“Becky.”

“I’m sorry. I just feel stupid. Why are you still friends with me? I even tried out for the cheerleading squad so I wouldn’t be a nerd.”

“You don’t want to be a cheerleader?”

“I do, but they’re so mean. I did it so that you wouldn’t leave me behind.”

I gaped at her. “Are you nuts? What friends do I have?”

She looked over my shoulder but flushed again and looked away.

“I have Mason and Logan. You.”

Her eyes were brimming with tears as she looked up again. “Really?” Her bottom lip trembled.

“Yes.” Then I sighed. “Now tell me about this Rex guy.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Since Becky seemed happy at my attendance, we didn’t stay for the entire event. We stayed long enough to hear that Rex was skinny. He had shiny blue eyes and his hair was sandy brown. It was messy the previous night, but Becky preferred it that way. He looked adorable when he smiled.

I gave her a polite smile as she chatted away about her dreamboat, but I knew I wasn’t going anywhere until I met this pothead. When Becky convinced her parents to let her leave, she called him to pick her up. It took ten minutes before she told him he could come over. She kept giggling. He would say something. She’d giggle some more.

By the time she ended the phone call, my nerves were stretched to their limits. I was glad Adam hadn’t shown his face. I would’ve taken out my irritation on him.

Mason remained quiet the entire evening. He always had a hand to my elbow or my hip. When he guided me somewhere, his hand lingered on the small of my back. But when Becky hung up with Romeo, he let loose a deep sigh and I tried to make myself relax beside him as well. Then it wasn’t long before a station wagon roared up to the front door. Becky received a text. She giggled some more and then skipped out to meet him. We followed at a more sedate pace, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Becky rushed inside the station wagon and the two had their lips locked.

Mason choked out a laugh. I elbowed him, but my lip twitched from the humor as well.

And then Becky let out a moan and they were onto the tongues. Already.

“Oh.” I shifted back, but Mason was behind me.

His hand was splayed out on the small of my back and he bent forward when it curved around my waist instead. His chuckle was low and smooth. Even though I flinched at the scene before me, another delicious tingle rushed through me. His hand held me tight against him and he nipped at my earlobe. “Think those two are horny?”

“Were we like that?”

His thumb started to rub under my shirt. “We are like that.”

Images of us from the day flashed in my mind. Another tingle rushed through me.

And then Becky popped out of the car. Her cheeks were red and she smoothed her dress down with frenzied hands. “Hey, I—um—” She looked over when the driver’s door creaked open. She was right. Rex was a lanky guy with crystal clear blue eyes. As he strolled around the car in tapered jeans, a white tee shirt underneath a ripped flannel, and a leather strap necklace that fell to his crotch, he gave us a lazy grin. A hand rose to push back some of his hair that fell over his eyes. He brushed it back and then ruffled the rest of his hair. Some of it stuck straight up, others went to the left, right, flattened, and a few more ends curled. A nest could’ve been in there, but Becky sighed as she watched him.

“Heya.” He held his hand out to Mason. “Rex.”

Becky’s finger jerked up. “No, she’s my friend.”

He moved the hand from Mason to me. “Heya. Rex.”

I gave him a polite smile and shook his hand. “Hi.” His hand was soft and clammy. I held back a cringe at what he’d been doing with it. I didn’t want to know. I shook my head. Becky had landed a pretty boy stoner. He had feminine features with soft pink lips, but she’d been right when she said his eyes were glazed over. They still were.

He flicked his hair back again and looked over to Becky. “I thought you said your friend was a dude.”

“I said her name was Sam.”

“That’s a dude’s name.” He looked at me and curled his lip up in a smooth smile. “No offense.”

Mason chuckled again in my ear. I gritted my teeth when I replied, “None taken, Rex Thursto.”

“Oh.” He laughed. “Yeah, my mom named me after their hamster. He died the day I was born. She still has him in our freezer.”

Mason barked out a laugh but covered it right away. I felt him pull back from me and knew he had stepped away from our group. I understood. I really did.

“So.” Becky danced up to us. She had her hands clasped together in front of her. Her eyes flashed back and forth as if she were watching a movie. “What do you think, Sam? I’m so happy that you’re the first to meet him.”

“Adam didn’t meet him?”

“Oh no. Adam already took off. He was helping some girl home because she drank too much. He’s such a nice guy.” She sighed on a dreamy note.

I looked at Rex to see his reaction, but his eyes were trained on Mason, who was now lounging against a post as he waited for us. Then Rex asked him, “You go to Public?”

A slight smirk hovered over his lips. “Yeah.”

Rex pointed a finger at him, but he nodded in approval. “Hey, yeah. You’re the YouTube guy. You’re awesome. You took that bat to those mofos like Rambo style. My buds and I watched it a bunch that night.”

Mason walked over to us again. “You’re with the stoners.”

“Yep.”

There was no shame.

And Mason nodded at him.

Then Rex snapped his fingers again at him. “You’re a Kade. Your brother was at my house today. He banged my sister all day.”

My mouth started to fall open, but I locked my jaw quickly. A weird gurgling sound came out.

Mason narrowed his eyes. Nothing else was said and Rex bobbed his head up and down again. “Yeah. I like your brother. My sister was in a good mood all day. Mostly, she’s a bitch. I think he’s still at my house. We could all go over there. I’ve got a bowl we could share.”

Becky giggled behind her hands. Rex’s eyes lit up and his lips spread in a slow grin.

Then Mason’s phone beeped and he snorted as he read it. “Logan at Ethan’s now. I don’t think he’s at your house.”