Hating My Best Friend, page 1
Hating My Best Friend
BB Hamel
Contents
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Prologue: Sara
1. Sara
2. Major
3. Sara
4. Major
5. Sara
6. Major
7. Sara
8. Major
9. Sara
10. Major
11. Sara
12. Sara
13. Major
14. Sara
15. Sara
Also by BB Hamel
About the Author
Copyright © 2019 by B. B. Hamel
All rights reserved.
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Prologue: Sara
I dangle my feet over the edge of the old bridge wall and can just barely dip my toes into the cold water.
Major leans back, his muscled, shirtless body practically gleaming in the sun. I watch him from the corner of my eye and I can’t help but feel my pulse quicken.
He’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were little kids and our relationship was never like… that. He always had other girlfriends, even though he’s single right now, and I’ve had a few boyfriends all through high school.
But we’re not in high school anymore. We both got into Penn State and we made a pact to go there together. I opened my letter only hours ago and now we’re down by the river that runs along the edge of our tiny little nowhere Pennsylvania town for a swim.
Well, not really a swim. I’m mostly stealing glances at Major’s incredible body.
“College,” he says and grins at me. “You ever thought we’d make it?”
“I knew I would,” I say. “And figured you were good enough at baseball to get in somewhere.”
He barks a laugh. That was a huge understatement. Major is one of the brightest prospects in the entire country. He’s been playing at the highest levels and blowing everyone out of the water for years now and it was obvious that he’d get a full ride to wherever he wanted to go. I’ve even heard rumors that the big leagues were scouting him and trying to get him to skip college entirely.
Major comes from baseball royalty. Well, not exactly. His father played in the minor leagues but never made it to the big time while his mother was a good softball pitcher in college. He has three older sister and none of them play sports, so it was up to Major to carry the ball-playing tradition forward.
His parents pushed him relentlessly. I remember Major training every night after dinner with his dad, hitting ball after ball, catching flies and scooping grounders for hours. I’d watch with a lemonade until Major was sweaty and exhausted and it was too dark to keep playing.
“Not bad today, but you can do better,” his dad would always say.
Major would make a face and join me in the shade. I’d offer him lemonade, but I always knew.
His head was still on the game. Even back then, he couldn’t slow down, couldn’t stop his sheer intense talent.
“Come on,” Major says, nudging me with his shoulder. “Let’s swim.”
“Swim? No way, it’s freezing.”
“So what?” He grins at me, that vicious and cocky grin I know so well.
“Major,” I say. “Don’t.”
“Come on, little Sara,” he says, leaning toward me.
“Don’t!”
He grabs me and pulls me forward. He propels us away from the wall and we tumble down into the deep water that pools around the old bridge. We hit the water and it’s like falling into ice. I gasp and pull up to the surface.
Major laughs when I splash him.
“You asshole,” I say.
“Oh, come on. You knew you were getting wet. You always do.”
I make a face. “Yeah, because you’re an asshole.”
“Nah. You keep coming because you love it.”
I roll my eyes and look away. He’s right, of course. He knows me better than anyone. I keep coming here with him, knowing full well he’s going to pull me into the water at some point, because I love it.
I love seeing his shirtless body soaking wet. I love the way he touches me and teases me. I love every minute of being half naked with this gorgeous boy, my best friend.
I drift away from him lazily. “So, when does practice start?” I ask.
He looks away. “I’m not sure,” he says.
“I’m sure the Penn State coach is all up your ass.”
“Wants his star player,” he grumbles.
“Come on. It’s not so bad.”
“It’s not bad at all.” He grins and swims circles around me.
“Mister big-shot baseball star. I’m surprised you even have time for me.”
He laughs but there’s something behind his laughter. He’s looking at me in a way I’ve never seen before. It makes me tremble, just a little bit.
“Cold?” he asks.
“A little.”
He moves closer. “I’ve been getting more interest from the majors,” he says softly.
“Oh, yeah?”
“They want me to join a farm team full-time. Offering some really high numbers.”
I frown. “But we’re going to college together.”
He moves closer. “Come here.”
I try to swim away but he grabs me. I laugh as he pulls me against him. “Get off, idiot,” I say.
“You said you’re cold. I’m just trying to warm you up.”
“Major.” I bite my lip, staring into his eyes. He’s never done this before. He always teases, sure. We flirt and push each other but it’s always playful.
This is something different. He’s staring at me in a way that makes my entire body tremble. I can feel it down between my legs, the thrill starting to grow.
He tightens his grip. “You know,” he says softly. “I’ve always wanted to do something.”
“Yeah?” I’m a little breathless, staring into his beautiful green eyes.
“Haven’t you ever wondered?” The question is almost whispered, but I know exactly what he means.
“Maybe,” I admit.
“I’ve thought a lot about it. I’ve thought about it almost every day for a long time.”
“Really?”
He nods. “I know you think about it too. I see the way you look at me.”
“Major, I—”
He doesn’t let me finish. He kisses me then and for a second, I think I might resist it.
We’re best friends. We’ve been best friends for a long, long time. We were never supposed to do this. I mean, what would this mean for our friendship? We’re going to college together, he promised me, and I made it happen. We’re going to stay friends forever.
This isn’t friendship, though. Friends don’t kiss like this.
Friends don’t taste so damn good.
I don’t fight it. I know I can’t. He’s right, I’ve been thinking about this for a long, long time.
I let his tongue into my mouth as I push myself tighter against him, wrapping my arms around his neck. Before I know it, he’s swimming us over to the riverbank.
We stumble out of the water. We’re both dripping wet and wearing just bathing suits. There’s a big, flat rock near the bank and he pushes me over to it, pinning me against the sun-warmed stone.
God, I’ve never felt this way before. Not with any of the other boys I’ve kissed.
This is animal. This is passion. I’m dripping wet between my legs and it’s not from the river. My heart’s hammering. All I want is to keep tasting him.
He doesn’t stop. He unties my top, drops to his knees, slides off my bottoms. He tongues my pussy and I grab his hair.
“Major,” I moan, saying my best friend’s name over and over.
We’re not supposed to do this. We’re best friends, only friends.
But when he bends me over that rock and spanks my ass rough, I know I need it. God, I beg for him to fuck me.
I’ve never done this before, not with anyone. I mean, I’ve kissed guys, done some stuff, but I’ve never had sex. I’m a virgin, a total virgin, but I don’t feel shy. I don’t feel scared.
I’m with Major. I know he’ll take care of me.
So I moan and I beg him and I let his fingers tease me until he pushes his cock up against my dripping slit.
He slips his huge cock between my legs, sinks himself deep, and it feels like I’ve always dreamed it would and more.
We fuck like that, out in the woods near the river, for I don’t know how long. I come on his big cock, maybe the first real orgasm of my whole life. It feels so good I can barely breathe. When I’m finished, I sink to my knees and suck his cock, swallowing his cum, licking him clean.
We hold each other after. We don’t talk about what this means for our friendship. We just had sex, incredible sex, amazing sex. I can still taste him on my tongue, feel him between my legs.
I’m smiling when I get home and I’m smiling the next morning when I wake up to a text from him.
I’m sorry. This isn’t what I wanted.
It’s confusing and I don’t respond right away. I’m not sure what he means and I obsess over every detail as I shower. Does he mean what
The news is all over. It’s pretty huge, especially for a small town like Norwood.
Major Morris, baseball prodigy, signed a big deal with the New York Yankees to play in their farm league until he’s ready to start in the big time.
I stare at it and finally call him. But he doesn’t pick up.
I call, I text. I even show up at his house later that day but nobody’s home.
Major Morris, my best friend.
We were supposed to go to college together.
But he lied to me. He’s not coming to Penn State at all.
He’s going straight to play baseball and he’s leaving me all alone.
He fucks me, takes my virginity, takes what he wants from me, and leaves me all alone.
I don’t hate him all at once. I can’t hate my best friend like that, not immediately.
But slowly, over days and weeks and months of silence from him, my hate slowly grows and builds until one day, I’m in my college dorm all alone looking at social media and his name happens to pop up in someone’s status.
Major Morris is getting called up much sooner than anyone predicted.
And I think to myself: I hate him. I hate that guy so much, I wish he’d get hurt.
It hits me hard in that moment. I’m almost breathless with the anger.
God, I hate him so freaking much I could scream.
Major Morris is dead to me. My best friend drowned in the river that day and left me alone, completely alone.
1
Sara
Seven Years Later
I slip the last rose into the vase and step back to check my work.
“Not bad,” Dot says from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder. “Been there long?”
“Long enough. You’re getting good at that.”
I shrug. “It’s just putting flowers into a vase.”
Dot sighs like a long-suffering spouse. She walks over and adjusts the flowers ever so slightly, somehow making their arrangement that much better.
“It’s not that simple,” she says. “It’s about making them look… right. Like they belong in this vase.”
“Yeah, yeah. So you say.”
She smiles and kisses my cheek. “I know you’re sick of it.”
“But it is starting to stick.”
“That’s the goal. Now, come help your old aunt out up front.”
I nod and take another glance at the vase. I don’t know how Aunt Dot does it, but the woman is a genius when it comes to floral arrangements. I guess that’s how she’s managed to keep a little flower shop open in a town like Norwood for so many years.
I follow her up front. The radio’s playing softly in the background as I sweep up the floor. Dot’s moving around the flowers, watering what needs it, humming softly to herself.
My parents died a week after I graduated from Penn State. It was some freak car accident and I became an orphan overnight. It’s been three years since the accident and although I’m healing, I’m still not totally over it.
I came back to Norwood to take care of their estate and just never left. Aunt Dot hired me to work in her flower shop and I guess I’ve just been moving forward ever since then. I got my own little apartment maybe a ten-minute walk away and I still see some friends from high school from time to time.
My life is quiet and boring. I never imagined I’d still live in Norwood at twenty-five, but here I am. I’m not exactly using my marketing degree, or so Dot loves reminding me, but at least I’m independent.
It’s strange, the way life can change so suddenly. It happened once, seven years ago, and it happened again when my parents died. I don’t feel like the same girl I was all those years ago, and I guess I’m not. Time changes everything, sooner or later.
I’m so deep in my own thoughts that I almost miss the name on the radio. It’s a name I’m used to hearing by now. I’m used to seeing his face on TV, hearing his voice, hearing other people go on and on about how amazing he is. I’m used to it, and still it somehow pisses me off every single time.
I pause sweeping and listen to the radio, feeling that old familiar twinge of rage, duller now but still there.
“According to the Yankees, Morris’s injury isn’t going to keep him out for the whole season. They’re hoping surgery and rehab will get him back on his feet by the time they make the playoffs. Morris himself didn’t respond to a request for comment.”
I frown and stare at the radio.
“Oh, I heard about that,” Dot comments absently. She knows about my past relationship with Major, basically everyone does. We were inseparable for such a long time.
But she doesn’t know about what happened. She doesn’t know he slept with me, ruined our friendship, and ghosted me. As far as she’s concerned, and as far as the world’s concerned, my friendship with Major Morris just faded away after he left to play baseball.
That’s not how it happened, of course. She has no clue how much I hate hearing about him. Nobody does, except maybe Major himself.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I mumble. “He’s the hometown hero. He’ll be back up on his feet soon.”
Dot shrugs. “Your uncle said the sort of injury he has isn’t the sort most players come back from.”
I frown. “They didn’t sound so concerned there.”
“They never are. Probably want to rule everything out before telling the world that their star player is done forever.”
Dot goes back to straightening and whistling and I go back to sweeping, but I can’t stop thinking about Major Morris.
As much as I hate him, I hope his career isn’t over. I know how much playing meant to him and his family. His whole identity was built around that game. I can’t imagine what Major would be without it.
Dot opens shop not long later and the day slowly passes like any other. We fulfill orders, chat with regulars, but mostly we pass the time. We do a steady business but holidays are really where Dot makes the bulk of her yearly income.
Otherwise, we’re just a sleepy little flower shop in a sleepy little town.
We close up midway through the day to eat lunch like always. We eat at a nearby diner and talk about what’s happening around town. Dot’s easy to get along with and we’ve gotten really close ever since she gave me a job after the accident. I don’t know what I’d do without her.
When we finish, we head back to the store to open back up. I step up onto the sidewalk, digging for the keys, and stop dead in my tracks when I look up.
A man’s standing near the door. He smiles at me, a little awkwardly. He’s tall, well over six feet, and covered in muscles. He looks like a professional athlete, actually. His hair’s cropped short and close and his eyes are a startling, cool green. I stare at him for a second and suddenly can’t seem to move my feet.
“Well, now, we were just talking about you.” Dot appears at my shoulder. “Major Morris. How are you?”
He smiles at her. “You’re Sara’s aunt, right?”
“The one and only.” They shake hands and I try to remember where they’ve met before. Probably at any number of family parties I brought him to over the years. “Heard about the injury on the radio.”
Major glances down at his knees but his smile doesn’t waver. “No big deal,” he says.
“We’re rooting for you.”
Major looks back at me and there’s silence. Dot hesitates then clears her throat. “Well, I’ll head back in. You two can catch up.”
I want to tell her to stop but she’s already past Major and unlocking the door. I stare at him as Dot disappears into the shop, the door shutting slowly behind her.
“Hey,” he says. “Long time.”
I stare at him, at Major Morris, my gorgeous old best friend.
The person I hate most in this world.
He’s grown up. I mean, I knew that already. I’ve seen him on TV a thousand times. Even though I try to avoid all sports, it’s hard to avoid Major in this town. He’s everywhere and people seem to be obsessed with his career.
