Page 29 of Topping the Jock
“You’re tacky,” he said, before taking another sip of wine. Then, he placed his glass down and smiled at me. I smiled too and we both burst into laughter. “I was too caught up in the moment to care. I hadn’t had dick that good in a long time.”
I was used to him blurting out things about his hookups, so it didn’t faze me.
“What happened to Christian?” I asked, remembering Reed mention the guy once or twice before.
Reed made a sound of disgust. “The bastard ghosted me after our last date. Last time you and I went to lunch, I hadn’t heard from him in a week. But then yesterday morning, I found out from a mutual friend that he went off to Hawaii with some slutty little hoe bag named Chad.”
I nearly spit out my wine. I wiped at my mouth and looked at him. “Chad?”
“Can you believe it?” Reed asked, shaking his head. “Out of all the basic white boys in town, he ghosts me for a Chad. It’s officially my least favorite name in the world, by the way. And how stupid does that sound. Chad and Christian. Might as well call them Dumb and Dumber.”
Someone was salty.
“Is this the reason you invited me over for dinner tonight?” I asked, as the pieces clicked together in my head. We usually didn’t see each other throughout the week because of our busy schedules. The exception was always when Reed was having boy trouble or if I was. It had been a few years since I’d been in a serious relationship, though, and I had no intentions on changing that anytime soon.
Monty’s face immediately entered my mind, and I shoved that shit away as fast as possible.
“No, I’m over Christian and his stupid flippy hair.” Reed returned my gaze before cracking under pressure. “Okay, fine! Maybe I’m alittlebent out of shape over it and wanted a night with my best friend to make me forget about the jerk who broke my heart.”
I slid off the barstool and went over to him, gripping his upper arms. He was about two inches shorter than me and had a lean frame. Definitely not weak, though. He’d overcome a lot in life, getting a thick skin and afuck the worldattitude along the way.
“I’m always here for you,” I said. “Now, let’s drink some wine and talk about how small Christian’s dick is.”
Reed threw his head back with a laugh and pulled me in for a tight hug. “I love you, Beck. Life would be so much easier if you were my type.”
I playfully shoved him away. “I’m everyone’s type.”
“That’s such a Monty thing to say,” Reed pointed out, grabbing his glass and staring at me over the rim as he took a drink. “Speaking of… how is Monty these days? Has he given you any crap?”
“About that…” I stepped away, not sure how to tell him all the things I’d kept secret over the past week. More than a week, really. Things between me and Monty had been weird ever since the first day of school.
“Uh-oh. What happened? Did you kill him and need help stashing the body? Is that why you were late? I’m no expert, but I’ve watched a million true crime documentaries to know the best ways to dispose of a body.”
I blinked at him.
“Oh shit.” Reed’s eyes flared wide. “You reallydidkill him.”
“No, I didn’t kill him,” I said. “I was just stunned by your stupidity for a second.”
He rolled his eyes and went over to the oven as it beeped, grabbing the casserole dish from inside with an oven mitt and setting it on top of the stove. He flipped back around to me. “Are you going to tell me more, or do you want me to guess again? My arsenal is full of theories.”
“Monty and I have been… talking,” I responded, feeling my cheeks heat.
“Talking.” Reed stepped closer, hands on his hips. “How so?”
“Like messaging back and forth every day for the past week,” I answered, tracing the design on the island countertop with my finger. “We talk at school too on Mondays when we’re on duty together, and if we bump into each other in the teachers’ lounge, we might say a few words.”
“It’s not like you to be so evasive,” Reed said. “You’re one of the most straightforward guys I know. It’s what I love about you.”
“The only thing you love about me?”
“And now you’re trying to change the subject.” His eyes narrowed. “What’s really going on, Quinn? Cut the bullshit.”
I took a drink of wine, needing something much stronger if we were going to have this conversation. But Reed was my best friend. I told him everything. The shit with Monty might be confusing, but he wouldn’t judge me… much.
“I think I might not hate Monty as much as I once did.”
There. That was an answer.
