The Golden Boys: Chapter 4

Summer basically ended for the team two weeks ago, the moment mandatory two-a-day practices commenced. Since then, it’s been all day in the sun, very few breaks, and zero sympathy. When we aren’t on the field, we’re in the weight room.

With varsity mostly being seniors, we were given a rare pass today for orientation. Then, it’s back to the grind at eight a.m. tomorrow morning for a Saturday make-up practice.

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through this every year, but then remember the rush only football has ever given me.

I use the ten minutes we have before this thing starts to wipe the water droplets beading down from the mirrors after a quick run through the car wash. If the stars align, I’ll have the Chevelle road-ready soon, too. Possibly in time for Homecoming if I’m lucky.

I glance up every now and then, usually when a short skirt passes by. The girls wearing them wave once they have my attention and, already, I know it’s about to be a good year.

Dane’s in the passenger seat posing. With one foot down on the pavement, he leans until half his face is in the sunlight for a selfie. His vain ass thinks his followers are obsessed with his green eyes. Then again, with how they eat that shit up, I guess he’s right.

“I hear South Cypress High might be a problem this year,” Sterling sighs, resting against my hood.

I peer up. “How so?”

“Apparently, they just had a kid transfer in from Ohio. He’s supposed to be some kind of football phenom.”

“Position?” Dane pauses from his photoshoot to ask.

“Quarterback,” Sterling answers.

“Stats?” I’m curious, but not worried.

“Throws a seventy-yard pass in the air. He’s got a good eye, too. Reads the field like a pro.”

“Big deal. I throw a seventy,” I counter.

“Yeah, but … not coming out of freshman year, you didn’t.”

Now I’m intrigued. They can probably tell because I’ve stopped working on the car.

“I hear they’re getting cocky, too,” Sterling adds. “Whole team’s talking shit about how they have district and maybe even regionals on lock.”

No fucking way. If I ended this season without a championship under my belt, it wouldn’t be because some punk-ass sophomore walked away with it.

While winning is our entire team’s goal, I need this for other reasons. As a safety net of sorts. A reason for the coach at NCU to consider giving me the spot I deserve despite anything else he might hear about me.

Guess you could say I haven’t exactly been an angel.

“We got somebody to go check him out?” I hide that I’m frustrated, but feel the tension across my shoulders.

“Not yet, but I agree we should get on that sooner rather than later. I’ll check with Trip,” Sterling offers.

I nod and toss the used rag into the trunk before slamming it closed. Then, before I can say more, Dane interrupts with a drawn out, “Damnnn…”

Sterling and I follow his gaze until we spot who he’s gawking at. The one who has him rising from his seat and setting his phone aside, despite the thirsty fans he leaves hanging.

This, alone, is no small miracle.

Not sure who I expect to find has stolen his attention, but I definitely don’t expect it to be Joss. Yet, she’s the only girl bounding toward my car at full speed, screeching with a huge grin, arms already stretched this way despite still being halfway across the lot.

It’s understandable why Dane’s caught up, though. A summer spent visiting both halves of her family—first in Haiti, then Cuba—has certainly done that body good. She was smokin’ hot even before she left, but ‘damn’ was the perfect reaction.

A short dress that ties around the waist leaves her golden-brown legs exposed underneath it. Sunlight shimmers over her skin with every step she takes. It does the same with the gold highlights twisted into the braids piled on top of her head.

I can practically hear my brother’s heart beating, and it’s pretty damn pathetic. No Shade to Joss. It’s only pathetic because Dane’s loved the girl since we first met her at age twelve and dude still hasn’t grown the balls to do anything about it.

With only seconds to spare before she reaches us, I lean in toward Dane with a huge grin on my face. I can’t let this moment pass without giving him shit, so I do my best Valley Girl impression to further annoy him.

“Like, imagine your best friend, like, being super hot. Then imagine, like, not … being able to tap that.”

Sterling laughs behind his fist, but Dane isn’t amused. His only reaction is the elbow I take to the ribs. Then, Joss is right in front of us, colliding with Dane so forcefully she practically knocks the wind out of him. His back slams against the broadside of my car and both arms lock tight around her waist. It’s just a hug, yeah, but not the kind you expect between ‘best friends’.

They’re both full of shit. They just haven’t realized it yet. One of these days, they’re gonna get tired of beating around the bush, and someone will make a move.

My money’s on Dane, but Sterling swears it’ll be Joss.

We’ll see how it plays out, but for now, both try extra hard to convince themselves and each other they’ll never be a thing.

“When’d you get back?” Dane asks. “Didn’t expect to see you until Monday morning.”

His eyes are all over her when they finally put some space between them. She either doesn’t mind, or she’s so used to him eye-banging her she doesn’t even notice anymore. Probably the latter.

“We got in early so I wouldn’t miss orientation. Plus, I wanted to get back for Casey’s B-Day party tonight.”

As soon as she mentions that name, I see regret in her eyes as they flit toward me. But if she’s expecting me to lose my shit, it won’t happen. There’s so much to unpack with what has now been dubbed ‘The Casey Situation’ I don’t even have the energy.

“Her nineteenth, right?” I ask casually, pretending the whole thing doesn’t still fuck with my head when I let it.

Joss nods. “Yeah, she invited a bunch of girls from our dance squad and most from Everly Prep to celebrate. She’s only home for the weekend, then she’s headed back to school tomorrow night. I’ll tell her you asked about her,” Joss offers.

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

The words leave my mouth quickly, which doesn’t seem to go over her head. She knows the history, so there’s no need to explain my reaction. My brothers expressions are blank and an awkward silence takes over what could’ve been a pleasant conversation. However, Joss manages to rebound after a moment.

“Well, did you miss me?” she bites her glossed lip after asking Dane the question, slowly peering up at him with a ghosting smile.

“I … well …”

I feel him about to say something stupid, so I intervene. As much as I enjoy giving him a hard time, I won’t let him embarrass himself.

Not in front of other people, anyway.

“We all missed you,” I tease. “The north side hasn’t been the same since you left.”

The mood lightens when she laughs and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. You guys probably didn’t even notice I was gone. Hard to keep track of who’s where when you’re always either drunk or high.”

She shoots Dane a look and he pushes a hand behind his neck, letting out a nervous laugh. “I take it you kept up with my posts.”

“Sure did, and I’ll bet the admissions committee at NCU is keeping up with them, too,” she warns.

It’s then that I remember why there’s a gulf between these two, keeping both in the other’s friend zone. Joss is all books, grades, and Advance Placement classes. Meanwhile, Dane never passes up a good time. They’re polar opposites, which works for some, but not so much for them.

“Did you even research the internship programs I emailed you?” she asks. “They’re perfect for the digital marketing field.”

Dane’s stare lingers on her a moment and I know for a fact that he loves her fire, how she scolds him with her eyes, puts him in his place every chance she gets.

“I did. Even made a spreadsheet of each one’s requirements,” he answers after another round of eye-banging.

Joss nearly succeeds at holding back a smile. “Good. Because the thing with my uncle isn’t guaranteed. You need a backup plan just in case.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dane says, cocking his head with the words.

Joss holds his gaze as long as she can, muttering a faint, “Smart-ass,” when she grins. Then, she draws in a breath and her eyes shift across the parking lot.

“So, other than wishing you were here to kill my buzz, how was your trip?” Dane asks.

That smile Joss tried holding back widens now.

“Great, I guess. If you overlook the fact that my dad didn’t let me do anything without hawking my every move,” she sighs. “I did manage to get out and have some fun, though.”

Dane’s brow twitches, and so does the corner of his mouth, but he hides it well with a smile. “I’ll bet. Does ‘some fun’ have a name? Or … names?”

Joss is biting the side of her lip again, but lowers her gaze to the ground instead of answering.

“Well, on that note, I think I’ll head inside,” she announces, passing a lingering glance toward Dane right after. “Call me later. We have a lot to catch up on.”

His eyes don’t leave her when she walks away. With the energy between them, I’m starting to think Sterling and I might have the bet resolved before graduation.

It’s just us three again, heading toward the building with the rest of the crowd. We get stopped a few times along the way, but most know not to even try it. It’s public knowledge that ‘friendly’ isn’t something we do casually. Our circle is small and we intend to keep it that way.

The lines at the staff-run stations are already insane. One to get updated student I.D.’s. One for schedules and locker assignments. Another for anyone claiming a parking space in the student lot.

I have to be here, but I’m definitely not interested. Bored while I wait in line, I scan the atrium, not looking for anything in particular. But then, I spot someone who has me alert again.

Completely alert.

“…The fuck?”

Sterling follows my gaze, straight to the one it seems fate delivered right here, to the very place I rule, the place where my word is law.

“You know her or something?”

“Yeah. Something like that.” I’m intentionally careful with my words.

He doesn’t recognize her, which comes as no surprise. Of the three of us, I was the jackass who couldn’t stop watching her at the bonfire. I’m also the one with a compromising photo of her hidden on my phone.

My brothers know nothing of what I found in our dad’s safe, and I’ll likely keep it to myself, unless I have good reason to reveal what I know.

A few seconds behind, Dane freezes with his mouth half-open when he finally spots her. Then, his brow jumps and he’s taking it all in, the details I refuse to find appealing about her—tight little waist, sun-kissed skin, legs for days, nice size rack, pretty face. Not the typical, magazine-class pretty face, either. It’s unique and ethereal, makes you want to stare. Makes you want to get closer.

She’s the human equivalent of oleander.

Beautiful.

Delicate.

Dangerous.

My feelings are all twisted, edging on two different extremes. The man in me knows she’s on fire, hot as they come. But there’s more to her than that, and it’s that hidden truth that fuels my rage.

If that picture proves anything, it’s that there’s a strong possibility she’s been in a myriad of compromising positions with my father. She looks like the type to do whatever freaky-ass shit he wants. Anything to make sure he doesn’t snap his wallet shut with her greedy little fingers in it.

She isn’t the first. My dad has an M.O. when it comes to these things and it’s predictable as hell. He likes his sidepieces young, usually blonde, easy to manipulate, easy to blind with diamonds and fancy vacations he tells my mom are ‘business trips’.

I eye her, positive she doesn’t even know that dick’s real name. He’s become somewhat of a ghost, the reason for the blacked-out windows on his truck, the reason he’s turned down television interviews with every local news outlet. To some, Vin Golden is the phantom who manipulates this town like a puppet. To me, he’s just an asshole with money.

Whatever the case, there’s only one fact about this situation that matters. This girl’s decided to be my dad’s plaything until he tires of her, which officially makes her my enemy.

I lean in so my words don’t go beyond my brothers’ ears. “I guarantee what I’m about to say won’t make any sense, but I need you both to hear me out.”

The statement is met with two questioning stares.

“What’s up?” Sterling faces me, looking stern before crossing both arms over his chest.

I second-guess myself for a moment, but I know I can’t pull off what I have in mind without their full cooperation.

“That girl is nowhere near as innocent as she looks,” I explain.

Dane laughs and passes another glance her way. “Good. Innocence has always been overrated in my book.”

I’m shaking my head before he even finishes. “No, trust me. You don’t want anything to do with this one.”

I feel my expression morph into an angry scowl when I peer up at her again. I’m over beating around the bush and just tell them straight up.

“We have to take her down. And not just ‘make her cry and write about us in her diary’ type shit. I mean, I want this bitch broken, ground into dust.”

I have their full attention and see the questions brimming in their eyes.

“You know we’ve got your back, but—”

“No questions,” I say more harshly than I mean to, but seeing her again has me feeling like I’ll lose it.

I’ve never had this chance before, to deal with one of Dad’s sluts as I see fit. In the past, I was either too young to step up, or he’d covered his tracks too well. This time, he hadn’t been so careful.

Telling Mom about the late-night phone calls I overheard, or the many other glaring clues I’ve found over the years was never an option. Having his infidelity shoved in her face would shatter her world. Completely. It’s the reason she willingly ignores all the signs, sticks her head in the sand and keeps cleaning and baking like her husband hasn’t fucked half the town.

Dane’s watching her again, my new target. She steps up with a nervous smile to hand one of Headmaster Harrison’s administrators a packet of paperwork.

“All you need to know is she deserves everything that’s coming to her,” I assure them.

There’s a staggering silence between us that lasts an uncomfortably long time, but I assume they need to process. We’re not the friendliest pricks on the planet, but we don’t usually turn up the heat on people just for shits and giggles. I know it’s a lot—asking them to unleash hell on someone without explanation—but I hope they know I wouldn’t go to such extremes without good reason.

“All right,” Sterling agrees first, then Dane nods wearily.

“I’m in.”

We’re all turned in her direction, focused solely on our unsuspecting mark. I circle back to the belief that fate brought her here. I have no clue what other messed up shit she’s done in her lifetime, but something becomes crystal clear to me.

The universe wants her to suffer. It must. If that wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t have dropped her in my path again.

This girl’s entire world is about to go dark, and I’m gonna love every second of it.