A/N: I'll confess now that I wrote this chapter after a couple of drinks so if you notice any mistakes or inconsistencies, please let me know.
Reviews are always appreciated.
Thanks for reading, Redx.
There you are
Here I am
Could I...
Have a...
Seth finished forcing the last of his clothes into the tiny dresser with a sigh. His stomach growled and he checked his pockets for his key's, looking for any sign of his new house-mates as he left his room and made his way downstairs.
He walked into the den, his step faltering in surprise when he found Talulah sat in front of the T.V and her whipped around at the sound of his foot on a loose floor board.
"Hey." he managed, giving her a small wave. "Uh, I was gonna go get something to eat- you want anything?"
"No thanks." she replied, turning back to the T.V, effectively dismissing him and he frowned.
"Lu, can we please talk about this? I mean we're living together- we at least need to be able to be civil toward each-" as he walked toward her she cut him off.
"I am being civil, Seth," she rolled her eyes. "and just because we share a house doesn't mean we have to be best buds. You stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours and everything will be fine."
"Oh come on Talulah, that's just stupid!" Seth brought a hand to his hair and tugged frustratedly, "I don't even understand why you're being like this- you were the one that -"
"Hey!" Erin skipped into the room and stopped next to him, her hand sliding around his arm as she smiled up at him. "I thought I heard your voice! Are you busy?"
"Uh, no we were just talking." he shook his head as Lulah all but pushed him out of the way as she left.
"What crawled up her butt?" Erin mock whispered and Seth shrugged. "Well anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the store with me? Our fridge is embarrassingly empty and I'm going to need a hand."
"Sure I was thinking of heading there anyway." he nodded. "You want to take my car or yours?"
"Oh I don't have one." she said, biting her lip. "I'll just go get my jacket- be right back! Hey Tate!"
Tate smiled at Erin as she skipped past him out of the room, before turning back to Seth and holding up his hand, a necklace of faded blue, wooden beads dangling from his fingers. "Found this hanging on the door knob when I came out of the room. Is it yours?"
Seth scoffed and shook his head, taking the beads and examining them. "They are actually. I gave them to Lu- guess she didn't want them anymore?"
"That stuff she told us when you got here was a crock of shit, wasn't it?" he asked and Seth nodded. "Come on, I'll drive us to the store in my truck- let's get out of here before Erin gets back."
Tate grabbed Seth's shoulder and all but dragged him from the house.
"Hey, I thought we were going to the store?" Erin shouted after them from the door way. "Seth?"
"She'll get over it- just compliment her hair or something when we get back." he said, pushing Seth toward the passenger door of his truck. "Now- what the fuck happened between you two?"
"Geez, are you the campus gossip girl? Why do you need to know what happened?" he scowled. "Let it go!"
"Man, I have known Lu just over a year, and while I may not be an expert? I still know her pretty damn well and I can honestly say that I have not once seen her as riled up a she was this morning when you turned up." he shook his head. "So what did you do to piss her off so much?"
"Maybe you could ask her, because I'd really like to know myself." he mumbled, slumping into his seat. "That was the first time I've seen her since her senior prom."
Seth sighed into the darkness of the school gym storage room, the deep base of the music from hall outside muffled as the heavy door shut behind him.
He slipped off his tux jacket and dropped it onto the side of a trampoline, pulling himself up on to the waist high piece of apparatus and flopping back onto it, his body bouncing with the force as his legs dangled over the edge and his head spinning from the spiked punch.
His eyes focused on the only sources of light in the room- a row of ceiling high windows that let the white light of the moon filter down and cast a blue haze over the space.
Seth tucked his hands under head, turning it toward the door as he heard it squeak open, the music becoming louder momentarily before it was blocked out again.
"Someone's in here!" he shouted, making his presence known and he heard a soft chuckle.
"Yeah I know I saw you come in." Talulah Ateara walked into the light and pulled her top hat off of her head, placing it down with his jacket and leaning her elbows on the side of the trampoline. "Kinda wish I'd thought of it first! Mind if I hide here with you?"
Seth shook his head and sat up, patting the area next to him. Talulah ducked down, stumbling a little as she lifted a foot to remove her shoes, the sound of the heels hitting the floor before she stood back up and hoisted herself next to him. "I missed you at the beach yesterday- where did you get too?"
"Dad needed some help cleaning the boat." he shrugged, looking her over as she got herself comfortable and chuckled at her choice of attire. "Nice- I don't know why I'm surprised, if any girl was gonna go to her prom dressed like that, it would be you!"
"You like?" she grinned, standing up on the wobbly surface to allow him a proper view. She unbuttoned her fitted tuxedo jacket and slid it off to reveal a crisp, half buttoned white shirt, a black sequin cummerbund around her narrow waist and a loose bow tie hanging around her neck, her black wide leg trousers swinging as she bounced lightly on her toes to keep her balance.
"I do like-" Seth nodded. "you can rock a tux almost as good as I do. Almost."
"Only almost, huh?" she scoffed, dropping next to him with a giggle and bouncing them both. "So- how did you manage to swing an invitation to senior prom?"
"First of all if my birthday was two weeks earlier, this would be my senior prom and second?" he cocked an eyebrow. "Some girls actually like to be seen with me."
"No! Really?" Talulah leant back, hand over her heart in mock shock. "So who was the lucky girl tonight and why are you hiding in here?"
"Jenny-Lee," he watched Lulah wince, her hand reaching over to pat his arm in sympathy. "I mean she's cute, but god can she talk! I'm all for good conversation, but I generally like to be a part of it- I think I have a crick in my neck from all the nodding!"
Seth's eyes widened a little when she reached behind her back and pulled a large hip flask from under her cummerbund.
"Don't look so surprised, who did you think spiked the punch bowl?" she shrugged taking a swig and passing it toward him.
"I saw Brady Fuller tipping something into it about an hour ago, so I figured it was him? I guess you both had the same idea." he explained, tipping the bottle up and his head back, grimacing as the liquid burned his throat.
"Old Quil's Moonshine," she chuckled. "So- Jenny- Lee, huh? I got partnered with her once in English and after one class I knew more about her than I know about my mother- I'm talking which hairdresser she uses right down her preferred tampon brand and I'm pretty sure that if that bell hadn't of rung when it did, I would have had intimate knowledge of her bowel movements!"
"Looks like I snuck out just in time then!" Seth laughed along with her, watching as her head tipped back. "So what are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be out there watching your date fighting off every other guy in the room?"
"Seth Clearwater-" she leaned back to look at him. "Was that a compliment? Do I get to be the next lucky lady?"
He shook his head and nudged her with her shoulder as she batted her eyelashes at him. "You never answered my question, what are you doing in here? It's your prom night."
Talulah sighed, bringing a hand up to her hair and letting it out of it's twist, running her fingers through to smooth it out before leaning back on her hands, her bare feet swinging.
"Nobody asked me." his head whipped toward her in confusion and she shrugged, taking another drink. "No big deal- it just got kinda boring out there without a date. I was a little bummed out about it a first, but I think going stag is a good look for me!" she smiled and leaned forward, twisting the hip flask in her hands.
"I would-" Seth stammered, and coughed to clear his throat. "I would have asked you."
Lulah tipped her head toward the door, listening as the loud thump of the music mellowed. She licked her lips, placing the flask next to her as she turned back to him. "Dance with me?"
"Gladly." he slipped off the edge of the trampoline and held his hand out to her, tugging her in front of him and slipping his other hand around her waist.
They swayed silently and stiffly, and with a good amount of space between them until Lulah jumped back, her leg curling up as she rubbed her naked toes.
"Holy fuck Seth- watch your flipper feet would ya?" she hissed. "The Ateara piggies are too delicate to have you clobbering all over them!"
"Oh really?" he said pulling her back towards him and letting her step up onto his feet, both her arms wrapping around his neck as his looped her waist. "Well I apologize for squishing your dainty toes with my clown feet, forgive me?"
Seth looked down at her, lip pushed out exaggeratedly and she snorted at the sight. "Yeah, whatever- just don't do it again!"
"So does Quil have dainty feet too?" he grinned, moving them both along in time with the faint music.
"If course!" Lulah exclaimed. "My mom called him twinkle toes until he was fourteen. One summer he finally had enough, wore steel toed work boots all day, everyday and banged around until she stopped- if you ever wanna piss him off just mention twinkle toes and you'll be golden'"
"I'll make sure to remember that-" he nodded. "Did I hurt you bad?"
Talulah shook her head and leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.
"I would have said yes." she practically whispered and Seth pulled back to look down on her, his brow furrowed. "If you had asked me to be your date I would have said yes."
He smiled, "wow you really are desperate aren't you? I'll make sure I remind you of that this time next year when it's my prom!"
"I was trying to be nice why'd you have to go and make a joke out of it?" Lulah scowled pulling away and walking off to retrieve her shoes, dumping them on the edge of the trampoline and hoisting herself up to put them on, mumbling under her breath. "Stupid boys- always full of smart ass comments, one little remark and they think you're desperate! And my mother wonders why I don't date!"
"Lu?" Seth scoffed stepping between her knees as she reached behind to grab her jacket "Talulah?"
"Well I'll tell you why I don't date," she muttered, stuffing her hip flask back under her clothes as continuing her little rant. "Because they're all like Quil, that's why! Stupid, smelly and ignorant boy..."
Seth grabbed her chin and turned her head back towards him, both if their eyes wide as he connected them at the mouth.
Her lips were sticky from the remnants of her lip gloss and her breath bitter from the moonshine as she sat unmoving, which Seth took as a good sign- at least she hadn't decked him yet.
He moved his fingers along her jaw and wove them into the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling his lips away fractionally only to suck her bottom lips between his.
Lulah's eyes slipped shut with a sigh, her head tilting to a more accommodating angle as she began to return the kiss, her hand finding his tie and holding him in place.
His tongue flicked out, tracing the seam of her lips, her grip on his tie tightening as they parted for him, her tongue sliding against his and he groaned.
"Lu?" Seth breathed between pecks, "be my prom date?"
"It's a little late for that don't you think?" she relented her grip on his tie and slid her hands over his shoulders. "What about Jenny?"
"She probably hasn't even realized I'm gone, the last time I saw her she was talking Collin's ear off and he looked pretty happy with it!" his lips brushed along her jaw until he reached her ear. "Come on Talulah- go to prom with me?"
"I'm no cheap date- where's my corsage?" Lulah giggled, pulling back to look at him and his hands fell to her thighs.
"I don't have anything, I- wait!" he grinned, reaching into the collar of his shirt and pulling out a necklace of tiny, wooden beads- there blue color faded with years of continuous wear.
Seth opened the clasp and gripped her wrist, looping the strand around it and closing it again, giving it a small tug to make sure it was secure.
"It's no orchid and I'm gonna need it back at some point, but I promise I will replace it with the flower of your choice," he thumbed the beads. "You can have the whole damn bouquet if that's what it takes to get you to agree!"
Talulah sat forward, nodding as she leaned in to kiss him again.
"Come on-" Seth pressed one last kiss to her lips and pulled back, reaching around her body for both of their belongings. "Let's get out there before we miss the last dance!"
He stopped short as she tugged his hand, pulling him back towards her and shaking her head.
"You know, that whole thing about going stag was bullshit! I really didn't want to come here tonight, but my mom said that prom is a rite of passage, that I needed to do it or I'd regret it." she flicked her shoes back off. "So I've done it all- I got my hair done, manicure, pedicure. I even got waxed and I'll be damned if I ever let another hot wax strip within twenty feet of my skin ever again!
I let her go dress shopping with me- it was worth it just to see the look on her face when I picked up a pant suit instead of a crystal encrusted taffeta meringue!"
Lulah tugged the bow tie from around her neck, dropping it unceremoniously to the floor before slipping her hand down to her waist and letting her cummerbund join it.
"I took part in the obligatory photographs, I mingled with people who I've never spoken too in my entire high school career, ate stale chips, drank spiked punch and danced to some god awful music- and somehow I even managed to snag a hot looking guy as my date!"
"Why thank you," Seth bowed his head. "You're not so bad yourself Miss Ateara."
"So now I've done everything I need to complete said rite- there's just one more thing." she watched as his eyes followed her hands, tugging her shirt tails from the waist of her pants, working the buttons undone from bottom to top. "I'm pretty sure it all ends with some ill advised sex."
Seth's eyes widened as he spluttered, "excuse me? Exactly how much of that moonshine have you had?"
"Not nearly as much as I can handle-" Talulah's shirt fell open as she leaned forward, recovering her grip on his tie and pulling him back between her legs. She tugged at the knot, slipping his neck free of the noose and popping his buttons. "Considering how shitty this night could have gone for me? I've actually had a lot of fun- you're not going to let me fall at the last hurdle, are you?"
Her hands slipped under his shirt, fingers blindly tracing the cut of his lean muscles as he drew in a shaky breath, his Adams apple bobbing under her lips as she nipped and sucked her way back to his mouth.
He wasted no time deepening the kiss, large hands gripping her soft hips and dragging her to edge of the trampoline frame, grunted moans swallowed by pliant lips as his shirt fell from his shoulders and firm breasts pressed against his chest.
"Shit-" Seth tore away from her. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea Lu, anyone could walk in!"
Lulah slid from her seat, using her body to guide him backwards and failing to suppress the giggle that bubbled up when the back of his head thudded against the door.
"You worry too much!" she smiled, pressing her nose against his, hands dropping from his shoulder to his waist and creeping around the small of his back. "I like you Seth- you've always been sweet to me, even when we were little."
"Well then I suppose this is as good a time as any to admit that I've kinda always had a thing for you-" his lips dipped back to hers. "Ever since we were little."
"Me too." her tongue flicked out over her bottom lip. "And if we weren't both so stupid, we could have been here a lot sooner. You wouldn't- have had to suffer Jenny and I might have worn a meringue dress."
"Nah," Seth shook his head, tugging at the collar of her dress shirt. "You're the best dressed girl here tonight, just ask any of the guys who couldn't stop looking at you. This is you, not some poofy, pink torture contraption!"
"I'll remember that for next year." Tallulah grinned. "So now you get to choose- open the door and go back out there or…"
There was a soft click as his hand turned the lock, eyes falling shut as their lips collided once more, his grip on her waist reestablished as he lifted her off the floor and guided her legs around his hips, fumbling steps steering them to a pile of unused mats.
Her thighs gripped him tighter as he lowered them down, both of them groaning as he settled his weight into the cradle of her hips, his erection pressing against her centre.
Lulah tipped her head back, bottom lip pulled between her teeth to stop herself from crying out as Seth cupped her breasts, his thumbs teasing at her pebbled nipples through the thin black lace of her bra.
"Wait-" she breathed, pushing him off and standing up, shaking her head as he stared up her. "Don't just lay there, start stripping!"
Her shirt fell to the floor as she tugged at the button of her pants, letting them pool at her feet and kicking them aside.
Seth toed of his shoes and socks, pausing dumbly as Lulah unclasped her bra and threw it away.
Talulah swallowed hard under his stare, her thumbs hooking under the band of her underwear as she shed her last piece of clothing and knelt back over him, straddling his stomach.
"This is gonna make things weird between us, isn't it?" her voice was barely a whisper.
"We can stop, say the word and I'll take you home." his hands rested at the small of her back, fingertips tracing the dimples at the base of her spine. "It'll never have happened."
Lulah shook her head, laying her body back over him and drawing him into a languid kiss, hips rolling reflexively over his.
"Condom?" Seth nodded and blindly reached out for his pants, digging into the back pocket for the foil square and pushing himself up, and nudging her back as he rolled it down his shaft.
Lulah braced herself on his shoulders, his hands warm against her butt as he help her lower down onto his cock.
"This okay?" he gritted, willing himself to stay still and she nodded vehemently into his shoulder as she began to move over him.
Seth lifted her off, growling as she sank back down with a roll of her hips. He gripped her legs and pulled her tight against him as her movements sped up.
"Lu?" he breathed, nudging her head from his shoulder and seeking out her mouth as his hand threaded between them in search of her nub.
A small squeak escaped her lips, as his thumb pressed against her clit, her teeth clamping down on his bottom lip causing him to growl and buck to meet her.
"I'm…almost!" he quickened his pace at her barely audible words, eyes squeezing shut as he felt her walls flutter around him in promise, forcing himself to breath as her body stiffened above him with a final cry.
"Oh fuck!" he grunted as she clamped down around him, the force of her orgasm chocking his dick, his hips locking as he came inside her.
They collapsed onto the mats in a tangle of sweaty limbs, Talulah's fingers still digging into his shoulders as she fought to slow her breathing. Seth rolled her over and pulled out, lazily grabbing her shirt and draping it over her back as she cuddled back into him.
"Anyone in there?" Seth sat up and Lulah scrambled to her feet as the door shook. "Why's the door locked? Can we get a key please?" a voice shouted.
"Oh shit!" she hissed grabbing her pants and jumping into them, kicking Seth's over to him as she hurriedly began to button her shirt. "What are we gonna do?"
Seth rushed around, collecting the rest of their things under one arm, plopping Lulah's long forgotten hat on her head and grabbing her hand in his free one. Both sets of eyes darted back as the lock disengaged.
"Fire exit- come on!" he pulled her toward the back of the room and slammed his body against the release bar of the door, alarm bells screeching as it flew open and they stumbled out into the school parking lot.
"Way to go, Seth!" their heads whipped around to the large group of student exiting the building and Lulah clamped her hand over her mouth to stop the stunned giggle.
"You never saw us!" Seth yelled as he shrugged his arms into his shirt, gripping Lu's waist and dragging his cackling companion with him until they were off school grounds.
They ran across the reservation, finally coming to rest against the wall of a building overlooking the harbor. He chuckled as he slipped to the floor, "this is not exactly how I pictured my night ending."
"Oh yeah?" Talulah cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "Better or worse?"
"Better," Seth nodded. "Most definitely better!"
She sank down next to him, linking an arm around his and leaning her head against his bicep. "I'm inclined to agree."
They both frowned a as his pants pocket began to vibrate. He pulled out his phone and rolled his eyes at the caller I.D.
"Hey ma…No everything's fine someone set off the fire alarm or something as we were leaving…honestly ma, I'm fine- I'll be home soon okay? Bye." Seth ended the call. "Mom saw a fire truck headed toward the school and wanted to check on me."
"Ooops!" Lulah giggled and pushed herself back to her feet, holding her hand out to help him up. "Walk me home?"
"So I walked her home and that was it!" Seth shrugged as he leaned against the cart, waiting for Tate to decide on his cereal. "After that she avoided me at school, never came to any beach parties and then after she graduated I found out she took early admission to college."
"Do you know why?" Tate asked, dropping a box and moving down the isle. "You didn't knock her up or anything did ya?"
"I honestly believe that if I had got her pregnant, then Quil would have killed me!" he scoffed grabbing something from the shelf. "They may not get along, but she's still his baby sister- and he would sooner rip your arm off than let you lay a finger on her!"
"How come you never tried to get hold of her?" Tate asked again, tossing packets of cookie dough into the cart.
"I did- for a while at least." he pursed his lips. "I gave up once she left the rez. Figured that she didn't want anything to do with me anymore. I mean she was worried that what happened would make things weird between us and I guess that's what happened for her?"
"But not you though?" Tate frowned and Seth shook his head.
"Why are you analyzing this?" he exclaimed. "We were friends, we fucked and it got weird- end of. She moved over two hundred miles away and barely acknowledged that we actually used to be pretty good friends to save her pride or whatever you wanna call it."
He delved into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. "This is the end of it, okay?"
"Whatever you say dude, whatever you say." Tate shrugged. "Let's go pay for this shit. I wanna get home before Erin's girly shows start or we'll never get the T.V."