Chapter 20: Reason For Rejection

"…This is pretty awkward—oof!" Jessica's elbow slammed into Tobey's gut, the boy wincing in pain as he turned away from his 'girlfriend'. How they thought their fake relationship was fooling anyone was a mystery as there is no way in hell a straight guy would wear such short shorts. The oversized hoodie he wore acted more as a dress as it went down to about mid-thigh, the garish lime-green color clashing with his salmon-pink knee-high socks. To top it all off he wore a pair of hot pink Nike's, the brand new shoes practically gleaming under the fluorescent lights of the store.

"Shut up." Jessica spoke tersely, the girl pulling back a shock of her curly blond hair. If Tobey was a very feminine man then Jessica was a very masculine girl. For one she wore jeans and I don't mean the faded and ripped ones you can get in Wallstone. No, she wore men's jeans that didn't hug her every curve as they weren't made for style but comfort. A black leather jacket covered her torso, the unzipped front revealing a white tank top underneath. Her feet were covered by a pair of brown leather work boots but unlike mine, they looked like they'd never been used for a day of work in their life. All in all, she looked like a stereotypical biker dude only that this biker dude had tits.

"What're you guys up to?" I finally decided to speak, my eyes unconsciously glancing toward Veronica. In three days I had gone from being brutally rejected by her to eating her sister out on the break room table of Huck's. The anger that had been simmering under my skin at her cruel words had become something possibly far worse, apathy. I was apathetic to her, the puppy dog love I had died and all it was replaced with was a general appreciation for her attractiveness as a woman. The illusion that she was somehow the only beautiful woman in the world had shattered, my eyes now registering her as just one of the many pretty women in this town.

"Wednesday is arcade day." Becky put away her phone as she spoke, a pink bubble of gum blowing on her lips before popping. Pulling the deflated gum back in her mouth with her tongue she resumed her chewing, her blue eyes looking at me with an emotion I couldn't pin.

Becky Carter was a miniature version of her older sister. Her short hair was dyed blue, wild strands framing her heart-shaped face. The girl's porcelain skin glowed under the fluorescent lights of the store, her big blue eyes gleaming in the light. Licking her pouty pink lips of the sugary remnants her gum left behind the girl blew another bubble.

She wore a blue tube top, the thin fabric revealing her modest boobs underneath. The little nubs poking through her shirt told me she wasn't wearing a bra as I looked at the expanse of her pale cleavage not covered by her top. Loosely hanging off her shoulders was a black jacket, the thing looking more like a men's dress shirt than anything. The collars of her black jacket flared up around her slender neck, an ebony lace choker wrapping itself across her windpipe like a kitten's collar.

"Oh yeah, heh, forgot about that." I rubbed the back of my head and gave them a sheepish smile. "It's been a while since we've hung out with you guys."

Before Dad had been arrested I was a part of their little group, the cool kids of Munford are how we saw ourselves. We used to do stupid shit together, Ricky would always get egged into doing outlandish dares by Keith and Jason for as little as a five-dollar bill. The man licked a flag pole in the wintertime for ten bucks, and me and Billy had to get warm water and pry him off.

Everything was great until it wasn't, my ostracization from the town split our friend group in two. Billy and Ricky stood by my side despite the backlash but the others went on to do their own thing. It never really hurt me because I knew their parents were the driving factor for most of them, Keith and Jason on the other hand were just assholes. Their egos always meant we butted heads and when they smelt blood in the water for the first time they attacked.

"Hehe, yeah it's been a while." Becky rubbed at the back of her neck as she gave an awkward laugh. "Anyway, I really can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Abby asked as she narrowed her eyes at the girl, their poor treatment of me not going over well with her. Before she left for college our friend group still met up occasionally but after she finished her senior year they cut off all contact with me. It must've been a jarring feeling to see our once tight-knit group devolve into whatever this awkward little meet-up could be called.

"That you and him are dating. My sis said you were textin' her about it but I kind of just assumed you two hooked up for a one-night stand and Ethan was showin' his car off to brag about it." The blue-haired girl's words caused Abby to narrow her eyes into a mean glare, her hand grabbing at mine as she interlocked our fingers together.

"Nope, he most certainly is my boyfriend and I wonder how Rachel would react if she knew her little sis was divulging our private conversations out loud." The threat seemed to work as Becky's already pale skin grew white as a sheet, her head shaking back and forth trying to beg for forgiveness. Rachel was always capable of getting revenge and her little sister knew the horrors of it intimately.

"Don't be too harsh on her Abbs, it just means she thinks you're too beautiful for me." My other hand not busy holding hers brushed a shock of her curly hair behind her ear so I could get a better look at her face. "And she's 100% right."

A blush spread across the bridge of her nose, her black iris glancing at me in the corner of her eye. The grip of her fingers laced between my hand tightened as she gave me a few quick squeezes, a small smile playing across her plump pink lips. I was mesmerized and maybe that's why I leaned forward without even thinking and took her lips.

"Hohoholy shit, that's kind of hot!" Persimmon chuckled from her perch on the store counter, her eyes watching as our kiss deepened with amusement.

The feeling of Abbs breath brushing across my upper lip sent tingles down my spine. Our lips parted almost immediately as our tongues caressed one another. Her saliva mixed with mine, the taste tart like an apple cobbler from our earlier escapades. I don't really know how I feel about tasting myself on her lips but in the haze of the moment, it mattered no more than the peanut gallery watching. What I mean to say is that I didn't care because right now my lips were pressed up against a very beautiful woman.

*Bing Bong*

"Hey, I thought you guys were gettin' snacks—" Keith's voice petered off as he froze mid step, his eyes zeroing in on me and Abby doing our best to devour one another. The sound of our saliva clicking and Abby's damp sighs filled the air. Unlike the last time, we didn't clumsily bang our teeth together nor did our noses clash above our lips. Like seasoned dancers our tongues coiled around one another, my tongue pressing further in her mouth. Abby moaned as I dragged my tastebuds across the inside of her mouth, goosebumps running across the pale skin of her arms.

"What's the matter Keith—!" Jason froze too, the last member of the group to arrive finally broke me and Abbs out of our haze. Pulling back, a glistening web of saliva connected our lips. The strand of spit sagged as gravity pulled it down, my finger scooping it up as I put it back in my mouth. We both panted, our cheeks redder than a stop sign as we looked out at the gawking audience.

Jessica and Tobey were practically drooling, no they were actually drooling. The bleach-blond twink wiped away the spit leaking from the corner of his lips with the sleeve of his hoodie. The blond tomboy licked her lips as she stared at Abby's breasts heaving against the fabric of her dress. Becky had buried her nose in her phone, her eyes taking quick glances at me before she blushed redder than a tomato. Keith and Jason gawked at the two of us, their eyes blazing with jealousy.

"…" Veronica was the only one without a reaction, her eyes staring at us with the deadest expression possible. Turning around abruptly the girl exited through the sliding glass door, the chime sound breaking everyone out of their stupor.

"I'll go check on her…" Becky's words were followed by the door sliding open once again, the blue-haired girl chasing after her friend into the growing darkness of the night.

***

(Veronica Miller POV):

My throat burned, and scalding hot tears streamed down my face as I walked to the car. We'd all rode inside my parent's grey Chevy Tahoe, my feet hopping up on the step leading to the driver's side door as I pried it open. My body slumped into the seat as a deep racking sob shook my body to the core. I felt like I was fighting for air, my breath coming in ragged gasps before the next sob hit me.

"Stupid…stupid….STUPID!!!" I screamed as my fists pounded across the steering wheel, my knuckles stinging as I kept hammering away at the hardened plastic. The pain felt good, I needed to hurt. The sound of my loud wails and the pounding of my fist against the wheel muffled the creak of the front passenger door opening. Becky looked at me with wide eyes, her hands immediately reaching out to prevent me from hitting the steering wheel further.

"V, calm down—!" My hand flashed out as I smacked hers aside, the girl wincing at the stinging slap. A dense silence settled in the car as I hung my head low, my ebony hair acting as a curtain to the outside world. The cool night air had filled the car, the nipping chill of autumn settling across my scalding hot cheeks as the air cooled the salty streams of tears across them.

"H-how can I be calm when I should be the one he's kissing!" I lifted my face as I ground the words out through gritted teeth. My eyes had nearly swollen shut from my tears but through blurry vision, I could see those two holding hands crystal clear. It felt like the world was mocking me, and I was the butt of its joke.

"Then why the hell did you tell me you were over him V? I wouldn't have told you to say those things to him if I knew you still liked him!" Becky's tone was harsh and I couldn't help but flinch as each word stabbed into me. I was the problem, my sister had nothing to do with the happiness I threw away.

"M-mom, found out." I whimpered out the admission, the painful memory surfacing in the back of my mind. The fire in my throat grew as I fought back tears, my nose sniffling the snot dripping down my nose.

"What do you mean she found out?" The blue-haired girl's eyes narrowed, her tone growing darker than usual.

"She read my diary, the entire thing was filled with fantasies about him." I felt my cheeks heat up from embarrassment. A lot of the pages in the notebook under my bed were filled with less-than-PG scenes where Ethan had his way with me.

"And?"

"She said if we got together she'd send me to live with her mother in Maine." Becky froze, the bombshell dropped on her making her rethink what she wanted to say.

"W-why, I mean that doesn't make any sense?" She nervously picked at a strand of her dyed hair, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she bit it.

"She doesn't want to lose another daughter to that 'inbred hick' as she put it. Abby is all but dead to them, and they only give her shit to keep up appearances. To them, they only have one daughter now and they refuse to let me destroy my future prospects as a trophy wife for a boy who's destined to make less than 20,000 dollars a year. So, instead of getting shipped off to Maine, I chose to destroy my only love." I whimpered at the last part of my words as I buried my face in my hands.

"*…Roni is this true?*" A familiar voice came from Becky's phone, my eyes widening as I looked down at the caller ID.

"Y-yeah, sis, it's true." I sniffled as I wiped away my tears, my eyes narrowing at the blue-haired girl innocently whistling beside me. I'd get her back for this later.

"*We'll talk later.*" With those ominous words the line went dead, my body slumping in the leather seat as I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding. My eyes turned back toward the gas station's large windows, and I was met with Abby's eyes boring right into me. She looked pissed and I knew it was going to be a rather painful chat amongst siblings.