Chapter 11

I knocked on Grayson’s bedroom door.

I could hear movement from behind it as I waited for it to open. The door knob twisted and the door swung open, revealing a shirtless Grayson with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His body was wet, which made sense, seeing as he had clearly just gotten out of the shower. But his body also looked as if it was sculpted in the fashion of a Greek god. Chiseled abs, visible v-line and his perfectly carved jawline.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He said to me as his forehead met mine.

I knew I shouldn’t have been there. I should be at home, eating snacks while scrolling through TikTok.

“I know.” I said to him, looking up into his eyes. Our lips were just an inch apart and our breaths mingled together as both of our eyes remained glued to each other.

“Don’t tell your brother.” He told me, his voice calm.

“I won’t.” I said back, pressing my lips to his.

“AHHHHHH!” I woke up the following morning, sweating and panting.

Thank god it was just a dream. Just a stupid, dumb dream about a stupid, dumb guy. Scratch that, it was a nightmare! It didn’t mean anything. I’m sure millions of people have sex nightmares about their worst enemies. It’s probably totally common.

“Jeez, dude. It sounded like you were getting murdered by Ghostface in here.” Mitchell entered my bedroom with no warning.

“I wish I was.” I mumbled, groaning.

“How did I get back home?” I asked him, having zero recollection of what had happened for the remainder of last night.

“You don’t remember?” He asked me.

“If i remembered, why would I ask you?” I shook my head in disbelief. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it a million times before, but my older brother was not exactly the brightest bulb.

“Well, you were giving out lap dances so I had to take you home.” Mitchell explained, causing my jaw to smack against the floor. Not literally, obviously.

“NOOOOOOOO!” I groaned, sinking back into my bed and smothering myself with my pillow.

“I was joking, ya moron.” Mitchell laughed.

Thank god, I can’t believe I fell for that. Then again, we’ve already established that my drunken alter ego cannot and shall not be trusted.

“I hate you!” I groaned as I threw my pillow at him.

“Dad says you have to mow the lawn.” Mitchell says.

I groaned again in protest. “Noooooo, why? You’re the oldest, shouldn’t you have to do it.” I complained.

“I have football practice this morning.” He said with implied quotes.

“You’re a filthy liar!”

“Hey, what mom and dad don’t know won’t kill ’em, just quit being a baby and do the lawn.”

I officially hate my life. Not only am I so very clearly hungover, I now have to mow both the front lawn and the back lawn all on my own because my older brother is a lying piece of shit.

“No, I’m not doing the lawn. You can.” I got up out of my bed and rubbed my eyes awake.

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. I have a headache, I’m extremely dehydrated and I still have to go to Fall Fest later on. So I’m pretty much all booked for the day.” I made my way downstairs to relieve my headache by taking one or two aspirins, then I’ll glug down an entire jug of water, or orange juice, depending on my mood by the time I made it downstairs.

“Just do the lawn, please. You owe me!” He continued pestering me as I walked downstairs.

“How do I owe you?” I was genuinely curious.

“I didn’t tell mom and dad about your little escapade to the city.”

“How do you know about that?” I asked him. I’m ninety-nine percent positive I didn’t tell him.

“Hannah posted all about it on her Instagram.”

God, Hannah and her fifty social media updates a day.

“Fine. I’ll do the stupid lawn, but next time, you’re doing it all by yourself.”

“Fine.”

After taking two aspirins, chasing them down with a litre of water, doing both lawns—which, if I say so myself, took forever. Then i had a nap before my friends an I finally arrived at Fall Fest.

Yaaaaay.

In case it wasn’t obvious, that was sarcasm. I was so excited for Fall Fest, but now that it’s here, and I’m currently still nursing a hangover, all I wanted was to go home and sleep. I swear to god, I will never go to another party for the rest of the year.

I wore a cozy sweater, along with a pair of casual pants and a beanie over my out-of-whack hair that I had forgotten to brush this morning.

“Dal, please tell me your mom made her cookies this year! Those things are amazing.” Hannah spoke as we walked around the fair.

“Not this year, she said she wasn’t feeling well.” I responded.

“Damn, I was really looking forward to them.”

“Same.” Cody says.

“So, guys. What are we doing first?” Phillip wondered.

“We should do the maze!” Lucy suggested with over the top excitement.

“I guess we’re going to the maze.” Cody says.

“Can we get sustenance first?” I implored after hearing my own stomach grumble. With doing the lawn today, I had forgotten to eat.

“Yes! Let’s.” Cody says.

“We will meet you guys over at the maze.” Hannah called out to Cody and I as we headed to the nearest food vendor.

“Dude, you were so good at beer pong last night.” Cody says as we stood in line.

I groaned just thinking about last night.

“Next time, we should totally hustle. You know, bet people money if they can beat you or not.” He suggested.

“Huh?”

“Come on, it’s a great idea.”

“You think it’s a great idea to hustle people at a game of beer pong?”

“Yes, why not?” He laughed.

“I don’t know.” Was all I said before it was our turn to order something.

“What can I get you two?” The nice guy asked us.

“I’ll have a bucket of fries, loaded with bacon and garlic aioli, and a large strawberry slushy, please.” I said.

“I’ll have the same.” Cody says. “But can I get regular aioli with mine, oh and I want a grape slushy.”

“Okay, won’t be too long.” The guy behind the counter said.

After waiting for a few minutes while also listening to Cody rant on about this hustling idea, the guy handed us our food and drinks.

“Thank you.” Cody and I said in unison.

I turned and started towards the maze area, only to bump into someone, splashing my slushy all over them.

“Shit!” I seethed as Cody stifled a laugh beside me.

I look up to see Grayson with his mouth agape in shock, or perhaps it was anger, towards me.

I scrunched my face with embarrassment.

“My bad.” I said, starting to laugh.

He glared at me furiously. “You think this is funny?” Grayson wondered.

I was trying my best not to laugh, but a-last, i have no self control. “Kinda?” I said through stifled laughter.

He smirked before reaching over and taking Cody’s drink from his hand.

“Hey! I was drinking that.” Cody groaned.

“Still think it’s funny?” Grayson asked me.

My laughter died down, mostly, as I responded. “You wouldn’t.”

But then he did. He poured Cody’s grape slushy all over me, causing me gasp and shiver at the coldness of it.

“What the fuck, Grayson!” I seethed, grimacing as the slushy fell down my face and drenched my sweater.

“Now we’re even.” He smiled before walking away.

“What a dick.” Says Cody, annoyingly.

“I fucking hate him so much.”

“Do you want to egg his house?” Cody asked me with a villainous tone.

“I want to egg his stupid face.” I spat, frowning at my drowned-rat appearance.

“What happened to you?” Hannah asked when we returned to them.

“Oh, Dal accidentally spilled his drink and fries all over Grayson, it was so funny. But then, Grayson stole my drink, the dumb idiot, and then he poured it all over Dallas.” Cody gave them the story.

“Oh my god.” Lucy says.

“Yeah, so imma go home.” I attempted to use it as an excuse to leave.

“Hell no.” Hannah protested.

“But I’m all sticky!” I complained with an annoyed grunt.

“You can wear Cody’s jumper, I’m sure he has a shirt underneath.” Hannah says.

“But I’m cold.” Cody explained.

“Fine, there’s a stall over by the Ferris wheel and they’re selling homemade sweaters.” Hannah says.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, probably for a hundred dollars each, despite how crappy the knitting is.”

“Hey, don’t be rude.” Lucy warned me.

“Fine, I guess I’ll go and see if I can afford one of those hideous sweaters.” I forced a smile before turning on my heels and walking towards the Ferris wheel.

Like changing my sweater will make a difference. My face is still all gross and sticky.

I stopped by the bathrooms and grabbed a handful of paper towels, soaking them in water and using them to clean my face.

Afterwards, I made my way to the sweater stall.

“Can I get a sweater please.” I smiled.

“Sure, honey. What size?” The old lady asked me.

Given my scrawniness, my mom usually buys me small shirts in men’s sizes. But sometimes, small sizes seem to stick to my skin like cling wrap.

“Medium?” I said, unsure.

To my surprise, the sweater was only twenty five dollars, which made my life easier, seeing as I only had a fifty on me.

After retrieving my new sweater, I quickly threw off my old one to put the new one on.

“Giving us a show, huh?” A familiar voice appeared as I struggled to pull on the sweater.

Impertinent piece of shit.

“Screw you.” I spat, writhing myself into the sweater.

After a minute or so, the struggle was over and the sweater was finally on my body.

“Sure you don’t want to get an extra one just in case?” Grayson asked me.

“How about you get an extra face.” God, it sounded better in my head. Actually, scratch that, no it didn’t. I have no idea why I said that.

“You’re a feisty little one.” He smiled.

I forced a smile onto my face before shoving him into the sweater stand.

“Young man, how rude!” The old lady screeched.

“So sorry.” I apologised to her before walking away as quick as I possibly could.

The last thing I needed was Grayson to retaliate by going medieval and giving me an old fashioned wedgie.