race.
"I've got this, baby," I assert smugly, taking in my competition. This should be a piece of cake.
"Confident much?" Homer Kingston says, raising his eyebrows defiantly.
"Hell, yeah," I press. "You don't scare me, Meatloaf." Yep, that's his nickname. Three guesses as to why.
He laughs heartily shaking his head, and I know it's on. All in good fun, though. He's my teammate and a highly desired offensive lineman. It's easy to think of three schools that want him on their team next year without even trying. I smile tightly, working to maintain my composure. Tonight he's dressed as the stay-puft marshmallow man from Ghostbusters. Needless to say, I'm struggling right about now.
"Alright, y'all," Adelaide Barnes hollers, bringing a much-needed distraction. "Clasp your hands behind you! If you unclasp you're disqualified!" She makes eye contact with each of us, conveying the sincerity of her instruction.
"Your only utensil is your mouth," she continues, pausing for the hoots and derogatory remarks that flow forth from those gathered to observe our shenanigans. She smiles politely, but I can tell she's annoyed by the interruption. "You have two minutes to consume as much pie as you can. The winner will be the person that finishes first or has the least amount remaining at the end of the two minutes. Good luck!"
"Good luck, Cullen," Homer snorts, his face hovering mere inches from his pie.
"Same, Meatloaf," I reply, taking up position.
"Three, two, one, go!" Adelaide yelps.
It's everywhere. Berries fill my mouth, my nose. They spill down the bib they put around my neck and pour over the edges of the dish. All around me I hear lips smacking, jaws working—the sounds of chewing that grate on my last nerve. That's a noise I've always despised and it's in stereo right now.
I chew as fast as I can, averting my eyes from the frenzied carnage occurring all around me. I focus only on the plate before me, methodically working from left to right and front to back. I'm through a solid half of the pie already, and it settles heavily within me.
Push, asshole.
I've got about a quarter of a pie left when the unthinkable happens.
"Done!"
"Little Ronnie Weeks?" Homer mutters around a mouthful of pie. "How in the flying blue f—"
"Can it, Meatloaf," Ronnie pipes up, and that punk has some balls. He's about a third of the size of Homer, but you'd never know it now watching him puff his meager chest out. "I win!"
"Gah!" I groan, dropping backward into the dirt. I spin to my side, holding my swelling gut. "Damn, this was a bad idea."
"You were awesome!" Colby croons, kneeling beside me. "You were this close!" She pinches her fingers together over my face. She offers both hands then, helping me slowly to my feet. "Your face," she snickers.
"Oh yeah?" I say, tugging her close and smothering her face with kisses that stain her cheeks purple. B doesn't even try to fight it, she's simply breathless with laughter. "Now it's your face, too."
"We still match then," she says, snaking an arm around my waist. "Now we're purple sparkly vampires. Oh, wait that's my phone."
I didn't hear it ring but see a picture of her younger brother Luke on the screen when she answers. She hasn't even said a word when Luke's frantic voice comes pouring through the speaker. I can't quite make out what he's saying, but B's face falls as he continues.
"Mama?" Colby whispers. "We'll come get you and head straight over." She ends the call, eyes shining with building tears. She swipes a hand over her forehead.
"B?" I say. I don't wanna push her, but the distress is palpable.
"Mama's headed to the hospital in an ambulance," she says quietly. Her eyes fall closed, and the tears trickle over her cheeks steadily. "They wouldn't take Luke in the back because they didn't want him watching what they'll have to do to her."
"Come here," I say, folding her shaking form into my arms.
"What if this is it?" she mumbles into my chest.
"Stop," I say, stepping back and grasping her shoulders in my hands. I look into her sorrowful blue eyes, willing myself not to crack under the stress of the situation. "Let's go get your brother, and let's not borrow trouble."
"Yes," she says sharply, and I see her transition into business mode. This is the Colby that handles the brutality of the world around her—the one that doesn't feel. She can't be this version of herself for long though.
"C'mon," I say, grabbing her by the hand.
We leave the freedom and fun of the evening behind, moving headlong back into our reality.