Provoked Read online

  “I feel crazy. I’m pissed off. I just broke up with Megan,” I say, taking another gulp of water.

  “I’m sorry. No, I’m not. She was a bitch. You could do better than her. The only thing she had going for her was her rack.”

  “Seriously, P, I’m not in the mood,” I grunt. “I guess I’m the only one who didn’t see she was a bitch.”

  “Nah, you were pussy-whipped. I mean I would have been, too, if I was banging that. Let’s go out tonight. You can pick up a random chick and give it to her O’Brien style.” He laughs.

  He’s really not funny. Well, at least I don’t think so at the moment. His only response ever is to go out drinking, hence the reason he owns his own bar.

  “I have work at the pharmacy tonight and have lacrosse practice early in the morning tomorrow.”

  “I’m fucking neglected. You never have time for me, between being a pro lacrosse player and a pharmacist.”

  “I don’t have time for myself.”

  “Maybe Megan felt that way too,” he says, bringing up the obvious.

  “You think I don’t know that? But you just don’t go and find someone else.”

  “Nasty ho.” I give him a warning look, so Parker changes the subject. “Did you get your invitation yet?”

  “For what?” I ask.

  “High school reunion. Ten years, man.”

  “No, and hell no I’m not going.”

  “What? The lacrosse star and most popular guy at school. You are expected to be there.”

  “I refuse to see that bitch Carrie,” I remind him, in case he’s forgotten my high school sweetheart… not.

  “Maybe she changed. Maybe you’re meant to be.”

  “I’m going back to my weights. I’ve heard enough.” I lie back down on the bench.

  Hell will freeze over before I step foot in that reunion.

  Back to Jay Z and my own ninety-nine problems.

  CHAPTER 3

  Chase

  A WEEK’S PASSED since I broke up with Megan. She has called a couple of times, but I refuse to answer. I don’t care what she has to say. I did finally listen to the voicemail from this morning, though.

  “Chase, it’s Megan… Again. We need to talk about this. I think you overreacted. I’ll be over tonight at seven to figure this out.” She disconnected the call. Damn it. I don’t want to see her, but I guess I have no choice since she’ll be here in fifteen minutes.

  I’m not even going to rush to get changed. She’ll be gone as soon as she gets here. I’m sitting here on my sectional in my clothes from the gym. I just got in half an hour ago and still have on gray Gap sweatpants and an NYU T-shirt. I need a shower, but this bitch will try to get in with me if I take one now. I have no intention of getting back with her, even if she flaunts her fake breasts in my face. I know Megan. She is going to use sex to get me back. She will throw herself at me. She always did that whenever we had stupid little arguments.

  I get up off the sofa and walk to my stainless steel fridge to grab a cold water. I was going to make a salad and some grilled chicken, but that can wait until I get rid of her.

  She texts my phone saying she is on her way over. I can’t contain my excitement. I sit back on the sofa and put my feet up on the coffee table, flipping on ESPN to catch the beginning of the Knicks game. I’m totally engrossed in it when I hear Megan walk in. I left the door open purposely so I didn’t have to get up and answer it.

  “Hey babe,” she says, tossing her Michael Kors bag on the sofa.

  “Yeah, are you here to get your shit? I boxed it up. It’s on the dining room table.” I’m doing good, so long as I don’t look at her body and get a hard-on.

  “You’re taking this break-up to the extreme, don’t you think?” she asks with her hands on her hips. I can see her nipples hard through the tight T-shirt that fits over her breasts. I just want to grab her hips and take her right here. I need to get a grip. She fucked another man. She was in bed with him and lied to me.

  “No. You banged some other guy. I don’t want you.” She walks toward me. My heart starts beating. I jump off the sofa. “Megan don’t… I can’t do this. Take the box and get out of my life.”

  “You’re just gonna throw me out of your life, like we had nothing?” she whines.

  “You did that to me.” I shove the box at her and throw her bag and coat on top of it. I push her out the door. “Don’t ever call me again. I’m through.” I slam the door behind her and want to take a cold fucking shower.

  CHAPTER 4

  Hailey

  MELANIE COMES into my office to bring me a message. She bends down to pick up a paper that is sticking out from under my desk.

  “What’s that?” I ask, wondering why she is crawling on my floor on her hands and knees.

  “I don’t know. It was stuck under the leg of the desk,” she says, out of breath.

  “Is it important?” She hands me the paper. Gee. I’m excited now. I thought I threw this out. It’s the invitation for the high school reunion. “Throw that out.”

  “Why?” Melanie asks.

  “I don’t want to go. It was a blast from my past, and I choose not to go.”

  “You have something better to do? You are free that night. It’s in two weeks,” she nudges.

  “Why do you care? I am not going. They made my life a living hell.”

  “You’re different now. You need to do this. You need to move on from it. You need closure. Plus, I think they may have grown up. I don’t think there will be any bullying going on at the age of twenty-eight. Doesn’t it become illegal at some point in life?”

  “Hmm, good point, but no. I’m not going. It says to bring your spouse. Um, I will be the laughing stock of the school again, since I’m single.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Melanie says, trying to help.

  “Who are you going as… my lesbian lover?” I laugh.

  “I’m replying yes that you will be there… single.”

  I give her a look. “Don’t even think about it. Just because we’re like best friends and I told you all about my previous life doesn’t mean you can think you are helping me. You are not.”

  “You better pick out a nice dress. I’m thinking something red,” Melanie says, taking the invitation and calling the number to respond. “Hi, this is Hailey McCormick’s secretary. I’m calling to rsvp to the invitation for the high school reunion. Miss McCormick would be delighted to attend. Please put her down for one. Yes, great. She looks forward to seeing you as well.”

  “Oh… you are going to pay for that. I don’t know how, but you are,” I say in a joking manner. Then I sit down in shock.

  I have to go now. If I turn back, it will make it worse.

  St. Cecelia’s, here I come… back for more punishment.

  CHAPTER 5

  Chase

  SOMETIMES I WONDER what I was thinking when I decided to become a pharmacist. I graduated from New York University. I loved going to pharmacy school, but it’s the aftermath that is a killer. With the boost in prescription drug misuse, my job becomes more and more challenging every day. I deal with a lot of drug addicts who are looking for a quick and easy fix. They will lie, cheat, and steal just to get one pill. Some nights I come home from work exhausted. Tonight is one of those nights, but I promised Parker I would meet him at the bar for a few drinks.

  I walk into the bar and see Parker sitting there with four women around him. He’s a very good-looking guy. When I walk over, they are about to start singing the song “Scrubs” by TLC. He knows there are going to be women leaching off of him… Why does he insist I come from work? He made it sound as if it was going to be just me and him, beers and guy talk. I know he means well. He is trying to get me over Megan. I am over Megan. I just don’t want anyone else right now, and he doesn’t get that. I do a lot of traveling, mostly on Sundays, but it takes up a lot of my time. Even though lacrosse is part-time, it still keeps me busy.

  “P, I’m here.”

  “Hey
, ladies, this is my best friend, Chase. He’s a professional lacrosse player.”

  I hate when he does that. Women have a thing for sports players. I don’t know what it is. One of the blonde women is eyeing me up from head to toe. Either she’s repulsed by me or she wants to take me home.

  “Hi, everyone,” I say, giving my sexy smirk. I can be a flirt at times. “Buying a round for everyone,” I yell to the bartender over the music. Blondie is staring me down then walks over to me.

  “Hey there, handsome. That was nice of you,” she says, giving me googily eyes.

  “I aim to please. You drinking something special?” I don’t know why I’m flirting back with her. She’s not even my type. I just don’t want to hurt her feelings.

  “Whatever you want to buy me is good with me.”

  She orders a Captain and Coke. My kind of girl.

  “What’s your name?” she asks.

  “Chase. And you?”

  “Chelsey.”

  I see Chelsey trying to come home with me. I see me having to turn down another woman. I see Parker getting mad at me. Oh well.

  “That’s a nice name. Can you excuse me for a minute? I just need to talk to my friend for a sec.” I walk up to Parker. He’s engrossed in conversation. “P, come here a sec.”

  He walks over to the end of the bar. “What’s up?”

  “I thought it was just going to be me and you.”

  “I can’t help it if they found me.” He can be so stuck on himself sometimes.

  “I’m tired. I don’t feel like entertaining women. I just got done with a long-ass shift at the pharmacy.”

  “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’ll get rid of them.”

  “Forget it now. I’ll have one drink, and then I’ll hit the road.”

  “What’s wrong with the blonde? Do you not like women? I’ll understand. Just tell me. I’m your best friend since grade school.”

  “I fucking love women, asshole.”

  “Speaking of school, I talked to the chick organizing the reunion. She asked if you were coming. She said she didn’t get a response from you yet.”

  “That’s because I’m not going, and it said to RSVP only if you were planning to attend.”

  “She said I had to do whatever I needed to do to get the most popular guy there. I said, oh, don’t worry, he’s coming. Put him down for yes.”

  “Why would you do that?” I’m gonna kill this fucker.

  “You have to go with me.”

  “I don’t want to see Carrie. End of story.”

  “Forget her. You’ll be with your best friend. I’ll have your back,” he says, confident in his response.

  “That’s the scary part. You’ve done so well up until now.” I can’t believe he responded yes for me. I am doomed. Carrie is going to stalk my life again.

  I head back to Chelsey. I’m no longer in the mood to be here. Parker has pissed me off completely. Sometimes he just goes too far.

  Chelsey starts to go on and on about how we would be good together. She talks about going to all my games and cheering me on. She says she’ll even wear little cheerleader shorts for me with my name on her ass. Where are all the normal women?

  “It was nice chatting with you, Chelsey,” I say, grabbing my keys and cell phone off the bar. “I have to get going. I had a long day at work, and I have to be up early tomorrow.”

  “Can we see each other again?” she asks.

  “I’m really busy. I’m on the road a lot, and I have a full-time job as a pharmacist. I don’t have time in my life for a woman.” I feel really bad, but I just can’t… Not with her. I’m not gonna sleep with her, either, just for the hell of it.

  “I understand,” she says. “I just wanted to sleep with you anyway.” Why do they always have to go there?

  I just look her in the face and walk away. “P, I’m out. I’ll see you tomorrow at some point.”

  I walk toward the door then see a woman from afar. She has long brown wavy hair. She is beautiful. She catches my eye. I smile, then she quickly turns her head. What the fuck? These damn women!

  Why does she look so familiar?

  CHAPTER 6

  Hailey

  I TURN TO THE LEFT and meet the eyes of a gorgeous man. In a split second I realize I am looking into the eyes of Chase O’Brien, my secret crush in high school. I look away quickly. I don’t want him to recognize me… Not that he would. The last time I saw him, I was about eighty-five pounds heavier. The only person I ever told about him was Melanie. She sits across from me at the high bar table, giving me crazy looks.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she asks.

  “Nothing, why?” I lie.

  “You’re acting all fidgety, and your face just turned a couple different shades of red.”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute. I can’t look back right now.”

  “So you’re staring at the wall?”

  “Don’t turn around.”

  Of course, she does. “That guy? Was he flirting with you?” She has no idea who it is, so it’s not her fault. “He finally walked out the door. You can resume normalcy,” Melanie says sarcastically.

  “That was Chase. See that guy at the bar over there with those women? That’s his best friend, Parker. I went to school with them.”

  “Chase is extremely hot. I can see why you have the hots for him.”

  “Had… I had the hots for him a long time ago… A very long time ago.” I’m lying to myself again.

  “Looks like you still do.”

  “I do not. I don’t think he recognized me, so I’m safe. Now I know I can’t go to that reunion.”

  “Too late. You already RSVP’d,” she reminds me.

  “Damn you, Mel. Damn you.”

  She laughs out loud.

  “You’ll thank me one day.”

  “I doubt it,” I say, chugging down my martini.

  CHAPTER 7

  Chase

  “COME ON, WE’RE TAKING my car. Leave yours in the driveway,” I say to Parker as we walk out the door. Tonight is the high school reunion that I am so not looking forward to going to. I have some good memories and some bad ones. I’m hoping this night goes by very quickly. “P, remember that woman I told you I saw when I left the bar that night?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I can’t get her out of my head. Her eyes, they looked so familiar but so mysterious. I felt this attraction to her, but I have no idea why. I’ll never know who she was.”

  “Can you just drop the love shit? They only fuck with you in the end. Look at what happened with Megan.”

  He had to go and bring her up. I haven’t spoken to her since I kicked her out that night. It’s safe to say we are officially done.

  I am nervous to run into Carrie at this reunion. We broke up on bad terms. We stayed together after graduation and into college. I went to NYU and she went to a local community college. She had dreams of being a Knicks dancer or something like that and didn’t want to go away to college or commit to something in case she got her opportunity. Pharmacy school was very hard and took up a lot of my time. One Saturday, she came up to my dorm, and of course, we had sex. We’d been together for four years at that point. We were lying in the bed afterwards, and she said she had something to tell me. Coming from Carrie, I could only imagine what it was she had to tell me. My life could have changed in an instant.

  “I’m pregnant,” she said.

  I just sat there in silence. I had no idea what this meant for me. Would I have to leave school? Would we get married? I didn’t even think I wanted to marry Carrie. I was speechless. I actually didn’t know what to say. I was only twenty years old. I always used protection with her, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. I mean, I did know there’s always that possibility.

  “There’s more,” she said, looking away.

  “What’s going on, Car?”

  “It’s not your baby. I got drunk at a party, and I cheated on you. I was pretty wasted and didn’t use protection.”r />
  “How could you let this happen?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Are you keeping it?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

  “No,” she said, crying. “I have a lot of things I need to do in my life.”

  “Get the fuck out of my room. I can’t look at you. You made your bed. You make me sick. You’re an evil person. I put up with you for many years. I loved you. I hoped you would have changed, but I was wrong,” I yelled at her. I felt horrible after, but that was it for me.

  We never spoke again after that. I felt too betrayed. I have no idea what she did with her life, and I really didn’t want to know. I have never seen her dancing at a Knicks game, so I guess her dreams didn’t come true…

  “Chase, are you trying to kill me? You’re speeding, dude.”

  “Sorry, I was lost in thought.” I pull into the parking lot of the school. “Couldn’t they have had this at a bar or something? Why did they have to have it at the school gym?”

  “Can you just get happy for a second? We’re gonna see some of our boys who we don’t get to hang out with,” Parker says, excited for the circus.

  I get out of the car and walk through the double doors. Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You Been Gone” blares through the gymnasium.

  “P, why don’t you go show them your moves,” I joke.

  “I hope they have beer at this party.”

  “I’ll go with maybe spiked punch.”

  We check in at the front table where we are given stickers with our names on them… first and last. Great, now there is no hiding.

  There are a bunch of guys in a circle by the bleachers talking. Parker and I walk up to them. I recognize most of them. We start talking sports with them and bullshitting. A couple of them are already married and have kids. They have a glow about them when they talk about their families. I can’t even get someone to remain faithful to me for two years.