“Why on earth would you come all this way looking for your boyfriend?” Church asks, a dangerous edge to his stoic face and smooth voice.
“I don't owe you an explanation,” Selena grinds out, but then she must realize how ridiculous this all seems, so she sighs and continues on, tucking some hair behind her ear. “He's been acting really weird lately.” She looks my way, as if seeking some female solidarity. “Sneaking around, lying about where he's been, and he's been spending way too much time with miss goody two-shoes.” Selena rolls her brown eyes again. “Aster even followed him here, so why shouldn't I?” Selena's face darkens as my own eyes widen in time with Micah's.
“Who’s Aster?” Micah asks, but even if he doesn’t remember who she is, I do. She's the curvy redhead who danced with both me and Ross during the Valentine's Day dance. But maybe he doesn't need to remember who she is to be weirded out that not one but two girls from Everly have shown up at the Oishii Onsen right after a murder occurred.
“Yeah,” Selena snaps, her face coloring. “She's here, and she's probably in the middle of riding my boyfriend's—”
“I know where Mark's room is,” Church says casually, cutting her off midsentence and staring at her with those honey-amber eyes of his. “Do you want us to show you?”
The tone of his voice says that’s not a request.
Selena glances around at the group of us, narrowing her eyes slightly with an understandable amount of suspicion.
“Maybe. Why were you guys on my ass like that?” she asks, looking back at me again, the only other girl in a circle of dick. “The Adamson Student Council, and the headmaster's daught—”
“Son,” I choke out, just in case anyone can overhear us. Selena cocks a brow and sighs, but she doesn't contradict me. “And we weren't on your ass, we just …”
“Chuck and I were about to get hot and heavy, and you interrupted us,” Church finishes before I can stop him. My cheeks flame as the other four boys in the Student Council glance my direction. Uh-oh. “We don't particularly like being watched.”
“She said killers,” Selena hedges, but I am beyond done with this conversation. I step forward and grab her arm, plastering on a fake smile.
“Come with me, and we'll find Mark, okay?” I say, and although I'm pretty sure Selena thinks we're full of shit, she lets me guide her down the walkway in the direction of her boyfriend's room. When we get there, she wastes no time in wrenching the shoji screen door open.
The room is empty.
Mark isn't in it, and neither is Aster.
Selena's face heats up as I step back and bump back to front into Ranger, reminding me that not all that long ago, we were nude but for our aprons, and in a position much more compromising than this. He puts his hands on my hips in an almost possessive sort of way, and I find myself shivering.
“You're sure this is his room?” Selena asks, her voice dark and thick with suspicion as she glances back at me. Church steps forward to take control of the situation like he always does though.
“I'm sure,” he says, and Selena frowns. I wonder where she's staying? Or how she got into the resort after-hours. Then again, when you have money, pretty much anything is possible, isn't it? She could've bribed any number of people to let her in.
“Thank you,” she quips, tossing her hair and stepping into the room. “I'll take it from here.”
Without another word, she turns and slides the screen door shut.
Ranger's big, hot hands are still sitting heavy on my hips, and when I turn around, thinking he'll step back, he doesn't move. Instead, it's just his sapphire eyes glaring into mine.
“Next time, an explanation would be nice when you kick me awake in the middle of the night,” he grumbles, his voice gruff but oh-so-sexy. I swallow hard, but I nod anyway, and he grabs me by the hand, dragging me back toward the room I share with Church. The rest of the boys follow, and we reconvene in the dim light of the gas lantern.
“I can't be the only one who's suspicious as fuck,” Spencer whispers, sitting cross-legged on a tatami mat and leaning back on his palms. The way he looks at me and Church though, I'm sure he's thinking about more than just Selena, Mark, and the dead body I'm positive we didn't hallucinate. “She came all the way down to Butt-fuck, Nowhere, North Carolina to see if her boyfriend was cheating on her?”
“People have done stranger things in regard to possible affairs,” Micah says, his voice strained. Tobias scoffs, crosses his arms over his chest, and looks away. We're still on about the candles and lighter apparently.
I sigh and rub at my forehead with the heel of my hand. My other is still captured in one of Ranger's, and he doesn't seem at all ready to let go. Church takes his seat on the pillow next to the low-set table and picks up his discarded teacup, sipping it and clearly wishing it were coffee instead.
“So, you buy her story then?” Spencer asks, cocking a dark brow. Sometimes, when I look at him, I get all giddy and weird on the inside. Like, he was my first time, and I'll never be able to forget that. Scratch it: I wouldn't want to forget that. But I'm also aware that dating five guys isn't a super realistic life choice. At some point, I'm going to have to choose between them, huh? The thought flitters through my mind like a moth, and I brush it away to the dark recesses of my brain.
“Not exactly,” Micah replies, carefully glancing over at his brother. I'm already missing their twin thing, and they've only been 'fighting' for all of half a day. “I'm just saying that maybe she isn't the suspicious one. Like, where the fuck is Mark? And who the hell is this Aster chick?”
“Aster was at the dance,” I say, feeling my palm sweat against Ranger's. His is dry and warm, and I can only hope he isn't squicked out by my moistness. I mean, the moistness in my palm that is. Like, I'm sure he wouldn't mind moistness elsewhere … I bet he'd mind the word moist though. He seems like the type to get peeved over a word. “She danced with me and Ross …” I trail off, because that's not particularly helpful information. No offense to her or anything, she was a nice enough girl, but our interactions were fairly forgettable.
“Aster, huh?” Ranger says, narrowing his eyes to slits. He squeezes my hand in his and then finally lets go, glancing my way. “You said you were sure one of the attackers was female?”
“Positive,” I reply, letting my mind follow his train of thought. “You think Aster could be one of the murderers? Or even Selena?”
“Either one would make sense, considering how suspicious Mark is,” Spencer adds as Church sits in quiet, contemplative thought. I can see the wheels in his head turning.
“Mark is guilty; we’ve known that since forever ago,” Micah says with a scoff, sitting down near Spencer and giving his twin some space. That particular sentence, I think it was meant to come out in unison. Glancing over at Tobias though, it’s quite obvious that he has no intention of playing along. “But seriously, what sort of guy could string his best friend up in a tree like that?”
“Mark is a serious cum wad,” I point out, and all five boys give their agreement in murmurs, nods, or shrugs. Also, note to self: don’t say cum around all five of your boyfriends, Chuck. It takes on a less gross and more, um, sensual sort of tone. Luckily, nobody notices my embarrassment in the dim light. “Honestly, finding out that he murdered his bestie would be less surprising than learning he has”—dramatic eye twitch—“groupies. Total vom moment.”
“But why?” Church says, breaking his silence as he looks up. “We're missing a motive here. Do I believe Mark could be dark, broken, and stupid enough to kill his best friend? Sure. But why? Why would Aster or Selena come after our Chuck?”
Our Chuck? I think, licking my lips as I take a seat near the table. Glancing around the room, I realize I kind of like that idea, of being their Chuck. Weird, huh? I mean, they used to crack eggs down my shirt and dump jars of spiders on me, give me swirlies and lock me out of the dining room at Culinary Club. And now, these Student Council Boys feel like they could be my forever crew.
; “Maybe we should set up some sort of surveillance, see when Mark comes back and who with?” Tobias suggests. “I could take the first watch.”
“I'll go with you,” Micah adds, standing up, but Tobias gives him a tight smile.
“I'd rather go with Spencer, but thanks anyway.” Tobias heads for the door and lets himself out while Spencer groans and grumbles under his breath about lack of sleep. On his way out, he comes over and blesses me with a kiss to the forehead before leaving.
Micah's crestfallen face on the other hand, that haunts me well into my dreams. In it, he's looking at the dead body of his brother on the shrine’s stone altar, instead of the stranger that Spence and I saw.
It feels like a warning to me, and I don't like that.
I don't want to lose one of my crew, not now or ever.
And I really, really don't want to choose.
The next morning, I wake up in a puddle of drool with my hair stuck to my face, just like Anna in fucking Frozen. Unlike Anna in fucking Frozen, I have Micah McCarthy grinning at me and taking pictures with his phone.
“If any of those end up on social media, I swear, I will destroy you.”
“Already posted to Insta,” he says with a dark grin as I reach out to swat him.
“Boner wizard,” I mumble in the most insulting way possible, pushing myself up into a sitting position and finding the rest of the room empty. The boys have rolled up their futons, folded their blankets, and stored their pillows in the closet. “Where is everybody? Did Mark ever come back last night?”
“Yup,” he says, tucking his phone away and leaning back. His red-orange hair falls into his face as he studies me with moss green eyes. It isn't lost on me that the reason he's fighting with his brother is because of me. Because he wanted to do something romantic for me. I bite my lower lip against a rush of guilt. “But Spence and Toby bailed when he and Selena started fu—”
“Okay, okay, enough. I don't need to rinse my ears out with bleach this early in the morning.” I stand up on shaky legs and yawn, trying to forget that I actually screwed both McCarthy twins on a Disneyland ride. As if I have a right to be prudish. “So, Mark came back, and not with Aster?”
“Yup. But who knows what he was up to before then? He told Selena he was hanging with the guys, but when Spencer and Tobias left, they checked all their rooms and it seemed like everyone else was fast asleep and had been for a while. Could be wrong though.” He shrugs his shoulders, and his yukata slides down just enough that I can see the rose tattoo on his shoulder. “Everyone else is at breakfast. Jason Lambert is missing, and your dad is starting to freak.”
“Any sign of Mr. Dave?” I ask, and Micah shakes his head. “Mr. Murphy?”
“He's acting like nothing's wrong,” he says, exhaling and reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. His eyes track my movements as I pad over to my bag and heft it up by the handle. I'm in desperate need of a shower, some toothpaste, and a fresh set of bindings for my breasts.
I also know I can't go to the bathroom without an escort. Hell, none of us should be going anywhere without an escort. The last thing I want is for my nightmare from last night to come true.
“Hey, I was thinking …” Micah starts, pulling his wax-covered lighter from his pocket and flicking the wheel absently. His eyes, though, they stay locked on mine. “You deserve to know about Amber.”
“I don't want to do anything that might put more distance between you and Tobias,” I blurt, and Micah smiles, standing up and reaching out to open the door for me. We both take a moment to scan the hallway for knife-wielding psychos, but there's not a soul to be seen, just the distant laughter from the dining room.
“I asked him if I could tell you, and he said it was okay, so long as I told you the truth.” Micah walks me down the hall and into one of the bathrooms. This place is set up a bit like a hostel. There are only a few shared bathrooms, but they're spacious and clean, with both a chain lock and a deadbolt on the inside.
Instead of waiting outside for me after checking around for any lurkers, Micah closes the door and locks it, making my breath catch.
“You can wait outside, you know,” I whisper, and he grins at me, making my heart race.
“I'd rather wait in here.” He takes a step forward and leans down like he's planning on kissing me. Unfortunately for him, I have the worst morning breath, so I backpedal and end up plastered against the glass door of the shower. Micah just chuckles and takes a seat on the bench near the door, kicking off his shoes and resting his feet against the pebbled floor. He pauses for just a moment and glances up at me. “I mean, provided you're cool with it?”
“I'm cool with it—as long as you get naked first,” I say, and Micah grins at me. It's one of those cocksure little grins of his, and it gives me chills all over. Did I just invite a dude to get naked in a communal bathroom, surrounded by classmates, and with my dad prowling the halls?
Yes, yep, I totally did, and I'm not ashamed of it.
He stands up again and reaches for the tie on his robe, cocking a brow in my direction.
“You sure you don't want to talk about Amber first?”
“Talk about a girl you dated before me? Not really. Do it after or I might kick you out of here instead.” I step back into the shower and then just sorta freeze there. I'd intended on stripping and being all sexy and shit, but now that Micah's starting to strip off his own yukata, I find myself frozen in fear. Micah pauses, noticing my discomfort, and comes over to stand in front of me. When he puts his hands on my shoulders, I relax a little.
“I don't want to pressure you,” he says, gently sweeping hair back from my face. “I'll step outside and—”
“No,” I say, because I can tell he's misinterpreting my emotions. I'm not afraid of him, I'm just afraid I'll make an ass out of myself. “Don't go. I'm just … I don't want to mess this up.”
“Mess what up?” Micah asks. I gesture randomly between us.
“You, Tobias, me, the Student Council, any of it.” I look up at him and he sighs heavily, putting his arms around me and pulling me in for a hug that I wasn't expecting. Slowly, I lift my arms and hug him back. It feels good, to just hug somebody. As well as we've all been taking the shit that's been thrown at us, it isn't easy to see a dead body, or have nobody believe you when you talk about it. I feel distant from my mom, my dad, but at least I have the Student Council.
“You are not screwing anything up, Chuck Carson,” Micah says with a little laugh. There's a nervous warble to it that I've never heard before. I'm used to him being the confident, cocky one. Slowly, I pull back and look up into his face. There's a confession resting there that I know I need to hear. Instead of pressing for it though, I just wait. Sometimes people need to come to you in their own time. “It was me that screwed things up with Tobias. He's never gotten over the Amber thing.”
Micah takes a step back, and I realize that we're not going to have sex, not right now. He needs to talk. I move over to the sink, brush my teeth while he chuckles at me, and then slap him in the chest.
“Stop that. I'm super self-conscious of my breath, okay? Nobody wants to kiss a morning mouth or a coffee mouth or—” Micah steps forward and eloquently sweeps one arm around my waist, cupping the back of my head with his other hand. He cuts me off midsentence with a kiss that I can feel down to my toes. They curl against the pebbled floor as I grab onto the front of his robe and bunch the fabric up in quaking fingers. He tastes like peppermint and cherries.
“Exactly why I had Church and Ranger watch over you while I snuck into the bathroom this morning to clean up.” He chuckles against my lips, and I grin back at him. “You're not the only one who's worried morning breath might fuck this up.” Micah pauses suddenly and pulls back, grabbing my hand and taking me with him.
He opens the bathroom door and … there's my fucking Dad, standing there and staring at me with one of his eyebrows twitching.
“Chuck. Carson.” The two words are ground out between his teeth
as I blink back at him in shock. What are the chances, people? No, for real, like what are the chances he'd appear outside the bathroom at this exact moment?! The author of my life must hate me. “Would you like to explain to me what the two of you were doing in the restroom together?”
I was going to seduce Micah, but then I got all nervous, and he wants to confess something to me, so …
“Brushing our teeth?” I blurt, but it's almost a question and not particularly convincing. I am so going to get it. Between the fake engagement, the dead body, me pressed naked against Church, and now this? How long until I turn eighteen again? Christ on a cracker.
“And you needed to do that together because …?” Dad continues, trailing off and then pausing as Mr. Murphy approaches on his left side and leans in to whisper something. Dad's face tightens up and he nods, looking me and Micah over with an expression of bewilderment. “I'm quickly running low on patience with you, Chuck.”
I purse my lips, but keep my hand clamped around Micah's as Dad takes off down the hall and Mr. Murphy scuttles after. He looks terrified to be in my vicinity, so when he passes, I flip him off and take delight in the fact that he cringes. “No way he's one of the killers,” I murmur, but still, I can't figure out his motivation. Church is right: that's our problem. We have a lot of clues but without a motive, it's impossible to put them together.
I could never blame myself for not knowing sooner, what we were dealing with was so much more than I ever could've imagined.
“Come on,” Micah says, leading me back to my room and through it, out the opposite door that leads to the front courtyard. I grab my sandals on the way, and we stroll down the curving paths near the koi pond. The air is crisp and clean, and the scene around us is so peaceful, it's hard to remember that I saw people wearing fox masks in the woods just yesterday. “After I tell you this story, you might hate me for it.”
The Forever Crew Page 4
