Page 36 of I Hear You

The whiskey wielding guy turns his attention back to me, sitting on the arm of my chair. I scooch away just a little, but not so much it’s obvious.

“Hi Madison, I’m Caleb. Are you enjoying my party?”

So this must be the guys’ teammate Taylor told me about. I smile at him. He’s kind of cute in a, “works out too much and is probably a little full of himself” kind of way. If Jesse says he’s a prick, he probably is.

“I am. Your parents have a great house.”

I smirk, wondering if he notices my subtle dig by making it clear I know this is all Mom and Dad’s money and I’m not impressed. I can see Taylor suppressing a laugh out of the corner of my eye. Caleb doesn’t seem to mind or notice.

He leans in and brushes a strand of my hair back and I freeze.

“And you haven’t even seen the bedrooms yet,” he whispers in my ear.

I consider pushing him away, but notice Henry staring at us over Caleb’s shoulder. He looks seriously pissed, but he has no right to be. If he didn’t want me talking to another guy, he should be over here talking to me instead. So I do the bitchy thing and put my hand on Caleb's bicep that’s bigger than my head and giggle like a schoolgirl.

Mission accomplished. Henry is back to standing by us faster than I thought was possible.

“Hey Caleb, I see you’ve met Madison,” he says through gritted teeth.

He clamps his hand down on Caleb's shoulder and not so subtly pulls him away from me.

“Yeah man, we were just getting to know each other. Weren’t we babe?”

Caleb does not take the hint and looks right back at me and winks. This douche bag actually winks. I push down the bile rising in my throat. Let’s hope this idiot doesn’t get too attached while I use him.

“Yup. So Caleb, you play football? Are you, like, the quarterback?”

I try not to gag at my own repulsiveness as I bat my eyelashes at Caleb. I know damn well Caleb isn’t the quarterback and Henry is. After watching their practice, I may have even done some research about football. Caleb, I’m almost positive, is a fill in player. No real role on the team, just an extra body.

Henry audibly groans and wipes a hand down his face. Jesse chokes on the beer he was drinking and Taylor buries her face in Jesse’s chest, trying to cover her laugh.

Caleb looks pissed.

“No, benchwarmer isn’t the quarterback. I am.”

I look up at Henry and he’s staring down at me with a fire in his eyes I didn’t expect. I’m feeling a strange confidence I don’t normally have, so I look Henry in the eyes, challenging him.

“Oh, and is your girlfriend a cheerleader?”

I know Taylor and Jesse said Jackie is his ex-girlfriend, but I can’t help myself from making the comment. What I saw in the kitchen sure makes it look as if they may have gotten back together.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he practically spits through clenched teeth.

“Oh, I mean, the girl from the kitchen. Do you guys just not have a label on things?” I say, feigning ignorance.

Taylor clears her throat.

“Hey Madison, I’ve gotta find the little girl’s room. Come with me?”

She’s already standing and pulling me to my feet to follow her.

We weave our way through drunk college students. The house is a lot fuller than it was when we arrived an hour ago. She finds a hallway and pulls me down it, pushing open doors until she finds an empty room and pulls me in. We’re in what must be a guest room. The furnishings are generic, but look expensive. There aren’t any personal items I can see.

Taylor closes the door behind us, spins toward me and crosses her arms.

“Okay, what’s up?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

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