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Line / Copy Editors: Bud Ugly, TheMikeBomb, Zom, and Old Rotorhead

Last One Through: Bud Ugly

Chapter 26

David

At first, David had been somewhat amused to walk in on Alex getting head in the living room of their dorm suite. It had been okay the first few times. But the new had worn off, and last night had made him more annoyed than amused. For cripes’ sake, Alex had a bedroom. He could have the decency not to do it on the couch, with his phone in his hand as some random girl gave him head.

When David returned from Cassidy’s race, he found Alex cleaning pecker tracks off the couch with David’s favorite blanket. He made a mental note to never leave something like that in their living area again.

“Come on, man. That’s my blanket you’re using. Can’t you take it to your bedroom when you get busy? We actually live here,” David complained.

Alex didn’t seem bothered by David’s growing annoyance. He tossed the blanket in the corner when he was satisfied that he’d gotten the worst of it.

“Sorry, Boy Scout. I’ll have the cleaning lady wash your blankie.”

“It’s not even about that. It’s about boundaries.”

“Are we pretending you never get head? It sounded like you and Lexi were getting it on last night,” Alex said.

“Not in the living room. Not where people sit.”

“I bet you can only do it behind closed doors with the lights off.”

“Are you done?”

“ ... in the missionary position.”

“Fuck you, Alex.”

“I said I was sorry, okay? I forgot you were such a prude.”

David scowled.

“I’m not a ‘prude.’ I’m just not an exhibitionist.”

Alex burst out laughing.

“Whatever you say, dude. I remember you running around naked in Greece. Allard told me all about your exploits when he roomed with you for Team USA,” Alex pointed out.

“That was different,” David tried.

That just made Alex laugh harder. David made a mental note to kick Allard’s ass the next time he saw him. Not just for sharing about the road trip, but for telling Alex how Mason had taken to calling him a Boy Scout.

“Asshole,” David mumbled.

“Settle down. It wasn’t all my fault this time.”

“I’m not sure I want to know.”

“If you’d been here earlier, it would have been you getting head. She was here for you,” Alex said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Some of the girls on the third floor were playing Truth or Dare. She took a dare to give you head. I was just kind enough to stand in for you,” Alex said with a big grin.

“For fuck’s sake.”

“Actually, I think you owe me,” Alex said, acting like he was contemplating something.

“Why’s that?”

“I had to make out with two of them, and then the third gave me head. They were just working themselves up to the good stuff. When what’s-her-name left, she wasn’t happy to have heard you and Lexi getting busy.”

David just went to his room, leaving Alex in the living room, laughing at him.

Holy Cross had finally beaten the Trojans Saturday, 6–2. The coaches were still working to find the right lineup and had sat most of the younger guys, including David. Sunday morning, David was back in the lineup, and the Trojans prevailed 9–1. He’d had a good game as he reached base all but once, stole two bases, and scored twice. Allard had picked up his second win.

Paul Andon must have been determined to get David to his party because he’d sent a car to pick up David, Alex, Kirk, and Jamie.

“I can’t wait to see their faces,” Kirk said once they’d all gotten in the back of the large SUV.

Veronica and her gang, plus Lindsey, had left for the weekend yesterday morning. Alex’s dad had helped with the prank by providing a couple of the guys that had renovated the dorm when it was converted. David had initially planned to have the deadbolts replaced on their doors so they couldn’t get in. Over the week, the plan had morphed into removing the door and door frame so they could drywall the opening closed.

Alex, Kirk, and Jamie had brought the rest of the floor in on the prank since they didn’t want anyone shooting the townies a text to warn them. They soon discovered that the whole floor was sick of the BS the four of them had been pulling. If the crickets hadn’t been bad enough, the stink bombs had turned the tide.

When David had returned from his baseball game Saturday, he’d found the floor all helping move Veronica, Lindsey, Christian, and Peter into the common room. The construction guys had found some partitions to make it look like a temporary living situation.

Once they were moved, the carpenters had taken the doors and doorframes out and covered the doorways with drywall. This morning they were back to sand the seams and paint the drywall to match the hall. The final touch was the installation of baseboards.

When David had come back from Sunday’s game, he had to look closely to figure out where the doors had been before.

They hadn’t touched Lauren’s room because her roommate wasn’t involved in any of the shenanigans. The roommate was a quiet girl who was serious about school, so David had rejected the idea of doing their room. He’d convinced the others by explaining it could potentially drive a wedge into Veronica’s group, possibly breaking it up.

David had compared it to the thought processes of a cheating spouse. Because they were cheating, it was easy for them to assume their spouse was, too. In this case, Veronica and company had talked Lindsey into becoming a rat by promising invitations to parties like the one Lexi’s dad was throwing. They would think Lauren was somehow a part of David’s prank because her room was left alone.

During the week, he’d laid the groundwork to set Lauren up by stopping her in the cafeteria as she went to her usual table. He’d asked her what was good today and then jumped in line to get his food. He’d glanced back and found Veronica quizzing Lauren as to what he’d asked. The clincher had been that when David got to his usual table, Lindsey had asked him, too. He’d simply replied that Lauren had helped him with something, thus placing the seed of doubt.

“I can’t wait to see Lindsey’s face when we walk in,” Jamie said.

“It’s been hard acting like we’re still friends,” Kirk admitted.

“Why? Isn’t she?” David asked.

The three of them all looked at him like he’d just announced he’d planned a trip to Alaska to club baby seals.

“Oh, come on, guys, she’s still Linds,” David said.

It looked like they would have to agree to disagree on that one.

Lexi’s parents’ house was just what you would expect a studio executive to live in if he wanted to entertain and impress. When they arrived, Alex, Kirk, and Jamie immediately went to the bar, leaving David to check out the crowd. He spotted Lexi and her dad talking to some studio types, so he decided not to say ‘hi’ yet. He did see Rachel, Lexi’s mom, talking to a group of women at a table. There was an empty seat next to her.

David walked up behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, leaned down, and stage-whispered, “I know you said we had to be discreet, but I had to come over and say ‘hello.’”

That brought their conversation to a screeching halt. Rachel finally realized it was him, and she stood up and gave him a hug. She turned back to the women with her arm still around his waist.

“This jokester is Lexi’s boyfriend, David A. Dawson.”

“Boyfriend?” David asked as his eyebrows rose.

Rachel turned and looked at him as if to dare him to deny it.

“I was holding off because of us,” David said to play it off.

“Are you hitting on my mom?” Lexi asked as she walked up.