Page 20
Drake
After Taylor’s fight with her teammate during practice, our relationship has taken its toll.
We’re still together, I guess. But it’s hard to tell with how distant she’s been this week.
I don’t blame her. I knew the risk when we first started dating.
Though, that doesn’t make this situation suck any less.
Sitting next to Preston in the cafeteria, I watch as Tucker outwardly cringes when everyone in the room’s cell phones chime at the same time. It’s a new blog post from The Queen. Who will she dethrone this month?
“Maybe she’s moved on from us,” Tucker says with hope in his tone, his eyes pointed down at his cell phone.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Jamie says.
Everyone has their cell phones in their hands, while I’m busy shoving the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth. Trent skipped dinner, most likely to meet Jemma, his new girlfriend.
“Take out your phone,” Tucker says, looking across the table at me. “You need to read what she wrote about you.”
Fuck. What now?
The students at Strickland University now live for the new posts from The Queen.
She’s so popular there’s even a Dethroned app that dings with new notifications.
Reaching into my pocket, I prepare myself for the shit she’s spewing this month.
Fuck, I hope this has nothing to do with my virginity.
That’s a secret no one knows but Taylor.
There’s no way in hell The Queen would know about that.
They raise phones in the air around the cafeteria, and so many eyes are on me. Some people are laughing, while others are pointing and whispering in my direction.
Dethroned
December Edition
Ahh, Christmas time, the most wonderful time of the year.
And yet, at Strickland University, it’s the most scandalous.
While everyone is out shopping for the holidays, the spoiled brats of Strick U are up to their usual debauchery.
From the looks of the dick pics Drake Donovan has been sharing with a certain someone, he has plenty of lovin’ for his mystery woman to unwrap.
But who’s the lucky girl? Or should we say girls, you nasty dick-pic-sending creep?
XO,
The Queen
Tucker laughs so loud it shakes the table. Fucking dickhead. He’s just happy it’s not about him. Jamie follows suit, his laughter piercing my eardrum. Preston looks relieved more than anything after The Queen throwing him under the bus about his once-secret relationship with Bex.
Nostrils flaring in anger, I feel my cheeks flush as I read her words once more. All eyes are on me when I look up. I’m used to unwanted attention. I couldn’t care less if The Queen attacks me. It’s Taylor I’m the most concerned about. She’s already taken so much heat because of me, and now this?
“Who’s she talking about?” Tucker asks me. “Not Bex’s friend. Right?”
“She would never go for that shit,” Preston chimes.
“Fuck.” I clutch my phone tight enough to snap it in half. “She’s never gonna talk to me again.”
Taylor’s interest is fading, though I know she still cares about me. How can I expect her to walk through fire with me only to end up in her own personal Hell?
“Oh, now that she called you out, you care?” Tucker asks. “It’s not like everyone on campus hasn’t seen your dick, anyway.”
Everyone at our table laughs.
I shrug, blowing it off like it is nothing. This is the Drake all of them know. I still have an image to maintain. “What can I say? My dick has a life of its own.”
“And Taylor knows that, stupid,” Preston says. “Which is why she wants nothing to do with you.”
“Nah,” I lie, shaking my head. “She likes the chase.”
I haven’t told them much about Taylor. It’s the first relationship I’ve had since high school that means something to me. Talking about puck bunnies is one thing, but I’ll never divulge a single detail about Taylor.
When you meet the one, you don’t want to share her with anyone. If only I can make her see she doesn’t have to share me with the world. I know that’s how she feels. She made it clear last night when she yelled at me over the phone.
“At least the semester is over on Friday,” Jamie says. “That will give me a little more time to work on tracking The Queen. She might have her guard down, thinking no one is paying attention to her during the break.”
I hope Jamie finds this blogger chick. She’s slowly trying to ruin each of our lives and for no good reason. We’ve all been wondering if we hooked up with her, though it’s doubtful we all messed with the same chick.
“Speaking of the break…” Preston says between bites of food, “… you guys coming over to my house for Christmas?”
Trent shoves a forkful of rice into his mouth. “My dad said something about doing it at our house instead.”
“You know how my mom feels about Christmas basketball,” Preston says. “We might not stay at your house for long.”
My Aunt Charlotte never misses NBA basketball on Christmas day.
She lives for it. We usually spend the day at Preston’s parents’ apartment on the Philadelphia waterfront, so she can kick back and watch the games.
All the kids usually take side bets while our parents place their own.
Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families typically involves a lot of drinking, sports, and gambling. It’s tradition.
“My dad bought one of those projection screens,” Tucker says. “Wait until you see the high-def on it. The players look like they’re jumping off the screen.”
“Oh, yeah?” Preston grins. “Bex will like that, too.”
“She can come,” Tucker offers. “You can bring Taylor, too,” he says to me, laughing. “If she’ll even look at you after reading that post.”
My demeanor shifts, the seriousness of the situation making me sick to my stomach. Preston laughs, and I consider punching him for egging Tucker on.
At this moment, it occurs to me that I can’t fully lower my guard with my friends. None of them know my secret. I can’t even talk to them about Taylor without getting a rash of shit. She’s the only person I can go to… and now I don’t even know where we stand.
A text dings in my pocket—it’s Taylor telling me we need to talk. The message that follows is a screen capture of The Queen’s post with a red-faced anger emoji on it.
Fuck, this is the end. I just know it.
When Taylor opens the door, she barely even looks at me. She steps to the side, allowing me to enter the on-campus suite. Bex was at my house with Preston. They were taking over the couches and eating the last of the chips when I left.
I follow Taylor into her bedroom and stand in the entryway as she sits on her bed.
“I don’t know what to think anymore, Drake.” She plays with the navy comforter, twirling her finger around it. “What is The Queen talking about? Did you send pics to any girls after we met? Because it read like you have.” A tear slips from her right eye as she meets my gaze.
My heart slams into my chest. I hate seeing her in pain over me.
I rush over and drop to my knees on the floor in front of her, taking her hand in mine.
“All of this is my fault, Taylor. I’m sorry, baby.
” I raise her hand to my mouth and plant soft kisses along her soft skin.
“I haven’t sent pics to anyone but you since we’ve been together.
Whatever she’s talking about is in the past. You know my truth. I haven’t been with anyone. Only you.”
“I know,” she breathes. “But, Drake…”
I wipe her tears away with my thumb and give her a quick kiss on the lips. “I promise you, Taylor, I did nothing. You’re the only woman I want.”
I’m falling in love with her.
Somehow, she made what she once thought was impossible to happen with the person she least expected. Even I had my doubts.
Taylor kisses me back, her tears hitting my cheeks as she slips her tongue inside my mouth.
She moans with each flick of my tongue. I groan as a ripple of pleasure spreads throughout my body.
With Taylor, it’s more than just sex. Hell, we haven’t even had sex yet, so I know this is more than what I had with other women.
Once our lips separate, I cup her face in my hand. “I don’t want to lose you, Taylor.”
“Drake,” she sighs. “I don’t want to lose you either. I care about you too much to let you go. But that’s why this hurts so much. I hate the way they talk about you… about us.”
“If I hadn’t done the stupid shit I did in the past, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I am so fucking sorry, baby. I never meant for this shit to blow back on you.”
She clutches my wrist, sending a shiver down my arm. “How do we handle this? My teammates are attacking me. You’re getting it from The Queen. What if this is only the beginning?”
I run my thumb along her bottom lip. “I love you, Taylor. I didn’t think I would ever say that to a woman after keeping myself so guarded. But I do. I love you. You changed me. Because of you, I’m a different man, and I want to be what you need.”
A fresh set of tears fall from her eyes, this time from happiness. “You mean that? You really love me?”
I nod. “And I’m not just saying it because I want to have sex with you. I would do anything for you, Taylor. Anything. Name it and it’s yours.”
“I only want you.”
Her words warm my heart. I feel everything at once, all the emotions rushing through my veins. Hyped up on adrenaline and passion, I scoop her into my arms and lower her onto the bed, pressing her back on the mattress as I slip between her thighs.
“I want to take you on a proper date,” I say against her lips. “This weekend.”
“I have a game on Saturday.”
“How about Friday night? I have something special in mind I know you will like.”
Dragging her tongue along my bottom lip, she peeks up at me with those wide, blue eyes I get lost in every time. “It’s a date.”