Page 24 of Five Summers

Music is not just a hobby or an interest for me - it’s my lifeline. Without it, I am nothing but an empty shell.

With each stomp of his foot, my guitar shatters and scatters across the room.

By the time he’s finished, he’s gasping for air and has to stop. Then he wearily collapses onto the couch with a satisfying sigh. “Not so fucking Mr. Big Shot, now are ya?”

Standing up slowly, I lose my balance and make contact with an object near my feet.

Once I hear the sloshing sounds, I know exactly what it is. I snatch it up without thinking. Clutching the bottle tight, I make a mad dash for the front door, seeking solace in the quiet, dimly lit street.

Chapter nine

Xander

Iwalk down the front path, still crying over the loss of my guitar.

I hear a car drive by as I drop down onto the curb. What a fucking asshole! My heart is so sad thinking about my broken guitar.

Under the streetlight, I hold the whisky bottle up and see it’s still half full. It’s the perfect remedy to escape from all the shit that just happened. To escape the sadness of dwelling on my smashed-up guitar in that fucked up place called home.

I take a deep breath before lifting the bottle to my mouth, bracing myself for the strong taste of the whisky. Despite theburning sensation in my throat, I persist with no signs of slowing down. I keep chugging down until everything becomes a blur and I lose all sense of touch. Fuck, I hate my life. I hate everything about it, except for my music.

As I ponder my next move, I lie back and let the sight of the twinkling stars consume me. What the fuck am I gonna do now? My music is everything. Without it, I won’t make it. That asshole did it on purpose, knowing it would break me. What the hell am I going to do with all our new songs now that I don’t have a guitar?

Maybe I can just swipe one from the band room at school tomorrow. Yeah, that might work. I let out a laugh, knowing that Poppy would fucking go ape shit if she knew what I was thinking. She totally lost it over some dumb chocolate bars. If she finds out I’ve stolen a guitar from the music room, she’ll lose her fucking mind.

Numb and relaxed, I tip the bottle up, savoring the final few drops as they trickle onto my tongue. As I toss the bottle away, I cringe at the sharp smashing sound it makes as it shatters. I sit up and stare out into the darkness. It’s gonna be okay. I'll get Ace to stand guard at the door while I steal a guitar. No one has to know. Especially not Poppy.

The mere thought of her causes me to turn my head.

As my eyesight blurs, I squint in an attempt to focus on her house. There are still lights on in her house. I wonder what she’s doing. Probably watching that stupid show with all those mean bitches. She really does like that shit.

The moment I stand up, the world spins, making my drunken shuffle down the street even more challenging.

But I want to know what she’s doing. Plus, she might give me another mind-blowing blowjob if I’m lucky. That’s if I can convince her to do it again. Fuck, I’m absolutely gonna try.

Balancing myself against the doorframe, I take a deep breath and feel my heart racing as I knock on her front door.

It’s a few seconds before Poppy opens the door, revealing her hourglass figure in a tight tank top and short shorts. My eyes roam her body, my desire intensifying as my dick comes to life. How the fuck have I not noticed how fucking hot she is?

“What are you doing here, Xander?” There’s a sassy tone in her voice. Annoyed, and I fucking like it. She folds her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up, catching my attention. She takes one look at my face and steps forward. "Oh my god," she whispers, as she takes in the shocking sight of my face. As she steps forward, her scent fills the air, awakening all my senses.

“Can you do that thing again?” I add, recalling the feel of her mouth during the best blowjob she gave me a week ago. “Will you give me another blowie?”

“Are you drunk?” She’s giving me a once-over.

“I don’t know. I might be, I might not be.” My heart races as I nearly lose my footing on the top step.

In a split second, she reaches out and grabs my arm, steadying me before I have a chance to fall. A flicker of worry passes over her features.

“What happened to your face, Xander? Did you get into a fight?” Her eyes move down to my neck. “And there are dark bruises all over your neck.”

“It was just some harmless breath play that got out of hand. The chick went nuts, but fuck, it was hot. Wanna try it with me sometime? So can I come in now?”

“That all depends?”

“On what?”

“If you tell me the truth and stop acting like a jerk.”

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