And there it was yet again. Logan’s talent for making people believe that their bullshit actions are perfectly justifiable. I could guess what he had planned. He would undoubtedly try to piss me off in some unobvious but surefire way, so I’d give him a reaction that would prove his claim. As much as I would love to prove him wrong by controlling myself, he knew too damn well how to press my buttons. My only chance would be to spend the rest of the week away from them. It wouldn’t expose his bullshit by proving him wrong, but at least it also wouldn’t prove him right.
Seeing as they would have to wait until they can test Logan’s theory, the conversation derailed and they slowly joined Ava, Aaron and Grandpa Mike. I closed the remote connection to John’s phone.
I took out my phone and texted Tess, reminding her of her promise to teach me things. Tess was with her family for Thanksgiving, but she was going to be back on Saturday morning. I picked Tess up at the airport with a bouquet of flowers, and we basically spent the entire weekend in bed, with her thoroughly teaching me everything she could think of. On Sunday evening, as I was about to leave for my own bed, she gave me an assignment.
“You know, Baby, as long as you don’t ever try to shove that battering ram of yours into them like you do for me, you really shouldn’t have any problems picking up some girl your own age.”
“And who says I even want to pick one of them up when I can have you?” I asked, before giving her a light kiss.
“I want you to try it. And then I want you to come back to me and tell me how much better I am.” she laughed. I still liked it when she laughed. Just hearing it made me happy myself.
“Fine, I’ll try. But no promises.”
And with that, I reluctantly left to get a full night of sleep before I had to start the new week. Like expected, despite not telling anyone I would spend the night with Tess, there were no messages or calls on my phone. When I got back to the house, Granny and Grandpa were already on their way back to Beaumont.
Chapter 4
I spent most of the next day in school looking at the girls around me, thinking about what Tess had said. Her encouraging me to try girls my own age bothered me more than I thought she realized. I just couldn’t help but develop serious feelings for her. After all the disdain and ridicule I had experienced from the girls surrounding me in that school and even at home, she was the first who accepted and wanted me. So, when she told me to get a girl my own age just to prove how she, an experienced woman, was better than them ... I didn’t know if I should feel sad about her not taking our relationship as seriously as I did, or just accept it as something kinky.
I realized quickly that it was not going to happen anyway, though. Sure, the girls looked at me differently ever since my makeover, or at least with less obvious contempt, but I was still absolutely clueless about how to even approach a female of my species after years of bullying. After hooking up with Tess so many times, I had regained some self respect and confidence. I was, however, still eating alone in the cafeteria, sitting alone in the library, and was still picked last when teams in PE were formed. There was no way I could just walk up to a girl I didn’t even know and ask her for a date, providing new ammunition to make fun of me with if she blew me off. And I didn’t expect any one of them to just walk up to me and do it herself, despite me looking better now, since I still wasn’t welcome at parties and gathering spots.
The only one I kept making some progress with was my English teacher, Mrs Jenkins. She knew exactly how I was looking at her, and she made no secret of it anymore. While she didn’t openly embrace it, she did seem to give me an increasing number of opportunities to appreciate her assets. When she was checking someone’s work, she would normally lean over the student’s shoulder. But for me, every so often, she would lean down in front of me, with the top three buttons of her blouse opened, allowing me to explore her ample cleavage in great detail. Whenever she noticed my involuntary reactions to that sight, a small smile of satisfaction would curl her lips.
As it turned out, however, I didn’t even need to look for girls at school. The next Friday was Ava’s birthday and, just as announced during the Thanksgiving dinner, she had friends over for a sleepover, with the parents at Uncle John’s. It was one of the first days I had to wear my new suit to work, because part of my new job was to plan and oversee the installation of surveillance equipment and software. So, Bill decided that I should be part of the initial meetings with the clients requiring such installations in their estates.
Despite what happened at Thanksgiving, I set out to look for something special I could get her. Ava was the only one who hadn’t gotten a reminder of our familial bonds yet. Well, except for Logan, but as I already said, he can eat a bag of dicks for all I cared. Although I had told myself that I didn’t want to buy their affection with gifts after the Nest Egg Necklace for Claire didn’t have the desired effect, it at least did have some effect. She did try to initiate a conversation multiple times, even if she bailed out every time for some reason. Maybe, whatever had stopped Claire from going through with it wouldn’t be such a problem for Ava.
I had overheard her talk on and on about wanting a new purse from someone she called “Kate Spade”, because she envied one of her friends who had one. Sadly, I still had absolutely no clue about fashion. Since Tess did a good job with my new outfits, and was a woman, I talked her into helping me choose a purse. Actually holding it in my hands, I couldn’t figure out why anybody would ever want one of these things. They were so small I could barely fit my fist inside, so they were utterly useless as a bag. It was called the “Essential” model, so I guess they didn’t exactly intend people to use them for camping, but then again, why did such a small thing cost $198 dollars!? I just resigned myself to giving it a try, and had the clerk put it in a gift bag. In addition, I talked Tess out of a champagne bottle and decorated it with some ribbons.
When I came back from work at around Eight PM, Ava and her friends were apparently taking a break from enjoying the hot tub, because they were all wearing swimsuits. While Ava was in the kitchen, her three friends were spending time on the sofa with Logan. I knew two of the three girls. One of them was Mia, Ava’s oldest friend since they were little. She was also Jack’s little sister. Since I publicly knocked her big brother out, she usually regarded me with disdain. I only knew the second girl from looks, since I had seen her often at school hanging around Ava and Mia, where she was pretty much indifferent to me. The third girl was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t really place her.
So, when I stepped into the living room, all eyes were on me, and the contrast was hilarious.
At that moment, the slim fit suit was working its magic by perfectly showing off the fruits of my daily training, and those three girls ogled me without even trying to hide it. The unknown girl wasn’t just ogling me, she was watching me with borderline hunger. Logan, on the other hand, seemed pleasantly unhappy about the attention I was receiving from these girls, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten about him even being there.
I turned to the kitchen and walked towards Ava, who, for some reason, seemed uncomfortable upon seeing me. She came out of the kitchen and met me halfway.
“Happy Birthday.” I said in a casual tone, handing her the bag, as she had just opened her mouth to say something.
“You got me a gift!?” she asked, incredulously. Somehow, she looked even more uncomfortable now.