My mom and my brother came to visit me this weekend and I spent Friday enjoying my first snow day of college (Got out of an art history lecture!) so I'm sorry this chapter was kinda late. On the upside, I'm procrastinating my History and Sociology essays this week, so I'm already halfway done with the next chapter!
To everyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed, or even just read this far, thank ya and please do continue to do so. I am fueled by Rockstar drinks and praise.
"Come on, tell me!" Brady whined as he followed Seth from the lunch line to their usual table, practically salivating as the taller boy smirked. "If it was worth getting grounded for three months, it has to be good! That's the entire summer!"
"Oh, it was amazing. I'm just not going to tell you." Seth laughed as Brady's face fell and they sat down together. "It's none of your business."
"But…She's hot." Brady pouted as he stabbed at his corn, pretending each kernel had Seth's smug face on it. He was the first of them to have a girlfriend, and it was Sidney Whitefeather to top it all, yet he wouldn't spill any of the gory details. It went against every rule in the bro code handbook.
"Very." Seth agreed, his eyes scanning the cafeteria for any sign of her. He hadn't gotten the chance to text her before his mom confiscated his phone and he wanted to talk to her while he had the opportunity at school.
"Is the sex good? Just tell me that. No details, just a quality report." Brady looked as though he were a step away from begging.
Seth's brows furrowed as he turned back to his friend, not seeing Sidney anywhere yet. "Isn't all sex good? And we haven't yet. The age of consent is 16."
"If you think that sex with Sidney Whitefeather is comparable to sex with, I dunno…That nerd." Brady pointed at a scrawny girl sitting in the corner alone and Seth rolled his eyes, shoving the boy's arm down before the poor girl saw him pointing. "Then you're insane."
"First of all, that's fucked up." Seth shoved him none-too-gently before he picked up his sandwich to take a bite, hoping Brady would get the hint to shut up. He wasn't about to disrespect Sidney by adding his memories to Brady's spank bank material.
"And second of all, you're a dumbass. You can't go to jail for fucking a 15-year-old if you're less than four years older." Brady grinned as Seth's eyes snapped to his immediately. "I've done my research. You and Sidney are legal as hell, and you're sitting over here still virginal as fuck." Seth practically inhaled the rest of his food and got up, barely muttering a goodbye as he stormed out of the cafeteria.
"Where are you going?" Collin asked, bewildered as he looked up from the textbook he'd been skimming throughout their conversation. He had had enough of Brady's obsession and Seth's newfound hobby; he had an English test to study for anyway.
"Library." Seth called back, making Brady laugh as they watched him go, looking like a man on a mission.
"How much are we betting he's about to become very interested in law?" Brady joked, only to freeze as a small hand, tipped with long, nude stiletto nails rested on his shoulder.
"Who's into law now?" She slid around Brady's prone body and took Seth's seat, picking absentmindedly at the cold veggies he'd left on his tray. She had rushed out of the house quickly this morning to drop Juno off at Nona's and she hadn't had the chance to eat yet.
Brady open and shut his mouth several times before he turned to his cousin, his eyes wide and flickering rapidly back to the small, unbothered girl beside him as if asking for help. Collin snorted as he shook his head and shut his book to address the girl. "Seth found out something and now he's in the library researching it since his mom took his phone for the foreseeable future. Now, scurry along before you give my cousin a heart attack."
Sidney looked up, surprised. "Heart attack?" She glanced to her side and saw Brady practically drooling over her shoulder, his eyes focused directly down her top. "Hey, perv, if you drool on me, you're paying for the dry cleaning." Brady blushed as he realized he'd been caught and he ducked his head, staring intently at his corn once again as Sidney turned back to Collin. "He's in the library?"
Collin nodded as he stared at her coldly, watching as she stood with Seth's milk carton in hand and turned to go. "Off to go get him in more trouble?"
"Only if he lets me." Sidney smirked, patting Brady on the head as she walked away from the table.
Seth stared at the computer screen dumbstruck, biting down on his bottom lip so hard he could almost taste blood as he read it for the millionth time. 'Holy shit. Brady actually knew what he was talking about for once.'
He wondered if Sidney knew.
He imagined what would happen if she found out.
He wondered if he should tell her.
He didn't have too much time to wonder about it before he felt her long, thin arms wrapping around his neck and her warm breasts pressing against his shoulders as she pressed her lips against his jaw softly. "Whatcha looking up, Seth?"
"I uh…The- Brady- we can have sex." Seth blurted out, blushing almost crimson as she pulled her head away from his neck to stare at him in confusion. 'Wow, Seth. Tactful.'
"First of all, what does the drooling pervert have to do with us having sex?" She stepped around him, squeezing into the tight space between the desk chair and the computer table to perch on his lap. He automatically wrapped his arms around her hips, one hand splayed across her ass and his fingers stroking the soft skin of her thigh beneath the fluttering hem of her floral skirt. "And second of all, where is my kiss?"
He smiled as she cupped his cheek, leaning down with her lips puckered in an expectant pout. He sealed his lips against hers as he held her close to him, stroking her smooth thigh gently as her long nails ran through his shaggy hair lazily. "Better?" He asked softly as they finally broke the kiss and she tucked her head against his chest.
"Much." She caught sight of the pages he had open on the computer and frowned, turning a little to be able to read it better. "Consent laws?"
"Uh, yeah. Brady said- and he was right, shockingly, but he said that as long as you were less than four years older, someone over 16 could legally have sex with a 15-year-old." Seth spoke softly as he held her waist, feeling her stiffen slightly in his lap as she stared at the screen.
"So…we could…anytime?" She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears, suddenly hyperaware of the blood rushing beneath her skin as she tried to keep from sprinting out of Seth's warm lap.
He nodded, pressing a tender kiss to the back of her shoulder where he could see a faint birthmark peeking out from beneath the yellow, knit strap of her top. "We could. Is that bad?" He could practically feel her body coiling up to launch away from him.
"N-no, it's just…" She quickly stood up, pushing Seth's arms away as she headed towards the bookshelves, her arms around her waist as if she were cold. He closed out of the browser page on the computer and headed after her, ignoring the warning glare of the librarian at the desk. She had seen enough of Sidney's activities to know that the girl had everything but schoolwork on her mind when she disappeared into the bookshelves.
"Sidney, what's wrong?" Seth stepped up behind her as she skimmed her eyes over the books, picking out one at random so that she had an excuse not to look at him.
"Nothing's wrong. I just needed this book for my…English class." She buried her face in the book, only to blush harder as he gently pried it from her fingers.
"Yeah. I hear all the 11th grade English teachers are assigning books about insect anatomy this year." She tried to regulate her breathing as she watched his long fingers slide the book back into its slot on the shelf. 'Oh, the things he could do with those fingers.' "What's going on?"
His arms slipped around her waist and she automatically leaned into his warm body, teetering suddenly in her platforms. "We were safe as long as we had to wait." She closed her eyes as the confession left her and she waited for the repercussions.
"Safe from what?" His hands stilled their slow, lazy caresses on her exposed stomach. "Don't you want to?"
"More than anything right now." She turned in his arms, looking up at him. He could see the despair in her eyes as he frowned, not liking the way her lip quivered and her eyes looked like glistening brown agate gems. "But that's why it's bad. I want your first time to be special and amazing and I can't give you that. Especially not if I want to throw you down on a desk and ride you 'til I can't walk."
"I don't see anything wrong with that." He tried to comfort her, leaning down and clasping his hands behind her knees, picking her up and pressing her against the shelves so that they were eye to eye. "I want you too."
"But you deserve more than that. I don't want to use you, Seth." She whispered as she played with his hair, ignoring the thick book bindings digging into her back.
"You wouldn't be using me, Sidney." He murmured as he leaned down, pressing a soft, open-mouthed kiss against her throat. She shuddered beneath him, her hands gripping the soft cotton of his t-shirt tightly. "Anything that we do will be amazing and special."
"But I want it to be more than sex." She whispered as her eyes fluttered closed, letting him continue his kisses down to her collarbone as her head fell back against the shelf.
"It will be." He ended his exploration with a soft nip at her cleavage before he straightened up, giving her a soft smile as she peered up at him through lust-fogged eyes. "We can wait until you're ready though."
She tried to fight back the manic giggles that threatened to erupt from her, but she failed. His brows furrowed a little in confusion as the librarian sent a loud, sharp shush their way. "We're so backwards." Sidney explained once she could quell her laughter, leaning up to kiss him lovingly. "Usually that's the line the whore says to the virgin, isn't it?"
"You're not a whore, baby." He chuckled, letting her down so that she could lead him out of the library and away from the watchful eyes of the librarian.
She grinned over her shoulder at him as he followed, holding her hand delicately in his. "I am, but I'm yours."
Her nails dug deeper into his shoulders as her held her tightly, her hips rocking gently into his as if she had no idea that she was doing it. A soft hiss escaped him as he gripped her ass tighter, her skirt bunching up dangerously high on her hips as they stood by her car, tempting him with images of her spread out on the hood, beckoning him closer with a devilish smirk.
"We need to go." She gasped, feeling his fingertips brushing closer to the lace edges of her panties as neither of them made a move to pull away.
"Yeah." His other hand trailed along her ribs, brushing the underside of her breasts as they squished against his chest. "We should."
A beat of silence passed as the other students brushed past them to leave and Sidney ran her nails down his back, just hard enough for him to feel it through his shirt. "How grounded are you?"
"No phone, no laptop, and no going out for three months." He chuckled softly as he pressed one last lingering kiss against her swollen, red lips before he finally tore himself away from her. "You're a bad influence."
"The worst." She stood up, smoothing her skirt back down over her thighs as Seth stepped back, knowing they'd only get distracted again if he didn't. "I wanted to ask you for something, but if you're not allowed to go out…"
"What did you need?" He cut her off, reaching out to smooth her wavy hair away from her face with a small, dimpled smile. "I have ways of getting around my mom."
"I um…I was kind of hoping you could help me study." She felt a blush rising up on her cheeks as she concentrated her eyes on her toes, focusing on the chipped red nail polish instead of the laughter she was sure was going to come any second. "It's just- I know I'm pretty much fucked for college but I could get into a community college maybe, I just…wanna have more than a 1.7 GPA when I leave here."
Seth was quiet for a while before he leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss against her brow bone. "Get your books and stuff and find out what you need help with. I'll see what I can do to get away sometime soon."
She smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him in thanks as she felt some of the anxiety leave her body. She had been so sure that he would laugh at her. "Thank you. You can come over anytime, Clark is…He went back to Seattle a few days ago." She didn't miss the way his grip tightened on her hips at the mention of her stepfather.
"Sounds good." He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers one more time as he pushed her back against her car door, getting lost together once again as they both missed Paul's dark eyes sneering at them from across the parking lot.
"Here." Harry grunted at his son as he tossed his phone into his lap. "Call her before you wear the carpet out."
Seth's head jerked up in surprise as he caught his phone, staring at his father as if wondering if it was a test. "But…Mom said…" He had been sitting on the couch tapping his feet for hours as Harry tried to watch the baseball game; with no laptop and no phone, it was the most entertainment he could come up with.
"I'm in charge while she's in Tacoma, and I'm saying go out, have some fun, and text that girl before you ruin the floor." Harry chuckled, taking another swig of his beer as Seth grasped his phone as though it were the Holy Grail. "I was young once too. I know what it's like to want to go out and party. Besides, I like that Sidney girl."
"You do?" He was surprised. His dad had never mentioned the girl again after their family dinner and he just assumed that meant his father was on the 'I Hate Sidney' bandwagon with everyone else.
Harry nodded, laughing as he ruffled his son's hair playfully. "She's not afraid of your mother and sister and she makes you smile."
Seth grinned as he shook his head, trying to right his hair as he looked down at his phone. "You don't…think she's…?"
"Sometimes people are drawn together for reasons they don't understand. Just be careful with her, get me?" Harry glanced away from the TV to stare into his son's hopeful brown eyes. "I was a teenager once too, and sometimes you think it's love when it's not. Don't let her drag you into anything you'll regret."
Seth nodded, mulling over his dad's words as he moved to stand, clapping Harry on the shoulder in silent thanks as he passed by his seat. "I'll go check on her then."
"Be sure to invite her over for some more heavenly carrots and blessed face peas soon; our dinners have been pretty lackluster lately." Harry laughed as Seth excused himself and bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time to get into his room quicker.
He had barely shut his bedroom door before he was dialing her number, waiting with bated breath as he counted the rings. Just as he was about to hang up, after the 12th ring, he heard a small scuffle and her sleepy voice carried over the line.
"Seth?" She yawned softly and he smiled as he sat down against his headboard to relax. "What's up?"
It had been two days since he had gotten to see her or hear her; between taking care of Juno, trying to catch up in her classes, and keeping the house clean, Sidney barely had time to shower each night before she passed out and any time they spent together at school, she spent curled up against his napping. "Dad gave me my phone back." He smiled as she giggled, and he heard her shuffling around. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
"Oh, it's totally fine. I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep, I just laid down for a minute after my shower…" She trailed off into another yawn as he was suddenly assaulted with the mental image of her sprawled on her bed, covered by nothing but a towel.
He swallowed hard, a tongue darting out to wet his lips as he tried to shove the images away. He knew he didn't want to rush Sidney into anything, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was as worked up as he was. "H-how are your classes going?"
There was a pause before she sighed softly, whispering, "I can't focus on any of it right now."
He bit his lip softly as he heard another shuffling sound and the sound of a zipper being done up. "What's that?"
"Your hoodie. I didn't figure I should be walking around downstairs naked." She teased as she laughed softly, and he smirked as he imagined her long legs peaking out from beneath his jacket.
"So…you're almost naked…unfocused…and…wearing my clothes." He was up, grabbing his Converse from his closet before she could reply. He knew that his dad would let him go; he was no where near as strict as his mother, and he even liked Sidney.
"Mhm. Wish you were here to tutor me." He could practically hear the smirk in her words as he grabbed his school bag and headed downstairs.
"Give me ten minutes." He ended the call as Harry waved him over to the recliner, laughter clear in his old, wise eyes. "Yeah, dad?"
"I'm not ready for grandkids, remember that. Don't get into trouble, don't get hurt, and if you need anything, call." Harry stood up to grab another beer, patting his son on the back encouragingly. "And if your mother finds out, I'm telling her you snuck out and I had no clue. Deal?"
"Got it. Thanks, dad." Seth took the time to hug his dad, appreciating his quiet, supportive nature even more now that his mother had turned almost militant in her strictness.
"Welcome, son." Harry returned the hug before he pulled away, shuffling towards the kitchen. "Remember, if your mom finds out, I had no part in it."