Breakaway (Penalty Kill 1)

Before Sunny or I can explain anything, her father calls for the bill. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is said as we walk out and I drive them back to Sunny’s place. Her parents are first out of the vehicle and I reach over to squeeze Sunny’s knee.

“Sorry, but at least now, you have a reason to break up with me,” I chuckle.

“Yeah, but there were easier ways. Thanks anyway, Levi.” She gives a little smile and gets out. Instead of driving home, I go back to the rink. I assume my plan sort of worked. Definitely not how I wanted, though. I lay on the bench and think. You know what, I’ll just go to Presley and tell her that the dinner was a favor and that was it. I was simply helping out a friend. Nothing out of the ordinary and I wasn’t with someone else even though it looked that way. I’ll go over, explain what happened, and apologize. I don’t know what I’ll be apologizing for, but it can’t hurt.

With a plan, I go over to Presley’s. She’s not home, so I sit at the top of the stairs to wait. It takes two hours before I see her and as if the world hasn’t damned me enough today, Trevor is with her. Can’t I have a little leeway? Apparently not. I sigh when the twins catch sight of me at the same time. They walk up the stairway, and I stand. It’s then that I notice that Presley has a hold of Trevor’s arm, as if she’s keeping hi

m from charging me.

They stop two steps below me.

“What do you want, Levi?” Presley asks, glaring at me. There’s the anger I predicted.

“Can I talk to you alone?”

“Are you kidding me?” Trevor bursts.

“Oh, calm down. You don’t know what the hell happened, McCarthy.” I turn my attention back to Presley. “Please, Presley?”

“She isn’t going to talk to you, jackass.” Trevor is fuming. “Now move so she can go home.”

“Presley?” I ask softly. She hasn’t taken her eyes off me, and I take that as a grain of hope. “At least allow me to explain myself and then you can kick me out, if you want.”

“Move, Carr,” Trevor says again, but I ignore him.

She squares her shoulders, and it’s then that I know I’ve lost this battle with her. She shakes her head and pushes past me, entering her apartment quickly.

“I could so kill you right now. This isn’t over, Carr.” Trevor shoves me to the side and disappears inside with Presley.

Ugh! This is not about to be over. I’ll go ride around for a bit to allow enough time for McCarthy to leave and then I’ll talk to Presley. I quickly go down the stairs and walk through the parking lot to my SUV. I’ve got to get gas and pick up a couple of things from the store anyway. I run my errands and take my time. All I want to do is at least tell Presley what happened and then let her make up her mind. She can’t - well, she can, but I don’t want her to go based on what she saw. I don’t want her to give up on me yet.

Standing outside of Presley’s door, a sliver of apprehension runs through me. What if she won’t give me a chance? What if she slams the door in my face? I shake my head at these pesky thoughts and knock twice. I notice a peephole on the door, and I wonder if she actually uses it. I hope not, for my sake.

The door swings open, and her curious expression turns hard and angry fast. She goes to close it, but I stick my foot in the door and hold out my hand to stop her. Presley’s looking fine with no bra in a skimpy tank top that looks like it could be made of silk with matching shorts. Catching my appreciating eyes, she steps behind the door so only her head is peeking out.

“What do you want?”

“Let me talk to you, Presley. Please?” I don’t think I’ve ever said please twice in one day before.

“Talk.”

“I can’t come in? It’s cold out here and you’re not exactly covered up. All this cold air is going to come into your apartment.” I hold my hands up in surrender at her glare. “Five minutes. That’s all I want.”

“If you look at me the wrong way much less touch me, you’re out of here.” I nod. She steps aside, and I walk in. “Stay in the kitchen,” she orders, walking away into her bedroom. When she comes out, she’s wearing a JWU sweatshirt and sweatpants. I wonder if she just put them on over what she was already wearing or if she actually changed. Either way, the image is stuck in my mind. I’m sitting at her table and she sits across from me.

“Well?”

“For a while now, if I have to go somewhere and need a date, I call her. One time, her parents showed up unexpectedly. Because it was early morning and I obviously spent the night, she lied and told them we were dating. I thought she told them later that we weren’t, in fact, together, but she didn’t. When they popped up again, she needed me to play the part and I did. That was it.”

“That is the lamest thing I have ever heard,” Presley says with a roll of her eyes.

“Look here, Smarty. I’m not lying. I-”

“Did youneed a date that night at the movies? Your explanation doesn’t exactly make sense with your actions.”

I sigh. “No, but I wanted to go out with someone, so I called her.” Ignoring her warning, I reach over and grab her hand from the table, holding it in mine while running my thumb back and forth across the top. “Presley, do you think I would try so hard to explain myself, if I was actually seeing Sunny? I was just doing her a favor. She is a Bunny, after all.”

“What makes her so special if she’s only a Bunny?”