Page 29 of Cougar

“Did something happen between you and Zach?” I’m so out of my league here. The only teenage girl I’ve ever had an in-depth conversation with is Jay, and even with her, it’s like talking to an adult.

“It’s embarrassing.” She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but I think you should know. Zach caught Reagan cheating on him last night at the after-party.” I raise my brows.Well shit.“He didn’t say anything, just stormed out of the party. I didn’t want him to be alone, so I went with him. We got a little drunk….” She shrugs.

And they hooked up at my house. Great.

I nod. “Thanks for letting me know.”

* * *

My sister, Elizabeth—Liz—and her husband, Mike, have two boys, Logan and Zach. With Logan off at college, Zach spends a lot of time at my house. He’s the baby, just turned eighteen and a junior at Heritage Bay Academy. He’s a generally good kid, labeled Heritage Bay’s “golden boy” as the star quarterback on the varsity football team, with his good looks, good sportsmanship on the field and his ability to stay out of trouble. On the field, he’s a leader. But off the field, he’s a bit of an introvert. Quiet. Shy.

Nevertheless, I love the kid, and I love having him around. When I began house hunting, one of my main requirements was that it be big enough for Zach and Logan to each have their own rooms. I love my sister, but she can be a pain in the ass sometimes, so I wanted my nephews to have some place they could go—as long as they didn’t bring strangers into my house or throw parties.

It’s nearly noon by the time Zach drags his ass into the kitchen without so much as a hello, heading straight for the refrigerator. He pulls out a Gatorade, twists off the cap, and downs the entire bottle before tossing it in the trash. He leans over the counter on his elbows and drags his hands down his face.

“Rough night?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, his voice gruff.

“Here.” I pull an extra sandwich from the bag and slide it across the counter. “This will help soak up some of that alcohol. You need to sober up. Your dad called me looking for you because you’re not answering his calls.”

“I just talked to him.” He unwraps the sandwich and takes a hearty bite.

“What happened last night?”

He stops chewing, brows furrowed, as if he’s just remembered something. “Where’s Chelsea?”

“I took her home.”

“Thanks,” he manages to mumble around a mouthful of food.

“I didn’t really have a choice. She was standing on my porch when I pulled up at four o’clock this morning.”

He takes another bite and stares off at nothing. I’ve never seen him so spaced out before, like he’s on autopilot. “I told her she could stay in the spare room.”

“I offered it to her, but she couldn’t get out of here fast enough. She seemed upset,” I press.

He turns to the refrigerator. “We hooked up last night,” he tells me as he pulls out another Gatorade. “If you wanna call it that,” he mumbles.

“Well that’s not good.”

He exhales harshly through his nose. “No it wasn’t. I had a lot to drink.”

“Whiskey dick is the worst.” I chuckle. “Hooking up with your best friend probably wasn’t one of the smartest things you’ve ever done.” He shoots me a glare as if to tell me I’m one to talk. I shrug. “What happened to your girlfriend?”

He huffs out a disgusted laugh. “She cheated on me. We went to prom, danced, took pictures and did all the prom shit she wanted to do. Then we went to the after-party. As soon as we got there, she said she was going to use the bathroom. She was only gone a few minutes before some girl, I don’t even know who, came up to me and said she saw Reagan go into one of the bedrooms with Grayson Martinez.”

I know the Martinez boys. Grayson is a senior and Evan is a junior, and one of Zach’s best friends. Both are Zach’s teammates. This could be a huge problem.

Zach pauses to take a drink of his Gatorade and then sets it on the counter. “I told the girl to show me which bedroom. The door was unlocked and the room was empty. But then I heard them. They were in the closet.” He throws his hands up.

“What did you say?”

He shrugs. “What could I say? ‘Hey, Grayson, could you stop fucking my girlfriend?’ I just left.” He clasps his hands together behind his head and drops his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I knew Reagan was bad news, so that’s on me. But I can’t believe Grayson went behind my back like that. I thought we were friends.” He lifts his head and looks at me. “His girlfriend was there, too.”

“I’m sorry that happened, man, but it sounds like he did you a favor.”

“Yeah.” He lets out a humorless laugh. “Maybe I’ll send him a thank-you note.”

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