“Same time on Thursday, then.”
“Do it, Ash.” Harper insisted, staring over his shoulder at the invitation. “If you don’t do it, I’m going to dress up like you and do it for you.” She leaned over his shoulder and snatched the invitation out of his grasp.
“Harper. You know they’re only inviting me to show my work because of who I am. They don’t really care if I’m good or not.”
“The Long View Gallery doesn’t give a shit who your parents are, and even if they do, who cares?”
“I do.”
“Why?” she demanded, turning her defiant eyes on him. “What does it matter what they think?”
“Because everyone will know I only got the opportunity because I’m Asher Brooks.” He snatched the invitation back from her.
“So, that’s what people will think at first. Then you do the show and wow them with your work and no one will ever question if you deserved the opportunity or not.”
“I just...I want to make it own my own merit.”
“News flash. You will always be Asher Brooks. People are always going to assume anything you achieve for yourself will be because of who you are. That’s never going to go away. It’s up to you to prove them wrong. So, you may as well start now. Do the show, Ash. The Long View is perfect for you. It’s a real gallery, but it’s not part of the political scene in this town.”
“It will be if I show there,” he muttered, wondering if that was why the gallery offered him a show. A way to increase their own prestige. But Harper was right; it was always going to be that way so why did it matter? The simple answer was it didn’t. Not to anyone but him.
Asher stared at the three silk-screen prints on the wall in his bedroom. They were like the ones he’d done of Harper in his studio, but these included a male figure in shadow. He had several others that were part of the same collection. And several more were still in progress. He had enough for a show. Ethan’s begrudging words rang in his mind: “That is gallery-worthy work.” Ethan had no reason to pay him such a compliment. He could trust that. And an art show was just the distraction he needed.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
11
Kenny
Yep, it was official. Kenny Montgomery and Killian James were idiots.
The fall festival began on Friday night—in November, only two weeks before Thanksgiving. The dunk tank was a great idea.
For anyone who didn’t have to get into it.
But there stood Kenny. For once, being a senator’s son couldn’t save him. Having the popularity that came with hockey was no use.
He scanned the surrounding booths. His teammates barely put any effort into it. Some had crappy little games. Killian stepped up next to Kenny and pointed to where Will set up his baked goods table. Kenny didn’t bother holding back his laughter.
The Twin Rivers High kids kept their distance like there was some invisible line in the middle of the festival. They’d had months to work on their booths so they put the academy ones to shame. Stands sold everything from caramel apples to cotton candy to corn dogs. In the center of the festival, a white gazebo housed a quartet of musicians.
Twin Rivers spared no expense. They never did. This festival did for Twin Rivers what the summer music festival did for the larger Cincinnati. It brought the people together. The late afternoon sun reflected off the river that provided the backdrop to the evening.
“Should we get started?” Killian lowered his hands to the belt of the terrycloth robe he wore over his swimsuit.
“You’re up first, man.” Kenny patted him on the back and took a step away.
Killian slid the robe down his arms, and Kenny almost doubled over laughing at the Speedo he wore. A crowd formed around the tank as people cheered for the enigmatic goaltender. He climbed onto the board hovering over the tank, his lithe frame making the act more graceful than Kenny would be.
Sun glinted off his pale skin as he pushed hair out of his face.
Diego appeared next to Kenny. “I-I can’t believe he wore that.”
“The guy is comfortable in his own skin, I guess.” Kenny looked down at his long swim trunks that covered his muscular legs. “Who’s up first?” A group of girls approached, giggling as their eyes flicked to Killian. He gave them a small wave.
For all the brooding Kenny knew him for, the guy sure knew how to play to the crowd. They’d have the most popular booth at the festival. A girl handed him her ticket and took the two balls. She hurled each at the lever, missing both times, and walked away with a slight slump to her shoulders.
“You good in there, Killer?” Kenny flashed him a grin.
Killian only flipped him off. Kids and adults they didn’t recognize drifted by, some stopping for ill-fated attempts at knocking one of the elite academy boys into the freezing water.
“Can I give it a shot?” Diego asked.
Kenny only lifted a brow and extended the balls to him. Diego stepped up to the line, turning himself almost as if he was about to pitch to a hitter. He cranked his arm back and released. The ball hit the target, and all they heard was Killian’s curse before he submerged into the water.
“Diego.” Kenny put a hand on his shoulder. “You are my new favorite person. But you’re also not allowed to throw when I’m in there.”
He laughed as Killian emerged, water dripping down his torso, and realized for the first time in a while he was having fun. There was no overthinking, no worrying.
He looked down at his phone and flipped to Asher’s text he never responded to. He wanted Asher to know he didn’t need him, that Kenny was going to be okay. It wouldn’t do to have Asher pity him.
Killian pulled himself from the tank and shook the water off like a dog. “Your turn, Ken doll.”
Kenny ignored the nickname and stripped off his shirt. This was going to suck. He climbed onto the board and scooted his butt out to the edge, hanging his legs off. His feet sank into the icy water, sending a chill through him.
Random strangers tried and failed to dunk him. It wasn’t until he heard a familiar voice he turned. Wylder Anderson held a ticket out to Killian and grinned when she took the balls. “I’ve been wanting to do this basically my entire life.”
“Dunk someone in a tank?” Killian asked.
“No, dunk Kenny in a tank.” She grinned wickedly as her eyes found him. “Dickhead totally deserves this.” She pushed her dreadlocks over one shoulder and squared up to the target. As soon as she pulled her arm back, Kenny knew it would miss. He just didn’t realize by how much.
“You have the worst aim of anyone yet today,” Kenny taunted her. This girl was Becks Anderson’s little sister and Nicky’s best friend. She’d been a thorn in Kenny’s side for years, and now even went to his school after getting kicked out of her own.
She pouted. “You’re right. Little old me could never make the shot. Good thing I brought a friend.” She reached behind her, her fingers latching on to Diego’s arm. Ugh. Not again.
“No way.” Kenny waved his arms at Killian. “She paid for the tickets. She throws the ball.”
Killian only shrugged. Traitor.
Diego looked from Wylder to Kenny and back again, unsure of what to do. Kenny felt kind of sorry for the guy. Anyone who was friends with either of the Anderson siblings was put in uncomfortable situations basically daily.
Wylder cupped her hands around her mouth. “Diego. Diego. Diego.” The crowd joined in until the boy in question had no choice. Not many people said no to Wylder.
Diego took the final ball and stepped up, readying himself just as he had before. Part of Kenny hoped Diego would take pity on him and go easier than he had on Killian. As Kenny glanced down into the ice-cold water, he knew he’d be meeting it momentarily.
Lifting his eyes, he fixed them on Wylder. “You’re—” His words cut off as the board beneath him fell away, plunging him into the water. Ice snaked through his veins as his feet found the bottom, and he broke through the surface, sputtering and ch
oking.
Wylder pulled herself onto the edge of the tank and grinned down. “You were saying something?”
Kenny splashed, and she jumped back with a shriek of laughter that quickly turned into a low cackle.
The color in her cheeks and the shine in her eyes spoke of a lightness she hadn’t brought with her from Twin Rivers High to Defiance Academy. In their few classes together, Wylder was a silent participant, speaking to no one.
“Glad I could give you so much entertainment.” Kenny pulled himself from the water with a grunt, and Killian prepared to go in again.
Wylder snagged Killian’s discarded robe and held it out to Kenny. Not caring about anything but the cold, Kenny shrugged it on and ran his hands up and down his arms, huddling under the heat lamp someone had the presence of mind to bring them.
Diego eyed him for a moment before taking over the ticket table. Ignoring Wylder, Kenny sat in one of the metal folding chairs at the table. Wylder disappeared as someone cheered, and Killian went into the water.
The next hour passed in a blur of freezing dips and still-cold moments in between. During a much-needed break, Killian sighed. “At least we don’t have to do this all day tomorrow.” The agreement with the team was they’d hold the dunk tank on the festival’s first night, but the rest of the weekend would be theirs. Tomorrow night featured an important home game against Lincolnton.
Kenny watched Will at his booth nearby. His baked goods seemed to be a hit and all the two defenseman had to do was sit behind a table eating cookies. “Martha Stewart,” Kenny grumbled. “I want to be Martha Stewart.”
Killian shook his head. “Don’t give up now, man.”
“I can’t feel my legs.”
“This will help.” Wylder set a foam cup in front of each of them along with bags of cookies that looked suspiciously similar to the ones Will was selling.
Kenny sniffed his drink.
“It’s hot apple cider.” Wylder sighed as she took a seat. “And no, I didn’t poison it.”
Kenny sipped it tentatively, groaning without shame when the heat hit his throat.
“This festival is boring.” She twisted a blond dreadlock around her finger.
“I’m sorry this couldn’t be more fun for you,” Kenny deadpanned. “Let me find my little violin.”
“Shut up.”
An idea sparked in his mind. “You know…if you want to have fun…”
“Oh, no.” She stood and backed away from him. “You couldn’t get me in that tank if you paid me. It’s freaking freezing. You’d have to be an idiot to willingly do it.”
Kenny and Killian shared a look. They were the idiots of whom she spoke, and it wasn’t exactly wrong. Making a silent agreement, they both turned toward Wylder. She stepped behind Diego as if he’d protect her.
“I dare you.” Kenny met her gaze. If she was anything like her brother, she’d be a little crazy. It was a good thing he liked crazy. “Go on. If I can’t hit the target, you don’t have to go in the water. I’ll only get one shot.”
“A dare?” she challenged, walking closer. Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “What do I get out of this?”
“What do you want?”
“You.”
His brow furrowed. “Wylder… I like you, but…”
“Ugh, I don’t want you like that, ya perv. Gross. You dated my best friend. That’s like incest.”
“I don’t think incest means what you think it means.” He suppressed a laugh.
“Here’s the deal. I will go in your stupid dunk tank. I’ll even let our surprise ringer, Diego, try to dunk me when you fail.”
“I don’t fail.”
She smirked. “But I get a dare too.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I’m not telling you yet. I’ll reveal my dare after I go in the tank. I want you to agree to it now. Whatever it is.”
“Within reason.”
“Within reason.” She lifted her hand, but he hesitated to take it. “Unless you’re scared. Does little Ken doll need to ask Daddy’s permission first?”
He clasped her hand. “Deal.”
With a grin, she released him. After taking off her coat and shoes, she climbed onto the platform as if the prospect of an icy drop didn’t bother her at all. Steely eyes scrutinized the crowd that had formed as they solidified their dares.
“You’re so screwed.” Killian laughed. “That girl scares me.”
Kenny watched her. She kicked her feet like she was splashing them in the water at the end of a dock on a summer day.
The girl who shunned the entire student body and was even more of a loner than Kenny also had the hardest will. She’d have made a great hockey player with her toughness.
And she was beautiful in a completely unique way. Of course, she looked too much like Becks for Kenny to ever go there, especially not with Asher on the brain. But he knew a lot of their classmates who would kill just for one look.
Will wandered over, a grin on his face. Kenny stepped in front of the crowd as if he could shield Wylder from their eyes. Maybe it was because she was Nicky’s best friend, or maybe he saw a familiar loneliness in her.
Her eyes met his. “Go on then. See if you can do it.”
A smile curved Kenny’s lips. His fingers curled around the softball and he released a breath before throwing the ball.
It hit the target dead center. The board dropped, and Wylder fell into the water without a sound. Kenny waited for her to emerge, but she never came back up. He shared a look with Killian before they both ran to the tank, Diego following behind.
“Wylder.” Kenny reached into the water to pull her still form to the surface, panic clawing at him. Did she hit her head? He managed to take hold of her arm, but as he pulled her to the side, she sprang to life, splashing everyone who’d crowded nearby. She laughed as she gasped for breath.
Kenny yanked his arm back. “Not funny.”
Beside him, Killian chuckled.
Wylder climbed from the tank. “What a balmy day. That swim was delightful. I don’t know what babies said it was cold.”
By this point, sunset had come and gone, replaced by stars overhead. More heat lamps lined the sidewalks, but it wasn’t enough to help the idiots with the dunk tank. And yet, Wylder managed to keep herself from shivering.
Diego wrapped a towel around her, and she smiled at him gratefully before turning gleeful eyes on Kenny.
He groaned. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“You promised you’d go through with it.”
“Not saying I won’t.”
“Good.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I want you to go in the tank.”
“Okay…”
“Naked.”
His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Killian and Diego rolled with laughter.
Wylder didn’t even crack a smile. “You said you’d do whatever dare I came up with if I went in the tank.”
One side of his mouth curled up. “That desperate to see me naked?”
Her face twisted in disgust. “Incest, remember? Maybe I’m just desperate to see you humiliated.”
Who was this girl, and where had she been all his life? Everyone needed a Wylder Anderson. She stared him down like he was nothing.
And it made him feel like he was something for the first time in a while. So, he’d do it. He wouldn’t back down from a dare. His smirk transformed into a grin and he draped an arm over her shoulders. “Wylds, trust me, I won’t be humiliated if everyone sees me naked.”
“Ew.” She pushed away from him. “You disgust me.”
“But I also think you kind of like me.” He held his thumb and pointer finger up. “A little?”
“Nicky doesn’t hate you.” She looked away. “So, I figure you can’t be the devil.”
His grin widened. “Oh, I’m definitely the devil.”
“Stop flirting with me.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Y
ou don’t have to make a show of it just so people don’t think you’re gay after the picture with Nicky.”
Gay. Of course she thought he was gay, because there were only two options. And that was why he didn’t do friends. They inevitably said something they couldn’t possibly understand.
Turning away, he huffed out a breath. She circled around to face him. “Ken…you are gay, right? You weren’t really hitting on me?” With the uncharacteristic vulnerability in her voice, he couldn’t stay mad at her. Was she really worried about making him mad? The Wylder Anderson everyone at Defiance Academy knew didn’t care about things like that.
“I’m…” He swallowed. “I’m…just going to do this dare so we can start packing up.”
She rested her hand on his arms. “You don’t have to, you know. I know most people just think I’m insane and ignore the things I say.”
“I told you I’d go through with it, so I will.” Forcing a grin on to his face, he removed Killian’s robe and handed it to Wylder. When his hands started pushing down the waistband of his swimsuit, passersby stopped to see what was going on. They catcalled, but Kenny let their words roll off him as he stepped out of the trunks, bare-ass naked in the middle of Twin Rivers Fall Festival.
Silver light from the moon illuminated his skin as he walked with all the confidence he’d always pretended to have. He climbed up the steps and sat on the cool wood, crossing his legs to avoid the kind of view that his classmates didn’t need in their minds.
He covered himself as best he could with his hands as he waited.
A long line formed, people drawn by the spectacle that was the naked senator’s son. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if this would end up in the newspaper. His father would have a stroke.
But that moment passed, and all he remembered was that he’d actually had fun tonight. His eyes found the laughing Killian, Diego, and Wylder. For once, he wasn’t left alone to brood. And it felt damn good.
He was so focused on that feeling, he didn’t hear the ball hit the target. His stomach dropped as icy water encased him.
Dating Washington (Discovering Me #2) Page 10
