Page 11 of Catch My Fall (Catch)

Rosie was sweet and Ienjoyed talking to her while we played. She seemed really overwhelmed by Tiffany’s giant personality, and since I could see why, I made sure to talk to her a lot. Before I knew it, almost half an hour had passed and we were just about ready for our second game. The place had started to fill up and I was happy that so far, I was good.

As we were finishing our second game, I noticed that Tiffany was making a big production of taking off her hoodie because she was ‘so stinkin’ hot’. She was giggling a bit too loud and her behavior screamed, ‘look at me, look at me’, something I find really off-putting. When she finally had the hoodie pulled off, Darby, Rosie and I all let out simultaneous gasps because all she was wearing under the hoodie was a bustier-style top. The bustier in combination with the pair of jeans that looked like they were sewn on, make her look incredibly… um… trampy.

We’ve been here for over an hour now and I haven’t seen one person dressed the way she is right now. Darby, Rosie and I are all wearing shorts and tank tops and that’s really what every other girl in here is wearing as well. Tiffany is the only person who’s dressed like it’s Friday night at the club. No one else is dressed like that because it isn’t Friday night and we aren’t at a club. It’s Thursday night and we’re at a pool hall in a strip mall. What in the hell is she even thinking?

My answer came in the form of a shift in the atmosphere around me as Tristan, Trace, and a few of their friends came into my line of view. The guy they were with reached the table well ahead of them, and I watched as he plucked the RESERVED sign off the table next to us.

Any air that I had in my lungs was immediately gone when I realized that Tristan had clearly just been working out. He wore a gym shirt with no arms, black Adidas pants and a pair of Nikes, and his hair was a little damp with sweat. If I thought he looked hot before, I was wrong. Before, he looked good. Now, he looked amazing.

I was purposely trying to fade into the corner and I noted that Darby was doing the same. When I turned to look at her, I saw that she seemed really unhappy and I wondered what was affecting her so.

Because we were in the darkest part of the corner, Tristan and Trace hadn’t noticed us yet, and I considered making a run for it, but got myself under control with a stern reminder that I was trying to be friends with these people. I can’t run and hide every time I realize that I’m attracted to Tristan.

Rosie hadn’t really moved from her spot at the table, which meant that she was basically shielding Darby and me from view. When Tiffany sauntered toward Tristan, slid her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, I felt my heart plummet. He set her back firmly without kissing her back, something that told me he wasn’t into PDA at all… at least not with her.

“You’re acting silly, Tristan,” she said in a saccharine sweet baby doll voice. Running her index finger down his throat she purred, “But you were verrrrry happy to see me under youboth times that we were together last night, lover.” She giggled for dramatic effect, and I literally wanted to go punch her in the throat, which shocked the hell out of me. What in the world was wrong with me? I’d never had such an intense reaction to a guy before, ever.

Taking deep breaths I started chanting in my head, “Tristan is just my friend. Tristan is just my friend. Tristan isjustmy friend.”

A bunch of people werepaying attention to the exchange between Tristan and Tiffany because he was sex on a stick and she was dressed like she was auditioning to work the pole. He tried to appear calm, but I could tell he was livid.

“Listen,” he said calmly. “I specifically told you I don’t do repeat performances.I asked you at least a half dozen times if you were okay with that and you assured me you were. You need to chill out and find someone else to rub on. I’m not that guy.”

Tiffany turned a color that is best described as rage-out-red.She. Was. Pissed.

“You fucked me two times last night,” she hissed, “and I am not a goddamn cum-dumpster. Don’t you dare blow me off!”

She wasn’t speaking super loud, but enough people around us were listening that her words sent a ripple through the small crowd. There were several “Oooohhhs” and a few “Dayummmms”, which only served to make anyone who wasn’t already paying attention get closer to see what the drama was about.

“Hey, that’s fucked up,” he said. “I was totally respectful to you and I never fucking called you acum-dumpster. We passed a few hours together and then it was over. I never promised you anything and I told you right off the bat it would be a one-night event. You werefinewith those ground rules last Sunday night when you fucked Trace and he told you the same thing. What’s the difference between then and now?”

Darby made a sound of pain at his words, and I reached over and grabbed her hand in mine. If I wasn’t sure before, now Iwas. Her heart beat for Trace big time, and she was upset that he had sex with Tiffany.

“Is that what this is about?” Tiffany whined. “Are you jealous that Trace had me first? We were drunk and it was only one time! You and I made lovetwotimes. Trace was a drunken screw. You and I are real. I can see what your problem is and I want to fix you.”

His hands clenched into tight fists as he took a step back. “Fix me? FIX ME? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Bitch, fix yourself. You’ve been here less than a week and you’ve already fucked three different guys. Your stats are worse than mine. Don’t chase me around and try tomake me pretend that what happened between us was anything other than what it was: emotionless and painfully awkward sex between two people with no fucking chemistry. We didn’t make love and we never even got close to it. We fucked and that’s the end of the story. You’re living in fucking fantasy-land if you think I’m ever touching you again.”

Tiffany laughed in his face, a hard and bitter sound that was obviously forced. “Fuck you, loser! I was going to try to help you, but you can’t be helped. You’re fucking garbage.”

Turning on her heel she grabbed her hoodie and threw it on before snapping at Rosie, Darby and me, “Let’s go, bitches!”

I didn’t want to go with her crazy ass, but I didn’t want to stay either, especially since her speaking to us drew attention to the fact that we were there. Tristan stared at me in shock. I forced myself to look away from him only to find a green-looking Trace staring at Darby as if he was about to step in front of a firing squad.

Squeezing my hand for dear life she dragged me out the back door, all but running away from Trace. Rosie and Tiffany were right behind us, and we walked around to the front lot to get into the car to go back to our dorm room.

Tiffany yelled the entire way about what fucking losers the Chamberlain brothers were and I just tuned her out. What said was hurting Darby, and that’s all that I cared about right then.

When we got back to the dorm Darby grabbed my hand and forced me to run into the building with her. She didn’t say a word to Tiffany, and neither did I. Once we were in our room, she collapsed on her bed and started to cry.

Sitting down next to her I began rubbing her shoulders. “What’s wrong, Darby?”

She cried for a few minutes without answeringuntil finally she sat up and just wentoff.

“This! This always fucking happens to me! Ever since I was in middle school girls have been pretending to be my friends in order to get closer to Trace, Tristan and Austin. Remember how unfriendly Tiffany was when we moved in? Looking back I can see that all stopped on Monday when she saw us in the hallway with Trace as we were leaving for Olive Garden. It’s nevergoing to stop! I wouldn’t have cared if those girls had really been my friends, but as soon as the guys fuck and run, suddenly I’m trash too. That’s not even the worst part! Do you know how hard it is for me to see girls throwing themselves at him? Jesus Christ, he FUCKED her! I shouldn’t have come here, I should have gone to school far away!”

There was nothing to do but let her know that Iwould be here for her no matter what and to hold her while she cried it out. She cried long enough and hard enough that eventually she fell asleep mid-cry. I stayed with her for a while, rubbing her back and making sure she was okay. When I was sure she was in a deep sleep, I took off her shoes and laid a blanket over her before crawling into bed myself. I tried to force myself not to think about how bothered I was by the fact that Tristan had sex with Tiffany, but it didn’t work. I spent far too long imagining the two of them locked together in passion before I was finally able to fall into a fitful slumber.

Chapter Seven

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