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THE ROOM FELT ELECTRIC, THE BASS from the speakers vibrating through my chest. The team insisted that this party was a “tradition” to start the season off this way, so I figured I’d make an appearance.
I haven’t been to a party in a while and I thought it would feel good but I feel like shit; and I know the reason I feel like this is because of what I said to a particular curly headed blonde.
Her face. Her expression. The way it crumbled at my words.
It played on a loop in my head like a song you can’t stop humming even though you hate it.
So what if I hurt her feelings? What’s the big deal? I’ve said a whole lot worse to other people.
And yet. Here I am, practicing spiralling. Sighing, I lean against the kitchen counter, sipping my beer, half-listening to the guys arguing on what English team they support.
“Connie,” I hear someone call out for me.
Turning to my side, I see a blonde walking over to me. Not Blondie. Another blonde.
Her hair is pin straight, tucked behind her ears as she strugs towards me in her black dress. Lily.
The only reason I know her is because her and her two friends, Anika and Emma, are always sitting on the football table at lunch. The warning I got from the team about this trio was… interesting to say the least.
“Hey, Lily,” I reply flatly with a polite nod.
Her smile widens as she takes a step closer, closing the gap that was between us. “You look good,” she says, her voice dropping with intent.
At her words, Jack and Carson’s eyes go wide. Oh, boy.
Behind her, Jack starts wrapping his arms around himself and turns around to make it look like he’s making out with someone, while Carson laughs, shaking his head.
“You do too,” I reply, ignoring my teammates.
Her blue eyes glisten at my compliment. “You think so?” she asks as her hand makes its way onto my chest.
I let out a hum, nodding my head. Usually, I’d play along. Flirt back, say all the right things, then go into a quiet corner and make out. But tonight? That’s the last thing I want to do right now.
My gaze wanders as she starts talking to me about my performance in the friendly match, my attention drifting. I scan the room, bouncing off faces I don’t care to remember until I landed on one that I can’t ignore.
Carmen.
She’s standing near the hallway, her expression tight as she argues with someone. Narrowing my eyes, I realise that it’s Felix.
What the fuck?
The tension between them is palpable even from across the room. Carmen’s face is flushed, her hands gesturing widely as Felix stands there, arms crossed, looking like he couldn’t care less.
Before I realise it, my feet start moving, carrying me across the room.
He tries taking a step towards her but I make it to them first and with both hands out, I push him away from her. “What’s your problem, huh?”
He stumbles but recorders quickly, his glare cutting right through me. “My problem? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I go to take another step towards him but Carmen comes between us. Her eyes burn with anger as she looks up at me, arms crossed. “I can handle myself, Aaron.”
“Why is he shouting at you like that?” I ask. My eyes stay on hers, ignoring the loud scoff that leaves from the guy behind her.
She doesn’t get a chance to reply before Felix speaks up, “Piss off, O’Connor. This is a family matter.”
I raise my brows, glancing between them. “She’s related to someone like you?”
They’re total opposites. The idea of them being related never even occurred to me; though now that I think about it, they do share some similar features. Still, I’ve never seen them talk to each other or even walk down the hallway together.
Felix’s jaw tightens, his eyes narrowing at me. “Matter of fact, she’s my sister. So how about you mind your business and fuck off, yeah?”
Sister? They’re twins? Holy fuck.
A dry chuckle escapes me. “And you treat your sister like that?”
“What’s it to you, huh?” Felix taunts. “Leave us alone. Leave her alone. We all know what you’re like.”
The fuck did he just say? “What’s that supposed to mean, dickhead?” I ask, taking a step closer to him.
Carmen cuts in before he can answer, her voice trembling from anger and the alcohol. “Oh, so you’re allowed to talk to JJ and mess up things between me and her, but I can’t talk to Aaron?”
Felix’s face softens at her words but he doesn’t get a chance to say anything before Carmen shoves past both of us, disappearing into the crowd.
“Fucking dick,” I mutter, turning my attention back to Felix.
“You’re a ticking time bomb,” Felix says, his voice low and sharp. “Stay away from her. I mean it.”
My hands come in front of me and I shove him again. His back hits the wall and I step closer, going for another shove until someone pushes me away.
“Let’s all relax,” Carson chuckles, glancing between us with both arms out.
Turning around, I push through the crowd of people until I find myself in the living room. The heat, the noise; it’s all suffocating. He’s lucky Carson got in the way. Fuck, he’s lucky that I’m his teammate and I actually have to try to be civil with him.
I sit down on the couch, my elbows resting on my knees and my face in my hands as I try to calm down.
Somehow I managed to make things worse with her. With Carmen. And my teammate, her brother, Felix. Fucking hell.
The feeling of a hand running down my shoulders makes me instantly look up. “Why’d you leave like that, Connie?”
Her again?
Sighing, I stand up. “Not right now.”
She looks up at me innocently before also standing up. “You’re angry and I can help you with that,” she whispers, both hands on my chest.
“Not today.” I gently grab her wrists and put them to her sides before turning around and leaving without a word.
I’m not trying to be an asshole. I just genuinely can’t deal with that bullshit right now. What I really need though is fresh air. I make my way through the people dancing, ignoring my teammates who are calling out my name.
The cool night air hits me the moment I step outside. My head is pounding, a mix of frustration and alcohol. I just need a minute to breathe, to think, to stop replaying everything in my head.
As I wander towards the edge of the yard, the faint creek of a swing catches my attention. My eyes shift to an old oak tree to the far corner, its branches heavy with shadows. And then I see her.
Carmen’s sitting on the wooden swing, one hand loosely gripping the top while the other is holding a drink. Her dirty blonde curls are getting pushed by the breeze, caught in the moonlight, making her look like something out of a dream. Or a nightmare, considering how the night is going.
Her red top is clinging onto her, the colour looking beautiful against her tanned skin, but barely visible due to the large jacket she’s wearing. My eyes fall down to her legs, the short, dark denim skirt barely covering them. For a second, I just stand there, taking her in. The way the dim light softens the angles of her face, how her curls frame her jaw. She looks—
Damn.
I shake my head, trying to push away whatever thoughts are in there. I need to get myself together.
The swing creaks again as she leans back lightly, topping her head up to watch the sky. Her lips move like she’s talking to herself, but I’m too far away to catch anything she says.
Before I can talk myself out of it, my feet carry me towards her. I know I should turn around, head back inside, and avoid making this night worse, but for some reason I can’t stop myself.
“Hey,” I mutter as I approach her.
She glances up at me, her eyes glossy. “Oh, it’s you,” she slurs.
How much has she had to drink? I want to ask but I know it’s not the best time.
“You okay?” Fuck. That was stupid. Of course she isn’t okay, idiot.
She shrugs, her gaze on the ground. “Been better.”
I lean against the tree, my arms crossed over my chest. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re the coach’s daughter?”
She lets out a bitter laugh. “I don’t know, Aaron? Maybe I’ve had enough of being known as Coach Castro’s daughter and Felix’s sister. Maybe I just want to be known as Carmen.”
I frown at her words, tilting my head as I scan her face. “Well, I don’t know you as any of that.”
She blinks at me, her gaze finally meeting mine.
“I know you as Blondie from the locker room.”
A small smile appears on her lips but after a few seconds it falters. “You were mean, Aaron,” she mutters.
“Mean?” I repeat with my brows furrowed.
“Mean when you stepped in like I couldn’t handle myself and mean when you said those stuff to me after your game.”
“Oh,” I breathe out.
She crosses her arm, putting on a serious expression yet it doesn’t intimidate me. “So apologise.”
“I don’t really do apologies, Carmen.”
“Fine,” she huffs, turning to the side. “Then don’t talk to me.”
I let out a chuckle at her childish, drunk reaction as I lean off the tree and go to stand in front of her. When Carmen realises I’m there, she shuts her eyes. Oh, she’s something else when she’s drunk.
I haven’t talked to her in ages and I’m not about to ruin this conversation with her. I know she has been avoiding me. It’s so obvious the way she darts her eyes to anywhere but me when we pass each other in the halls. But now I am talking to her. I’m in front of her. I’m with her.
“Carmen,” I sigh and she shakes her head, refusing to open her eyes. Gently placing my hand under her chin, I lift her face to look at me. “I’m sorry.”
Hesitantly, she opens her brown eyes, the moonlight hitting them perfectly, highlighting the amber freckles in them.
“I’m sorry, okay?” I repeat, my voice so soft that I almost don’t even recognise it. “I was being mean, you’re right.”
She nods her head slowly. “Okay.”
“Okay?” What’s that supposed to mean? Women are so confusing.
Leaning towards me, she rests her head on my chest and I stiffen. “Aaron, I don’t want to go home.”
A knot forms between my brows. “Why?”
I don’t get a reply, instead suddenly, she turns to the side, throwing up all the alcohol in her system. Quickly, I pull her hair out the way, one hand rubbing her back and the other taking the cup from her grip. “It’s okay,” I try to soothe.
Once she’s done, she pulls out a napkin from her pocket and wipes her lips before leaning her head against my chest once again. “That’s why you shouldn’t mix…” she mumbles, and the rest of her sentence isn’t loud enough for me to hear.
“Mix what?” I ask. Shit. Is she good?
All of a sudden, her arms wrap around my torso and she looks up at me with her big brown eyes. “Wow,” she breathes out. “You have like… the perfect face ever, Aaron.”
Furrowing my brows, I let out a chuckle but I can’t ignore the twist in my stomach. “You’re going to regret saying that tomorrow morning, Blondie.”
Suddenly, I feel shivering in my arms. “Are you cold?” I ask her and she nods her head. It’s October. Of course she’s freezing, especially when she’s wearing a skirt. I tighten my grip on her and she nuzzles her head close to my chest.
“Better?”
“Better,” she confirms.
A question repeats over and over again in my mind despite my attempts to ignore it. Why am I here? With her? And why am I letting her hug me like this?
I drop my eyes onto her face. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that she’s beautiful. But that doesn’t explain why I’m doing this. I make out with beautiful girls, flirt with them, and not let them hug me while they’re drunk.
After a moment, she looks up at me, silent, as her eyes scan my face, looking for something that I’m not aware of. “Aaron,” I hear her mutter.
“Yeah?”
“Do you see me?”
I can’t help but laugh at her question. Drunk Carmen is interesting. “Of course I see you,” I reply.
She opens her mouth to say something else but closes it, pursing her lips. What does she mean by that?
“Aaron,” she slurs once again, “my maths book.”
Oh, shit. It was ruined. The mud got soaked into the edges of the pages so I had to get her a new one. It was my fault after all. But I hadn’t gotten the chance to give it to her since she kept avoiding me. “I’ll give it to you when I see you at school, okay?”
“I don’t understand anything in it anyways so you can take your sweet time.”
“Do you need help?” I ask her and she looks up at me for a minute hesitating.
“I don’t want anyone to think I’m stupid,” she says, her voice practically over a whisper.
“Just because you need help on one subject doesn’t mean you’re stupid,” I tell her with a low chuckle.
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“Who’s calling you stupid?” I ask, my jaw tensing as tears well up in her eyes.
“Nooooobody,” she replies with a grin, masking her sadness but I can see right through her.
“Carmen! There you are!”
Looking up I see an angry JJ and a worried Valeria.
“Get off her,” Meanzilla huffs. Yes, I’m calling JJ Meanzilla. She has something against me, I swear.
Rolling my eyes at her tone of voice, I gently place both hands onto Carmen’s waist, pick her up, and place her back to the ground.
“I swear, Connie. You better have not done anything to her, she’s drunk,” JJ warns.
I scoff at her accusation. “Like I would do something like that.” I might be a dickhead but I’d never touch a woman without her consent. And that’s just the bare fucking minimum.
Valeria grabs Carmen’s hand and gives me a look that says ‘thank you’ and pulls Carmen away.
“Bye bye, Aaron!” Carmen exclaims, waving at me as she’s getting dragged away.
I watch as she struggles to go up the stairs, her laugh echoing as she stumbles over her feet. Valeria steadies her, shooting me one smile, before disappearing back into the house with JJ in tow.
The yard feels a lot quieter now but my chest feels tight. The memory of her leaning against, her arms wrapped around my body, lingers on my mind longer than it should.
I run a hand down my face, letting out a frustrated sigh.
What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn’t care. I barely know her and yet here I am, obsessing over my five minutes with her.
My thoughts pause when I hear the sound of shuffling behind me. “Connie, mate, the party is inside.”
I turn to see Jack, his grin wide with a bottle of alcohol in his hand.
Yeah, I need to get wasted tonight.
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