Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(9)

Except for Alex.

Alexandra Collins. Our Half-Pint. The prettiest girl I had ever seen, even at the age of ten. She was wise beyond her years. There was something about her that pulled all of us boys in, time and time again. Her childlike demeanor was something she never grew out of. No matter how old she got, she constantly looked at the glass as half full. Growing up, she became our confidant, biggest supporter, and best friend. We often forgot that she was a girl and wasn’t just one of the good ol’ boys like the rest of us.

When shit really went down, I could always count on Dylan. It didn’t matter what it was or where I was, he was there at the drop of a dime. He had my back and I had his, but over the years I took our friendship for granted.

Years I couldn’t get back.

Years I couldn’t ever change.

As much as I wanted to…

As much as I tried.

After four months, we finally finished our tree house that we had been working on all summer. We messed around with Alex making her believe she wasn’t going to be allowed up there with us, telling her it was for boys only. We even went as far as making a sign that said, “No Girls Allowed” written in Jacob’s mom’s red lipstick. Of course Lucas was the first to cave and let her in, which was no surprise to any of us.

We decided to crash in the tree house that night to celebrate it finally being done. Alex was getting her sleeping bag and pillow before we even got the last word out. It was late by the time she passed out next to Lucas. They had a special bond, something none of us could come close to, or even begin to understand. It was much more than a bond. It was more like two souls destined to be together, a deeper level of love for each other and not just in the friendship kind of way. Lucas and I had our issues, but I would be lying if I said I didn't envy him when it came to her.

I think we all did in our own ways.

“She asleep?” Dylan asked, nodding toward Alex.

“Yeah,” Lucas replied, pulling up the blanket on her shoulder.

“I can’t believe she found the magazines,” Jacob groaned. “You think she'll rat us out?”

I laughed. “Nah, just don't piss her off anytime soon. What the hell did you think was going to happen? I told you not to bring them up here.”

“That was not me.” He pointed to himself. “It was that f*cker over by you.”

Dylan grinned. “Please, I was doing you dickwads a favor. I’m the only one that has actually seen a pair of tits in real life.”

“Your mom’s don’t count,” I joked.

“Go f*ck yourself, Austin.”

I laughed even harder, my head falling back. “Just sayin’, brother.”

“Yeah, and I’m just sayin’ you can go f*ck yourself,” he chuckled back.

“You know better than to mess with Dylan’s manhood. The boy’s been kissing girls since our playground days in grade school,” Jacob chimed in.

“Someone had to show you pussies how it was done.”

We all laughed, looking over at Alex to make sure we hadn’t woken her up. It was rare not to have her prying ears listening to everything we said. We tried our best not to say vulgar things around her, but we were just boys. Things slipped out of our mouths all the time. She was innocent and a true lady. Her mama did right by her, and it shocked the shit out of all of us that our filthy mouths never rubbed off on her, especially as we got older and cusswords became a thing of the norm.

Oh and getting laid, let's not forget about that one.

“Hey, I’ll give credit where credit is due. My boy Austin here has already tongue-kissed a girl,” Dylan said proudly, squeezing my shoulder.

A few weekends before we had all gone to a girl named Stacey’s birthday party. Well, all of us but Alex, she never went to any parties. We ended up playing spin the bottle out on the beach when her parents went back inside. It was my turn to spin the bottle and it landed on Kimberly. She had braces and cut my lip. I lied to my mom telling her I bit it surfing.

“What have you done with a girl, Lucas? Jack shit,” Dylan knowingly added.

“I’m sorry I have standards and won’t make out with anything that just has tits and ass, Dylan.”

He shrugged. “You forgot curves and blonde hair. I like that shit too.”

“Does it have to be longer than yours?” Jacob goaded.

Dylan had blond hair down to his shoulders since he could walk. We all made fun of him for it. He looked like a damn girl, but they loved it.

“Just enough for me to grab onto something,” he mocked, moving his hand up and down above his dick.

“Oh, bullshit! You haven’t gotten head,” I called him out.

“Yet,” he arrogantly countered. “I know what I want out of life.”

“A girl?” Lucas asked, surprised.

“*,” he simply stated.

We heard the rustling of a sleeping bag. Our heads simultaneously turned to where Alex was lying. She must have rolled over; she was still sound asleep. Once she was out, there was no waking her up.

“Which is more than I say can for you,” Dylan challenged, whispering to Lucas.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucas answered, taken aback.

“What do you want out of life, Bo?” Dylan baited.

“Fuck off,” he sneered.