Page 43 of Somehow You Knew

***

“Well, I guess we can leave for real now,” I say, making my way to where Gage is now standing with my whole family. The rest of the party guests have left by now, and after everything we’ve endured today, I’m more than ready for some space from them.

“Nonsense. Your mother was just about to tell us what happened during your senior year of high school,” Gage says, an all-too-pleased grin on his stupid, sexy lips.

I twist my head in my mother’s direction so fast that I momentarily see stars. “What?”

“Your brothers think this is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in your life, but I think that night I got called down to the school and found you in a room with half-naked teenage boys was worse than this.”

The air shifts.

Three heads snap toward me.

“What the fuck, Hazel?” Dallas practically shrieks. “Is this what Mom’s been talking about when she tells us you weren’t a saint growing up? Naked boys in a classroom?”

“Oh, get your mind out of the gutter!” I fire back. “Jesus, Mom. You had to lead with that?”

She shrugs, completely unbothered. For a moment, I wonder if she’s beginning to go crazy as well. “That was the wild part, in my opinion.”

Astrid raises her hand. “Please tell us there is more to this story before my husband has a heart attack.” She rubs Penn’s chest as I catch how tense his entire body is.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I explain, “It was nothing like what I’m sure all of your dirty minds are thinking, all right?”

“So what happened then?” Willow asks, looking both entertained and horrified.

I lift my chin. “The reason all the boys were in their underwear was because I beat them at strip poker.”

Cashlynn wheezes. “Oh, Jesus. That’s great!”

“Wait, why were you playing strip poker at the high school?” Dallas demands, pulling my attention back to him.

“Corey Johnson was talking about how good he was at poker during English class.” I roll my eyes at the memory. “He was so cocky, and all I wanted to do was shut him up. Well, Dad taught me how to play when I was the last kid living at home, so I knew I could beat him. Ichallenged Corey to a game, but he was too afraid to lose, so instead of just him, I challenged the entire baseball team. Turns out none of them could resist the opportunity to exercise their misogyny and said they’d only play if we played strip poker.” I shrug. “Didn’t work out that well for them.”

Willow slow claps. “Damn, girl. I’m impressed.”

Astrid giggles. “That’s the Hazel Sheppard I know and love.”

Standing proud, I take a bow. “Thank you.”

Gage lets out a low whistle. “Damn, Spitfire.”

“So why were you called down to the school?” Penn asks our mom.

“Sheriff Thompson had to go check on things because someone reported ‘unusual activity,’” she says, using air quotes.

“It was the trespassing that almost got me arrested,” I admit, even though this secret has been kept for so long that the idea of it coming out now is making me want to run right into the ocean. “But when he walked in and found the entire baseball team in nothing but their boxers, looking humiliated, while I was fully clothed and grinning like a damn champion…he decided to let our parents handle it.”

“You almost got arrested?” Parker asks, clearly pleased with this information. “I don’t know why that makes me so happy.”

“‘Cause you’re a dickhead,” I reply.

“I thought that was your nickname for me,” Gage chimes in, pulling my attention to him.

“That was just the most PG one I could think of for you,” I fire back at him.

Willow and Astrid snicker from the side. “Oh Jesus, these next six months are going to be entertaining as hell,” Astrid says.

Parker nods. “Agreed.” Then he sniffs the air. “Do I smell some meddling lurking on the horizon?”