Page 26 of The Triple Threat

“Ellie?”

I reached out a hand, but she screamed loudly and tried to back away from me, stumbling as she did.

“What the hell?” Carter pushed past me. “Ellie.”

I moved with him and as he reached out for his sister, Bronte turned around. “You damn idiot,” she spat at him.

As a sexy female version of Freddie Kruger in a real short red and black sweater dress that covered less of her ass than Ellie’s outfit, she stormed toward me. I didn’t have time to be confused by what was going on. Bronte had a face like thunder and Ellie was shouting at me to keep away.

“What the hell did I do?” I cried. “I only—” Bronte’s foot stamped down on mine and then a hand came up and slapped my face.

“Shit, Bronte.” Carter reached out a hand to pull her away. “It was just a joke. I didn’t think she’d be so upset.”

Bronte rounded on Carter as I cupped my stinging face.

“You, absolute dick, Carter Maples. How could you?” Bronte screamed in his face.

“What the hell is going on?” I winced at sharp pain shooting up my foot, pretty sure that Bronte had broken one or more of my toes, never mind left a handprint on my cheek.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, you… you… dickwad.”

Bronte then turned back to Carter and without any hesitation kneed him in the balls.

“Will someone please tell me what I’m supposed to have done wrong,” I begged as Carter collapsed on the ground cupping his junk.

“She’s petrified of cows,” Bronte roared. “As if you didn’t know.”

I looked over at Ellie who was being comforted by a couple of girls who she’d been friends with at high school. Her shoulders heaved and she glanced my way, distress still written all over her face.

“I swear, Ellie,” I called across to her. “I didn’t know.”

Bronte stared intently at me and then looked down at Carter who was curled in the fetal position on the floor, his cries of agony far louder than Ellies scream had been.

“He knew,” she snapped and kicked at Carter’s foot. “He told you to wear it didn’t he?”

I thought about the Joker costume that I thought I’d bought online.

“I knew it.” I’d evidently paused too long as Bronte gave Carter one last kick and then stormed back over to Ellie who seemed to be calming down.

I looked down at Carter writhing around and felt the need to give him another kick to the balls, but Alaska came over and placed a big hand with pearly pink fingernails on my shoulder.

“Wow, you really are a douche sometimes,” he said with a grin.

“I didn’t know.” I held my hands in the air in exasperation. “I swear.”

“You idiot,” Jennifer, Alaska’s girlfriend, growled and poked me in the chest. “How can you not know that the girl you’ve known since she was a baby is petrified of cows.”

Alaska laughed, Carter groaned, and I looked down at the plastic udders that were hanging from my stomach and felt the hood I had on which was shaped like a cow’s head.

“Oh fuck,” I muttered and scrubbed a hand down my face. Then I tipped my beer over Carter.

Watching everyone enjoy themselves, whilst I hung out on the sidelines hugging a bottle of beer, I realized why I never went to parties—I damn well hated them.

At least my pulse had slowed down after a quick shot from the hip flask Alaska had tucked in the leg of the granny pants that he was wearing. Now, I felt stupid. So stupid that I couldn’t find it in myself to join in with the fun and had chosen to sit alone, on a wall in the yard, while everyone else stayed inside.

Bronte had gone missing almost a half hour ago. I guessed she was using some poor idiot’s tongue and fingers to try and forget her crush on Jefferson. I mentally rolled my eyes and thought about my plan to hook her up with my dick douche of a brother. The wisdom of it was in severe jeopardy. Why on earth would she want to date someone who couldn’t father children? When I got hold of him his nut sack would end up well and truly empty after the stunt he pulled with Hunter’s costume. I shuddered at just the thought of it. Shit, my brother really was a Weiner head as well as a dick douche.

“Can I sit?”