Chapter 9
Ty shouts from the stairs, "Yo, D! You down here?"
I reply, "Yeah!" and sit on the bench press to rest after finishing my set. Soon, I hear heavy footsteps stomping down the stairs. Ty grips onto the entryway near the end of the steps with his muscles bulging, like he's trying to show off his strength.
"Sup, man," I say as I chuckle and shake my head in amusement.
"Where"s Ash?" he asks.
I shrug and grab a towel from the bench to wipe my face. "I think he"s in his room," I say, sipping from my water bottle. "Why do you ask?"
"We, my brother from another mother, are hosting a party," Ty says excitedly.
"When?" I ask.
"Tonight," Ty replies.
"Alright," I say, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
The doorbell rings, and Ty swears under his breath. "Shit. The guys are early. It"s the keg." He quickly rushes up the stairs and adds, "Oh, the party starts at nine!" before closing the door behind him.
"Great. Another fucking party," I groan in annoyance. I contemplate the idea of locking myself in my room.
I quickly jog up the stairs and go to my room and walk straight into my bathroom. I peel my shorts off and step into the shower. After I finish, I dry off and slip into a comfortable pair of jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. I reach for my phone and text Shorty.
Me: Plans for 2 night?
I fluff my hair while I wait for her response.
Shorty: Study, watch Friends reruns, and give my baby girl a bath. Why? What's up?
Me: Party at the house. Bring Sophia. We can hole up in my room.
Shorty: I am NOT bringing my daughter to a freaking fraternity party.
I snort a laugh.
Me: So, I take that as a no?
Shorty: That's a big fuck no.
Me: Fine. I miss you.
A picture comes through of Shorty and Sophia. Sophia's smile is wide and full of happiness with the baseball plush I bought her in her mouth.
Me: Thank you. I needed that. Love you both.
Shorty: I know. We love you too.
I casually toss my phone on the bed and lay down on my back.
A knock at the door disrupts my quiet thoughts.
"Yeah?" I call out.
As the door slowly opens, Ash pops his head in. "Busy?" he asks.
I respond with a simple "Nope," emphasizing the "P."
Ash walks in and shuts the door behind him, making his way toward my desk chair. He picks up the plush basketball laying on the desk and starts tossing it into the hoop hanging outside my closet door.
"What"s up, Ash?" I ask, sitting up on the bed.
"I fucked up," he blurts.
"What are you talking about?"
"With Tia. After you and Shorty asked about her, I think it's time to tell you what happened."
"That's good," I tell him.
Finally.
"Something bad happened to her when they were kidnapped."
"I know." I clench my teeth. "I was there." I don't need a reminder. No amount of bleach will get rid of what my eyes were forced to see.
Ash shakes his head. "No, D. Something really bad happened to her that I don't think even Shorty knows about."
I lean over and rest my elbows on my knees. "What do you mean?"
"I think she was raped, man."
My eyes widen. "What makes you think that?"
"Because the night I took her out when they first moved here—" He pauses and lets out a heavy sigh. "We were screwing around, but the moment I wanted to do more than make out, she flipped the fuck out on me," he adds.
"It could be because of the trauma," I try to reassure him because the alternative is so much worse.
"No, D. This was different. She kept saying she was dirty, and she was worthless, and I wouldn't want anything to do with her after knowing she'd been used." He shakes his head and looks at me with a pained expression.
I take in this information, and my heart aches for Tia. I remember Shorty saying that they took Tia in the back, but she never knew what was going on. She could only hear her screams, but she had a feeling they were doing something worse to her than what she'd seen.
"Back up for a second. How is this your fuck up?" I ask, confused.
"I walked away from her, D. I fucking walked away." He shudders and rises to his feet. He snatches the ball from the floor and squishes it with his hands like he's on edge and ready to explode.
"Ash," I start to say but he cuts me off.
"I wasn't ashamed of her and I didn't believe anything she said about herself," he tries to explain. "I just needed time to get my shit together. When I came back for her, she had already left. Then she ignored my calls, and now she refuses to see or talk to me."
I can see the sadness on his face and hear the uncertainty in his voice as he speaks. Wanting to offer some comfort, I shake my head gently and say, "I know it sucks, but sometimes people just need space. Just give her time."
As I attempt to reassure him, I see the doubt lingering in his eyes. His shoulders droop, and he tosses the ball onto the bed. I stand up, placing my hand firmly on his shoulder.
"Come on," I urge him. "Let"s grab a drink."
The party is in full swing.
As Ash and I descend the stairs, music blares, and laughter echoes throughout the house.
We exchange hellos while pushing through the crowds of people. Upon reaching the kitchen, we spot Cassidy, the cheerleader captain, lying flat on her back, her blond hair hanging off the edge of the table.
Cole, one of our fraternity brothers, sucks Jello out of her belly button.
"Jesus," Ash mutters, walking around and grabbing two beers. "We eat at this fucking table, asshole."
Cole raises his head and stands up straight; the crowd cheers like he hit a home run. As soon as his eyes land on us, his grin widens, and he points in our direction. "Du Pont boys!" he shouts, his speech slurred. "You"re missing out. Have a taste. Cassidy won"t mind."
"Yeah, Donnie boy," she purrs, trying to sound seductive, but it comes out whiney. "Wanna have a taste?" she asks, her tongue darting out to lick her lips, which makes me want to vomit.
"Pass," I say flatly, snagging a beer from Ash"s hand.
Cassidy turns to Ash. "What about you, Asher baby?"
"No, thanks," he responds. "And don't fucking call me baby."
"Your loss!" Cassidy calls out as we make our way out to the hallway.
Ash and I are in the hallway when we spot Jason, our teammate, making his way toward us with a beer in his hand. "Yo, Ash. There"s someone here asking for you," he calls out over the music.
"Who is it?" Ash asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Jason shrugs. "Dunno, man. I think she said Tina or something. But let me tell you, she"s a one hot piece of ass." He takes a sip of his beer and looks over his shoulder.
"Where is she?" Ash scans the crowd.
"She"s on the porch," Jason points behind him. "She didn"t want to come inside."
Ash turns to me, and I smile.
"Go get your girl," I said, patting him on the back.
He nodded, and a smile played on his lips as he made his way through the throng of people.
Leaning against the wall, I notice the chaos that surrounds me with a sense of detachment. I take a sip of my beer, the bitter taste of the alcohol making me wince slightly. I can"t help but wonder if I"m missing out on something or if I"m not cut out for this fraternity shit.
"Hey, Donnie!" Eva shouts through the music that"s blasting in the house.
"Hey Eva," I reply, taking another sip of my beer. Her attire catches my attention; she"s showing a lot of skin. Her tight purple shirt that is cut low near her cleavage and her skinny jeans fit her like a glove. Her face is caked with makeup that hides her natural beauty.
She sways and cries out, "This is a great party!"
I hold onto her waist to keep her steady. "Whoa. You alright?" Eva"s hazel eyes stare into mine with want, making me feel uncomfortable. I let her go and take a step back.
She catches on to my discomfort and says, "Sorry, Donnie."
"It"s okay. Looks like you"re having fun," I reply, taking a drink of my beer.
"Yeah, I am, and I love your house. Can I see your room?"
Fuck no.
"No. That"s not a good idea," I sputter.
"Why? It"s not any different than when we were kids."
It is very different. I open my mouth to speak, someone jumps on me causing the beer to spill all over my shirt.
"What the—" I utter as my hands wrapped around her body to keep us from falling on our asses.
Payton looped her arms around my neck, practically begging. "Dance with me!" she slurs.
"What the fuck?" I snarled, removing her arms from my neck and forcing her to let go. I shoved her away, causing her to stumble back.
Payton pouts, her persistence unwavering. "Oh, come on, just one dance."
My jaw tightens. "I said no."
"Payton, leave him alone. Can't you see he's not interested?" Eva intervenes.
Payton shot Eva a defiant glare, her lips set in a stubborn line. "Mind your own damn business, Eva."
But Eva stood her ground, a steely edge in her voice. "Fuck off, Payton."
Payton ignores Eva and turns her gaze to me. "What is the big deal? It"s just one fucking dance."
She reaches out to place her hand on my chest, but I intercept her movement by grabbing her wrist, stopping her from making contact. "Don"t ever fucking touch me again. Since you can"t seem to understand the word no, get the fuck out of my house."
She pulls her hand out of my grasp, rolls her eyes, and mutters, "You're no fun," before stumbling away.
I ran my hands up and down my face in frustration, feeling the stickiness from the spilled beer. "Damnit," I grumble.
"Are you okay?" Eva asked, and I realized I had forgotten that she was standing there.
"Yeah," I sighed, noticing Ty walking my way.
"What the hell was that?" he asked.
"What do you think?" I snapped. "Call her an Uber and get her the hell out of here," I demanded, storming up the stairs.
"I"ll take care of it," Ty assures as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone.
"Donnie, wait up!" Eva"s voice came from behind.
I paused, sighing inwardly, not wanting to be bothered. "Not now, Eva."
Without glancing in her direction, I storm into my room and slam the door shut.