For Crying Out Loud by J. Preston

23Nothing But Trouble

If it has tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you trouble.

- Jenny

Aiden

Why the hell did I open my mouth?

Why?

Kitten avoided me the rest of the day and flew back to San Francisco the next day instead of driving back down with us, under the pretence of an urgent study meeting. Urgent study meeting my arse.

I could kick myself. All because of my stupid mouth. But was it wrong that I wanted to give my best friend a head’s up? To tell him that all I want is to be with his sister and that I will spend a lifetime making sure that she is happy? Because that was the reason behind my stopping her. I can’t believe I made her come. Her body was so responsive to my touch. For a minute I felt on top of the world, and then her hand reached for my cock. I nearly died. If I didn’t have this innate need to speak to my best friend first, I would have started taking her clothes off right then and there, showing her how many other ways I could pleasure her. And I didn’t want to do that.

Well, okay, I did. But as much as I wanted her, as much as that was the best moment of my life, as much as the garden in the back of Kennedy mansion was beautiful, it was also not the right place to strip her naked and devour her. I wanted to do it. God as my witness, I’ve been wanting to do it since the first day she came back into my life. Just not then and there.

Jenny deserves the whole world, she deserves so much more than some arsehole taking advantage of her in the tall grass at the back of her friend’s garden. She deserves to be cherished; she deserves scented candles and foot massages; she deserves someone who would build her a fucking Taj Mahal. And it’s clearer now than it has ever been, I want to be that someone to her.

I just need to make sure that she knows that, and that a groping session in the garden, no matter how beautiful the surroundings, is not the way to communicate my feelings for her. I want to do this thing right. I want to do everything right by her.

Stupid. I’m so fucking stupid!

She was so angry and hurt… I can’t blame her. I acted like a prick, even if my intentions were good. But Jenny is like fireworks, short fused and spectacular. So she walked away without giving me the time to explain myself after I so cleverly spoke Jason’s name in the middle of our kiss. Let’s just say I blame that little blunder on the fact that, in that moment, not much blood was left in my brain…

And now, sitting in my room, trying to study for finals, I can’t focus on anything else but her legs wrapped around my waist and the way she moved against me, the way she felt under my body, the way she moaned my name as she came, the way her lips felt against mine, how her soft body responded to my touch.

I’m getting hard just thinking about it, and thinking about it is all I can do because kitten is avoiding the hell out of me, making it impossible for me to explain why I stopped her and said Jason’s name in the first place.

God, even when he wasn’t around, Jason seemed to hold his title of the ‘ultimate cockblocker’. Making sure he’s in my head every single time I get close to Jenny while he goes around getting lucky left, right, and centre; all he has to do is smile in their direction. He’ll have a field day tomorrow at the End of Term party or, as most of the Starwood population calls it, the ET Party. People even dress up. Don’t ask.

I try studying again, staring at my Civil Law textbook and reading the same sentence for the fifteenth time. My eyes are watering, so I look away for a minute, yawning and stretching my arms above my head. My last exam is tomorrow. I glance at the clock; it’s still early, so no excuses.

Once again, I thank my lucky stars and…well, kitten. Thanks to her, I was able to drop subjects I had no interest in, like Economics and Finance, and focus properly on the exams I had ahead of me. Not to mention the elation both my advisor and my father must have felt upon hearing that I finally chose my major. My father was particularly pleased since I went ahead with his requirement, like the good little son that I was, choosing a major that would tie in nicely with his empire.

I hate myself for needing to please him in any way, but at least he’s off my back for now, which gives me time to convince him that I am not the right person for his business.

For the next hour, my mind drifts back and forth between the text in front of me and the memory of Jenny’s lips on mine. I keep on trying to figure out how I can get her alone. I need to explain myself and, in order to do that, I need her to stop for a minute and listen to me. Maybe tomorrow, at the party. Or, if worst comes to worst, on the plane to London, the day after the party. She’ll have to talk to me then, confined space and all. She’ll have nowhere to run.

I sigh and look down at the textbook again, resigning and closing it with a loud thump. There’s not much concentration left for me to squeeze out of my brain, so I get up from my desk and position myself on top of the covers on my bed. Closing my eyes, I try to fathom how on earth I got to this point and how it’s even possible that the sexiest girl on earth, one that is also amazingly clever, even gave me the time of day? Because she did. She was the one who kissed me in the garden and, for a second, it seemed quite possible that she wanted me—wanted us—as much as I did. Or at least she did before I ruined everything…

I fall asleep with Jenny’s face on my mind and the memory of her soft skin on my fingertips.

* * *

Friday is a blur of last-minute studying, exam sitting, and coffee—lots of coffee. By the time I’m done I am exhausted, and partying is the last thing on my mind. But Jason assured me that ‘anyone who’s anyone’, including Hayley and Jenny, are going. So I force myself into the shower. I’m packed and ready for our flight tomorrow, so I can just relax and have fun tonight, as soon as I talk to kitten, that is. I don’t anticipate much drinking anyway. Flying with a hangover is a bitch, and I’d never put myself through that…again.

By the time we get to the venue, the party is in full swing. I look around, trying to find Jenny, but all I see in the strobe light is a mass of gyrating bodies dressed in metallic, alien-looking costumes. I feel like an alien myself, out of place and not really sure what to do, so I make rounds saying ‘hi’ to people I barely know but seem to think we know each other well enough for them to slap my back. When I finally spot Kennedy and Jason, they seem to be busy chatting up a group of blondes.

I start walking towards them when, from the corner of my eye, I notice Chloe waving at me. She’s standing to the side of the dance floor and is surrounded by what can only be described as her clones. I wave back but keep going towards my friends. That’s when I finally see kitten. I stop in my tracks just to drink her in. She’s wearing a silver, metallic dress and a glittery headband with a couple of silver ball poppers that bounce with every movement of her head, making her look like a cute character straight out of Roswell High. She is laughing, and as I take a step forward to go and say hello to her, to finally put the silly misunderstanding behind us, I feel a hand wrap around my bicep. I look down at my arm, then up toward Carter’s face.

“What?” I mouth at him. The music is so loud that even if I tried shouting, he wouldn’t hear me. He shakes his head at me as if saying I should leave Jenny alone. I frown, not sure why he’d stop me. I slowly look back towards kitten, who’s leaning against the wall. God, I wish her smile was meant for me. That’s when I notice she’s not alone. Next to her is some guy I’ve never seen before. He’s leaning into her and smiling. He reaches out with his hand towards her face and takes a strand of her hair, wrapping it around his fingers, playing with it. Jenny doesn’t push him away. She rolls her eyes as he leans closer to her mouth. I can’t look, but like a trainwreck, I can’t look away. I start walking their way, getting ready to beat the crap out of this douche canoe, or at least get him away from her, but Carter stops me. He pulls my arm and whirls me around just as the prick’s face connects with Jenny’s. I blink once, twice, the image of his mouth closing in on Jenny’s on repeat in my head like an annoying gif you can’t stop, but let play over and over.

I don’t see anything else. All I can see is red with the image repeating itself. All I want to do is punch something. How the hell is this happening to me? Again! Carter pulls me towards the bar and pours two shots of tequila down my throat when we get there. I have two more, for good measure, as soon as the first two stop burning my esophagus. When I have two more, Carter says something to me then turns to walk away, leaving me alone, but I can’t hear him over the rush of blood in my head and the loud music.

Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be? Me alone, forever. I motion the bartender for another two shots. I’m swaying a little and can’t properly focus on much, but that’s ok. At least kitten is no longer the main focus; staying upright and getting hammered is. Downing my seventh shot of the night, I nearly fall off the stool I’m sitting on. So maybe I should slow down.

“Are you okay?” I see two Chloe’s in front of me and I am suddenly glad I’m not alone. I shake my head to clear it then nod, putting my elbow on the bar for balance. But I miss and slump ungracefully. I clear my throat and reach for the last shot in front of me. Chloe pulls it out of my hand. “Let me take that. You seem like you’ve had enough,” she says, then downs my shot. I frown at her. Who the hell does she think she is? Drinking my only comfort. I motion for the bartender and another two shots appear on the bar in front of us. Chloe rolls her eyes and shakes her head, then takes one of the shots and drinks with me. I’m glad to have a companion, actually. Getting drunk by yourself is overrated. “So tell me what’s wrong?” she asks. Again, I frown and try my hardest to focus on her chin.

“She kissssed ssssome guy, or he kissssed her. Whooo the ffffuck knowssss,” I slur, slumping in my chair and leaning on Chloe.

“Hon, do you mean Jenny?” She asks. I nod drunkenly into her armpit. She doesn’t smell of sweat, unlike most of the people around us, which is a welcomed change. “Are you sure? I mean, you two seemed pretty hung up on each other.” Oh, I’m sure! I nod again. “Shit…” she murmurs, shaking her head. “C’mon. You’re pretty drunk, let’s go get some fresh air and talk this through.”

She grabs me by the waist and hoists me down off the stool and towards the door. I feel drunker than I thought I was, so I’m glad I’ve got someone to guide me out. I want out of this place and as far away from everyone as possible. Chloe is surprisingly strong, keeping me up while I lean on her. Why does kitten hate her? Chloe is nice, like now, for example. While Jenny is off snogging some bastard, Chloe is the one making sure I’m okay. Jenny… That girl seems to be nothing but trouble.

We get outside and the fresh air hits my face, enticing the tequila to flow around in my veins like they’re on some sort of a racetrack. I’m trashed; that’s a fact I’ve decided to accept, so I sit down on the concrete with Chloe standing above me. The whole world is spinning around, and I suddenly have the urge to lie down and close my eyes.

So I do just that.

When I wake up, it’s morning and I’m in a room I don’t recognise. My head is pounding, the room spinning. I groan and put my hand to my forehead, pulling the duvet off my chest. My whole body is burning up and I feel like a frog died in my mouth. I sit up slowly, noticing I’m not wearing anything. What the hell?