Going Long (Waiting on the Sidelines #2)(59)

I could hear his *-ass music playing on the other side of the door when I got to his room. I smirked a little to myself, thinking about how surprised he was about to be before I knocked softly on his door. I heard the music turn down and saw the shadows of his footsteps under the doorway before he opened. When he made eye contact with me, his face fell instantly. It may have been disappointment that I was not Nolan, but I also think there was a little fear in the mix, too. And I f*cking LOVED that!

“Reed, uh…what’s up, man?” he said, leaning into his door a little, trying to look relaxed. I could tell from the rapid movement in his eyes that he was anything but.

“Not much, Gav. Hey, you gotta sec? I think you and I need to talk,” I said, just pushing my way into his room. His walls were an interesting mixture of posters, with deep quotes, poetry and music. I saw his guitar propped up in the corner, and my stomach turned just thinking about how he probably tried to use his talent to woo my girl. This prick needed to pay.

“Yeah, uh… come in, I guess,” he said, shutting his door and shrugging at me. I was leaning on his desk now, my legs crossed, and my hands in my pockets. He pulled out one of his chairs and turned it around to sit backward. I chuckled a little at him when he did this.

“So, Gavin…remember that night I saw you coming out of Nolan’s room?” I said, just diving right in. I’d played this scene over in my head enough times. I was ready.

Gavin just nodded a little, looking down and laughing to himself. “Yeah, I know that night,” he looked up, smiling. “Look, what the f*ck do you want, Reed? Let’s not beat around the bush.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. “I think you owe me an apology. And, frankly, I think you owe Nolan one, too…but you can just give me hers, because there’s no f*cking way I’m letting you anywhere near her.” I had pulled my hands from my pockets at this point and crossed my arms at my chest to flex my forearms, just for effect.

Gavin just tapped on the back of the chair a bit, looking at his hands and nodding. Finally, he took a deep breath. “Reed, you don’t own her. You don’t get to make decisions for her or control her life. And if she wants to spend time with me, well…I’m sorry, but that’s not my fault, and you don’t get a say in it,” he said. Cocky motherf*cker.

I chuckled to myself again, looking down and shaking my head. “Yeah, you’re right,” I said, looking back at him, locking my gaze to his. “I don’t own her. But neither do you. And when you spun that little tale the other night, you weren’t thinking of Nolan. You were thinking of yourself, and how you could get me out of the way so you could make your play. Genius, really. I mean, damn, I can’t believe I fell for it! But shit didn’t really work out like you wanted. Did it, Gavin?”

We stared at each other for seconds after I spoke. He was thinking of his next move, what to say. But I knew he was out of the picture. Fuck, he was never in the damn picture in the first place. He was a blip in my girl’s emotional meltdown. And he’d taken advantage of her, and I wanted to knock his goddamn teeth out.

“I told Nolan I’d wait. She’s just getting over you, but she and I make sense, and you know it,” he said, his words flaming the fire in my chest, forcing me to my feet. He stood when I did this, moving around his chair so we were now standing face to face. My mouth went flat, a straight and angry line. I was going to put this * in his place.

“Here’s what I see, Gavin. When Nolan needed a friend, she leaned on you. And then your warped f*cking mind took that shit and ran with it. You took more from her than she wanted to give, more than she wanted you to have. You wormed your way in when she was at her lowest. And that’s not making sense together, dude…that’s f*cked up mind games and selfishness,” I said, putting a finger in his chest to knock him off balance.

He stared at me blankly, breathing slowly. I was satisfied, and I was ready to leave. I walked to his door and put my hand on the handle, turning to give him one last warning. “Gavin, it’s time for you to end this shit. You don’t get to be Nolan’s friend now; you’ve lost the privilege, understood?” I asked, waiting for his nod. I didn’t expect the * to put up a fight, nor did I expect the words he said next.

“You sure about that, *? I’m not the one who knocked her up, and left her alone to figure shit out on her own. I mean, who abandons his own baby? You’re f*cking weak, man,” he said, barely getting the end of his sentence out before I had him pressed with his back flat against the wall, my nostrils flaring, and my eyes fighting against angry tears.

“You. Don’t. Get. To. Talk. About. That!” I gritted through my teeth, inches from his face, my forearm pinning him still. “You got me? That’s not yours to talk about. Ever. Not a word.”

I could feel his breathing change; he wasn’t as sure of himself as he’d been minutes before. I waited for him to nod in understanding before I let up on his shirt, shoving him once more into the wall. “You leave Nolan the f*ck alone. Or I swear to God, I will rip your pretty f*cking teeth from your mouth, and you can use them to strum your f*cking guitar, understood?” I waited again, and again he nodded.

One more shove, and I let my hands fall back to my side. I left his room without turning around to see his face again. I was done with Gavin. My blood was pumping through my entire body, and I wanted to scream, but I reminded myself that my message was heard. And I was pretty sure Gavin understood me loud and clear.