Page 51 of You Had Me At Thirteen

Emerson’s eyes turn to slits. ‘Shut up. I get plenty of pussy. I’ve just been busy with soccer trials.’ He bites into his orange slice, the juice running down his chin before he swipes it away. ‘How’s it going with that hot piece of arse, anyway, Wren? Fucked her yet?’ He nods over at Matilda.

All our heads swivel in her direction, and Koby groans as he takes in Audrey sitting in the lotus position on top of the table. Matilda throws her head back as she laughs. The musical sound travels through the air, reminding me of its sweetness from this morning. What I wouldn’t give to hear that laugh every single day for the rest of my life.

Christ. I need another fight because I can’t fuck my way out of this one, unless it’s Matilda I’m inside of.

Emerson’s chuckle has Koby and me turning on him again.

‘You two are so whipped it’s not even funny anymore,’ he says. ‘What is happening to you?’

‘You’re just jealous,’ Koby says.

‘No, I’m not. I bet I can walk up to any chick here and she’ll be all over this sexiness.’ Emerson motions down his body as he waggles his eyebrows.

Koby opens his arms to the entire school grounds. ‘Go on then. I dare you.’

‘Fine. You think I won’t do it, but I will.’ Emerson bolts up from the bench, shoving his soccer ball at Koby before he marches off towards a group of girls sitting about twenty metres away from us.

When he reaches them, he sits down next to the brunette. All four sets of eyes turn on him. He’s speaking, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. It must be good, though, as all four of them sit in stunned silence, mouths hanging open before one of them smiles. At first, I think he’s in with a chance until hysterical laughter fills the circle. It echoes through the yard, tempting everyone to look in their direction. Emerson’s face drops as he glances around, his cheeks reddening. One girl is holding her stomach, her body convulsing in laughter while she turns a bright pink.

What the hell did he say?

Koby grins when Emerson walks back over, kicking his feet in the grass as he mumbles under his breath.

‘What the fuck did you say, dude?’ Koby throws the soccer ball into Emerson’s chest.

‘Nothing, I don’t want to talk about it.’

‘What happened tothey’ll be all over this sexiness?’

Emerson slams his hand on the table. ‘I said I don’t want to talk about it.’

Koby snorts. ‘Untwist your knickers, dude. But I won’t mention it again. I can see it’s a sore spot.’ Koby holds his hands up, leaving Emerson glaring at him from across the table. ‘Anyway, there’s a gig at The Pav Saturday night. You lot keen?’

Emerson lifts a shoulder, but says nothing.

‘Sure. Why not?’ I say.

I’m not a fan of loud music and drunk dickheads, but if there’s a chance Matilda’s going, so am I. Just imagining some other guy with his hands on her body has me ready to punch on with the next person who looks at me the wrong way.

It only took having her lips pressed to mine, her body heat consuming me, to know there was no going back. I tried so hard to prove to her she didn’t belong with me, but it didn’t work. And, now that I think about it, having Celeste suck my dick was more to prove to myself that I could keep my feelings for Matilda in check. But that didn’t work either. My next fight can’t come soon enough.

As I watch her, I’m begging Matilda to turn her head so I can look into those eyes and know that what I feel growing between us isn’t something I’m making up. I need to know it’s real because if it’s not…

Shit. I run my hand through my hair, then hang my head. I’m in deep shit.

‘Well, I’ll be,’ Emerson says, as he nods his head. ‘You really do like her.’

‘Whatever, man. I just want my dick wet.’

Fuck. The acidity from the apple I just ate leaves a sour taste in my mouth and I cringe at what I just said, but I’ll never live it down if the boys think I’m obsessed with her. If I’m to keep up our charade where we both pretend we hate each other and there’s nothing going on between us, then I have to keep any sort of emotional tell away from these two.

‘Where’s Will?’ I say, not caring who answers me, just hoping to take some heat off myself.

Koby shrugs. ‘Who knows? Probably getting sucked off in a cubicle somewhere.’

Emerson snorts his blue sports drink through his nose, while Koby does some vulgar hip thrusting as he pretends to hold someone’s head against his crotch.

I shake my head. ‘You guys are fucked up.’ Now I’m reminded of Friday night, when Celeste had my dick shoved down her throat.

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