“You know they’re not all here for you, right?” I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
Although some of them are—I see the way they’re looking at my brother.
Preston had always been boisterous and cocky. He did his thinking with his dick, and the graduation party was going to be no different. He was king of the school and I didn’t even feel like I was on his level sometimes. It wasn’t a lack of confidence, because I had plenty, but I just lived in his shadow because I was the other Anderson brother. He was the quarterback. I was the guy who ran the ball. Even when I did a good job, they celebrated his decision making for giving me the ball. I got a few pats on the back, but the quarterback was the one people talked about.
I just learned to live with it because it didn’t really make me jealous. I was proud of my brother, and if he wanted to hook up with half the girls at the party, I would just get drunk. High school was over, so it wasn’t like he was going to be wearing the homecoming crown much longer. I was planning to become a firefighter as soon as I was accepted into the fire academy, and he was going to the University of Alabama on a full scholarship.
“Preston’s certainly planning to get crazy tonight, isn’t he?” Dave walked up and chuckled as he sipped his beer.
“Yeah, but what else is new?” I shrugged and lifted my beer to my lips. “I’m sure he’ll spend the next four years doing the exact same thing.”
“You know it.” Dave nodded. “Have you seen Melanie tonight?”
“No. Have you seen Eliza?” I looked over at him.
“Yeah, I saw her outside earlier.” He motioned towards the back porch where some of the playgoers that smoked had congregated.
She’s here? She’s actually here?
I looked around the entire house for nearly an hour, searching for Eliza in the crowd. It wasn’t an easy endeavor. There were so many people there—way more than we graduated with. I even saw a few people who graduated the previous year, obviously still clinging to their high school memories. If Eliza was at the party, she wasn’t easy to find. I grabbed another beer, asked a few people if they had seen her, and one of the guys said he saw her heading upstairs. Upstairs—where the action took place.
I shook my head angrily and drank the beer as fast as possible. I didn’t want to believe the rumors, but obviously, they were true. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity that made my feet start walking towards the stairs once I refilled my beer. Maybe it was just the hero complex that made me want to follow in my Dad’s footsteps—if she was drunk and some guy took her upstairs, she might be in a situation she didn’t want to be in.
That probably isn’t the case but fuck it. I’ll never see her again after tonight.
I walked up the stairs and nudged the doors as I passed them, listening to see if I heard anything that could be a semblance of help. I definitely didn’t want to walk in on her with some other guy if she was there willingly, but at least I could quell the dismay inside my stomach. I reached the door at the end of the hall and it was ajar. Inside, I saw Eliza with her head tilted back and a pair of lips were smearing that raven-colored lipstick. She didn’t seem to be there against her will. I dropped my head and sighed until I saw who was kissing her—Preston. My own fucking brother? My veins flooded with anger. He knew that I liked Eliza. I pushed the door open and balled the fist that wasn’t holding my beer.
“There he is.” Preston pulled back from Eliza’s lips and grinned. “Do you mind if my brother joins in? He’s always had a crush on you.”
“Huh?” Eliza looked over her shoulder in confusion.
“Come on, baby. This will be a night you never forget.” Preston put his hand between Eliza’s thighs and she immediately moaned.
“Yeah—I guess that’s okay.” She nodded and closed her eyes.
Holy shit. Is this really happening?
3
Eliza
Present Day
“Eliza, Preston and Hudson Anderson are so fucking hot!” Melanie’s eyes opened wide when we got back to her car. “Oh my god!”
Now I have to maintain my composure because Melanie doesn’t know my secret—the past I share with the Anderson brothers.
“Should Dave be jealous?” I raised an eyebrow and looked over at her, feigning as much amusement as I could pull out of my spinning thoughts.
“No.” She shook her head quickly. “I love Dave with all my heart, but a girl can look. I didn’t stare—too much.”
“They definitely get your attention.” I exhaled sharply and reached for her purse. “Can I smoke in your car?”
“Only if you give me one.” She giggled. “I feel like I need one after seeing those two hotties!”
“Well, they’re in your purse, so…” I let my words trail off as I pulled out two cigarettes and handed her one.
I hoped I could return to Andalusia and avoid the demons from my past. I was wrong. I felt like prey that had been wounded in the ocean, just waiting for a shark to finish me off. There was no way they would let me swim for shore now that they knew I was back in town. I couldn’t go through that again. I left Andalusia with the pieces of my heart in my hands, and when it finally mended itself, there were scars