Contradictions (Woodfalls Girls 3)

The scares continued throughout the rest of the haunted house. I had to admit, the performers were acting their parts with gusto this year. The two loudest members of our group chickened out just as we were about to enter the forest section, which left just Trent, me, and a couple I didn’t recognize.

The soft hue of the moon provided just enough light to keep the forest from being blacked out. After walking for a few minutes past fake webs with overgrown spiders and a pack of mutinous werewolves, I spotted a break in the trees and pulled Trent off the path so we could be alone.

“Are we allowed to leave the tour like this?” He looked around like he expected someone to catch us.

“That’s the fun part of being bad,” I said. “I had something else in mind that we could do out here, but we can go back if you want.” I pulled him toward me, pressing my lips to his. He was a willing participant and returned my kiss with so much vigor my legs were literally shaking by the time we separated. It was all I could do to resist the urge to push him on the ground and straddle him. The steady pulsing of desire was making every nerve ending feel like it had been charged with electricity.

He cupped my face between his hands. Even in the faint light, I could make out his features and the intensity behind his stare. “I’d always imagined you kissing me like that,” he said, stroking a finger over my bottom lip.

I sucked his finger into my mouth, wanting his desire to match mine. I swirled my tongue around, smiling with triumph when he moaned with pleasure. My actions fueled his fire as he slid his free hand inside my jacket. His palm stroked across the bare skin of my abdomen before making its way to my lower back and then down to my ass. Pulling his finger from my mouth, he tugged me tightly against his hips, allowing me to feel his body’s reaction to me. I let my hands wander, sliding them down between his legs. To say he was ready was an understatement. His hands shimmied underneath my costume, finding nothing but my bare-skinned ass. Our kiss had become a dance of seduction. I nearly lost the last shred of self-control I was holding when he gently sucked my tongue into his mouth and began grinding his hips against mine.

“I’d say get a room, but damn if this isn’t hot,” a snide familiar voice said, breaking through our haze of desire. “Once a slut, always a slut, I guess.”

I could feel Trent stiffen. I pulled away from him and stepped back. Pivoting around, I stepped in front of Trent, hoping to shield him from what was sure to be a slew of insults. Jackson stood before us with his typical shit-eating grin. I wanted to pick up a stick and knock that smile off his face. Trent shocked me by wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. I found his actions endearing. Stupid, but endearing. Compared to Trent, Jackson was a bear and would most likely sweep the forest with him.

“Jackson, are you lost? I’m surprised your mom let you go to a haunted house all by your little self, or is she waiting for you on the other side?” I made a point of looking around him like I was searching for her.

“Same old Tressa. Can’t come up with any new material, so you insult my mom. What a surprise.”

“Actually, that was meant for you, stupid, but ten bucks says I’m right.” There had never been any love lost between his mom and me. Ultimately, I’d come to realize that Jackson was exactly like her.

“You’re just upset because she saw the person you really are.” His tone was mild, but I knew him well enough to know he was mad.

“What do you want, Jackson?” I sighed, deciding it wouldn’t be worth it to allow things to escalate further.

“I heard you shacked up with fucktard here and I had to see if the rumors were true for myself. I can’t believe you’re that hard up you’d sleep with this pencil dick,” he said, nodding at Trent. “If you’re that hard up for cock, I can give you a freebie. If you ask me nicely,” he said, cupping his hand behind his ear.

My fist clenched and I was on the verge of thrusting my knee at the cock he’d just offered me when another fist came up from behind me and clocked him in the mouth. The power behind the punch hit Jackson like a Mack truck and had him sinking to his knees with his head snapping back from the impact.

“In case you missed it, you lug nut, that’s a no to your offer,” Trent said, grabbing my hand and dragging me around Jackson’s body, which was now flat on the ground.

My jaw dropped at the sight of Jackson touching his now-busted lip. As Trent and I made our way out of the forest, I stumbled over downed tree branches with my mind stuck on what had just transpired. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.

This was the first time a guy I was dating had stood up for me. At that moment, nothing else mattered. I didn’t care about how different we were or that we were a complete and utter contradiction. Trent had stolen my heart.

For the rest of the evening, it was I who clung to Trent’s hand. I wanted everyone in Woodfalls to know he belonged to me. Hell, I wanted the word to spread that he had just kicked Jackson’s ass, but I left it alone. Seeing it for myself was enough. The best part was that it hadn’t ruined the evening. Trent acted like nothing even happened.

We couldn’t tell which of us was having more fun as we moved from one game booth to the next, trying to win worthless prizes for my roommates. I was convinced I needed to win a goldfish for Cameo, even though I felt sorry for them in their little glass bowls.

Unfortunately, it turned out that both Trent and I were equally bad at bouncing a Ping-Pong ball into one of the glass bowls. My lack of skill was no surprise. At MSC, I always lost at beer pong. Since drinking was a perk of losing, I never felt my lack of skill was a downfall. Here at the festival, with no booze as a consolation prize, I was only losing my money. I plunked another five-dollar bill on the counter

to try again. “Cameo better appreciate this if I win.”

Trent was so bad at the game, he had been banned from playing again. He had already spent ten bucks with nothing to show for it. Unless you counted dirty looks from the people running the game when he lost three Ping-Pong balls after they bounced off the sides of the bowls and were swallowed up by the darkness.

“Here, blow on this one.” I held up my last ball in front of Trent’s mouth so he could blow on it for good luck. “This is it. If this one doesn’t make it, I’m out. I will not let this game make me its bitch.” My comment was greeted with a gasp of disgust from behind me. Turning around, I watched a mom dragging her two young kids from the booth. “Oops,” I said as she glared at me.

“Corrupting another generation?” my brother, Chris, asked after suddenly appearing at my side. “Is it not bad enough that you corrupted your own flesh and blood?”

“You wish. You were rotten before you even clawed your way out of the womb.” I slung an arm affectionately around his shoulders. He was a total punk, but I was crazy about him.

“Come on, not in front of the guys, Tress,” Chris said, looking over at his buddies with embarrassment. He tried to squirm away, but I tightened my arm around him. I was going to kiss his cheek, but ended up licking it instead.

The look of disgust on his face was priceless as his friends hooted with laughter.

“It’s definitely on now,” he threatened, squirming away.

“Don’t even waste your time, junior. It’s not going to happen in this lifetime.” I socked his arm.