Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel (The Rebel Series) by Elle Casey Page B

bedspread so I can’t see her happy face anymore.   “Tell her I have ebola virus and to stay away.”
    I hear some whispering that includes Teagan’s voice.   The door to my bedroom shuts.
    “Get up, you skanky ho.   I have Taco Bell,” she says.
    I peek out of my covers.   I have always been unable to resist the siren song of The Bell, and she knows it. I’d pretty much dive into a pool full of oh-my-god-those-are-not-Baby-Ruths for home-delivered Taco Bell. Dammit . Teagan has brought out the big guns.
    The fact that she barely has any money to her name tells me how far she’s willing to go for me right now.   I resign myself to the fact that I have to respect that kind of dedication and eat every crumb of whatever she’s brought me.   That’s what friends do for friends.   I will just have to sacrifice.
    “What kind of Taco Bell?” I say.
    “Do you even need to ask?” she says with extreme confidence.   “Meal deal number three … three tacos supreme with extra sour cream, a caramel apple empanada on the side, and a large root beer.”   She holds the bag over my face.   “Go ahead, smell those delicious meat byproducts. Try and resist my power.”
    My hand snakes out of the covers to snatch the paper bag out of her hand.   Once my bounty is secure, I sit up, dangling the steamy goodness above me.   “You had me at Taco.   Sit down, would ya?”
    She takes a seat on the end of my bed.
    Once I’m fully upright, I reach into the bag.   I hand her everything that wasn’t just described to me as part of meal deal number three and hold my hand out for one of the sodas she has in a cup holder.   “Gimme, gimme, gimme.”
    She hands over the giant plastic cup with condensation gathering on the sides, and I rest it in a little pocket I make in my covers.
    Once it’s freed from the wrapper, I take a bite of the first taco and a long gulp of soda as a chaser.   Holy awesome bad food.   Yummy, yummy get in my tummy.   Only after I’ve fully consumed that first taco do I begin talking.
    “So … what happened with Rebel?”   I use some root beer to swish the meat grains from between my teeth.   It’s some kind of miracle how the old T-Bell is able to provide me with meat the size and consistency of large sand granules like that.   Respect, Mr. Bell, respect.
    She criss-crosses her legs and puts her bag in the circle they make.   “We had a looong talk.   I haven’t slept yet, as a matter of fact.”   She smiles like the Cheshire Cat as she crunches away on a deep fried piece of what looks suspiciously like Styrofoam covered in cinnamon sugar.
    “Do I smell the scent of hot lovin’ on your clothing today, perchance?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow to give extra punch to my taunting.
    She kicks me through the covers.   “Ew.   No.   I took a shower.”
    “So what was his lame excuse?”   I take a giant bite of taco number two that quickly turns into four giant bites when it starts to crumble in my hand.   I have a personal goal not to let anything drop to the paper wrapper waiting below.   I have this taco-eating down to a science, yo.
    She shrugs, fiddling with her straw.   “I guess it all boils down to the fact that they had a brief thing going on where they’d have sex after work, but they never actually went out on a date and he never felt any spark with her.   But she assumed it was a lot more and basically looked like an ass after it was all over after bragging that she was going to be the one to snag him forever.”
    “Wow.   She was basing future marriage proposals on after-work sex and no dates?”
    “Apparently.”   Teagan shrugs again.
    “And you believe him?”
    She sighs loudly.   “I didn’t at first.   But then I played back in my head the things Olga said and did and what I know about Rebel, and I decided that if I’m going to distrust anyone in this thing it’s going to be her, not him.   He’s done nothing but be good to me from day one, so