DIRTY

27 SAM

"Dude, have you already paid the deposit for your cap and gown?" Lynx asked, as we were standing at a pool table.

We'd finally finished getting everything at Lobo's set-up for the after party and decided to play a few rounds of pool.

"I've paid it off" I grinned, a cigarette dangling from my lips.

"You're lucky. I'm surprised you didn't do anything for your birthday today" Lynx grinned, as he struck a red striped ball with his cue and sent it soaring into a felt covered wall.

"I'm here with my boys" I smiled, holding the cigarette in my hand.

Dom, August and Derek all raised their drinks.

"Besides Bayleigh gave me enough this morning" I replied, thinking about the great gift she's given me and the mind-blowing sex that followed.

I leaned down zeroing in on a yellow solid ball. The smoke from my cigarette danced up from between my fingers and my cue stick.

I hit the ball and it went flying into a blue solid, knocking it into the right corner pocket. I put my cigarette in my mouth and stepped to the side. I leaned on a wall near a table with an ashtray. I crossed my arms over my light blue t-shirt. I was dressed in my light blue t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. I looked at Lynx as I was chalking my cue, getting ready to make my shot. He looked deep in thought about something. His face was marred in concentration.

"Dude, you good?" I questioned.

"Yea...well no, I need to talk to you about something" he insisted.

I could tell in the nervousness of his face that it was serious.

"Just shoot it dude, closed mouths don't get fed" I said, leaning off the wall and switching my weight onto the pool cue.

"Well, it's about your sister" he exhaled, looking at me.

"Are we talking about my fourteen-year-old sister?" I asked.

I could feel my grip on my cue stick tightening. Was I losing a homie today? Lynx was my boy no doubt, my absolute best friend other than Rusty. With that alone, I was going to give him clearance to explain himself, but my verdict was going to pass whether it was a handshake or the end of my cue going across his pretty face. Men...It's been this way since Cera developed tits.

Guys sniffing around trying to date her, and me having to beat the shit out of them every time they broke her heart. And sadly, Cera had a type; a type that was similar to the men in our family. Tall, tough, grungy, no fucks given rough necks. And she always went after older men. When she was eleven, she wrote me letters talking about a fourteen-year-old she was dating.

I was still baffled that dad let her date, or maybe he didn't know. When she was thirteen, her last boyfriend was eighteen. She wasn't ready for sex, so he dipped. I tried to explain to her that older men are hungrier, but she didn't care. Now here I was standing in front Lynx with the decision on if he was going to continue to be my boy or become a tally mark on my knuckles. But I was going to hear him out first, I owed him that much.

"Yea, dude about that..." he started.

Just then the door to Lobo's swung open, distracting both Lynx and me. Bayleigh stepped in the door and closed it behind her. She was dressed in a royal blue, formal, prom gown. She was breathtaking. She had her light-brown hair pinned up a little, with curls all over. On the right side of her dress was a slit, revealing her right leg and her silver, high-heeled, sandal. Her make-up was perfect as she bat her big eyelashes at me. I looked around noticing all the guys in the room looking at her. I put down my cue, put out my cigarette and walked up to her.