Page 9 of All Your Lies (All or Nothing #2)

seven

Alexa

R osie and I stare at our newly decorated dorm room. Rosie’s side is a mix of pretty pastels, while I prefer the darker hues of blacks and greens. It’s like a colorful sunset to a dark storm. You can definitely tell which side is whose.

“I can’t believe this is our life now, questionable decisions, parties galore—”

“Not for long,” Rosie says with a sigh.

“Don’t you dare ruin this monumental moment, Rosalinda,” I say as I hip check her. She had a fight with her father right before we left. He almost changed his mind and wouldn’t let her come. I don’t understand why he always has to be so hard on her, on all his kids.

With my dad’s help, he finally agreed, and we took off like a shot, exceeding the speed limit a few times because we couldn’t bear to miss a single second of our newly earned freedom.

It took a year of begging our parents before they both relented and allowed us a year of college. We took some courses online after high school, accounting for me and dance and art for Rosie, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted this experience, and so did Rosie. Better late than never, I guess.

“I’m hungry. Do you want to go check out the town and see what we can find?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me. I’m starving.”

We decide to try a bar and grill around the corner from the university she heard about from one of the other girls in our dorm while she was checking out the shower situation.

It didn’t take long to locate the place once we stepped foot outside our dorm. The pounding rhythm of the music echoed through the streets, leading us straight to it.

We follow a group of people around our age down a set of stairs. My mind is blown. The bar is in a basement?

“This place is kind of awesome,” Rosie yells in my ear.

“Agreed,” I say with a nod.

My dad would have a coronary. He would consider this highly unsafe, and I can almost envision his protest. What if there’s a fire, Alexandria? What if there’s a shooter? Where’s your way out? Did you bring your gun?

I survey my surroundings and notice a sign against the back wall with an emergency exit highlighted in red neon lights over the top, then I discreetly rub my fingertips against my jean skirt-covered thigh to feel for the handle to my blade.

Hopefully, that will chill my dad’s voice out in my head and calm my nerves.

As we hit the bottom step, I see a dozen pool tables off to the right-hand side. A huge collage of TVs sit on the wall along the left side where a music video is playing. There’s a stage where it looks like a band is setting up. Everything is dark, and I kind of love it.

I can get used to this. I smile to myself before I get pulled toward the bar to order.

Once we’re done ordering, we sit and observe.

“Do you want to play pool after we eat?”

“As long as you keep the jokes to a minimum. I still suck,” I say with a pout. I’m competitive, and I hate losing, which is what I do frequently while playing pool.

When I’d go to her house, we’d play in the game room. It was always her and me against Gage and Marco. The guys would unfortunately always win, which was no fault of Rosie’s, always mine. Poor Rosie would have to deal with a dare for losing.

One time we had to jump in the pool in the dead of winter. It was brutal. I thought I was going to shiver the skin off my bones, and my dad almost strangled the guys for the stupid dare.

“Now’s the time to work on it so we can kick both Gage’s and Marco’s asses,” I say with a determined smile.

“You think we’ll ever hear from Gage again?” Rosie asks, frowning.

“I used to say yes, but I don’t know anymore.”

Gage got out almost a year ago, and we still haven’t heard from him. He disappeared without a trace. Just walked out the door of Metro Correctional Center on his release day and poof, gone.

To this day, I miss him. The day he went away felt like a piece of my heart got ripped out of my chest. I mourned him that day and every day since.

He was just as important as Rosie was to me. Maybe more so in some ways. He gave the best hugs, the ones you felt in your soul. The kind you never wanted to end, like holding a lifeline. And his smile. His smile was magical and always made his deep-blue eyes sparkle like the sun hitting the sea.

We get our food and dig in. Rosie ordered their loaded nachos while I chose the boring chicken strips and fries.

It’s the safest thing on the menu, and I know there won’t be any surprises.

I’ve had an aversion to sauces and extra flavors on food my whole life.

Sometimes less is more, and that can be said for many things.

I finish mine in record time and look up at Rosie, who’s also done. We grab our drinks and head over to an empty table to play. It takes more coordination than I have, but I’m getting better. Soon, we finish one game. She wins, of course, and racks the balls to start another game.

“Mind if I join?” a deep voice asks from behind me.

“Aw man, how’d you find us, Marco?” Rosie asks.

I turn around and see the body attached to the voice. Handsome in a boy-next-door type of way with short dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He’s tall and lean because of sports. He stands with a confidence about him that’s infectious and makes me want to lean closer.

I haven’t seen him since he started attending the college Rosie and I are now also attending.

He’s making this his final year before diving into the family business with the rest of us, and I hope to grow closer to him before that happens.

Dad told me the marriage contract between our families was signed, so he and I are a done deal.

“I’m always looking out for my girls.” His grin makes me smile, while Rosie scrunches up her nose like she smells something awful.

“Don’t look too closely. I want to have fun while I’m here,” Rosie says.

Her father gave her one year of college before she goes back to marry Manuel. She still hasn’t warmed up to the idea, and I don’t blame her.

We decide to play another game. Two against one since he thinks he can smoke us both.

It’s my turn, and I totally miss the ball.

“Can I help?” Marco asks.

I’m not sure how he’s going to help since he’s never offered before, but I say yes anyway. I can’t help but feel curious and slightly pleased by his attention. It’s a welcome change from his usual brush-off.

He tells me to line the stick up to the ball, and I do. I’m bent over the table when I feel him behind me, bending with me and putting his hands over mine.

My eyes widen, but I don’t dare to raise my gaze toward Rosie. I’m sure I’m about as red as a tomato.

Marco is leaning on top of me. He whispers in my ear exactly how I need to hold the stick, then helps me take the shot. It goes right into the pocket, and I jump up, giving him a high five, and then Rosie.

That was intense. I take a huge breath to compose myself before I turn back toward him and thank him. He gives me a smile and a brief nod.

We play for another hour, then decide to head back to the dorm. Marco walks us back since he deems it unsafe, for which I’m grateful.

Rosie and I have heard horror stories about walking alone at night through college campuses. Mainly from our parents being overprotective, but I still heed their warnings, and after that one night after my swim meet, I’ve been extra cautious.

We never found the white van that stopped in front of me the night I was run off the road.

The guy who Dad killed belonged to a disgruntled local gang who disagreed with a certain decision, and they set their sights on me.

The scar that stretches from the corner of my eyebrow to the top of my ear serves as a constant tingling reminder of the consequences of my carelessness.

I need to stay vigilant and ready but still live life, which feels like a battle I’m never going to conquer.

We walk into the building to our dorm, Rosie first, when Marco grabs my hand to stop me.

“Go on up, Rosie. Alexa will be up in a minute. We’re just going to have a quick chat.”

My heart stops. What does he want to talk about?

“Okay, but be nice,” Rosie says, narrowing her eyes at her brother.

“Aren’t I always?”

“No. And she’s mine until your stupid arranged marriage,” she says as she rolls her eyes and keeps walking.

“I had fun tonight,” Marco says, avoiding the talk of our arranged marriage.

“Yeah, me too. Thanks for the help playing,” I say lamely.

Why do I always have to be so awkward?

“No problem. I don’t mind helping a damsel in distress,” he says while squeezing my hand that I just realized he’s still holding.

My gaze falls to our intertwined hands until he gently lifts my chin.

The next thing I know, he’s leaning in for a kiss.

My breath catches in my throat.

Oh my gosh. It’s happening.

At the last minute, he gives me one on my cheek and steps back, letting my hand go.

“Good night, Alexa,” he says before turning around and walking away.

“Good night,” I say to his back.

I watch his retreating form until it’s blocked by the guys’ dorms, then I turn around and head inside.

What the heck was that? Was he actually going to kiss me, or was I imagining it?

When I get to my room, Rosie is already in bed. I pull out my pajamas to get more comfortable.

“Marco is too much sometimes.”

“True that. I think he’ll leave us alone after a week or two,” I say, not wanting to discuss the almost kiss with her.

She’s my best friend, and I also consider her my sister, but it’s weird talking to her about her brother, no matter what the plans for the future may be.

The months in college pass quickly. We’re busy with classes and having as much fun as possible while still trying to cram sleep in somewhere.

Marco hangs out with us sometimes when he’s not busy. We have yet to discuss the night of the almost kiss. He also hasn’t tried to get close to me since then, either.