Lilly: A Kensington Family Novel Page 9

  "You went golfing today?" I ask him.

  "Yeah. This afternoon after class. I went with some guys from my floor, including this asshole." He laughs as he nods toward the guy. "This is Vince. Vince this Lilly."

  Vince is about six feet tall and thin, with short dark hair that's spiked up in front. He's dressed in light blue shorts and a white polo shirt, loafers on his feet. He has that preppy look, like Preston, who has on red shorts and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His watch is silver with multiple dials on the face. It looks expensive.

  Vince and I exchange a short hello and then his focus returns to Preston.

  "You're the asshole," he says, kiddingly, to Preston. "Making us buy your drinks? You know how much that fucking bar bill was?"

  Preston holds his beer cup up. "Whoever loses buys the drinks. That's the rule."

  "I can't believe you weren't shitfaced by the time we were done."

  "I can handle my liquor." He swigs back the rest of his beer and fills his cup again.

  "They let you drink?" I ask him. "You're underage."

  "We golfed at a private country club. One of the guys my dad knows owns it. He didn't bother to check our IDs."

  "Pays to have friends in high places," Vince says. "Although the guy could've given us a break on the drink prices."

  "He did. You got a good deal paying what you did. That was top-shelf liquor. He doesn't sell the cheap stuff."

  Preston's acting like a different person tonight, maybe because he's around his friends. He's cocky, and not in a good way. In an unattractive, arrogant way. And I didn't know he drank this much. He told me he wasn't a big drinker.

  Preston and Vince start talking about different brands of golf clubs. My dad and Garret talk about that stuff too and it puts me to sleep. If this is how the rest of the night's going to be, I'm going to be really bored.

  I scan the room, seeing if there's anyone here I know. My eyes stop on Reed. He's talking to a group of people. There's a girl standing next to him. She's shorter than me with petite features and long dark hair.

  I decide to go over and say hi. Preston doesn't even notice when I walk away.

  Reed sees me and smiles. "Hey, Lilly. I didn't know you'd be here." He moves over, making room for me to stand beside him in the group of people circled around him. He introduces everyone, including Erika, the pretty brunette standing next to him. The girl he's dating.

  We spend the next ten minutes telling each other our majors and where we're from, but it's hard to hear people over the loud music. The song changes and some of the girls run off to dance. That causes the guys to disperse, leaving just Erika, Reed, and me, which is awkward.

  I'm about to go find Preston when I feel Reed's hand on my lower back. He leans down so I can hear him. "I'm going to the store down the street to get a soda. You want one?"

  I notice Erika is no longer next to him. She must've slipped away when I wasn't looking. Maybe she's in the bathroom.

  "A soda would be great," I say. "I thought they'd have some here but I can't find any."

  "They only have beer. You want to come with me? It's only a block away."

  I search for Preston. He's in the same spot by the keg, but now he has five guys talking to him. He doesn't seem to have noticed I'm no longer beside him.

  "What about your girlfriend?" I ask Reed.

  "She's not my girlfriend. Come on." His hand is still on my back as he leads me out the front door. "That's better," he says when we're outside. "I couldn't hear in there with the music. The store is this way." He starts down the sidewalk.

  "Isn't Erika going to be mad that you left without telling her?"

  He glances at me. "Isn't Preston going to be mad?"

  "He's talking to his friends. He won't notice I'm gone."

  "I'd notice," he says quietly.

  "You didn't answer my question about Erika."

  "We're not going out. We decided we have nothing in common. We went to dinner and I wanted to talk about art and she wanted to talk about celebrity gossip. She wants to be a publicist. She's from LA. I think I told you that."

  "So you came to the party alone?"

  "Erika asked me to go with her. She didn't think she'd know anyone here but she makes friends easily. She didn't need me to come."

  "You aren't leaving, are you?"

  A slight grin appears. "I hadn't planned to. I'll probably stay another hour. How about you?"

  "I'm not sure yet. Preston probably wants to stay all night, but I'm already bored."

  "Parties tend to be boring unless you're drunk."

  "I can't get drunk. I don't like beer and that's all they had." We wait at the intersection for some cars to go by. "Why aren't you drinking?"

  "I don't drink."

  "Like at all?"

  "Nope." His jaw tightens and his shoulders stiffen. He looks to the left and right, then takes my hand. "Come on." He walks me across the intersection.

  I laugh. "Are you a Boy Scout?"

  "No, why?"

  "Most guys don't hold my hand and help me across the street."

  "I'm not most guys." He releases my hand once we make it across.

  The store is on the corner. He holds the door open for me and we walk to the coolers.

  "Cherry Pepsi?" he asks.

  I scan the long line of coolers filled with different types of drinks. "Look! They have fruit punch!" I jumped a little when I said it.

  Reed's watching me and slowly smiles. "Fruit punch it is." He opens the cooler.

  "I get excited over small things," I say, trying to explain my reaction. "My sister-in-law's the same way. In fact, if she saw this massive assortment of drinks, she'd be jumping on and down just like me."

  "Duly noted." He's still smiling. "If I want to excite you I'll show up with a bottle of fruit punch."

  Him just showing up would excite me. No fruit punch needed. This guy gets my heart racing. Probably because he's so unlike the other guys I've dated; the clean cut rich guys who all seem the same after a while. With his tattoo and longish hair, Reed feels forbidden. And things that are forbidden are always exciting.

  He takes a Mountain Dew for himself, then heads to the snack aisle. "You want anything?"

  "No, thanks. I'm not really hungry."

  "Did your boyfriend take you to dinner?"

  "No. I ate in the dining hall."

  "He should've taken you to dinner," Reed mutters. He grabs a bag of red licorice. "You like licorice?"

  "Love it! And it'll go with the fruit punch." I notice him staring at me. I bite my lip. "I got overly excited again, didn't I?"

  He chuckles. "A little, but candy can do that to a person. Anything else?"

  "No. That's it for me."

  "I'll get the big bag and we can share." He walks to the register.

  I hold his arm. "Let me pay."

  "No. I got it." He pays the cashier and we go back outside. "Here." He gives me my drink, then takes my hand and waits for traffic to clear the intersection. "Okay, let's go." He walks me across the road again, then lets go of my hand. He rips open the package of licorice and offers it to me. "Dig in."

  I pull out a piece and eat it as we walk. "I'm not sure I want to do this every Friday night."

  "Eat licorice and drink fruit punch?"

  "No." I kiddingly smack his arm. "Go to parties. They're kind of boring."

  "Then don't go."

  "What else is there to do on a Friday night?"

  "Go to a movie. A park. The beach. Go out to eat."

  "But everyone else will be at a party."

  "Do you always do whatever everyone else does?"

  "No." I pause. "Well, I guess sometimes I do, but not always."

  "You shouldn't do stuff just because other people are doing it. If you don't want to go to a party, then don't go. Did Preston make you come tonight?"

  "No. I wanted to come. It's my first college party."

  "And you don't like it."

  "Not r
eally." I take a sip of fruit punch. "Maybe if I had some alcohol in me it'd be more fun."

  Reed doesn't respond as he looks straight ahead.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing." He holds the licorice bag up to me. "Better eat some more. We've got a lot here." We arrive back at the house where the party's going on. He sits down on the porch steps. "I'm gonna stay out here for a few minutes. You can go inside if you want."

  "I'm not done with my licorice." I take another piece from the bag and sit beside him. The music inside the house is so loud I feel the bass vibrating the floor boards. "Can I ask you something?"

  "Go ahead." He leans back on his hands, looking out at the dark street.

  "How do you pay for school if your dad isn't around and your mom doesn't work?"

  "You ask a lot of personal questions."

  "Sorry. I normally don't, but for some reason I do with you."

  "Why is that?"

  "I'm not sure." I lean forward, twisting and untwisting the cap on my fruit punch. "You don't have to answer. It's none of my business."

  He finishes his soda, then sets the bottle down. "My dad put some money away for me. He put it in a trust so my mom couldn't access it."

  "So you're a trust fund kid?"

  "It's not like I have millions. Just enough to pay for tuition. He wanted me to go to college."

  "I thought you never saw your dad."

  "I see him three or four times a year. And I talk to him on the phone a couple times a month."

  "Can I ask you another personal question?"

  "Might as well. You're on a roll." He says it jokingly.

  "Is your—"

  "There you are." I hear Willow's voice and see her coming out the door. "I was looking all over for you. I asked Preston where you were and he said he didn't know."

  "I was just getting some fresh air." I stand up. "But I should probably go find Preston."

  "Hi." Willow smiles at Reed. "I'm Willow. Lilly's friend. I live in the room next to hers."

  He stands up. "I'm Reed."

  Willow is wearing a tight black mini skirt with a loose white tank, wedge heels, and a row of colorful beaded bracelets on her arm.

  "Lilly's told me a lot about you," she says to him.

  "She has, huh?" He glances at me.

  "Yeah, but I'd love to know more," Willow says with a flirtatious smile.

  "Lilly, what are you doing out here?" Preston comes up behind me, his arms pulling me back against his chest as he kisses the side of my face.

  Reed's watching us, his eyes darkening, his jaw tightening.

  "Let's go inside," I tell Preston.

  As we're walking in the house, he says, "Was that the guy from orientation?"

  "Maybe. I'm not sure." I decide to lie. I don't know if Preston's the jealous type but if he is, I don't want him starting a fight with Reed.

  "Where'd you get the fruit punch? I thought they only had beer."

  "I found it in the kitchen." I set the empty bottle on a table next to some empty cups. "How long do you want to stay?"

  "The party's just getting started. You want to leave already?"

  "Could we?"

  "What would we do? There's nothing else to do on a Friday night." He yanks me toward him and kisses me, pushing his tongue in my mouth and rubbing up against me.

  I push him back. "What are you doing? People are watching us."

  They're really not. Everyone's dancing and drinking and not really paying attention, but still. I don't want to make out like this in public.

  "Just relax, baby," he whispers in my ear. "There's a room open down the hall. Let's go down there and I'll help you relax."

  He's drunk. And now he's groping my ass.

  "Preston, stop."

  "I just want to be with you." He slurs his words. "I love you."

  "You don't love me. You just met me."

  He squeezes my backside. "You have a fucking tight ass. I love a tight ass."

  "Stop it." I shove his hand off me.

  His arms tighten around my waist as he talks into my ear. "Why won't you let me touch you, baby?"

  "Stop calling me baby. I told you I don't like that."

  "You just need to relax," he says in my ear.

  Why do I keep going out with him? Yeah, we had fun on our dates and sometimes he's nice, but then he turns into an ass, like he's being right now.

  His hands return to my backside.

  "I said stop it," I say, my teeth clenched.

  He doesn't. He just keeps touching me.

  I'm done with this. I'm done going out with this guy.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I pry Preston's hands off me. "I'm going back to the dorm."

  "Why?" He looks at me, perplexed.

  He's clueless. Completely clueless.

  "We'll talk about it later, when you're not drunk."

  "I'm not drunk." He steps back, but stumbles on his feet, almost falling backward.

  "Preston." Vince shows up again. "We got a poker game going on in the dining room. Get your ass in there."

  "Why? So I can take all your money?" He lets out a drunken laugh, then follows Vince to the dining room, not even saying goodbye to me.

  I sigh as I watch him leave, then make my way through the crowded room back to the front porch. Willow is now sitting next to Reed on the steps, where I was just minutes before.

  "I'm leaving," I say. "I'll see you guys later."

  Reed bolts up. "Where's your car?"

  "I walked here. I'll just walk back."

  "You can't walk back alone. It's dark. It's not safe."

  Willow stands up. "I'll go with her."

  "It's still not safe," Reed says. "We'll all go."

  He reminds me of Garret. He'd react the same way. He'd want to walk me home even if another girl was with me. Two girls could be attacked just as easily as one, he'd say.

  "Let me just go in and tell Taylor I'm leaving." Willow goes back inside.

  Reed stands in front of me. "So what happened?"

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  "Did he do anything to you?"

  "He was just being a jerk. He's drunk."

  Willow returns. "Okay, I'm ready."

  The three of us walk back to campus. When we're almost at our dorm, Willow says, "We should order a pizza. I'm starving."

  "What kind do you want?" Reed gets his phone out.

  "Pepperoni." Willow has her hand linked with mine and she's swinging it back and forth. I think she's had a few too many beers.

  "We want a large pepperoni," he says to the guy on the phone, then gives him the address. "Should be here in fifteen minutes," he says as he puts his phone away.

  "You're joining us, right?" Willow asks, still swinging our arms.

  "If you want me to." He looks at me as he says it.

  "We want you to." Willow smiles. "You're our eye candy while we eat."

  "Willow!" I kiddingly hit her arm. "Are you drunk?"

  "I only had a couple beers," she says defensively.

  Reed's phone rings and he answers without looking to see who's calling.

  "Hello?" He listens, then stops suddenly. "Shit." He turns away from us. "No. She's not leaving...I don't care...yeah, I know, but..." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm at college. I'm hours away. What the fuck do you expect me to do?" He takes a deep breath. "Yeah. I'll call him. Bye." He turns back around. "I gotta go. I'll have to take a raincheck on the pizza. I'll see ya later." He races off.

  "Reed? Are you okay?" I call after him, but he's already headed back to his dorm.

  "That was weird." Willow yanks on my hand, pulling me toward the door to our dorm. "God, I'm starving. I always get this way when I drink."

  I open the door for her. "Did you really only have two beers?"

  "I'm not sure. It might've been more than two, but I'm starting to sober up. The pizza will help."

  We wait in my room with Willow collapsed on my bed, taking a nap. The pizza guy ar
rives and I pay him, then wake up Willow. After she eats a couple slices, she's more alert.

  She brought her butterfly chair into my room to sit in since I only have my bed and the desk chair for seating options. I'm on my bed, leaning against a throw pillow I have propped up against the wall.

  She sighs. "That pizza was awesome. So much better than vegan pizza. Fake cheese is so disgusting." She swigs the bottle of Diet Coke that she got from the vending machine, then sets it on my desk. "I really like Reed. I'm going to call him tomorrow and ask him out."

  "You are?" My full stomach suddenly feels queasy. "But you just met him."

  "They say first impressions are everything. And I got a good vibe from him. He has a good energy."

  "Is this your hippie mom talking again?"

  "She always says to pay less attention to a person's words and instead focus on their energy. Their aura. And Reed has a positive aura. I felt it as soon as I shook his hand."

  "I think you're making this up."

  "I know it sounds crazy, but if you think about it, it makes sense. You can't trust what people say. People lie all the time, especially when you first meet them and they're trying to impress you. That's why you should focus on how you feel around the person. Does he make you comfortable or nervous? And if it's nervous, is it a good nervous or a bad nervous?"

  "What's a good nervous?"

  "Butterflies in your stomach. Heart racing. That type of thing."

  "And you felt that with Reed?"

  "No. I didn't feel good or bad nervous. I just felt comfortable around him. Calm. Relaxed."

  "I feel that way too, but I also sometimes feel nervous around him."

  "Bad nervous?"

  "No. The other kind." I wave my hand around. "What you said before."

  "Butterflies? Racing heart?"

  "Yeah. That."

  She sighs and drops her head back, her eyes on the ceiling. "So I guess I'm not asking him out."

  "Why?"

  Her head comes forward again and she looks at me. "Because you like him. A lot. So much that it's causing a physical reaction. That's serious."

  "It is?"

  "Yes, especially since you haven't even made out with him. You haven't, right?"

  "No. What does that have to do with anything?"

  "When you make out with a guy, your body automatically responds, even if your feelings for him are only lukewarm. It's just natural. He touches you in certain spots, teases you, and you find that your heart races. Then the next time he picks you up for a date, you get butterflies because your body is anticipating what he's going to do to you later. But if you feel that stuff before you've even made out with the guy, then it means you really like him and that you have a deeper connection with him that isn't just physical."