EXCERPTS
EXCERPT 1
Trice
I glanced up towards Stacey, Kristen, and Brit, expecting some sort of apology, but only Stacey was looking at me, her eyes black pools of emptiness. We both sat staring at each other and I wondered how we even had reached this point. What was so interesting about pursuing me? My thoughts were interrupted when Mr Rogers began initiating a resolution between Stacey and me.
“So ladies, I want these incidents to be forgotten and no further to take place.”
Really? That’s it?
He continued, “Girls, I believe you owe an apology to Beatrice.”
No freaking way.
Brit and Kristen actually looked apologetic, and there was no mistaking the fury circulating from their parents. They stuttered a heartfelt apology, though I couldn’t return any sort of forgiveness.
When it came to Stacey, she looked directly at me and quietly muttered a sarcastic “Sorry.” A sly smile spread across her face, knowing that once we were done, she’d have the freedom to eventually torment me once again. Well, not on my watch.
Mr Rogers began shuffling in his seat to leave, looking at me to forgive her. I shook my head and scoffed.
“So, sir, you mean to tell me after four years, and this—” I held up my wrist, “—I get a one-word apology?”
He sighed heavily as though I was inconveniencing him, but instead of allowing him to answer, I continued. “Sir, with all due respect, Stacey can take her apology and shove it up her arse. There is no way in hell that I will sit here and forgive her. I was made to feel humiliated for four years as she attacked me, and not once did I feel safe to approach the teachers. Brit and Kristen have apologised, but I won’t fold for their ringleader. Sorry, sir, but fuck that.”
EXCERPT 2
Alex
I locked my door and turned on my stereo, I was in the mood for some loathing. Rotating the multidisc, I selected Rod Zombie’s Astro-Creep, and reached under my bed for the hidden bottle of my father’s Wild Turkey. It was my shitty attempt at keeping some alcohol out of his hands. I twisted the cap off and put the bottle to my lips, preparing myself for the path to self-destruction.
I picked up my foam football and began to toss it up and down in the air. I pressed the bottle to my lips and sucked back another gulp. The whiskey burned as it tore down my throat and wrestled with my insides.
“Bye Alex,” my mother shouted through the door. “We’ll see you Thursday.”
“Yeah, see ya,” I shouted, giving the door the bird. I gargled another mouthful of bourbon. I really should have mixed this with Coke, but I couldn’t be bothered.
Rod Zombie’s voice filled the room and my head banged while I sung the lyrics. When my mum was this happy, it pissed me off. He’d bought her over, again. With that thought, I took another swig and felt the effects of the alcohol sending tingles across my skin. Another trip, another injury paid for. What did he do last time? I ground my teeth as I blocked that night out. I want to feel numb. The tingles continued to crawl up my skin. Mission accomplished.
That was it. I’d decided. Back to meaningless sex. Or sex without a girlfriend tag attached. I swung again, sending the amber liquid down. My mouth burned. I studied the label closely. How can people drink this shit?
Girlfriends were too much hard work, or better yet, conniving lying bitches. And friends who were girls? Girls you’d known forever? Well fuck—they were even worse. Gripping the football, I squeezed it until my hand whitened and let it go. I watched it fall to the floor. I smacked my lips together as they numbed. Girls. Friends. You trusted the ones you hung out with, and then they dropped you like a sack of shit. Giving you the freeze out. Bring back the easy lays.
My vision blurred as the posters on my wall went out of focus. I lifted the bottle and inspected it. Half empty. That was quick. Shrugging, I took another swig and tried to focus on my posters. Dad was gonna be pissed that I nicked his bottle. I nodded and chuckled. It would be great to piss him off. No, Alex, it would not. My fuckin’ conscience had decided to join in. Piss off, conscience.
I stared into space as images of Bea began flicking through my mind. Her tear-stained face, her angry eyes in her room, her being thrown into a locker, her long legs … argh! I shook my head, but it did nothing to curb her face from haunting me. Now her bright blue eyes were dull and her smile—cracked. Her skin became pale as her hair hung limply to the side. She’d changed. She was broken. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there. I couldn’t keep her safe.
The room spun and I struggled to focus. Where was I, again? I tipped my chin against my chest as I rocked back and forth. My mouth opened as the colours of my carpet combined in a putrid mess. My arms flailed out as my balance wobbled, my feet suddenly flicked out in front and I crashed face down on my bed. The bottle rolled just past me to the other side, leaving me exhausted, sick, and passed out with dreams of a sad blue-eyed girl whose trust I had destroyed.
EXCERPT 3
Trice
Taking a sip of my drink, Robbie’s loud voice booms across the room. “What the fuck is this? Porn?”
Leaning back on my wrists, I squint to see what he’s holding. In his right hand, he holds a red-covered novel that I immediately recognise.
“It’s a novel I bought, Robbie.”
He turns the cover over and glances at the blurb. “Looks like girl porn to me.”
Fuming, I stand up and march towards him with my hand extended. “It’s not girl porn, you moron. It’s hot. Do you see a pool guy on the cover or in the blurb? Trust me, this has more storyline than the porn you have in the box in the garage.”
He looks at me sheepishly and says, “Those are old, anyway. Look at this!” He points to the cover. “She’s practically naked!”
I shake my head and walk away before I decide to hurt him.
“Which one are you reading, hon?”
Trinity leans forward and I pass it over to her.
“Oh! I’ve read that! They’re not naked; they’ve just misplaced their clothes. It’s hot as. How sexy is the tattooed guy?” She sighs, gripping it to her chest, while leaning back into the couch.
“Exactly,” I agree. “Totally hot, and it could teach the guys we know a lesson or two.”
“Oh, is there a section where he sticks his throbbing member into her flowerpot?” Theo asks, fluttering his eyelids while clasping his hands under his chin. In a high-pitched voice he says, “Those are my favourite parts!”
He giggles, covering his mouth with his hand like a schoolgirl. Trinity reaches out and hits him on the arm. “You’re an idiot. Besides, they don’t use that shit; they use ‘cock’.”
“Bullshit!” he jeers. “That does not sound like something you girls would read.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she challenges, placing her hand on her hips and staring him down.
He rolls his eyes and huffs, “It sounds too blunt—you girls like all that romantic shit. Not ‘cock’.”
Trinity tuts and reaches down into the bag that is by her feet. “We’ll see about that …” She pulls out a novel and opens it, flicking through a couple of pages. “Mmm,” she muses. “It says here, ‘his cock thrust into her.’” Looking back at Theo, she raises her eyebrow while flicking through more pages. “Or here, ‘his cock hammered against her entrance.’ Or better still, later on, ‘her lips licked his throbbing c—”
Theo holds up his hands in protest. “Enough! Yeah, we get the hint. You gals love to read the word,‘cock’.” He then crosses his arms in frustration. “I get it.”
Trinity, however, is not finished messing with him. “That’s not the only way that it gets described. How about …” tilting her head, she winks at me then gazes back, looking at Theo, “pants weasel.”
Hazel bursts out laughing and sits forward on the couch, eager to participate.
“Or,” Hazel husks seductively, “lance of love.”
“Mighty man noodle!” Trinity yells, shaking her fist in the air.
“Fuck stem!” I laugh, avoiding Alex’s gaze. Excited by the shocked looks on the boys’ faces, we happily continue.
“One-eyed snake.”
“Rippling sausage.”
“Love machine.”
“Doodle!”
“Engorged staff.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! What about penis?” Robbie laughs.
“Yes, please,” Joshua sighs, wiggling his eyebrows at Robbie. Robbie’s laugh is immediately cut short.
“I prefer venom cock.” Hazel winks, causing Robbie to stare back at her in shock.
“Organ,” I taunt.
“Oh, let’s not forget formerly caged viper,” Trinity says. “But I also think that we haven’t covered vaginas—”
“Oh, here we go.” Alex rolls his eyes.
“No, let’s just stick with cock. I hate how they describe vaginas,” I whine. Glancing up, Alex’s gaze is smouldering into mine. What? I mouth. You said cock, he mouths back.
Blushing, I turn away before anyone else notices his blatant flirting.
“Um, not like I really, really want to know …” Robbie queries. “But what do they use for the va-jay-jay?”
“Well,” Hazel pipes up, “I’ve read everything from the delicate rosebud to Count Fapula. The one that I absolutely hate, though, is ‘channel’; it can totally ruin the sex for me.”
“The hell?” Trinity bellows. “Worst name ever. You cannot swim up my vagina! With or without a paddle!!”
“These books sound classy,” Theo drawls, rolling his eyes.
Trinity’s eyes continue to peruse the pages, as she mumbles, "You know, my phone also has plenty that you can read from. But that’s my personal collection. But this, I’m sure Trice will lend it to you. Tight butts like yours needs to loosen up occasionally, and who knows—you may even get some tips."
She holds out the book to him, but he refuses to touch it.
"Who says I need any?" Theo seethes, staring back at her.
Glancing up, she breathes a sigh of exasperation. "Really, Theo? When was the last time you really let loose and grabbed a girl and nailed her? I'm talking against the wall, on the washing machine—anywhere but a bed?"
The room suddenly becomes quiet. The usual tirade between Trinity and Theo is more tense than usual. Trinity waves her hand in front of him to encourage him to continue. Theo looks ready to attack.
"See? My point exactly. Read this. Your dick will be forever grateful … or, according to this novel, your cock. I’ll even highlight some parts …"
Theo steps closer to her and lowers his voice. “I can fuck anywhere. I have it on good authority that my skills are exceptional. Especially when I have the bite marks on my neck to prove it. Wonder how that girl’s shoulder is today … Seeing as she asked me to return the favour.”
Trinity’s face pales as she thrusts the novel into Theo’s chest.
“Whatever, Theo,” she mumbles. Looking between the two of them, I can’t help but notice the air is suddenly thick with tension. Seems that Alex and I aren’t the only ones hiding. Theo hands my novel back to me, and I try to walk over to Trin to quiz her when Joshua dares to speak. “Robbie, say cock. C’mon … just say it.” He flicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth while cheekily grinning at Robbie. Closing his eyes, he visibly shudders, then opens them again, stares at Robbie and grins. “You’re so cute when you blush.”
EXCERPT 4
Alex
The next morning, I rise eagerly to make brunch. We usually did it on Sundays, but I was too keen to welcome her. I want to full-steam us into buddy-buddies and hope like hell she is glad for it, too. Plus, the more I keep myself busy, the less chance I have of crashing everything to the side and just jumping her. It has been a long time since I wanted something like I want her.
I go to the bathroom and wash my face and brush my teeth. I keep my PJ pants on, but throw a T-shirt over my head, too. Brunch is all about being casual and relaxed in our house, so PJs are a must. Brushing of the teeth is also a must. There is no way that I want to subject her to Satan’s arse breath first thing in the morning.
I open the fridge and reach for the eggs, bacon, and mushrooms. Placing them on the island bench, I turn the oven on to warm up for the hash browns. I can’t remember how she likes her eggs, so I decide I’ll go poached and try to impress her. Yeah, I am being a moron, but I want to wow her. Placing the continental-style bread on the grill, I retrieve the hash browns and line a tray with them. Once I have chopped up the mushrooms and sorted out the eggs and bacon, I look at the brunch I’ve prepped and smile. Yeah, she is going to think I am awesome.
Whistling, I head towards her door to call her up. It is already 10am, so I figure she’ll be awake. Knocking, I wait for her to open it and after a while, I notice that there aren’t any noises.
Huh, I think. She’s probably asleep.
Turning the handle, I begin saying, “Good morning, roomie, it’s time for your welcome back to…” instead, I stand agape as I stare at Bea’s bed. I don’t see anything else but her. Sprawled between covers, the tip of the doona lays across her midsection, while her right leg has curled out. Most of her body is exposed and draped in an emerald green and black laced silky bodice and fucking short nightie. It’s like Victoria’s Secret has decided to drop one of their angels in that bed. Her hair is draped all over the back of her pillow and her left arm is up and curled under her chin. It’s a scene from a wet dream, only hotter. Holy shit—if she opens her eyes and sees me here, I’m fucked.
I step from foot to foot trying to negotiate which way to turn so that I don’t wake her. I feel like a clumsy bear in a cave. Taking another look to check that she’s asleep, I turn while keeping my eyes on her, only to knock a photo frame from her bookshelf behind me with my elbow. It crashes down onto the floor and luckily doesn’t smash. Before I can grab it, I hear a startled gasp and inwardly cringe as I feel her eyes on me. Resigned to the inevitable, I bend over and pick up the frame, repositioning it on the shelf while mentally calling it a fucker and turn to face her. She is sitting up in bed, with her arm holding back her wavy hair from her face.
“I’m so sorry, Bea,” I stammer. “I tried knocking and didn’t hear anything, and by the time I realised you were asleep, I knocked over this frame.” I finish, pointing at the offending frame as though it is the one to blame. Not me, the pervy housemate.
She clears her throat and croaks, “S’okay. I should get up anyway. What did you need me for?”
Oh, you know … just wanted to strip you naked … Clearing my throat, I gesture to outside her door.
“It’s brunch time, so I wanted to get you. It’s all ready to go.”
I’m staring at her body. I know I shouldn’t, but fuck it, I can’t stop.
“I have hash browns in the oven and I’ll have your legs, argh—” I stammer. “I mean, eggs ready soon.” I turn quickly and march out before I make an even bigger fool of myself. Legs? Could I be even more of a moron?
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