Reject Me (Kin #5)(23)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I ran my hand through my hair and turned to let out an air-filled sigh. “You’ve got to be kiddin’ me. You think I’d want you? There’s not a chance for that ever happenin’.”

“You’ll change your mind. You always do.” She seemed convinced.

I bunched up my face. “Are you f**kin’ kiddin’ me right now? You’re makin’ this shit about you?”

“You and I are the same. We were both put on this earth to have a good time. Come on, Jamey. You know I’m right. You and I aren’t capable of settling down. We can’t be with just one person, not in a monogamous way. Sex is like a drug to us. We need it.”

“No. You’re wrong. I’m not that guy anymore.”

Angie began to laugh, so loudly that it was obnoxious. “Give me a break. You can’t change. It’s in your blood.”

“Stop wastin’ my f**kin’ time.” I pulled out my cell phone and started the record process. “Say you were lyin’. Tell Peyton that it was all a ploy. Tell the f**kin’ truth.”

She leaned forward and drug her lips over my phone as she spoke. I don’t know whether she really believed in herself, or if she was just bat-shit insane. Either way she didn’t have a f**king clue what I wanted. “The truth is that you’ve never said no to me, Jamey. I’m not going to tell her anything, because you know as well as I do what really happened.”

“Nothin’ happened.”

“Are you denying that we’ve been together before?” Why was she playing this game?

“Stop screwin’ around.”

Ang looked right into my eyes as she spoke. “When you’re done being ridiculous we can talk. Now get out of my face.”

“No!”

Before I could respond to her madness, I was pulled out of the establishment by my friend. “What’s your problem?”

“That’s enough, dude. Leave Angie alone.”

“Are you kiddin’ me? Did you see what that bitch did to me?” I pushed my friend away from me to stand my ground. “I don’t give a shit who Ang is to you. What she did was f**ked up. Peyton’s never goin’ to believe me now, because of that lying whore.”

He pointed at me with serious eyes. “I’m goin’ to let that slide since you’re pissed. Go home Jamey. Peyton’s just a chick, man. She’ll be back. Bitches always come back. You know that.”

He was wrong though. Peyton wasn’t just another f**k buddy for me. She was special, which was something that none of my friends could understand. We’d both gotten around in our younger years, and with reputations like ours it was impossible for people to accept that we could change.

Since I knew I’d regret fighting with my friends, over something they had nothing to do with, I hopped in my vehicle and drove to the one place where I knew I would get support.

My brother’s house.

He and his girlfriend Lacey had begun moving into their new house, located much closer to their jobs. He’d offered me the apartment, and I’d planned on asking Peyton to move in with me when we went back to my mother’s house after riding four-wheelers. That was all messed up now, and I wasn’t exactly sure I even wanted to move out.

Joey was outside drinking a beer while barbequing on the back porch. He waved me to walk around the house as soon as I got out. “What’s up bro? You want a steak? I can have Lace thaw another one. We got them at the butcher last night. Look how thick these things are.” He held up the steak as I approached.

“I’m not real hungry, man.”

Joey put his arm on my shoulder. Lacey came outside carrying a marinade, and from the look on her face I could tell that she knew something was wrong. “You okay, Jamey?”

I sat down on a lawn chair and ran my hands through my hair. “No. I’m pretty f**kin’ screwed up. That’s why I came. I need some advice, because obviously I don’t give a shit about relationships.”

“Did you meet someone?” Lacey asked.

I think my brother knew the answer even before I said it. “Not exactly. It’s Peyton.”

“Her again? Boy, you don’t know when to quit. You two are like fuel to a fire.”

“Come on, bro, not you too. I need help here.”

My brother began to laugh hysterically. “You’re kiddin’, right? I mean, the last time we talked you were all about hittin’ whatever young ass came your way. What changed?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I realized that she’s different.”

“Jamey, are you in love with Peyton?” Lacey asked.

I looked down when I answered. “I don’t know. I think I might be.”

“Does she even know?” Her questions were hard for me to hear. The ‘L’ word was always off limits. I used to cringe when Peyton used it.

“I tried to tell her. Then things got all crazy. Now she’s not talkin’ to me at all. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure she’s never goin’ to speak to me again.”

“Why?” My brother asked. “What did you do?”

“She thinks I slept with this chick.”

“Well did you?” Joey’s smile made me feel like an ass**le. Obviously they thought the worst of me.

“Am I really that bad of a guy?”

Joey started to answer, but Lacey threw up her finger making him hold off. “You just haven’t found your way yet, that’s all.”

“Bro, did you sleep with the other chick?”

“Yes, but not for a long time. She’s from out of town and it happened years ago. I swear.”

Joey shook his head, while Lacey continued to communicate with me. “Why would Peyton never want to talk to you again? Were you with her when it happened? I’m a little confused.” She sat down on the chair across from me while my brother continued flipping the meat. He was such a perfectionist when it came to cooking. Secretly I hoped to be as good as he was one day, albeit I’d never admit that to him.

“Last night I convinced Peyton to come over. One thing led to another and you know how it goes. We ended up in bed.”

“As if that wasn’t your plan all along,” my brother said sarcastically.

“That wasn’t the only reason that I wanted her to come over. I missed her. Anyway, we fought and then we talked, and then we fought some more. By morning we’d decided to give us another try; a clean slate. We promised no more lies. I admitted my feelin’s for her, and invited her to go ridin’ with me today. Things were good. It was like nothin’ we’d ever experienced before.”