Page 4 of Our Cracked Pieces
The problem with Vanessa was that she thought I was like every other teenage boy across America. She thought I didn’t pay attention. She thought I was all about my friends, my future, and making sure my dick got enough action. And while she wasn’t entirely wrong about that, that’s not all I was about. If I cared about someone, I paid attention. And I sure as fuck paid attention to the girl who I thought I was in love with for the past two years.
So, when her behavior and routine started to change, I paid extra attention because I wasn’t fucking stupid. Plus, her excuses for this or that could use some work.
However, I didn’t have any proof, only a gut feeling, and I wasn’t going to throw away a two-year relationship without proof.
“We’re going to do long-distance,” I answered, and every guy at the table visibly winced.
“Good luck with that, man,” Blake said, and I knew he genuinely meant it, even if he thought it was going to be impossible.
I shrugged. “It’ll work out, or it won’t,” I said. “It’s not that complicated.”
“Damn, that’s cold,” Thad remarked.
I looked over at him. “It’s not cold. It’s just fact,” I argued. “I’m not going to complicate it with shit that’s beyond our control. She’ll miss me, and I’ll miss her, but since there’s nothing we can do about it, we’ll either suck it up, or we won’t.”
“Well, I won’t be mad at you if you spend this last school break spending it inside your girl before you guys head in different directions,” Josh said, an understanding smile spreading across his face.
“Even if I wanted to spend every night with Vanessa, it’s getting harder and harder to find places to be alone,” I replied. Like every teenager who lived with their parents, it was hard to find the time and place for all-nighters.
There was also the fact that she’s been keeping the shop closed more often than not lately. And that was another reason that had me suspecting she might be cheating. Vanessa’s never been timid about sex, and her sex-drive rivaled that of most guys. She was always ready for it. But lately, she was tired, or not feeling well, or busy.
Sure, she was.
The only positive thing I could say about my suspicions was that, if she was cheating, I could count myself lucky that I was a firm believer in condoms. We’ve never had sex without one, and if she was cheating, thank fucking God. Even though I knew condoms weren’t one-hundred percent effective, knowing I used them without fail sure did help me sleep at night.
“We’ll see,” I said. “Two months isn’t that far away, guys. We all have a lot of shit we need to get in order.”
“Amen,” Thad agreed.
The rest of lunch was spent talking about our principal, Mr. Renard, and his new toupee.
Thank God.
Chapter 3
Rowan~
The smell of bacon was an unmistakable one. And it smelled so good that, even if you weren’t hungry, you got hungry for bacon.
Clad in my pajamas, I did my business in the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and threw my blonde hair up in a bun without bothering to brush it. It was a Saturday morning, and bacon was being cooked in the kitchen. Who cared about my hair?
My feet silent on the living room carpet, my brother didn’t hear me making my way into the kitchen. It wasn’t until I was pulling out one of the kitchen table chairs that Grayson turned around to see who had joined him.
“You’re up kind of early, aren’t you?” I asked. “Thought you weren’t due in until midnight?” Grayson smiled, and I had to reluctantly cut my friends some slack. The guy wasn’tcompletelyugly.
Where Grayson and I both had our mother’s blue eyes, I had her blonde hair, but he had Dad’s dark brown hair. And where me and Mom were pint-sized at only five-foot-four, Dad and Grayson were both six-foot-one. Grayson was also two years my senior, putting him at twenty to my eighteen.
The funny thing about my coloring was that it made our friendship foursome a poster for diversity. I was the blonde with the typical blue eyes. Mandy was the brunette with brown eyes and petite as all get out. Carly was our tall redhead with the usual green eyes. And Tammy was our black-haired, brown-eyed beauty. You had a White blonde, a Black brunette, an Asian raven, and a Ginger. But, damn, my friends were beautiful.
“I think I might be wired from the flight,” Grayson answered. “I’ll probably crash hard tonight.”
I glanced around. “Where are Mom and Dad?”
“They had some early morning volunteer thing,” he said. “Dad mentioned it on the drive home from the airport last night.”
“So, all this is for little, old me?” I teased.
Grayson turned back around to face the stove. “Don’t get used to it,” he teased back.
