Laura S. Fox
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Chasing Rusty Parker - Ch. 2
🕑 Added 2022-09-15 18:00:00 +0000 UTCChapter Two – Dee Untutorable
A, B, C… is anyone brave enough to try teaching Rusty Parker the alphabet? Why the alphabet? You may ask. It’s quite simple. So far, no one has managed to make the king of Sunny Hill repeat a simple little ‘a’ after him or her.
A new legend is born, guys and gals. We know already that Rusty Parker goes through personalities and quirks faster than, you guessed, you can say A, B, C… But this new skin he’s dressing up in is totally worthy of pursuing in its aim for greatness.
From now on, we will call Rusty Parker by his – currently – true name:
DEE UNTUTORABLE
We didn’t come up with the idea. We just read what’s on the t-shirt. Welcome to Sunny Hill, Mr. New Superhero!
Can someone get Rusty Parker out of that t-shirt? Supposedly, we should wait and see… but we’re not holding our breath.
“Dee Untutorable? For real, Rusty?” Maddox groaned and showed him the phone.
Rusty shrugged and put his hands above his head, proud of making the t-shirt stretch over his chest. He had written the imagined name with a black marker on a white tee, so it wouldn’t survive a wash, but he had a hunch that he wouldn’t need it that long to win the game. So far, he had managed to send several boys and girls running, all with very well-known tutoring experience. This was more fun than he had expected. Of course, it maybe worked because he was so intimidating for those people who spent all their waking hours with their noses buried in a book or textbook.
Hmm, it wasn’t that much of a challenge. But he enjoyed seeing Maddox trying to work out a solution. He had a feeling that he could get the best of people through sheer stubbornness. Maddox was super smart; he would soon realize that Rusty was worthy of the nickname he had recently chosen for himself.
Maddox made a face as he focused on the letters on his t-shirt.
“What? I didn’t misspell anything, did I,” Rusty said and didn’t forget to glare properly.
“You can’t exactly misspell a word that doesn’t exist. And I know that you’re smart, and that pisses me off.”
Rusty shrugged and followed Maddox with his eyes. In all honesty, he hoped Maddox and Jonathan and the others would somehow win against him. It would give him a bit of a sense of purpose, probably. Maybe. Perhaps. He knew a lot of synonyms. Xpress was wrong about what happened with the tutors. Rusty simply proved to them that he knew more than they did; not about studies, which were freaking boring, but about everything else. That kind of thing crushed their spirits, for sure. He didn’t do it because he was unkind.
He was doing it because he truly believed himself to be Dee Untutorable.
“I could hold you down while Jonathan feeds you every textbook available,” Maddox said all of a sudden.
“If you hold me down, I hope you’ll do kinkier stuff to me than forcing me to eat paper. You know, it’s overrated.” At Maddox’s confused look, he added, “I tried it.”
“Without a doubt. Come on, Rusty, give me one good reason why you don’t want to study this year.”
If he had a good reason, he would give it to Maddox. No, not that kind of giving ‘it’ because since the dream with that weird ass threesome, which involved him packed and stacked between that cute boy with glasses and a cat boy, he no longer dreamed of his bestie like that. Even Jonathan could move his sexy bod around in nothing but a towel, and he was no longer impressed. Maybe he was cured of whatever that was.
So, he decided in favor of being honest. “I have no idea. I just don’t like it.”
“We don’t like it that much, either--” Maddox began to argue.
“No, you actually do. All right, maybe not the long hours of going through all that boring stuff, but you like what you’re going to do with it. I just don’t see it.”
“Please, don’t tell me you just want to drop out of college. Do you have a backup plan?”
Rusty shook his head. “No. And my dad paid for the whole thing.”
“And you don’t want to disappoint him,” Maddox completed with whatever he thought Rusty wasn’t saying.
Another shrug was the only possible reaction. “Not really. I just don’t want him to think I fooled him into paying for it or something. Don’t worry that much, bro. I’ll graduate even if I have to crawl.”
Maddox seemed discomfited by his reaction. “Then we should call off the tutoring thing? I thought it would stimulate you somehow.”
“Not yet. I kind of enjoy the new title.” He pointed at his t-shirt. “Plus, I don’t want to wash this tee just yet. When you see me doing laundry, you can call it off.”
“That may be tomorrow or never.”
“No, no, no, it will happen. I don’t intend to turn into Dee Unwashable.”
“Good to hear. But, Rusty, if you need any help with your studies, just tell me or Jonathan. Or Dex or Kane.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll leave this place as the king,” Rusty assured him. “Gosh, you’ve gotten so serious since you got hitched to your boyfriend. Oops, I mean, fiancé. That’s a funny word. It makes me think of a girl in a tutu with a tiara on her head, stuffing marshmallows in her mouth with both hands.”
Maddox dropped his eyelids and stared at him. “Well, that tells me you’re completely sane and you know what you’re doing. Great.”
Well, that was that. Maddox knew very well just how much to push with him. And it was still heartwarming and marshmallowy to know that he cared.
***
“You’ve seen this, right?”
Matty couldn’t dodge, as Zoey was bent on stuffing the phone under his nose and even rubbing it against his face only so that he couldn’t hide from it. “I’ve seen it,” he admitted with a groan. Good thing his roommate was mostly gone all the time, and Zoey could barge in there without shocking the living daylights out of the poor dude. It was as if he lived more with her there, than with his actual roommate.
“So, you’re a tutor. You have like a perfect record tutoring. And Rusty Parker is looking for a tutor! This whole thing is like a freaking godsend!”
“Zoey, please stop shouting,” Matty complained only so that he could stall for time. “It’s not like we are in the same classes.”
“The ones that count do overlap, and I know for a fact that you took them only so that you could ogle him like a poor puppy would ogle a bone hidden behind a fence. Also, your method is infallible. I just know!”
“What are you wearing?” Matty made another attempt to escape.
Zoey had a pink jacket and pajama bottoms on. The fluffy slippers were no surprise. They were her favorites. “I had to come in a heartbeat to box your ears. I was so sure you didn’t go to let him try you on for size.”
Matty felt his cheeks coloring slightly. Zoey hadn’t meant anything by that, but the idea of Rusty Parker trying him on for anything was just wrong to have in his head that early in the morning. His usual morning wood was already sacrificed on Rusty’s invisible altar. His overly active imagination could already make the entire Sunny Hill blush – if they only knew what he was thinking about their king. The last thing he needed was more incentive. “Zoey, really, better people than me have failed. I’m not going to win against him if he doesn’t want to learn anything from anyone.”
“Of course, you need to do your bestest,” Zoey said matter-of-factly. “This is a golden opportunity. If you win, Jonathan Hamilton promised he would personally triple the fee. And if you don’t, there’s still the usual. So, what are you waiting for? You need to pay back the money you will use for your cat boy suit. It’s your plan B, after all.”
“I thought it was plan A,” Matty said brightly. Fat chance for Zoey to forget about their big plan for the year. He had already looked online for some talented people who made custom suits. They were expensive, but their work was gorgeous. Of course, he needed every penny.
“We combine them. Now, let’s play like those lawyers with their clients in movies. I’m Rusty Parker, and you’re the tutor. Come on, convince me that I have to study.”
Matty threw her a look of consternation. “We have class in like half an hour.”
“That’s long enough to whip you into shape. Come on, give me your best shot.”
Matty considered for a moment. There was no way he could send Zoey packing, and he never missed class. So, he pushed his glasses up on his nose and gave his best friend the coldest glare he could muster. “If you don’t study--”
He watched in satisfaction as Zoey’s eyes grew wide while he continued talking. His confidence soared as her expression told him that he wasn’t half-bad when it came to tutoring.
Yeah, because just like he needed a custom made cat boy suit, he always tailored his lessons to fit the student. And that was why he almost never went wrong.
***
“I’ll show you my tits,” the girl said as she threw him a lewd look over the table.
Rusty looked at her chest. Yeah, he was totally curious. Big tits on a smart girl? He was in.
“Do we have a deal?” the girl pressed.
“Hmm, let’s just see the goods first.”
She rolled her eyes and stood up. “No way I’m going to fall for that kind of cheap trick. What do you choose? Tits and study? Or nothing?”
Hmm, ah, damn it, he was so fucking tempted. She wore a cool sweater that made those things bounce up and down, with the power to hypnotize people. But his pride was at stake. “Nah, I’ll pass,” he said and bit on his tongue to punish himself for it.
She huffed and brushed by him with a strong hip on her way out. “You’re a fucking pig, Rusty Parker.”
“Hey, for the record,” he called out after her, “they look pretty amazing in that sweater! I just don’t want to lose!”
She didn’t catch all of it, as she stormed out of the room. He shrugged. Well, that kind of concluded the tutoring contest. Good thing Jonathan had such deep pockets. No one left without being paid at least once. It wasn’t his fault they were so unconvincing.
He stood from the chair to go to the door and rub his victory in the face of everyone in the house, but at that very moment, the door opened and almost hit him in the face. Right there stood the boy with glasses from before, with a killer look in his hazel eyes. He had a wooden ruler in his hand and promptly smacked his shoulder. “Sit,” he ordered.
Rusty grinned. “Are you trying to be a tutor, little guy?”
He wasn’t that little, actually, but compared to Rusty, a lot of people looked short. He had to be at least five foot nine, which, for his lithe build, was totally fine.
The next smack with the wooden ruler took him by surprise. It hurt a little. “I said ‘sit’,” the boy insisted.
Was it really the same guy? That one had run away scared after a look at him. This dude had to be his evil twin. Well, it was worth exploring, Rusty decided. With a shrug, he returned to his chair and sat down. “Are you new around here?”
The newcomer threw him a withering look. “I’ve been around here,” he emphasized each word, “for as long as you’ve been.”
“Funny thing, I didn’t notice you around.”
“Of course.”
Was this guy a tiny bit annoying or what? The implied words had to do with something related to how he knew Rusty, while Rusty was completely ignorant about him. It wasn’t self-deprecation. No, it wasn’t. This dude was full of himself.
But his upturned nose was still cute as a button, and his big hazel eyes should have belonged to an angel if they had been blue. Maybe that was why he was a little demon, instead. Rusty continued to inspect him closely. Okay, so maybe, just maybe, before the last year, he hadn’t even noticed dudes a lot, and that explained the overlook. This guy’s skin was absolutely fucking flawless. Rusty felt an itch in his fingers to reach out and touch it. Was that what they meant by porcelain skin? This dude had to see a lot of action since he looked like half of the most beautiful stars in Asian boy bands. Only his big eyes didn’t look Asian. His soft brown hair was slightly wavy and hung down to his shoulders. This guy had to see a lot of action from girls.
“How many girlfriends did you have last year?” he asked out of professional courtesy. If there was any competition on campus, he had to know about it. That would explain why some chicks still told him ‘no’. They had this doll of a dude to gush over.
For a moment, it looked like the angry and cool façade would slip. “None of your business,” came the icy reply.
“Fuck,” Rusty groaned, “that many? Hey, did you land Nancy what’s her name, you know, the one with those nice pear-shaped titties?”
The hazel eyes turned frosty. “No. Stop dallying. Let me introduce myself. My name is Matthew Han, and I’m here to tutor you.”
“Han, huh? That explains it,” Rusty said out loud.
“Explains what?”
“You know, the whole nerdy BTS look,” Rusty pointed out. “I bet you beat girls away with a stick. Or are you ambidextrous and use two sticks? Man, that would come in so handy. You know, you could do really cool stuff.” He made a move as if he was handling two sticks as weapons.
“My dating life doesn’t concern you. I’m well aware of every trick students try to pull to get out of tutoring.”
“Really? Do you tutor a lot?”
“Yes. My experience recommends me.”
Rusty leaned back in his chair. “You’re a demon, aren’t you? Are you going to beat me up with that ruler? Smack my bottom with your big book of knowledge?”
“If the need arises,” the answer came promptly.
Rusty felt his eyebrows jumping up in surprise. The boy stared at him through his glasses without blinking. All right, so he was cute, but he was also uber-nerdy. Maybe Rusty had happened to strike a nerve with all those comments on fucking around with girls. That horizontal pattern did the guy no service. He hadn’t noticed anything else below belt level, but he would do that, as soon as their tutoring session was over.
“The clock is ticking, and not in your favor,” Matthew reminded him. “If I keep you here for one hour and you are able to memorize at least one thing I tell you, then I win and I’ll tutor you throughout the semester.”
Was that a challenge or what? Rusty leaned back in his chair, placed his linked hands on top of his head and stared at Matthew Han through his eyelashes. “Challenge accepted,” he said. “But braver men and women have failed already. I thought you should know.”
“Braver than me?”
How could warm hazel eyes look so chilling? Rusty knew he was intrigued. Just not enough to lose. So, he smirked. “In the cafeteria, the first day. That was you. You dropped your glasses.”
Matthew seemed unfazed. “Your point?” He adjusted his glasses and stared at Rusty.
“You screamed and ran away. Admit it.” Rusty leaned over the table and grinned. “You’re afraid of me.”
“I did that because I remembered that I left the oven on.” The reply was delivered in a deadpan manner.
“Yeah, right.”
Matthew measured his wooden ruler slowly, caressing it. Rusty found himself fascinated. “What’s the deal with the ruler? Are you into corporal punishment? That your take on tutoring?”
“Can you take it from me with your hands tied behind your back?” Matthew the tutor asked, ignoring his question.
Rusty smirked. This was getting good, and he was having fun. He showed Matthew his hands and put them behind his back. He waited patiently while Matthew produced a hair tie from his pocket and secured his hands together. Secured was one way of saying it. Rusty was sure he could snap it without even trying.
He waited for the other to sit and wave the thing in front of him again. Then, he lunged and grabbed the ruler with his teeth, snatching it away from Matthew. He was about to mumble his victory, when Matthew suddenly grabbed Rusty’s phone from the table. Rusty let the ruler drop. “Give that back!”
“Not until you learn one thing from me and repeat it in front of your friends.”
“Do you think I can’t take it from you?”
“Do you use face recognition?”
Rusty couldn’t believe the nerve of the guy. He released his hands, but it was too late. Matthew, who appeared quite nimble for all that he wore glasses and was nerdy, had retreated to the other corner of the room and was now deep into his phone. Without wasting a moment, Rusty rushed toward him, but Matthew was ahead and soon, they were chasing each other around the table.
“Do you really need your Tinder profile? It’s so yesterday, you know?” Matthew commented.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Rusty warned him. He moved to one side suddenly. Matthew couldn’t be that fast.
He wasn’t, but he did make the phone disappear into the front of his pants. Rusty stopped dead in his tracks. “Dude, are you rubbing your dick against my phone?”
“I’m wearing underwear,” came the immediate protest.
“What color?”
“None of your business. You’ll have your phone back if you promise to be a good boy.”
Rusty pondered. Well, he wasn’t completely against manhandling Matthew to get his phone back, even if it meant bending the guy over and stuffing both hands in his pants. He could totally do that.
Or he could do some laundry today. He put his hands up and reveled in the expression of satisfaction on that cute face. “You totally got me. What are you going to teach me?”
“Ethics and Consumer Behavior,” Matthew said promptly.
“Meh, I’m not into ethics. And I’m a consumer. I already know a lot about that. And how to behave.”
“I doubt that.” Matthew moved his hips as if he was playing with a hula-hoop. “Who knows what my dick is doing to your phone right now?”
The ugly t-shirt hiked up enough to let a sliver of firm belly show.
“You have abs!” Rusty exclaimed.
Matthew dropped his arms in alarm, covering the perfectly shaped lower abs in the process. “Everybody has the same muscle groups,” he protested.
Hmm, now that was a reason to lick his chops. Rusty could smell blood in the water. Why was Matthew Han hiding his abs under those ugly clothes? And his cute face behind those glasses? Truth be told, he had a nerdy appeal because of them, so if the plan was to make him less attractive, it wasn’t working.
“Nah, nah, nah,” Rusty said. “You,” he pointed at Matthew, who stared at him like the proverbial deer that must have gotten tired of getting caught in headlights and shamed because of it, “have awesome abs. Let me see them.”
Matthew crossed his arms around his lower belly in a protective gesture. “No.”
“I’ll do your bidding. Pinky promise.”
Matthew seemed to consider. “Will you allow me to tutor you? For the whole semester?”
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? Abs for learning whatever you want to teach me this time around.”
Matthew pouted, and Rusty found himself staring. It wasn’t some coquettish gesture on the guy’s part. Nah, Rusty doubted his tutor realized the cute faces he was making. He was just calculating with that big brain of his. He had to have a big brain, or else he wouldn’t be able to keep Rusty’s attention for longer than all the other tutors had combined.
“Fine.” Matthew pulled his shirt up, revealing perfect washboard abs. He wasn’t overly muscled, since he was so slender, but the definition of those muscles was great. Rusty moved, eager to touch them.
Matthew moved out of the way with the same ease as before.
“You’re no fun,” Rusty complained.
Matthew shrugged, as if he couldn’t even be bothered. Maybe the guy was so straight that he couldn’t even bear for some dude to touch his abs. Very well. That meant that he had a weakness, and Rusty would exploit it at length. He would take his time, seeing how this tutor fiend thought he’d be able to put a leash on Rusty Parker, just like that.
“All right. A deal is a deal. Can I have my phone back?”
Matthew nodded and pulled the phone out of his pants. However, he didn’t give it back, as requested. He searched his bag for something and took out what looked like a cleaning kit.
“Really, dude?” Rusty laughed. “I didn’t really mean it about your dick. Unless it got a stiffy seeing my Tinder profile.”
“In your dreams,” Matthew replied and set himself hard at work to clean the screen.
Yeah, he was so damn cool. He had to be uber straight. Rusty knew for sure that most dudes got a bit flustered in his presence, even if they weren’t gay, just because of his expansive personality and the way he moved his body. The same was not happening with Matthew Han. A tough nut to crack.
Just what he needed this year to escape pure boredom with everyone getting the studying bug. Rusty intended to do some serious studying, too. Only the topic he intended to study was Matthew Han.
“Ready for the first lesson?” Matthew asked while pushing the phone toward him with two fingers.
Rusty couldn’t remember his phone screen ever being so clean. He looked at his new tutor, pondering for a bit. Damn, Matthew was surely making bank with that cool attitude. Chicks often went for that kind. Unless this dude was only into studying. And keeping his abs in tip-top shape.
***
Rusty stared at Matthew with unhidden satisfaction. When he put his mind to it, he could learn anything. He could tell his tutor was impressed.
“I will say this,” Matthew said while closing his textbook. “I don’t believe you need my tutoring. You seem to catch new concepts fast on your own, and you have a good memory. You also have--”
As much as Rusty enjoyed compliments, he needed to stop his new favorite victim before he made a run for it. “I have great need for someone to keep me accountable. And it has to be someone obnoxious like you.” Matthew was pedantic, a stickler for details, and a slave driver. But Rusty never lavished people with compliments like that.
He could swear that he saw Matthew’s bottom lip quiver for a moment. “Do you think I’m obnoxious?” Nah, his tone was just as bossy as it had been throughout their tutoring session.
“Kind of,” Rusty said lightly. “Just what I need. You know, to keep me in line.”
“Very well. Once a week, then, and do your homework.” Matthew stood up and hiked his bag over his shoulder.
“Wait. Let me pay,” Rusty said.
“I thought Jonathan--”
“No way I’m letting him pay for my lessons,” Rusty said promptly. He had made plenty with his summer gig, so there was no issue with that. Plus, Matthew deserved the payment, down to the last dime. “Triple, right?”
“Yes. But that was Jonathan’s promise.”
A damn stickler to details. What would it take to mess up a guy like that? Rusty wondered. A worthy pursuit, indeed.
***
“So?” Maddox asked.
Rusty grinned as he took in all his friends, who had stayed in their rooms throughout his tutoring adventure. Now, they were all downstairs, looking at him, then at Matthew, then back at him. Jonathan was the first to act. He offered Matthew his hand. “I suppose that congratulations are in order. Please let me know how you want to be paid.”
Matthew shook Jonathan’s hand. “Rusty has paid me already.”
“He did?” Dex asked. “You must be one hell of a tutor.”
“It wouldn’t have been a problem, Rusty,” Jonathan insisted. “I suggested it.”
“No way,” Rusty said and threw one arm over Matthew’s shoulders, making him stagger under his weight. “He’s my tutor.”
Kane laughed. “Look at Rusty, all possessive.”
“Hey, hey,” Rusty warned, “Don’t embarrass my tutor.” He liked the sound of that in his mouth. “He already has to worry about half the chicks in this place.”
“What?” Matthew asked.
“What?” Maddox did the same, almost simultaneously.
“Yeah,” Rusty said with confidence. “This dude, right here, is a total lady killer. Now I know why some chicks don’t dig me at all. They have it bad for this guy’s abs.”
Kane examined him with narrowing eyes. “Are you trying to scare him off, Rusty? Matthew, please, don’t let this clown get to you.”
“I’m not scaring him,” Rusty protested and turned his head to look at his tutor. “I’m telling it like it is.”
Matthew was keeping his head turned, so Rusty couldn’t see his eyes. Damn, was he so uncomfortable with some guy touching him, even if only casually? Maybe he had a thing against germs and stuff. That explained having a cleaning kit at the ready, in his bag. Rusty was pretty certain his germs were of the friendliest kind, but he wasn’t into forcing himself on people. So, he pulled away, and just then, it might have been his imagination, but Matthew brushed his arm against his back, as if he was about to wrap it around Rusty’s waist. It all lasted less than two seconds, so he couldn’t exactly tell what the guy’s intention had been.
“I should go,” Matthew said. “Good luck on your studies, guys. And Rusty, work hard.” His voice was clipped and strange.
Rusty didn’t make any attempt to keep him. He just watched Matthew as the rest of the guys were complimenting him for a job well done. Where was the cool façade? Who was this shy hamster and where had he come from?
“Wait,” he said and took off his t-shirt. He threw it at Matthew who caught it deftly. If the guy was against germs, he’d drop it like it burned him. “Take that trophy with you. I don’t need it anymore.”
Matthew was holding onto his t-shirt with a shocked look on his face. “Trophy?”
Rusty shrugged and hooked his thumbs into his jeans. “A tutoring trophy. You can tell anyone you defeated Dee Untutorable. And prove it.”
Maddox put a hand on Rusty’s shoulder. “Stop trying to scare him. Just admit that he won against you. Matthew, I’ll take that. Rusty needs to do his laundry anyway.”
“No, no, that’s fine, I like tutoring trophies,” Matthew said and stuffed the t-shirt into his bag hurriedly. Rusty observed everything with keen eyes. So, his germs were not on the blacklist. He must have worn that for at least three days. “I’ll go now. Bye,” he said quickly and walked out, leaving Rusty with a huge grin on his face.
“Hey, wasn’t that a little bit weird?” Of course, Kane had to question everything.
“What was weird?” Rusty asked, flexing his muscles in what he hoped looked like a display of aggression. The good kind, between friends.
“That he took your t-shirt,” Kane pointed out.
Dex slapped his bestie on the back. “Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. I don’t expect Rusty’s preferred tutor to be the epitome of what people call normal. I like the guy, and he got Rusty to study already. Even gave him homework. I’m not asking for more.”
“He can probably sell that for a bit of money,” Jonathan suggested. “Anyone with a mind for business would think that. And I believe Matthew has what it takes. Is there a market for Rusty paraphernalia here, on campus?”
“I have no idea,” Maddox replied. “But you have a point, babe,” he added and used the occasion to steal a kiss from Jonathan, as he did all the time.
Rusty felt deflated. He hoped Matthew didn’t sell the t-shirt. He hoped Matthew kept it.
***
Matty maintained a steady normal pace as he moved through the campus, entered his dorm, and then walked into his room. Then, and only then, he threw himself on the bed and shouted into a pillow. It was such a good thing that his roommate wasn’t there. Anyone seeing him flailing all his members and muffling his shouts like that would have thought he was insane.
Which, he most probably was. His phone rang on cue. He didn’t even have to check to see who it was. “Zoey, I did it,” he said in a heartbeat.
“O.M.F.G!” Zoey shouted loud enough to pierce his eardrum. “How did it go? What happened? How did he look? How did he smell?”
“Wow, you’re making me dizzy. Zoey, my knees are shaking. It worked. I was so cool and collected, I swear.”
“I knew you’d pull it off if you put your mind to it. Kudos, my friend.”
“But--”
“No, no, no, there are no ‘buts’ you want to tell me about.”
“I don’t know if I can keep it up,” Matthew complained. “I almost slipped. What the hell am I saying? I did slip. I took his t-shirt, Zoey. That’s weird, right? I’m weird. And I almost hugged him by accident. My arm, I swear, it just moved like it had a mind of its own!”
“Slow down and explain. Are you already at a stage where you’re undressing Rusty Parker? I don’t know you anymore! But I love it!”
“No, no, it wasn’t like that,” Matty hurried to correct her. “He took off the t-shirt himself and gave it to me. Like a trophy.”
“O.M.G., is it THE t-shirt?”
“Yes, THE t-shirt,” Matty replied and drawled the words, just like her. “I should wash it and give it back.”
“No way,” Zoey contradicted him. “That’s a piece of history, Matty. You don’t mess with history.”
“But what should I do with it?”
“Conserve it. You know. Put it in a Ziploc bag. After you smell it and rub your entire body up and down with it.”
“For real, Zoey, don’t ever let other people hear you talk like that. You might end up in prison,” Matty said. “I’ll conserve it, as you say. I won’t do the other part, though. That would be weird and creepy.”
“Yeah, yeah, weird and creepy, but you’d do it. Come on, at least give it a little sniff.”
“Bye, Zoey.”
“Hey, can we hang out later?”
“Yeah, but give me a couple of hours to put my mind in order.”
“So, he’s even sexier, one on one, right?”
Matty couldn’t put in words all that he felt about spending almost two hours across from Rusty, just the two of them in the same room. “I guess you can say that,” he said quietly.
TBC
Comments
Laura S. Fox
That's a very good question, Jayce!
Jayce
Cat goes after mouse, but who is the mouse? This is very exciting.
Laura S. Fox
Hopefully so, Pete!
Pete Sternloff
This is going to be exciting. We are on the way!
