Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.
A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.
Thank you to my reviewers.
Chapter 37
All throughout my class, I had trouble concentrating. I barely heard a word the lecturer said and my classmates kept asking me if everything was okay. My distraction was clearly visible on my face. I couldn't stop thinking about Taylor and Amber, wondering how long he had been seeing her. Then to make everything worse, he didn't even tell me. I had to find it out from that piranha. Didn't he know Amber would dump him the second she found somebody richer?
He could get hurt. No scratch that. He would get hurt.
Why couldn't he date a nice girl?
What kind of name is Amber anyway? Amber's a color, not a name.
It was these thoughts that floated around my head as I drove back to the apartment, under an overcast sky. By the time I pushed my way through the door, I was angry. And seeing Taylor calmly sitting on the sofa watching TV alone pissed me off even more. Picking up on my mood as I dumped my bag on the floor, he measured my agitation with raised eyebrows.
Any thought I had about going straight to my room went out the door when Taylor asked, "What's up with you?"
Glaring at him, I snapped, "What's up with me? What is wrong with you? Amber Hodge?"
A slight frown creased his brow when understanding dawned. "So, I take it you've heard."
"Oh, you bet your ass I heard. I heard it right from that dragon's mouth. Why didn't you tell me or better yet, how long have you been sneaking around with her?" Behind my back, I added silently.
His lips tightened into a firm line as he muttered, "I'm not sneaking around with her."
"So you admit it. You're seeing her?" I began to pace back and forth. "Jeez, Taylor. You couldn't find a decent girl? Even a call girl would be better than Amber. At least you end up paying up front with the call girl."
"I am not seeing Amber." Taylor's frown deepened as he stared at me.
"Are you sure? Because the way she was going on today, I thought you were about to propose to her," I grumbled sarcastically.
Lifting up the remote, Taylor turned off the TV then set it aside. His voice was tense as he explained, "Look, she tracked me down and asked me to the party tonight."
"And you said yes?" I looked at him incredulously.
"She asked. I was bored." By his terse rely, I could tell that Taylor was also getting angry.
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I felt the need to ask again. "But Amber, Taylor? Really? You couldn't find anyone better?"
In a flash, Taylor was on his feet. His green eyes hardened and voice serious as he asked, "You really want to go there with me?"
Halting in my pacing, I stared at Taylor in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
He advanced on me slowly, stopping just a few feet away from where I stood. "I'm talking about Dillon Buchanon."
"What about him?" Staring up at his towering form, I queried.
"You talk to me about deserving better and yet, you're dating a drunken frat boy?" Taylor snapped.
Bristling with indignation, I retorted, "Dillon is not a drunken frat boy. Besides, this isn't about me, this is about you."
Taylor laughed bitterly, "Of course, it's not about you. Because, if it was, then you would have to start thinking about what you really want."
Unable to take the intensity of his stare, I turned away from him. "I have what I want." I wasn't expecting some life altering romance from Dillon. Twice before I had life changing romances and when each of them ended, I almost lost my mind.
"But is it what you deserve?" Taylor inquired gently stepped closer to me. I could feel the heat of his nearness on my back.
"Why are we talking about me?" I asked wearily. How did the topic get so off course?
"Because you deserve better than Dillon Buchanon, and for the life of me, I don't understand why you can't see that." He brushed passed me, heading for the door. Blinking back the tears, I watched him leave, slamming the door shut behind him. And not for the first time, I wished. I wished things were different. I wish…
Later that night, I was dressed in my skinny jeans, faux leather jacket with a red top beneath it. My hair was gathered back into a simple, low ponytail. I would've worn it down but Dillon said he liked it better in a ponytail. As Dillon was busy setting up the party with his frat brothers, I ended up catching a ride to the frat house with Liz and Ryan.
Taylor left ahead of us, to go pick up the vulture, and Zach chose to stay home, as he was expecting a phone call from Leah on our house phone. I wondered how he managed to rope her into calling. She still hadn't given him her phone number yet but that didn't stop him from hijacking my phone every time she called to talk to me. Before leaving the apartment, I made sure to tease him about becoming monogamous. Something he'd said he would never be.
The night air was slightly chilly as we began our trek from the car to the frat house. Liz slowed her steps to walk beside me. "So, is everything okay between you and Taylor?" She kept her voice low as she snuck a peek at Ryan's muscled figure, walking in front of us. It didn't look like he was listening to us.
Keeping my voice even and face impassive, I replied, "Of course everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be?"
We hadn't spoken a word to each other since our argument earlier. My dating Dillon was not the same as Taylor dating Amber. I didn't see what one thing had to do with the other anyway. I wasn't looking for a commitment but Taylor was. And he wouldn't get it from Amber. Dating her was just plain stupid.
Liz wasn't the least bit fooled by my calm façade. She rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated that I even attempted to mislead her.
"Oh, please. You think we didn't notice you two aren't talking to each other?" Liz gave an adjusting tug at her skin-tight jeans that molded to every inch of her long legs and butt. Her close fitting top clung to her breasts and showed off her cleavage. Ryan scowled when he first saw her outfit tonight, saying he would have to work extra hard to keep from punching out sleazy frat boys.
Before I could open my mouth to confirm or deny her suspicions, Ryan supplied, "Yeah, we know you two are fighting and you guys need to knock it off." He slowed down, falling into step with us. Draping an arm over my shoulder, Ryan gave me a playful wink.
Wrapping an arm around my waist, Liz complained, "I agree. I'm going to get an ulcer if you guys keep acting like this. You're interfering with the mellow vibe of our group. I want Tizzy back." She ended with an adorable pout of her crimson painted lips.
"If you get an ulcer, it won't be because of Taylor and me. It will be- Wait a minute…Tizzy?" What the hell is a Tizzy?
Liz grinned cheekily at me before going on to explain, "Yeah, it's what we call you guys. You know, like Brangelina."
For a moment, I stared silently at Liz in astonishment. I was at a complete loss for words. "Wow, Liz. And that doesn't embarrass you at all?"
"Yeah, it kinda does." Liz admitted in chagrin. She shook her head, dismissing her shame. "But that's not the issue here. You guys are fighting about Amber, aren't you?" I frowned, shaking my head.
"Your brother tried to compare my going out with Dillon to his whatever with Amber. Our situations are not the same. For one thing, Dillon is a decent guy and Amber is a viper." I sighed exasperatedly. In the distance, we could hear loud music coming from the frat house. We were almost there.
"Decent guy my ass." Ryan snorted softly, resulting in Liz shooting a withering glare at him. He clammed up pretty quickly after that.
Liz leaned into me, slinking her arm around mine. "Look, I know you two will work out your issues. It will take a lot more than Amber Hodge to come between you and my brother." Her expression darkened. "My brother is an idiot for going on this date with her."
"Oh, I don't know, Liz. I'm thinking he might have the right idea." At our flabbergasted expressions, Ryan continued, "I mean, he is single and Amber's practically throwing herself at him. Maybe he should see where it goes."
"You don't mean…" That Taylor should sleep with Amber. My voice trailed off, allowing my mind to complete the sentence.
Ryan was definitely amused but my reaction. "Why not?"
"B-because Taylor's not like that," I stammered with a frown.
"Taylor's a guy, Izzy. We're all like that," Ryan said with a debauched wiggle of his eyebrows.
"My boyfriend the pervert. And you wonder why I whack him in the back of the head so much." Liz laughed deprecatingly, reaching a hand around me to land a pinch on Ryan's back. His subsequent hiss confirmed that Liz had successfully delivered her message of shut the hell up! Meanwhile, I was left feeling completely unnerved by Ryan's statement.
Taylor wasn't like that, was he?
I wasn't selfish enough to want to keep him for myself. Taylor drew admiring looks wherever he went. It was impossible to overlook his large, intimidating, reticent figure in any crowd. Eventually, I knew he would start dating someone. But, why was he wasting his time on Amber? He was much too good for her.
Fifteen minutes later, we were standing in the hot, crowded lounge of the Alpha Thetas' frat house. Liz, Ryan and I stood in a corner, listening to blaring rap music and sipping Styrofoam cups filled with jungle juice. It was my first time having the beverage and I was enjoying it. It tasted delicious and fruity. Ryan warned me against having too many of it as it was known to pack a punch. The last time I saw Dillon, he was busy doing shirtless, keg stands with some of his frat brothers in the basement. I hoped he wouldn't overdo it with the drinking because he tended to get a bit too touchy-feely when drunk. And I really wasn't in the mood to witness another fight between him and Taylor.
A moment later, Liz poked me in the side, inclining her head slightly to the left. My eyes searched the room until they discovered Taylor, entering the house with Amber clinging to his arm like a life raft. I felt my lips tighten into a thin line. She was dressed in her usual skimpy, barely-there clothing. Her wide smile reminded me of a hyena's as she paraded Taylor around like a prized trophy. She continually leaned into him rubbing her breast against his arm. He remained unaffected by Amber's actions, keeping his face void of any emotion.
His eyes were weary as they scanned the room, presumably looking for us. We caught his eye as Ryan waved him over, and he wove his way through the crowd. Seeing that Amber was coming with him, Liz turned her head to me, stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. Raising a hand to my mouth, I bit back a giggle.
Coming to a stop in front of us, Amber smiled victoriously at me as she stroked his arm with her well-manicured fingers. Ignoring the urge to slap the crap out of her, I chugged down the last of my jungle juice. She was acting as if Taylor was hers. This was just one date. That bitch had no claim on him whatsoever and she never would, if I had anything to say about it.
Taylor's eyes roamed my figure, and I was made aware of that fact because of the heat, I'd taken off my jacket, leaving me in my thin, red camisole.
Amber's sultry voice greeted us, "Hey, guys. Isn't this party great?"
"Yeah, great," Liz mumbled, turning to look at me. She mouthed; it was great before she got here. A small smirk grew on my lips. I noticed Taylor still hadn't moved his eyes from me. Apparently, Amber noticed this too as she turned her attention on me.
Her blue eyes glinted maliciously as she purred, "Izzy, sweetie. Where's Dillon? Don't tell me he ditched you?"
Her expression changed from smug to shock when Liz snarled, "Listen here, skank. You're about one cunt hair away from me kicking your ass, so I suggest you try your best not to piss me off." Next to Liz, I heard Ryan stifle his snicker and I almost swallowed my tongue.
Damn, I love this crazy chick.
That jungle juice was really having a potent effect on Liz's ability to censor herself. I think it was having a similar effect on me because I burst out laughing and I didn't give a rat's ass about appearing mean. Taylor's looked like he was annoyed at Liz's outburst but I saw his mouth twitch slightly in amusement. Amber, on the other hand, was not amused as she glared at me.
As my laughter died down, I wrapped my arm around Liz's waist, tugging at her. "Come on, Liz. Let's get ourselves a refill."
With one last glare at Amber, Liz allowed me to lead her away. Maneuvering our bodies through the masses, I spared a glance at Liz. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and her brows were furrowed in irritation. Amber usually got on her nerves but tonight she went too far by taking jabs at me. Liz had two rules. No one messed with her man or her family. And to Liz, I was family.
We refilled our cups, after making our way to the cooler and decided to hang out by the table to escape Amber. Taylor appeared just when we were refilling our cups for the third time.
"Hey," he greeted me awkwardly, and I nodded in reply.
Liz conveniently slipped away, disappearing into the crowd and I assumed she went to find Ryan.
"So, where's Dillon?"
"He's probably hanging upside down from a beer bong right now." I snorted and Taylor laughed.
I noticed Amber wasn't around and inquired, "Where's Amber?"
"Probably in the bathroom with Muffy and Brittany talking about puppies or jellybeans or whatever the hell it is you women talk about when you go to the bathroom together," Taylor answered with a slight wrinkle of his nose.
"Excuse me? You women? That's one thing Liz could never get me to do with her." I laughed and he joined me, relieving the tension between us. It felt nice. We were us again. Liz was right, it would take a hell of a lot more than Amber to come between us.
Suddenly, a sickening voice broke through my inner musings. "Taylor, honey. There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." Amber pushed her way through the crowd, coming to stand in front of us. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to the designated dance floor. "Come on, let's dance." I assumed she was trying to get him away from me.
Taylor didn't budge, looking at me with indecision on his face. It was clear that he didn't want to leave me alone. Amber smiled victoriously as I said, "It's fine." Maybe I should try to find Dillon. As soon as I completed the thought, Dillon appeared out of nowhere as if summoned. I was grateful that he was wearing a shirt this time.
"Hey, I've been looking for you everywhere." He frowned, seeing Taylor beside me and decided to rectify the situation. "Come on. We haven't danced all night."
He pulled me into the crowd of dancers just as T.I.'s Live Your Life came on. I think I was beginning to feel the effects of my drinking as I bumped into Dillon. He righted me with a grin then pulled me toward him. "Somebody's tipsy." More like drunk. I suspected I drank too much jungle juice.
"A little," I giggled. I spied Taylor dancing with Amber, several feet away from us. Through narrowed eyes, I observed the way Amber rubbed herself against Taylor and gritted my teeth. I was just a few seconds away from stomping over there and snatching her hands off of him when Dillon spun me around and I lost sight of them.
Dillon ran his hands up and down my back with a grin on his face that I immediately recognized. It was his I'm horny and about to make my move grin. "So, are you spending the night?"
"I hadn't planned on it," I admitted slowly. My head was really starting to hurt.
"Oh, come on, Izzy. You know you will eventually." There was that cocky smile that got on my nerves. I hated that he automatically assumed I would sleep with him. Even though, I planned to, it still irritated me.
"You know, every time you say that, eventually gets a bit further away," I informed him, narrowing my eyes.
He didn't seem to hear me as he was too busy shooting smug looks over my shoulder. It didn't take a genius to guess who he was looking at. "Could you stop doing that?"
"Doing what?" Dillon asked, feigning innocence.
"You think I can't interpret the looks you keep giving Taylor? Why don't you grab the microphone from the DJ and scream she's mine? You know, just get it over with," I spoke sarcastically. My headache was making me feel irritable.
"Look, it's not my fault the guy keeps staring at us, Izzy. You know he has a thing for you." Dillon rolled his eyes.
"So what if he does?" I snapped, rubbing my throbbing temple. I was beginning to feel dizzy.
"Are you okay?" Dillon asked with concern.
"I think I need to lie down." I had to get away from the music and the lights. I looked around but I couldn't see any of my friends in sight.
"Come on." Dillon wrapped an arm around me before leading me through the crowd, in the direction of the stairs. I assumed he was taking me up to his room. But before we were able to reach the stairs, Taylor's large form intercepted us, blocking our path.
"What's wrong?" He asked with a frown, noticing the way I was leaning on Dillon.
Dillon started to say it was none of his business, but I answered, "My head hurts. I just need to lie down for a bit."
"Yeah, so move." Dillon grumbled but Taylor didn't budge one inch.
After scrutinizing me a bit, Taylor announced, "Come on, we're leaving." He reached for my arm and pulled me toward him, but Dillon refused to let go of my other arm. So, I ended up in between them. Each of them had a grip on one hand.
"She's not leaving. She just wants to lie down." Dillon tugged on my arm.
"Not in your room. Not when she looks like she's about to pass out," Taylor said through gritted teeth. Taylor took advantage of Dillon's loosened grip and yanked me to his chest.
"Right, because you care so much. Let's talk about what this is really about. This is about you wanting my woman for yourself."
"Your woman? You wish." Taylor laughed mockingly.
"Oh, fuck you, immigrant." Reaching out a hand, Dillon shoved Taylor and he didn't waste any time shoving Dillon back. Things were quickly spiraling out of control. It wouldn't be long before someone threw a punch. They were drawing stares and I was beginning to get embarrassed.
To make matters worse, Ryan showed up with Liz at his side. "What the hell's going on here?" He queried suspiciously.
"Izzy's about to pass out, and he wants to take her up to his room." Taylor was kind enough to explain. Dillon rushed forward in an attempt to punch Taylor, but Preston and some of his frat brothers held him back. Ryan got in between them as Taylor tried to go after Dillon.
In an attempt to get away from the scene they were making, I pushed myself free and began to walk away from them. Anywhere else would be better than here.
"Izzy, where are you going?" Liz asked.
"Anywhere but here." A small squeak escaped my lips, when I was spun around and Taylor tossed me over his shoulder. For a moment, the throbbing in my head grew worse and I allowed my body to go limp. I just wanted out of that house.
I heard Amber's petulant voice, "But, Taylor baby, who'll drive me home if you leave now?" She could have easily caught a ride with Muff or Brittany. I guess I was spoiling her plans to seduce him later. Well, isn't that a shame.
Taylor turned to Ryan, and he instantly understood the message. "Don't worry about it. We'll take her home." Liz looked about ready to complain but one look from Taylor shut her up.
The crowd parted for us to pass as Taylor moved toward the exit. One last look at Amber's glaring, and malicious delight made me flip her off. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a smart idea as Amber would make me pay for doing that later on.
Cool, fresh air greeted us as we left the house and he walked us to his car. As he set me on my feet, I leaned against the car. Taylor opened the back door and I crawled in, welcoming the chance to lie down. I must have dosed off because before I knew it, Taylor was pulling me across the backseat and out of the car.
He swung me into his arms and carried me into the building. My headache was improving but now my stomach was starting to churn. I closed my eyes as we walked off the elevator and felt us come to a stop at my door. I heard the sound of his keys jingling as he opened the door but both his arms were still holding me. The door swung open as I opened my eyes and he stepped over the threshold.
Suddenly, my stomach lurched, causing me to jump out of his arms, rush down the hall and into my room. I made it to the toilet just in time to relieve the contents of my stomach. The sound of Taylor's footsteps approached as he entered the bathroom. He muttered a soft curse before kneeling behind me on the floor. He held back my hair, waiting for me to finish.
He helped me to my feet when I was done, then I went to the sink and rinsed the taste of vomit out of my mouth. With my stomach evacuated, I began to feel a little better. I noted the incensed scowl on his face in the mirror, as he stood behind me. Taylor was angry with me for some reason. Suppressed irritation emanated from his entire body. Maybe he was mad at me for getting drunk again or for ruining his date. Whatever.
Ignoring his glare, I pushed passed him, stumbling in my ankle boots as I made my way into the darkness of my room. I whipped my camisole over my head, letting it fall to the floor. Next, I reached for my jeans, undoing the button and tried to work it over my hips. Damn, these pants are tight. My jeans bunched around my legs and too late, I remembered I still had on my ankle boots.
In my dizzy state, I stumbled but Taylor steadied me with his hands. I was a bit surprised as I thought he'd left. He knelt on the floor in front of me and lifted my foot. I placed my hands on his shoulders to brace myself as he slipped my boots off one after the other. He pulled my pants down to my knees. I shivered and my heart beat sped up erratically as he placed one heated hand on the inside of my thigh, easing one pant leg off at a time. After he was finished, he didn't move away. Instead, he stared intently up at my face, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. I wasn't able to properly identify the look on his face due to the darkness.
He seemed to be mulling something over in his mind. After a tense moment, he stood up, slipping his hand from my leg and moved away from me. I thought he was about to leave, until I saw him sit on my bed. He bent over and began to remove his shoes while I stood frozen in the same spot.
Was he staying over?
This question was answered when he set his shoes and socks aside, and lay down on the bed, still wearing his jeans and t-shirt. Not knowing what else to do, I crossed the room and slipped under the covers next to him. I was much too tired to look for my pajamas. When I turned my head to the side to look at him, he rolled onto his side, facing away from me. Even in the darkness, I detected the stiff rigidness of his shoulders and knew he was still angry with me. For whatever reason.
Confused, I stared at his large back. Tendrils of guilt worked its way into my stomach, and I opened my mouth to apologize. "Taylor, I-" I began softly but Taylor cut me off.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow," he replied in a clipped tone.
I hated not knowing what I did to make him mad or if I even deserved his anger. Eventually, my eyes drifted shut and I fell into uneasy, restless sleep, knowing that an argument was coming our way the next day.
A/N: You guys have no idea what I went through to give you all this update. I swear it's like every Thursday there's a mini disaster that gets in the way of my updating.
Maybe I should pick another day.
Anyway,I'm very excited for the upcoming chapters. You guys will definitely want them early.
Back to the story:Dillon and Bella are beginning to have problems.
Bella gave Amber the finger. Maybe that wasnt wise.
Wonder why Taylor's mad at Bella?
Coming up next: Bella and Taylor argue some more.
Alice tries to move things along.
Liz and Bella have the sex talk.
Bella and Dillon have more issues.
Bella does Zach a favor.
If the universe allows me to, you'll have the next chapter Monday. I'll try.