“Hit me with that pom-pom again, and you’ll lose an appendage,” she said.
He made a face at her, and she continued untangling me from the helmet.
“Think you’ll be done anytime soon?” he asked. “I need to borrow Claire before she completely destroys that ribbon.”
“The ribbon is trying to destroy me,” I said.
Riley looped the final piece through the face mask and shot him a triumphant grin. “Patience is a virtue, Adam. Develop some.”
“I have no patience, and I don’t plan on getting any,” he replied. He traded her pom-poms for the helmet and shoved it at the player. With no other explanation, he grabbed my hand and hauled me toward the bleachers. “Thanks for releasing the beast,” he told Riley, waving at her. “We’ll catch you at Tate’s.”
We crossed the field, grass squishing beneath my boots. People exited the stairs in thick clusters of Pader Pirate gear, each offering Adam more congratulations than I could count. He was the man of the hour, but all I was focused on was the gloved hand that held mine.
He kept his grip as we ascended the stairs. Our shoes clanked along the metal, Adam’s cleats louder than mine. When we were at the fifty-yard line, he leaned over. His breath was warm against my cheek, and my nerves stood on end as strands of his damp hair brushed my skin.
“Act normal,” he whispered. “I know that’s hard for you, but give it a go.”
He straightened and continued to walk. I stuck my foot out and caught his cleat, sending him into the rail.
“How’s that for normal?” I answered.
“Adam!”
Adam straightened and squeezed my hand. I squeezed his harder.
An older woman, with fluffy gray hair and eyes the same shade as Adam’s, stood on the third row. Her face was warm and welcoming, etched with wrinkles that lined her mouth and surrounded her eyes. We wore the same jersey, but she had a large plastic button with Adam’s picture pinned above her heart. He smiled at her as she wrapped him in a hug.
“You almost gave me a heart attack,” she said. “You can’t let things get that close.”
“Had to keep you from falling asleep,” he answered. “Your bedtime was two hours ago.”
She released him and swatted him on the arm. “Now, dear. Don’t forget who you live with. I might forget to leave the dead bolt unlocked. What a shame that would be.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he said. He turned and motioned at me with his free hand. “Grandma, this is Claire. Claire, this is my grandma.”
“Nice to meet you, young lady,” she said, pulling me in for a hug. “Wanda Meade. You may call me Grandma or Wanda, but if you call me Mrs. Meade, I’ll dust your sugar cookies with salt.”
“It’s true,” Adam said. “Tate made that mistake once.”
She took a step back and winked. “And he never called me Mrs. Meade again, did he?” Adam shook his head, and she grinned. Her attention drifted to our hands, and her grin widened. “Glad to see Adam finally brought a real date,” she said. “It’s about time he picked someone.”
“Grandma!”
Adam’s cheeks reddened, but she waved him off.
“Oh, you hush,” she replied. “I’m old and senile. I can say what I want.”
“Except you aren’t senile,” Adam answered. “You’re as youthful as a spring chicken and sharper than an ax. The old people excuse doesn’t fly.”
“It flies if I say so.” She turned and grabbed two bottles of water and a bag of Sour Patch Kids from the bleacher. “Now,” she said, handing me a water before handing the rest to him. “I know you’re staying at Tate’s tonight, but I expect you to behave yourself. I don’t want Sheriff Stevens beating down my door, explaining to me you’ve burnt down half the town again.”
“Again?” I repeated.
Adam sighed. “In my defense, we needed something to start the bonfire. The couch was way more effective than damp wood, and it wasn’t even that big.”
“It was big,” Wanda argued, “and your harebrained scheme got the entire town on a two-month burn ban. I don’t want to explain to the girls at Scrabble Club that my grandson is involved with the law again.” She scrunched her nose and looked at me. “Make sure he stays on the straight and narrow, won’t you, dear?”
Adam made a comment under his breath that sounded like “I’d pay to see her try,” and I nudged him in the side.
“I’ll make sure he’s on his best behavior,” I assured her.
“Thank you, sweetie.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Everyone loves to pick on Adam.”
“Only when Adam refers to himself in the third person,” Wanda said.
“You’re lucky I love you.” He kissed her cheek and took a step along the bleacher, tugging my hand. “We have to head out,” he told her, “but call me if you need anything. If I don’t answer, leave a voice mail, and I’ll call you back.”
“I’ll be fine.” She waved at us and gathered her things. “It was nice meeting you, Claire. I’m making a peach cobbler tomorrow afternoon. If the town is still standing, you should swing by and grab a piece.”
“But that’s my cobbler,” Adam replied.
“And you can share.” She shoved her stadium seat under her arm and patted him on the shoulder as she walked by. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Be good.”
“I will.”
Wanda reached the bottom of the steps, and Adam followed her with his eyes. When she was out of sight, he looked at me.
“I love cobbler,” I said.
“You stay far away.”
He started back to the stairs, not bothering to let go of my hand. My common sense screamed to let go on my own, but I didn’t. His hand was warm, and it wasn’t like it was a big deal if I held it. It was just a hand. This was just Adam.
“Thanks for being nice to my grandma,” he said, looking at me.
“I’m always nice.”
I took a step toward the stairs and caught one of the long ribbons beneath my boot. Adam kept me from falling on my face, but laughed as I straightened.
“Graceful,” he chuckled.
“It’s this stupid ribbon,” I answered. “You forgot to mention this thing was the size of Texas. That would’ve been a deal breaker.”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you. You would’ve broken my grandma’s heart and deprived me of much-needed entertainment, all in one night.”
I glared at him. He thought this life-threatening decoration was entertaining? It wasn’t entertaining! It had the potential to break my leg and wreck my street cred in one fell swoop.
“You’re proud of yourself for sticking me with this, aren’t you?” I asked, pointing at the gaudy ribbon attached to my chest.
“Yep. Thought you would’ve turned me down when you saw it, but here you are ribbon and all.” He waved the Sour Patch Kids at me and grinned. “She was so happy, I even got these. You don’t understand how much I love these things.”
I studied them. “They’re your favorite?”
“Sour Patch Kids are life,” he replied.
“Good.” I snatched the candy before he realized it and sprinted down the bleachers. “They’re my favorite, too!”
10
The Truth
“I think you broke my ankle.”
“Better than your heart.”
Pain radiated through my leg, and I winced. Adam’s lack of compassion didn’t help. I pulled a bag of chips from the red-and-white tablecloth and glared at him. He returned my glare and dropped a case of water on the concrete floor.
“Besides,” he said, brushing his hands against his jeans, “you missed the step. How was that my fault?”
“You were chasing me!”
“No, I was trying to get my candy back. If you wanted a piece, you should’ve asked.”
“Would you have shared with me?” I asked.
“Nope.”
I tossed a chip at him, and he chuckled as Riley crossed the barn.
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“People should be here any minute,” she said, her voice muffled by pop music. She wore a sequined blouse and the Homecoming queen tiara she won at the game. They gleamed in the barn’s dim lighting. “Are we missing anything?” she asked. “Tate is getting ice from the house, and the DJ is set up. Food good? Plenty of drinks?”
“Everything’s fine,” Adam answered. He shifted around the table and sauntered to the barn’s open doors.
“If everything’s fine, where are you going?”
Adam paused in the threshold, annoyance written on his face. “If you must know, I’m going to check on your boyfriend. Tate’s more likely to fall in the bucket than he is to hoist it into the back of my truck.”
“He said he could get it on his own,” she replied.
“Yeah? When has Tate ever admitted to needing help?”
“True.” She looked at me, hands on her hips. “Are all guys like that?”
“As far as I know,” I answered. “I chalk it up to being the inferior sex, but maybe it’s just stubbornness and pride. Adam, what do you think? You’ve cornered the market on those traits.”
He shot me the finger and ducked through the door.
I grinned and emptied another bag of chips into a bowl. Point one for Claire.
Riley grabbed a chip and munched on it. Once Adam was out of sight, she shifted her attention to me. “You two go to Homecoming together?” she asked, smiling. “Or is there a piece of the story I don’t know?”
“I was a cop-out,” I said, sliding the bowl across the table. “Adam was afraid another girl would get attached, so he asked me. It’s not a big deal.”
“Sounds like a date,” she replied, smiling, “and I highly approve.”
“It wasn’t a date.” A car pulled beside the barn, blaring country music over the rap. “People are here,” I said. “Quit interrogating me and go talk to them.”
“But this is way better. Do you know how long I’ve waited for Adam to be genuinely interested in one of my friends? Those people can wait. Give me the details.”
“There’s no details, Riley. This conversation is done.”
“Someone’s in denial.”
“Someone’s about to be down a friend.”
A group of students stepped through the barn doors, saving me from Riley’s nosiness. I recognized a few, but they immediately headed for Riley and her glittering tiara. Oh well. At least she was distracted.
My phone buzzed as I leaned against the table, listening to Riley chat with her friends. When I realized who was on the other end, a weight settled in my chest.
Seth: What are you doing?
I drifted to the back of the barn, reading and rereading the words. I hadn’t heard from Seth since the calculator incident, but I hadn’t tried to talk to him, either. If he didn’t seem to care, why should I?
Claire: I’m at a party.
Seth: Oh.
Good. I’d leave him on Read.
I crammed the phone in my pocket and passed a trio of girls chatting in a small sitting area at the back. They were scattered along the hay bales, drinking from red cups while the DJ spun a beat.
“He’s so incredibly gorgeous,” one girl said, taking a sip.
“Hey, I called dibs!” a brunette replied.
I glanced at the DJ, a medium-build, college-aged guy Tate hired for the night. He was decent. Not worth calling dibs on, but okay to look at.
“He dropped a pencil, and I handed it to him,” the brunette continued. “Even got him to say thanks.”
“That’s nothing,” the third girl replied. “We hooked up.”
“Nuh-uh,” both of her friends said in unison.
The girl nodded, winking at them as she swirled her cup. “July. Right after the Fourth,” she replied. “And Adam stood up to that reputation of his. Would do it again, anytime.”
A sickening feeling burrowed in my stomach as the other two giggled.
“Meade has skills?” the brunette replied.
“Yep.”
I stepped away, feeling the urge to throw up. Who Adam hooked up with shouldn’t have affected me, but it did. I was pissed at him, and he didn’t even know me in July!
The green monster of jealousy clawed at my back as I walked outside for fresh air.
Feelings were a slippery slope. Once you felt something, you felt everything else, and this felt like a sock to the gut on Christmas morning. It was a blemish on a peaceful night, a disappointment I hadn’t anticipated, and exactly why we needed to keep it simple.
We were better off as friends. This was just a reminder.
* * *
“Hey, wait up!”
“Nope.”
“Claire,” Adam called, his voice carrying across the gravel as his pace increased. “Claire, wait up.”
He caught me, but I kept my eyes on the road ahead. Behind us, the party was still in full swing. The bass pounded through the night, carried on the breeze, and the smell of smoke from Tate’s fire pit swirled through the air. The party was raging, but I didn’t care. I was focused on Riley and Tate, both of whom swayed like the wind and barely managed to stay upright.
“Are you ignoring me?” Adam said, his voice taking on an edge. He blocked my path, but I sidestepped him. “Okay,” he continued. “Care to tell me why?”
“Nope,” I answered.
He muttered under his breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. Despite seeming annoyed, he walked with me anyway.
We stopped in front of an old, abandoned building. It looked straight out of a horror film, dark, broody, and foreboding, but Tate stumbled up the cracked concrete steps, and Riley followed.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, extending his hands in either direction. He turned and shoved a key in the lock. “Watch your step on the way in,” he continued. “Don’t want anyone breaking themselves.”
Riley laughed and followed him through the door. When her blond hair was shrouded by darkness, I swore. I was staying with her for the night, which meant her vehicle was the one we were taking home. Since she was drunk, it was up to me to get us there. Couldn’t do that if she got lost in the haunted whatever this was.
Adam’s hand wrapped around mine, and his breath grazed my cheek. “This place isn’t easy to navigate. Stay with me, and you’ll be fine.”
“And why should I trust you?” I replied.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
I kept walking, but let him hold my hand for the sake of security. If I got lost, it was better being with someone than alone. Even if it was Adam.
Inside, the room was pitch-black. People hovered close, their breath leaving them in short spurts, while Tate fiddled with something against a metal wall.
“What are we doing?” I asked Adam.
“We’re playing a game,” he replied.
Tate turned, a flashlight flickering on and illuminating the planes of his face. “You know the drill,” he said. “Blackout hide-and-seek. Everyone from here to here is Team A. Everyone else is Team B.” He handed the flashlight to Riley and pulled another from the box. “Each round is fifteen minutes. If you aren’t caught by the end of the round, head back on your own. Don’t break anything, don’t break yourselves, and stay away from the basement. There’s snakes down there. Questions?”
“What does he mean there’s snakes?” I whispered to Adam.
Adam grinned and took the flashlight extended to him. He handed it to me, and I examined the room.
“All right,” Tate said. “Team A, go hide.”
Half the room’s population scattered like mice. Their shoes echoed against the floor, and the sound of doors opening and closing ricocheted through the building. Adam grabbed the flashlight and turned it off.
“What are you doing?” I asked. My hand brushed his skin as I tried to get it back. “This place is creepy. Turn it on!”
“Watch the hands,” he answered. “You might grab something you didn’t plan on grabbing.” I paused, and his laugh echoed through
the room. “You embarrassed, Collins? I’ve never seen you shut up so quick.”
I crossed my arms and turned my back to him. If I pretended to be invisible, maybe I would be.
Something rustled the sleeve of my plaid shirt and made its way up my arm.
“Ah!” I screamed, whacking my shoulder with my hand. “Get off! Get off!”
“Easy, killer,” Adam said, his touch becoming more than a light graze. His fingers worked their way down my forearm and reclaimed my hand. “I didn’t know where you went. Wanted to make sure you hadn’t tried to go it alone.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Trust me, I believe you.”
He gave my hand a squeeze, and his arm brushed mine. While I was more than confident I could survive this place, Adam eased my nerves. He was comforting in the dark, and he was someone I could sacrifice if I had to run away screaming.
His scent lingered, and his breathing slowed. A few minutes later, the flashlight burned through the night. “Come on,” he said, tugging me across the room. “Tate always hides in the same spot.”
We found our way to a creepy hall where rusted doors sat shut. “This town needs a bowling alley,” I said, darting a glance behind me.
“Shhh.”
I glared at the back of Adam’s head. “Don’t shhh me,” I replied. “No one died and made you the king of hide-and-go-seek. As a matter of fact, this place belongs to Tate. If anyone should be shushing me, it’s—”
Adam turned, catching me off guard as he clasped his hand over my mouth and backed me into the wall.
Well, hello there.
He was a shadow, illuminated only by the beam that reflected off the floor. Strands of his hair brushed my forehead, soft against my skin, while the fabric of his shirt pressed flush against mine. I was pinned against cool metal, but his body was warm.
He was close.
He was too close.
Footsteps echoed down the hall, and he turned, cracking the tension between us as his hand shot out. Tate’s aggravated cry bellowed through the dark.
“Dammit, Adam! Why do you always come after me?” He freed himself and huffed. “You’re supposed to be my ride or die! Go look for Riley. Leave me in peace.”
Surviving Adam Meade Page 9
