Page 21 of The Flirt Alert
“We can’t tell anyone about this, Austin.” Shay’s words snap me to the present. Her eyes are sad. Ashamed. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea…”
Hurt pierces my heart, but my desire to please her is strong. “Okay. I won’t say anything.”
She sighs with what seems to be utter and total relief. Like I’m an embarrassment. “Good.”
The thing is, I’m crushed and can’t hide it. Shay is, hands down, the most beautiful creature on the planet. With the exception of playing video games, having a shot with her is all I’ve thought about for three years. Now we’ve actually had sex, I can barely remember what it felt like and she probably doesn’t either. This sucks ass.
“Don’t be that way, Austin. It’s no big deal. We got drunk and I guess we smashed. Forget it happened. That’s what I’m going to do.” Shay picks up the bottle of vodka and a couple of the glasses from the coffee table. “I’ve got to take a shower. Check on my brother. You should go home.”
I’m not the best at keeping my inner voice quiet though. “Maybe we could go out sometime for real.” Shay stares at me blankly, like she didn’t hear me. Something about her expression freaks me out. “Shay? Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” She drops the bottle and glasses to the floor and furiously rubs her temples with her fingers. “My head feels like someone is pounding me with a hammer.”
“I’ll get you some Ibuprofen.” I dash to the bathroom, open up the medicine cabinet and locate the tablets. I notice there are a few prescription bottles with Shay’s name on them, but I don’t know what they’re for so I ignore them. I stop by the kitchen and get her a glass of water before I return to the living room and hand them to her.
She downs them in one gulp and sinks down into the sofa and shuts her eyes. “Thanks, Austin. You’re the sweetest.”
“So, what do you think about going out sometime?” I sit next to her and take her hand awkwardly, determined to get an answer. It kind of feels like my life depends on it.
Shay pulls it away and sighs. “Why are you always over here?”
“What?” I’m taken aback.
She sighs heavily. “Why don’t you and Miles ever play video games at your house?”
Fuck, did Miles say anything about what’s going on? I swore him to secrecy. “Uh…does it matter?”
“No. Not really.” She opens her eyes and turns to look at me. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Austin. I’m tired. I need a shower. I want to sleep for an entire day.”
“Wha…Wha…What if you’re pregnant?” I clap my hand over my mouth. I can’t seem to stop myself from saying whatever is on my mind. But…I saw the evidence. So…I need to ask, right?
Shay exhales loudly. “Shit. We didn’t use a condom?” She looks around the room frantically, spots the wet spot and winces. “I’m on the pill. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Oh. Okay. Good. Um… Last night…it was, um.” I stumble over my words in my attempt to find the connection she and I must have shared the night before. God knows, I want a repeat.
She sits up and leans over her knees on her elbows. “Look. You and I aren’t going to be a thing. Don’t be a simp. We’re not going to cuff. This isn’t even a situationship. I don’t want to DTR because I’m not into you that way. Whatever happened yesterday isn’t ever going to happen again. If you’re going to be a baby and go on and on about it, maybe you and Miles should hang out at your house and not here.”
My mind whirls from all the cool-girl slang as all the air whooshes from my body. Her words are like ice picks that eviscerate me. I have no response whatsoever. All I can do is fight back tears like my life depends on it.
Shay looks away. “I’m sorry, but it’s how I feel.”
“Whatever.” I stand and head for the door, still trying not to cry because that would be humiliating.
She gets up and follows me. “If it’s any consolation, Bianca gave you a five-star flirt alert. You should ask her out.”
”A flirt alert? I don’t know what the fuck that is.“ I stop with my hand on the knob of the front door, but I don’t turn around to face her. I can’t.
I feel her hand tentatively touch my shoulder. Her voice is soft, consoling. “It means she thinks you’re hot. To get a five star means she’s into you. She’ll probably fuck you, if that’s what you want.”
God. What a total fucking bitch.
Now I’m angry and I can’t help but turn to look at her. “Wow. What a great friend, Shay. Didn’t that girl Bianca fuck your brother while you fucked me? Probably tag-teamed him with your friend. Oh, I can’t wait to go out with someone like that. She’s a real prize. The ick-factor is off the fucking charts. I’m not interested and it’s fucking weird you’d even suggest it.”
“Austin.“ Shay’s face falls.
“For the record, I was a virgin,” I admit. “I always wanted it to be you.”
Shay drops her hand and hangs her head. “Good God. I said I’m sorry.”