Page 8 of Easy Out

“I heard something about the dance team competing tonight. Do you think they have a chance at winning this thing?” Wyatt asks. Lauren scoffs. She quickly realizes her mistake when it earns Matt’s unwanted attention.

“Who’s this?” Matt asks, licking his lips as he bobs his head toward Lauren. The words sound slimy as they leave his mouth.

“No one,” I answer before Wyatt gets a chance to say anything about her. I don’t know why I feel this need to protect her. When Lauren’s shoulders drop in relief, I know I did the right thing. “She’s leaving.”

Her finger grazes my thigh lighting up my entire body. What the fuck is that about? It could have been accidental. I’m taking it as a silent thank you. For whatever reason, Lauren doesn’t want to be around Matt.

Lauren has a quick conversation with Sydney before blending into the crowd. Sydney gives me a thankful smile which does nothing to ease the restlessness I feel. Is there history between Matt and Lauren?

“You’re such an asshole,” Matt says, laughing and shaking his head. Yes, I’m the asshole. Just the way I like it. “I like a girl who can follow orders. Fucking hot. You must know her if you have her trained already, Hart. Does she go to Newhouse, or is she local?”

Sydney is seconds from verbally attacking Matt, but I signal Koa to call her off. Reacting to Matt will only give away the fact that we know Lauren. Or Sydney does, rather.

“Never seen her here before,” Wyatt answers for the group. I’ve got to give it to the guy. That’s a smart answer. It’s neither a lie nor the truth.

“Right. Fair game then?” I lift my shoulder as if I don’t care either way. “Cool, if you’ll excuse me. I have a petite brunette to hunt down.” I choke the bottleneck in my hand, wishing it was Matt’s throat.

“Hey, Montgomery! How you feelin’ tonight?” The DJ shouts into the microphone, causing the warehouse to erupt. I force myself to calm down. “You ready to get this thing started? Let me hear you!”

“We should go upstairs with Nash, Marco, and Enzo. We can see better up there,” Koa shouts over the music and the crowd. I nod in agreement. I don’t care about watching the competition. I didn’t even want to leave the house tonight. Large crowds aren’t my thing. People, in general, aren’t my thing.

Koa leads Sydney upstairs with a hand on her back. Wyatt follows, pointing out members of our dance team as he goes. I recognize a few of them as girls who hang out around our practice sessions and games. They do nothing for me.

It’s obvious what they are interested in. It’s not getting to know me better. They want my future paycheck and everything that comes with it.

Nash, Enzo, and Marco are easy to find leaning against the guard rail of the loft. I push people out of my way until I’m standing next to Enzo. I’ll admit it’s the perfect spot to watch the competition. You can see everything up here. Including the little witch that has bedazzled all my friends.

“You’re quiet tonight.” Wyatt leans up on the rail to my right. We both scan the crowd below, watching the dance floor as it slowly clears out.

“I’m always quiet.”

“Yeah, but something has your head spinning. I can see your brain working.” I grunt. Not something. Someone.

She isn’t my problem. However, the thought of Matt taking Lauren home doesn’t sit well with me. Probably because she’s Sydney’s best friend, and I don’t want anyone to hurt Syd.

Wyatt is the wild card out of all my friends. A real cowboy. He grew up on a farm about an hour away. We met playing in a summer travel league.

Wyatt may be unpredictable, but when it comes to baseball, he is the most reliable and ruthless pitcher we have on the team. He has an annoying ability of reading people. A skill that has never worked in my favor.

“Not my scene.” I rake my calloused palms back and forth over the black iron railing.

“But check out that view.” Wyatt waves his hand over the crowd pointing out a few groups of girls still dancing.

The girls don’t even register in my brain. It’s the heated discussion between Lauren and three guys that has caught my attention. I recognize one of them is her neighbor Emilio.

One guy gets in her face, but she doesn’t flinch. Lauren spits words right back at him before he walks away, ending the conversation. Lauren attempts to go after him, but the third guy holds her back. Lauren appears to be angelic and docile on the surface, but the girl has grit. What else is she hiding?

This guy rubs her shoulders to calm her down. His chin rests on the top of her head while she presses her forehead into his chest.

It’s intimate. A private moment that’s too soft to be happening in the middle of a club. Yet, I can’t look away.

I don’t like this ache I feel in my chest, either. Or feeling like I should be the one calming her down. This thought is crazy and unwanted. I don’t even know the girl. Let alone like her enough to offer comfort. That is something I don’t do.

Lauren has always been someone who glided in and out of my periphery. I see her on the sidelines because she is close with Sydney. I doubt I would even recognize her if I passed her in the hallway at school. She is the last person I should want to comfort.

Enzo bumps my shoulder when he sees what catches my eye. “What do you know about her?” He asks. Enzo’s eyes are slits as he stares Lauren down.

“Nothing.” Enzo scoffs.

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