We end up at Drew’s house, which is a risky move seeing how my mom is just across the street. If she sees me out of school I’ll be in so much trouble. Drew’s mom is home too and the moment we walk through the door together she tries to convince Drew to take me back to school but he’s not listening. He takes me into his room and we have one of the biggest arguments we’ve ever had. He thinks I’m overreacting to him sleeping with Courtney, because in his eyes we have an open relationship, which somehow translates to me having no right to be angry.
Seriously…what PLANET do boys live on?
When I refuse to forgive him or take him back, Drew has the nerve to get mad at me. He then proceeds to make me feel like the worse person on the planet for wanting to break up with him over what he perceives to be nothing and he still won’t let me leave the room.
Drew’s used to getting what he wants. He always has and he probably always will, just not with me. After pleading with him for the millionth time to let me go, his mother had to intervene. She demands he take me back to school and told him to leave me alone, which didn’t sit well with Drew. Still, he respects his mother’s wishes and takes me back to school before we both get into trouble.
My friends are surprised to see me back in school and alive. They just knew Drew was going to have me tied up in his basement somewhere. Their assumption isn’t too far from the truth. Drew let it be known that any guy who even dared to talk to me would meet his wrath.
Cue the end of my dating life. Everyone is afraid of Drew. He has a lot of pool on campus and he has a way of getting to you without having to lift a finger himself. In short, my high school years are going to be very lonely unless I decide to go back to him.
Ugh! I hate him!
During practice, Drew kept watching me and whenever we had a break he’d try to talk to me. I didn’t want to talk so I ignored him, which sparked an argument between us right there in the gym. Coach Treggle made him run laps while I was sentenced to a slew of suicide drills.
“Drew has really gone off the deep end,” Said Em.
“Tell me about it.”
“What are you going to do Sid? At this rate, its only a matter of time before mom and dad finds out,” she points out, “once they find out you can kiss dating altogether goodbye.”
“I just don’t understand him. He’s free to sleep with Courtney all he wants, which is what he wants in the first place. And now he doesn’t have to worry about me. He should be jumping for joy, but NO, he wants to drag me back into emotional hell and I don’t want to go.”
“Yeah, but Sid…he kind of has a point.”
“What?” I frown.
“Hear me out,” Em sighs. “Sid, you and Drew were in an open relationship. An open relationship means that anything goes unless you set boundaries and you didn’t. So technically, Drew hasn’t done anything wrong.”
I’m shocked. I’m so shocked that I’m speechless right now. Emily sides with Drew? Has everyone I care about gone crazy all at once?
“Em, I’d agree with you if I didn’t tell him not to sleep with her that night.”
“Yeah…that night. You never said sleeping with other people was a deal breaker until he decided to sleep with someone-”
“To spite me…don’t forget that part. He slept with her to spite me.”
“It doesn’t matter why he did it Sid. You never said it was off limits until you found out what he was doing and to him it probably looked like you were trying to control him. And isn’t that his biggest problem with you?”
“You know, you sound just like Drew right now,” I scoff, shaking my head, “whose side are you on?”
“I’m on yours, which is why I have to be honest with you and tell you that you’re wrong. Drew loves you. You gave him that stuff back and he refused to take it back. It’s sitting in your room right now and I’d kill to have a guy buy me flowers, let along a four hundred dollar pair of shoes. He’s been angry and he’s been fighting with you because he cares. Don’t ruin that,” she pleads, “Drew’s going places too Sid. Don’t throw that away because of your pride.”
I’m so confused right now that I don’t know what to say. Am I in the wrong? Am I wrong for breaking up with Drew for sleeping with Courtney? I just wanted us to lose our virginity together and he took that from me. He did it on purpose. Sulking, I sat down on my bed. Em hugged me and left the room.
Patrice and Trisha felt like I was justified for dumping Drew, but both Josh and Em say I’m the one in the wrong. I can’t talk to my parents about this and I’m so lost. I need to think only I can’t. One of the only times I can clear my head is when I’m playing basketball so I change into some shorts and a jersey and head outside.
Twenty minutes into my playtime I hear footsteps behind me and turn around to see Drew standing there. I hate that I love him as much as I do, and I hate that he has this disarming affect on me.
“Can I play?” Drew asks.
“Go home Drew.”
“We can play for forgiveness. If I win, you forgive me and we move forward.”
“And when I win, you leave me alone. For good.”
“Deal,” he nods, “ladies first.”
Drew takes off his jacket and lays it on the trunk of Josh’s car. He has on jeans, and a black, short sleeved button-up shirt. He’s not even dressed for playing ball. This will be like taking candy from a baby.
“Check,” I throw the ball at Drew’s face. He wasn’t ready so the ball hit him square in the nose causing his nose to bleed. He cocks his head to the side staring at me like he can’t believe I just did that, but he just shakes it off, wipes the blood off with the back of his hand and bounces the ball back over to me.
I drive him to the hoop, but as I go up for a shot, he knocks the ball out of my hand, dribbles it to the three-point line and sinks the ball in the basket.
“Three to nothing.”
Drew doesn’t go for three point shots. He’s purposely making this a game of threes to prove a point. After checking the ball in, I try to even the score by shooting a three, but he’s all over me. I try driving him back to the hole and when he wont let up, I purposely elbow him in the face, busting his lip in the process and sinking a shot. Again Drew looks at me like he can’t believe the cheap shots I’m taking at him. He licks his lips and spits the blood out of his mouth.
“Check,” Drew bounces the ball to me. I bounce the ball back and he takes off like he’s driving me to the hole. He stops at the three-point line but I’m already halfway into the key and he sinks another three pointer. “Six-deuce. Your ball.”
We’re starting to draw a crowd. Scott and Patrice come out to watch us play each other, and Em, Trisha and Josh did the same.
Drew strips the ball from me a second time as I’m going up for a shot, only this time, before he can get a shot off I knee him in the groin. He groans and slumps to the ground, but he doesn’t call a foul on me.
“Six-four.”
I check Drew in and he pretends like he’s driving to the hole only I’m not falling for it this time. He smiles, posts up, and sinks a three pointer in my face.
“Nine-four. Your ball.”
Drew picks me a third time and sinks a three. He now has twelve. Before the game is even over I know I’m going to lose. He’s not driving to the key like he normally would and he can out-jump me at every turn. He’s also surgical with his three point shots and lands two more while managing to stop me from scoring.
“Eighteen-four.”
Drew checks me in and before he can get his feet under him I charge him to the hole, ramming him with my shoulder and he topples backwards. I go up for a shot and sink my first three pointer of the game.
“Eighteen-seven.”
Drew climbs to his feet, shaking his head at me, and shoves me into position so I can check him in. He takes two steps in and stops dribbling.
“Half-court shot. If I sink this the game is most definitely over and I win.”
“Whatever.”
I have no intentions on letting him make this shot. I’m all over him, clawing at the ball, but his arms are too long and he’s too tall. Angry, I slap him across the face. He narrows his eyes at me, but instead of losing focus like I hoped he would, he goes up for the shot and sinks it.
“Game,” he whispers, walking up to me.
I try to shove him away from me, but he grabs me by the wrists and pin my arms behind my back. Josh takes a step towards us, but Trisha pulls him back.
“I hate you,” I shout, trying to free my arms.
“No. You don’t. You love me.” Drew lets go of my arms. I slap him a second time. He doesn’t even have a reaction. I slap him a third time and he’s still holding my gaze, “you done?”
I shove him away from me as hard as I can, but he keeps walking up to me. I back into my father’s car and he pins me there, placing his body between me, and any hint of an escape. I try shoving him again and he grabs my arms, pinning them behind my back with one hand while the other holds me in place as he steals a kiss from me.
God help me! How is it possible for Drew to be an even better kisser than I remember? Snap out of it Sid, snap out of it!
I bite down on his lip and Drew quickly pulls away, “Really?”
“What do you want from me?” I ask.
“You can start by not acting crazy Sid. The deal was if I win, you have to forgive me and we both move forward from this.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts,” he sighs, “I love you. I know you’re pissed that I slept with Courtney, but I have my reasons Sid. She’s not important to me though, you are.”
“You slept with her to spite me,” I glare at him.
“Is that what you think?” He laughs. “Sid, I slept with Courtney so our first time together wouldn’t last for ten seconds. That’s why I did it. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle our first time together and that I’d buckle in less than sixty seconds.”
“Drew, that’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah well…guys are dumb sometimes.”
“Why hang out with Courtney afterwards if that’s all it was?” I ask, “Why let her say all those nasty things to me?”
“Okay one, I can’t control her, and two, she knew what it was going into it. I never promised her a relationship.”
“Then why take her to the dance instead of me?”
“Because that was her price,” He explains, “Sidney, I love you.”
“Then let’s be exclusive.”
Drew steps back. This is where he draws the line. He doesn’t want to be exclusive with me anymore than I want an open relationship.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to.” He sighs, “I don’t expect you to understand it, but I have my reasons Sid. For starters, I’m seventeen and I don’t know anyone my age trying to get serious.”
I’m not one hundred percent sold on getting back together with Drew, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss him, “I don’t know Drew,” I sigh.
“You just physically assaulted me out here,” Drew chuckles, “Lets call it even.”
Why is he so sexy? More importantly, why do I want to say yes? Ugh. FML! Against my soul screaming at me to run, I allow myself to get sucked back in by Drew’s charm. I nod and he pulls me into a hug, grazing my lips with his before kissing me a second time.
“If you break my heart Drew I’ll do more than bust your lip next time. I’ll run you over with my non-existent car and haunt you until your dying day.” I threaten him.
“Why are you so violent?” He laughs.
“I can’t help it if you make me want to slap you seventy percent of the time.”
Again he laughs and I join in. I allow myself to hug him even though I’m still afraid of how badly he could hurt me if I let him. I just won’t let him.
“What am I going to do with you?” Drew sighs. There’s this light in his eyes when he looks at me, and God help me, it puts me at ease.
“No, what am I going to do with you.”
“Everything all good now?” Patrice asks.
“Sure, granted Drew agrees I can see other people too without him getting mad at me.”
“I’m never going to be okay with that.”
“I never said you had to be…I’m not okay with you seeing other people either, but you want me to agree to it so I am. Now it’s your turn.”
“Yeah, well don’t hold your breath.”
“That’s my price, take it or leave it.”
Drew takes a deep breath. His entire body is reeling at the thought of me seeing other people but he reluctantly agrees. There, he finally said it. And I have witnesses to prove it.
ns 15.158.61.46da2
