When the Dead Come a Knockin' Read online

  “The usual, I played games with Autumn.” He said his voice stiff. He didn’t sound like himself. I racked my brain trying to figure out what could put him in this gloomy mood. There wasn’t much on the list. I bumped my shoulder into his, he grinned and bumped his shoulder into mine. I smiled back. Dylan leaned over and asked what games he played today. He must have noticed something off about Miles too. While they talked, I looked around the table. Faith's eyes darted from me to Miles and back again. What was her problem now? No, I don’t care. When there was a lull in Miles’ and Dylan's conversation, I slipped in.

  “Miles, you want to come get a drink with Dylan and me? I’ll buy.” I smiled sweetly up at him. He nodded immediately. Yeah, something was wrong. I went to get up, but Dylan stopped me and leaned in.

  “You go, see if you can get him to talk, I’ll see if the bitches have something to say here.” It was right then and there; I felt it. I was really falling for this guy. It was terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I nodded and got up. He winked at me before I turned around. I wrapped my arm around Miles' as we headed to the bar. My head was going crazy, shit, shit, shit. No, no, I can’t. Maybe it was just because I was grateful, and I’m mixing up the feelings. Yep, that was it. I wasn’t falling in love because that would mean actual feelings and real... feelings. I pushed that all out of my head as we reached the bar. I ordered two sodas, and Miles ordered another. After I had paid, I turned and looked him in the eye. “Spill. You're jumpy, what’s up?” Miles sighed.

  “Faith, on the car ride home kept giving me these weird looks.” Miles began, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. “Then when we all split up at the twins’ house, she cornered me.” I wanted to hit the bitch. I took a deep breath and kept my calm. “She kept asking me questions about you and me.” He continued. I raised an eyebrow. “She wanted to know where we hung out, what we did. She even wanted to know where I lived.” That was weird. “She was also making these snide little comments about you and I being so close during the whole drive home.” I got it then. I rolled my eyes.

  “She thinks we’re screwing around behind Dylan's back,” I said as I shook my head. Miles nodded.

  “That is the conclusion I came to also.” He took a drink of his soda before continuing. “I have a feeling the three of them have decided to try to get rid of you and are looking for anything they can use.”

  “That’ll be funny as hell, watch them scramble and find nothing.” I snickered. Miles chuckled, then he sobered.

  “They can make problems for you and Dylan.” He pointed out. I laughed at that. Yeah, I wasn’t too worried about that. Miles raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Dylan knows all about what's going on. Hell, he’s seen more than you, sweetie. You just got caught in a ricochet.” His eyes were worried. “Don’t worry Miles, after tonight I’ll be avoiding those three like the plague.”

  “I think I’ll join you.” He admitted dryly. I smiled.

  “Are you getting along with Dylan’s friends?” I asked, changing the subject. He nodded.

  “Had an interesting discussion with Derrick about the piano, and why he chose it.” He said cheerfully. “It made me hate the piano less.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

  “You play the piano?” His ears turned a light shade of pink.

  “Yes, I play several instruments. My Mother insisted on it.” He told me. I smiled up at him. “No, I will not play for you.” He shut me down before I could ask. I gave him a half-hearted pout then moved on.

  “Well, if it gets too bad tonight, we’ll split off to sit with Dylan’s friends. Sound like a plan?” Miles nodded still frowning. “Cheer up. This is going to be my only night off until I manage that link. So, please just have fun.” He gave me a real smile. The one that showed just how handsome he really was. “You’re dancing with me tonight; I know you can so you have to.” His eyes went wide. “Yes! My last night of freedom for until I get that link up. Think of it as my last request?”

  “Who told you I know how to dance?” He sighed. I gave him a big smile knowing I had won.

  “Ethan who else? That guy can’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.” I said as if it was obvious. Miles burst out laughing. I pulled out my phone and texted Dylan.

  Alexis: Faith thinks I’m screwing Miles behind your back. Just a heads up.

  Dylan: Lmao, I got that. She’s prying into our relationship and pissing off my friends in the process. Want me to tell her anything fun?

  I snickered and looked up at Miles.

  “Faith is questioning Dylan about our relationship, what’s the kinkiest thing you’ve ever heard? Cause I need something to tell her.” I said excitedly. Miles burst out laughing, his ears turning pink.

  “No. I’m not going there with you, Lexie.” He said adamantly. I snickered and texted Dylan back.

  Alexis: Tell her something freaky and watch her face.

  Dylan: Best girlfriend ever, thank you!

  I chuckled. That feeling washed over me again, fuck. I swallowed hard and put my phone away.

  “Ready to go back? We could just find you a hottie to charm, so you don’t have to go back?” I offered. Miles looked like he was considering it.

  “No, I’ll be all right. Besides, she was after you, not me.” He pointed out. I nodded. Good point. I grabbed my two sodas and Miles grabbed his. His hand went to my wrist to help get me through the crowd. It had become a family ritual whenever we were in a crowd. The closest one holds my hand, so they don’t lose me. When we reached the table he let go, and of course, Faith noticed. Dylan’s mouth was drawn into a tight line; his eyes were hard as he kept his gaze on the table, Aaron’s fists were clenched on the table, his knuckles white. Derrick and Luke were glaring at the girls. It made my stomach knot, what had those bitches been saying? I put my soda down and touched Dylan’s shoulder. He looked up at me. His eyes instantly softened as he smiled at me. The knots disappeared; he was just pissed at one of the girls. I handed him his glass and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

  “Do you need to get away?”

  “If I don’t, I might ask you to hit those bitches.” He whispered back. I smiled. I stood up straight and nodded. I looked over at Miles.

  “Miles, can you watch our stuff please?” I tilted my head towards Dylan. Miles' eyes darted to him then back to me.

  “Of course, Lexie.”

  “We’ll join you.” Derrick offered as he got up glaring at the three bitches. Aaron and Luke followed. Dylan stood up and wrapped an arm around my lower back. He all but shoved me away from the table. We stopped walking on the dance floor, Aaron, Luke, and Derrick followed us.

  “What the hell is with those bitches?” Aaron asked, his face hard. “Cause with the way they're going after you, I’d think you had killed their kittens or some shit.” I shook my head.

  “I’m a girl that’s friends with their guys. Apparently, that’s enough to make someone hate me.” I explained tiredly. I didn’t understand it myself. Luke shook his head.

  “Sorry Lexie, but we can’t sit with your friends, not with those girls there,” Luke said apologetically. “Derrick’s real close to calling them on their shit. And I’m not far behind.” I gave them a smile.

  “I understand, I’m sorry guys,” I said. I felt awful about this. “If they keep this shit up, we’ll be joining you guys tonight.”

  “They have the heaters on out on the patio. There should be some tables free.” Derrick offered. The guys nodded. Luke sent out a text to the others. Then looked up at me.

  “Sorry, Lexie," Luke said again.

  “Hey, I get it. I’m pretty close to joining you.” I reminded them. They smiled at us then disappeared into the crowd. The band changed to a slow song. My arms went loosely around Dylan’s neck as we started dancing. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

  “Those guys are fucking oblivious to what’s going on. They’re just sitting there talking to each other and not listening to what their girls are saying.”


  “Boobs, they are powerful things, honey.” I pointed out, hoping for a smile. Dylan snickered as he pulled back to look down at me. “Faith cornered Miles today, and I’m having a hard time not knocking the bitch’s teeth out,” I said sweetly. I sighed. “I want the guys happy, but the girls are making it impossible for me or Miles to be around anymore.” Dylan leaned down and pressed his cheek against mine so we could talk better.

  “You need to tell the guys, Sunshine. They wouldn’t tolerate this bullshit.” His voice was getting hard again. He really was angry. I wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, my fingers massaging. He sighed a small moan into my ear. I grinned, his neck was really tense.

  “I’m just going to avoid them from now on.” He grunted at me, but I was still massaging his neck, so it wasn’t a hard grunt. “It’ll be fine, I’ve got a lot of work on my project coming up, and I won’t have time to see everyone anyway. I’ll arrange to see the guys at Miles’ house, where none of the girlfriends are welcome. And I’ll see you as much as I can till school starts...” Then I realized a problem with my plan. They all went to our high school. Shit.

  “Then what? You’re going to avoid your friends all the time?” He asked, sounding even more pissed. “You can’t do that Sunshine, and you shouldn’t have to.” I nodded. He was right. But I wanted the guys to be happy more than I wanted to kick the girls’ asses. And there was that other part of me that was still nagging at me. Telling me that they’d choose the girls. My stomach knotted as I tried to push that back.

  “I’ll figure something out before then.” I was lying through my teeth. I was just going to go back to taking their bullshit. But this time I was going to fire back. I wasn’t their fucking punching bag. Dylan kissed my temple and kept his cheek against my hair. I wanted just to enjoy my last night out for a couple weeks. I closed my eyes and danced with my boyfriend. When the music changed up, I smiled up at him hopefully. He kept an arm around my waist and danced with me. I liked dancing with Dylan if we got too close it wasn’t a problem. I could just dance and not worry about anything. I moved to the beat and enjoyed myself. Then my cell vibrated in my bra. I pulled it out. It was Miles.

  Miles: The guys went to get drinks; a little assistance would be appreciated.

  I cursed and stopped dancing. I showed the text to Dylan who nodded and gestured for me to go. I hurried back through the crowd. When I got to the table Faith, Trisha, and Cece were all asking Miles questions. He just sat there, his mouth shut staring at the table. I could see how tense he was from where I was.

  “So, have you ever slept with a girl, Miles?” Faith asked. It was clear how much she was enjoying watching Miles blush. My temper ignited. I stepped out of the crowd. Miles turned to me, his face cold, his eyes like ice. Miles was pissed and probably felt like he could do anything about it because they were girls. Okay, that’s it. I walked over and slammed my hand into the middle of the table to get the bitches attention. The table shook, glasses rattled. “You girls leave Miles alone. I’m done playing nice. Miles is too much of a gentleman to tell you when you're being bitches, but I’m not. Come after me all you want. But you mess with Miles, and we’ll have a problem.” I growled at them. They glared at me, but they stopped talking to Miles, and that’s what I wanted. I looked back to Miles. “Come on sweetie, let’s hang out with some non-bitches,” Miles smirked as he got up taking his drink with him. I grabbed my coat and Dylan’s. He followed me like my taller shadow until we met Dylan on the way to the dance floor. “We’re hanging with your friends tonight.” Dylan gave me a small smile then took his jacket from me. He took my hand and led us through the crowd out to the side patio. Tall stainless steel heaters made the area much warmer; you still needed your jacket. But it didn’t feel like you would freeze to death. Dylan’s friends were the only group on the patio. They waved us over.

  “That didn’t take long.” Derrick grinned at me. I snorted.

  “You don’t fuck with my family.” I held up my finger and thumb with only a quarter inch separating them. “I was this close to playing smack-a-bitch.” The guys chuckled as Miles, Dylan and I pulled up seats. “Miles is too polite to tell them off, so we came over.”

  “How the hell do your friends not see that?” Aaron asked frowning. I shrugged.

  “Not paying attention.” It was the only answer I had. Aaron snorted.

  “That’s fucking ridiculous,” Thomas announced. I nodded. Then we changed subjects. We talked about what video games were coming out, who got who’s phone number. We just had a good time and laughed. Dylan and Thomas made a run for hot drinks while we continued talking. I was listening to a funny story from Aaron when my cell vibrated. I pulled it out and checked it.

  Asher: Where are you? Did you leave already?

  Alexis: Just hanging out with Dylan’s friends. He hangs out with you guys all the time, so I’m hanging out with his.

  I was laughing at the how the story ended when my phone vibrated again.

  Asher: We’ll join you. Where are you? Zeke’s getting pissy.

  I cursed and looked around at the guys.

  “We’re about to be found, boys,” I grumbled. “Zeke’s getting worried about not seeing me.” Dylan and Thomas walked up to hand out drinks.

  “Tell them, if they come out here maybe they’ll hear their girls talking to you.” Dylan offered. I looked at the others.

  “You guys okay with that? I can always go back in.” I offered. They all snorted.

  “Bring those bitches out here.” Derrick insisted. I smiled.

  Alexis: Out on side patio, we have it to ourselves.

  “Okay, they’re coming.” I looked over at Miles to see his blank face. I winked at him; he grinned at me. It wasn’t long before the doors opened and they all came out. Asher smiled.

  “This is much better than inside, why didn’t we think of this?” Asher asked smiling.

  “Because it’s freezing that’s why.” Trisha complained. Asher pointed out a chair right next to the heater.

  “That should work for you, Trish.” Asher and Trisha went to sit down as the others grabbed chairs and sat in a big circle. Faith sat next to Miles smirking at me. I sent her back my' don’t fuck with me' face. I met Miles' eyes and got up; he bit back a smile as we switched places. Dylan’s friends chuckled while my friends looked confused. Everyone started talking about nothing really. When all my guys were distracted, I looked at Faith and smiled.

  “I warned you once to leave Miles alone,” I whispered quietly. Faith's eyes burned as she glared at me. “This is the second warning. Don’t fuck with him, or I’ll fuck you up. There will not be a third warning.” I went back to looking across the circle. Dylan grinned and winked at me. Asher looked at me with narrowed eyes before going back to his conversation with Jake over football stats. Everyone started to relax and really get into the conversation. My guys, including Miles and Riley, got up to make a drink run for everyone. Derrick, Luke, and Thomas made a run for us. I knew it was going to start. I waited till the guys were inside before I got up and headed back toward Dylan. Dylan got up and scooted down a chair, taking Miles chair. I took Dylan’s, Luke even scooted his chair down so he could put one for Miles between us. I smiled gratefully at him as the guys chuckled. The girls shared looks, here we go. Trisha looked over at me grinning.

  “So, you’re fucking all of Dylan’s friends now too?” Trisha asked sweetly. I burst out laughing and had trouble stopping.

  “Sorry, it’s just... how many people do you think I’m fucking now?” I asked still laughing. The guys were tense; they must not have realized how bad it was going to get. Trisha shot me a look.

  “I don’t care, just keep your hands-off mine,” Trisha warned me. Dylan was shaking his head next to me. I winked at him, letting him know I was okay.

  “You need to see a shrink about your trust issues,” I told her honestly. “Cause if you don’t trust Asher, then why are you with him?” Trisha sent me a death glare. Ooh, I’m shaking. I snickered t
o myself.

  “We all know she’s screwing Miles.” Faith announced. “It’s obvious to anyone paying attention.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Or, we’re friends who hug.” I shot back sarcastically. I was done playing nice. I looked over at Dylan’s friends. “Did the definition of sex change when I wasn’t paying attention? Is a hug, fucking now?” The guys burst out laughing. I smiled keeping my eyes on Faith. “I hugged Jake today, does that mean I screwed him too?” Jake burst out laughing.

  “That’d make my Grandpa happy,” Jake said still laughing. I snickered, as the other guys chuckled. “He always wanted me to be straight. And you are very cute.” I smiled at Jake.

  “Thank you, sweetie,” I said in my cutesy voice. Jake winked at me.

  “You know the boys don’t need you anymore, right? They don’t need some trailer trash piece of tail. They have classy girls now.” Cece said smugly. Wow. These bitches were really going for it tonight. My hands were starting to shake. I looked back at them with an eyebrow raised.

  “I only see bitches here, not a classy girl in sight,” I told her bluntly. They got offended. Oh, darn. I feel so bad. I was going to need to leave; I couldn’t sit here and listen to these bitches.

  “You realize you just called yourself a bitch, right?” Trisha pointed out.

  “Nah, she’s a slut just like Jessica says.” Faith chimed in. Cece just chuckled. I calmly looked at them, my nails biting into my palms.

  “Yeah, I called myself a bitch too. Because I know me. I’m a cranky, pissed off little bitch who will fuck you up if you mess with my family.” I said with complete honesty. Trisha eyed me with a sly grin on her face.

  “What family? Your Mom’s in rehab and your Dad is dead.” Trisha said in a snotty tone. I went still as that hit me hard. “Hell, your Dad probably died in a crack house somewhere.” A red-hot wave of rage poured over me. I was up and striding towards her immediately. I was going to pound my fist into that bitch’s face. Trisha’s eyes went wide as she scrambled out of her chair, backing away. I was almost on her when an arm snagged around my waist. I smelled sandalwood, so I didn’t try to break free.