Free Demon at My Door by Michelle A. Valentine Page B

causing my cheeks to stings and I’m glad it’s really dark in here. I’m sure I  look horrendous after taking those smacks from Trevor. Alicia, in her drunken state, would completely freak out and wake up the entire house if she saw me.
    She pulls down my comforter. “I hear Rick kicked Trevor’s ass over you, but no one’s really sure why.”
    Nobody would believe the truth anyway. They think Rick is too good for me. No way would they ever believe I was with Stew. “Humph. Well now you know. If Stewart would’ve been there like he promised, none of this would’ve happened. I hate him so much.”
    We sit wrapped in dark silence for a couple of minutes, but it doesn’t last long. Alicia is a talker and she babbles constantly when she’s tipsy. “Well, tell me more about this Rick guy. He’s really cute. Someone pointed him out to me before the whole fight thing went down. It was like he came straight to the party to find you or something, because he wasn’t there long. Who knew you were such a hot guy magnet.”
    A smile spreads across my lips. The right side of my face aches with pain, and my grin quickly fades. Rick is cute, but I don’t need to jump into another relationship so soon. It’s going to take a while before I get over Stew and what he did to me.
    What am I thinking? I don’t need to focus on anybody . Only me. It’s not fair to drag a guy into a relationship when I won’t be around much longer. But I am glad Rick cares enough for me to beat the ever-living sit out of Trevor for me. 
    Alicia still waits on me to acknowledge my relationship status with Rick to her. I have to give her something. There’s no way I can pretend I don’t know him. “We eat lunch together sometimes. He’s really…nice.”
    “Nice?” Alicia questions. “That’s always what you say when you want to avoid something.”
    I sigh. She’s digging. “Okay, he’s interesting, but I’m not ready to, like, date him or anything.”
    “Natalie.” She leans in close and rests her elbows on my bed. “To hell with Stewart. He’s an ass. You should give Rick a chance. I mean, the guy beat up Trevor Humphreys over you. Besides, what better way to get back at Stewart than date a hottie like Rick?” She taps my arm. “Show old Stewy what he missed.”
    I shouldn’t care about Stew, but I do. I turn my head toward her. “That could really hurt Stewart, though.”
    Alicia growls in frustration. “Yeah, so? That ass deserves it. Didn’t he hurt you?” Her words feel like another slap in the face. More reminders of all the trouble Stew caused me tonight.
    “Yes,” I whisper. It’s hard to admit it to her as well as to myself. Stew’s betrayal sends waves of nausea through my belly. This was his second chance and he blew it. He never really cared for me after all.  
    “So what if you hurt him? What goes around comes around. Plus, you’d probably really like Rick if you gave him a chance.” She stands, swaying back and forth a little. “Think about it, Nat. I love you, and you should be treated like a queen. Don’t take shit from anyone.” She kisses my forehead before she wobbles from my bedroom. “Good night.”
    Way to plant the seed, sis. 
    Now visions of Rick flash in my mind. He really is kind of beautiful with his cool gray eyes set above chiseled cheekbones and full lips. Long hair and tattoos on a guy have never been my thing, but on him they totally work. And even though I’ve never seen him without his shirt, I imagine from the tone of his arms that his body is quite solid. Another plus is he’s definitely nice. Look at how he stood up for me tonight, like he’d take on the world if I asked him too. No one has ever done that before. 
    I can’t think about this right now. I need a distraction. 
    I snag my Mp3 player from my nightstand, poke in my earbuds, and study my alarm clock while mentally calculating how much sleep I’m going to get before the dreadful three-thirty-three nightly