We Were One_Looking Glass Read online

  Most of the time I managed to stay unnoticed when I looked at her—or rather looked for her—each time I was in or around town, but not always. A few times she’d caught me, and as the time had passed, I was sure she’d picked up on how I was having just as hard a time as all the other saps in town of keeping my eyes off her—maybe more.

  But I knew better. Though I didn’t know much more about them than what my brothers had said and what I’d seen around town, Ama was right, and everyone else in town knew it as well. Loretta didn’t fuck around.

  I’d heard stories of her breaking out her shotgun on more than one occasion when someone trespassed on the small property they lived on. I was certain she’d do the same to any man getting funny ideas about her two baby girls. No thanks. I had enough female company to keep me busy to put any more thought into the off-limits twin and her shotgun-toting mother.

  And then that early summer night at the lake happened.

  It was Friday night, and just like every year when the school year started to wind up for summer break, the Friday night hangouts by the lake were just getting started. I closed my dad’s embroidery shop and headed out there looking to spend a few hours of shooting the breeze with friends and maybe hooking up. Except for Quino who closed with me but had a date, my other two brothers were already out there.

  As I usually did when I first arrived at the lake, I parked and lit up a smoke so I could stake the place out by myself for a little while first. I’d heard about and seen enough of the twins now to know they were getting popular with the boys. Not in a bad way, but from what Nolan told me, even the quieter seemingly shyer one of the two had just as many admirers as the more outgoing one. But I’d yet to, nor did I plan to, socialize with either—ever.

  “Did it hurt?”

  I should’ve known right then those deep blue eyes that close, coupled with that sweet voice, would be the end of me. One of the twins—but unlike most of the folk in town, I knew exactly which one—stood before me, staring at my arm curiously.

  Trying not to get too sucked into her intoxicatingly playful eyes, I looked away from them as our eyes met and I glanced down at what she was staring at instead. I couldn’t help smirking. She was asking about my latest tattoo.

  “A little,” I said, not making too much of it, then glanced back at her. Smiling at those curious eyes just couldn’t be helped, so I did as I continued to indulge. “But it’s the best kind of pain there is. The kind that hurts so good.”

  I knew flirting with her was a risk, but I could see the way she was looking at me—the way most girls did when I took them in so unabashedly, making no secret of my dirty thoughts. She was younger than most girls I normally hung out with. I figured a few more risqué comments from me might have her red as a beet and walking away as she should.

  “That thing between your legs,” she said, making me stop mid-drag of my cigarette, and my brows jumped at attention. “It just keeps getting bigger.”

  Coughing what little smoke I’d inhaled, I proceeded to make an ass of myself nearly choking then laughing until I was finally able to speak. “What?”

  “Your motorcycle.”

  This time she did the evil grinning as she glanced down at the bike I was sitting on. I was as stunned as I was amused. Looking her up and down again, I noticed her stance wasn’t that of a demure little sixteen-year-old. It was almost as if she’d read my mind and she was challenging me to try and make her blush. Even though I was sure she was Madeline, I didn’t want her to know it, so I played it off.

  “You must be Madeline.” I took another drag of my cigarette because I needed it, then blew out the smoke slowly. “From what I’ve heard, you’re the wild one.”

  I eyed her, knowing she might not take my choice of words too kindly, but I needed to get the upper hand back.

  “Well, I am Madeline, but I don’t know about the wild one. What’ve you heard?”

  “Oh, I’ve heard about you.” I smiled in a way I knew would not be appreciated, given the implication.

  “I’m more outspoken and possibly too daring for my own good, while my sister’s the quieter more level-headed one, if that’s what you mean,” she said with just enough attitude I was almost smiling again. “But if you’re implying anything else, I can tell you where you can shove those bullshit rumors.”

  I chuckled, raising my hands on either side. “I didn’t say it was bad. I’ve just heard a few things.”

  “Like what?” She crossed her arms in front of her, arching her brow.

  “You’re impetuous.” I peered at her, surprising myself now about how close I’d paid attention to some of the things I’d heard about her. “Is it true you jumped into the river off the very top of Pike’s Crest?”

  “I did.” She smiled proudly, but it was fleeting because just like that she was frowning. “Mama almost killed me when it got back to her. God, word gets around fast in this town.”

  “Well, it is dangerous.”

  Of course, she argued. She insisted it wasn’t dangerous if you knew what you were doing. That she’d been jumping off cliffs for as long as she could remember. All the while, my eyes were in heaven, watching her every move and that spunk with which she delivered all her emphatic statements. It was a simple enough topic, but I was getting more curious about her now as my eyes continued to have a field day, taking in every detail of her: that cute little nose, the pouty lips, the womanly curves. Her mama would sure as shit have shot me if she knew the dreams I’d already had about them. And those long milky white legs. “So, is that why you came over here?”

  “What?”

  It must have been my ogling followed by the question because she looked ready to spit, and it made me laugh again. “To ask if it hurt to get my tattoos and about the thing between my legs.”

  And there it was. Finally, her face tinged with color, and she glanced around as if to see if anyone had overheard. “Actually no.”

  Interesting.

  Just as she had from her first question, she had my undivided attention. She lifted a stubborn little chin and arched a perfectly groomed brow. “Your brother, Nolan, he goes to school with my sister and me. Apparently, he loves making her squirm.”

  Instantly, I was grinning again because I could only imagine. “Is that right?”

  “Yes, it is, and it makes her uncomfortable. I think it’s cute that one of the big bad Cortez brothers has a crush on my sweet bashful sister . . .”

  Once again, I was sucked into every word she was saying: every detail of her threats about how my brother better stop embarrassing her sister.

  “And if he doesn’t?” I challenged.

  “If he doesn’t . . .” She got all serious suddenly. “He’s going to be dealing with me.”

  “Why hasn’t he already?” I smiled, bringing my cigarette to my lips but stopped before taking another drag. “I mean why don’t you tell him? Why you telling me?”

  “Because I knew he flirted with her but didn’t know how uncomfortable it made her until just now,” she retorted without a flinch. “And I didn’t see him anywhere, so I figured you could pass the word along. Maybe talk a little sense into him in case he refuses. According to Maggie, he’s insatiable when it comes to his teasing and flirting.”

  That had me laughing again. “Yep. Insatiable, that’s my brother in a nutshell.”

  “Well, you said it yourself. I’m impetuous, remember? You and your brothers may think you know about me because of the things you’ve heard. Nolan has no idea. Bad boy or not, he’ll live to regret the day he messed with the wrong girl’s sister.”

  I stared at her for a moment because I could already tell, if I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the little Hellman twin before, it was going to be impossible after tonight. But I knew better than to even think about doing more than playfully flirting with her. So I toned it down. “I’ll let him know. Tell your sister she doesn’t have to worry about Nolan for too much longer. He’ll be gone for at least a year soon.”
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  “Thank you,” she said, looking a little surprised by my change in demeanor, but then her curious eyes were at it again. “Where’s he going?”

  “Got an apprenticeship in Radcliffe with a relative. He wants to be a tattoo artist. The guy’s a hell of an artist.”

  As determined as I was not to let my growing intrigue with her be so damn obvious, those blue eyes were like magnets. I kept getting sucked into them.

  “Can I get a ride later, Nico?” I turned to Jenna and her friend walking by and smiled big because I knew what kind of ride she was implying.

  Eyeing the short shorts she and the other girl were wearing, I couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe.”

  Jenna smiled even bigger with a twinkle in her eyes that said it all. Coming here tonight would have the happy ending I’d been anticipating.

  “I’ve never ridden on one of those before,” Madeline said once the girls were far enough away. “Maybe I can get a ride sometime too?”

  I stared her down, swallowing hard. She couldn’t possibly mean what Jenna had meant. Shaking my head, I began to chide myself for being delusional—completely irrational—until our eyes locked again and neither of us spoke. The moment felt like the one back at the café when Ama called me on it. It went on for so long I had to remind myself to breathe normally. Then I was hit with clarity even as the fabric around my crotch tightened and I sat up straighter. What the fuck was I thinking? “Not a chance in hell. You’re jailbait, baby girl. Your mama would have me hung if she ever saw you on the back of my bike.”

  For a split second, something flashed in her eyes. She turned to look at the girls who’d just walked by as her brow twitched. But then just like that, she turned back to me with a shrug. “So, Nolan’s an artist, huh?”

  I nodded, surprised by the change in subject but relieved since I was still a little dazed about that moment we’d just had. Before I could say another word, she continued. “I’m an artist too, and Nolan’s my age. An insatiable artist, huh . . .?” Like earlier when she’d made her thing-between-your-legs comment, she smiled sinfully. “Maybe he’s been flirting with the wrong sister.”

  The moment I realized what she was implying I was overwhelmed with an annoyance like none I’d ever felt. Even worse, trying to hide it proved impossible. Then I realized something else. It was what she’d been going for. A single encounter. One conversation and this girl thought she knew how to push my buttons?

  “Don’t worry about passing on the message,” she went on casually. “I think I’d rather tell him myself now. If you see him around tonight, tell him to come find me. I look forward to talking to him.”

  Frozen to the spot, I stood there and watched her walk away without so much as a good-bye. Naïve had always been a word I associated with females. Young innocent girls who got taken by guys, especially older ones. But I knew now how naïve I’d been. Even as the older more mature of the two, for a moment I had to wonder if it didn’t apply to me. I tried to convince myself but wasn’t sure I actually believed I could laugh off the encounter with little Ms. Madeline Hellman and never look back.

  Chapter 2: The Game

  Weeks passed after that first conversation with Madeline at the lake. Not only did it seem she was everywhere I turned now, infuriatingly, she invaded my every fucking thought. I managed to keep her off my mind while I was busy working, but anytime I was in town, all I could think of was the next time I’d see her. More frustrating, who I’d see her with.

  Before she could make good on her threat—because there were no two bones about it, I’d since decided it’d been a purposeful threat—I made good on my promise. That same night at the lake, first chance I got Nolan alone, I made a few things clear.

  “Stop laying it on so thick with that Hellman twin.”

  As expected, he’d been surprised when I explained about Madeline’s request. “Why didn’t she come talk to me?” he’d asked, already looking around for them.

  “Because I told her I’d take care of it. You can flirt with Maggie. Just tone that shit down. It makes her uncomfortable. But you stay the hell away from Madeline altogether.”

  “What?” he’d started to laugh but then misunderstood. “Did she tell you to tell me that too?”

  “No. I’m telling you to stay away from her.”

  Little did I know this was only the beginning of what would become our game. Because of her “big bad Cortez brothers” comment, I knew she was aware of the reputation we’d earned around town. It was no secret any girl on the back of any of our bikes was not a girlfriend but someone who was just getting a ride. None of us had ever done the serious girlfriend thing, or even casual girlfriend for that matter. Between the girls from Huntsville and the ones from neighboring towns, there’d been plenty of different girls Madeline had seen on my bike in or around town.

  If she had before, I’d never noticed, but just like that air of energy she carried so candidly, the disgust whenever she saw me with yet another new girl hadn’t been missed. Worst of all, many of those times her mother had witnessed it too. Sometimes when Madeline wasn’t even around.

  A few new things had been spinning in my head ever since the encounter at the lake. I’d begun to feel like a fucking creeper for constantly keeping an eye out for her and being incapable of keeping my eyes off her once I had her in sight. Yet, her comment about my motorcycles getting bigger made me think maybe she’d been keeping tabs on me as well. Right?

  I mean what girl would notice something as insignificant as my upgrading my used motorcycles? I could see if I had a new badass hog I might have shown up at the lake with. But so far, all my rides had been refurbished bikes. Even the one she’d noticed was bigger was in dire need of a paint job. Most motorcycle novices, as I imagined most sixteen-year-old girls would have been, wouldn’t even have noticed the difference between the one I was on that night and the previous one I had.

  Yet she did.

  She mentioned the size, but in hindsight now it seemed she may’ve had that line prepared. Only it’d been my first night out on that refurbished bike. So she couldn’t have had too much time to prepare. And yet all the times I’d observed her from afar, except for the day at the cafe with Ama, I’d never noticed her notice me. Just when I’d decided I was being delusional, that she hadn’t actually been watching me that close, I had another run-in with her that changed that.

  I’d walked in to pay for my gas at the gas station convenience store when I spotted her and her sister on the other side of the store by the fountain-drink dispensers. For the first time in the last several times I’d seen them, I couldn’t immediately tell who was who since both were facing the other way and were busy filling their cups and not doing any talking.

  For a moment, my wuss ass considered ducking out. I didn’t see Loretta anywhere, so I assumed they came in her friend Shelby’s car since I also spotted her an aisle away from the twins. I started to inch my way back when something Shelby said suddenly got my attention.

  “Ooh, Maddie, you’re gonna love this.”

  Shelby was holding a magazine in her hand as she walked over to show Maddie something. Suddenly, I was beyond curious to see or hear about what she was going to love. Slinking behind the doughnut case display, I waited, peeking around, glad none of them were facing me. Both sisters huddled around Shelby and the magazine.

  “Remind you of someone?” Shelby asked as the girls leaned in.

  “Nice,” one of the twins said, but I still couldn’t see their faces, and apparently they also sounded exactly the same.

  “Eh,” the other twin said, not sounding as impressed, and I was pretty sure this was Madeline. “That guy’s hot, but he’s way hotter than that.”

  “Oh c’mon,” Shelby protested, lifting the magazine closer to her. “Look at those eyes.”

  Already my breath hitched as my mind started to jump to conclusions, and then Madeline replied, “God no. I don’t think anyone will ever touch the Cortez green eyes, not even some model on the cover
of a magazine.”

  She walked back to the fountain-drink dispenser and added a little more of whatever she was drinking into her cup. I stood there, debating whether to make a run for it before she saw me and knew I heard what she just said. But something had me staying. She mentioned the Cortez brothers, just as she had at the lake, the night she also made it clear that she might have more in common with Nolan before so unceremoniously walking away. So my curiosity now about who she meant when she said he’s way hotter was through the roof.

  Then she clarified even more than I could’ve asked for. “Besides, let me see?” She walked back to get a closer look again. “Yep. That’s a Bolt. Poor man’s 883. I doubt Nico would ever own one of those. His might all be older models, but I’ve never seen him on anything but a Harley.”

  Why I was floored I wasn’t sure, but a mix of something was going on in my gut. I felt like a fucking giddy chick, but at the same time, I was panicking. I needed to get out before she saw me, especially now. Only there was no way I’d make it out without any of them seeing me. The moment their attention was on the sandwich area I beelined it to the opposite side of the store with the refrigerators and pretended I was looking for something to drink from there. Something on the lower shelves.

  At least if they saw me now, I’d have been far enough away, and they’d be left to wonder if I’d heard, not know for sure I did. Okay, so she thought I was hot, and she even knew more about motorcycles than I would’ve imagined. Specifically that I rode an 883. But as stupid as it may have sounded, I loved that she knew I’d never ride a fucking Bolt.

  “That’s ’cause you never listen!”

  My thoughts were momentarily interrupted when a couple who looked a little older than I started to argue near the front of the store. After the man’s loud outburst, she hushed him, and their arguing continued too low for me to hear. Still, they’d gotten everyone’s attention in the store, including the girls, and it was obvious the woman was embarrassed and angry.

  It was only noon, but the town got pretty touristy in the warmer months with big city folks driving in to the lake and riverside campsites. So it wasn’t too rare to have a few run-ins with drunks this early in the day. Except neither of these two looked or sounded drunk.