by Piper Shelly
“Game for what?”
“The girlfriend thing…” he drawled.
CHAPTER 21
My heart stuttered. Tony wanted me to become his girlfriend. He’d asked me to be. How could I not say yes?
I chuckled, pressing my cheek against his. “Only if I can keep your jersey.”
Tony released me, bent over, and picked it up. Then he offered it to me with a teasing smile. “It looks better on you anyway.”
When I took the shirt from him, he took my hand in turn, lacing his fingers easily through mine. “Should we go back down? What do you think?”
“I think I want a Cherry Coke now.”
Tony laughed. “All right. Let’s go get you some.” He turned around and dragged me down the stairs with him.
That was the first time I remembered we weren’t alone. The crowd was still moving, dancing, or chatting. Only a few guys stood against the wall at the other side of the hall, their familiar faces turned our way, gazes on us.
“Looks like we had spectators,” Tony said over his shoulder, apparently noticing them at the same time.
My cheeks grew red. “At least they look like they enjoyed the show.”
Liza pressed her palms to her face, her expression sweetly scrunched up. Hunter winked at me, then gave Tony a thumbs-up. Alex Winter held a simpering Simone, and Susan had her arm slung through Nick’s, who looked happy, like the rest.
Tony squeezed my hand. “Oh yes, they were so waiting for this.”
I smiled brightly at them when Tony wasn’t looking.
But not far from our friends, I found another pair of eyes fixed on us. Jealous eyes. The sight of my pissed cousin made my shoulders slump.
Cloey trudged toward us just as we reached the bottom step. When Tony glimpsed her for the first time, I felt the shock tensing his muscles. “Fuck, Summers, what’s going on with your hair?”
She’s slowly transmuting into me, I wanted to tell him, but held off.
Cloey gritted her teeth, answering him with a death glare. She turned to me. “Now don’t you two make a nice couple?” Saccharin sweetness dripped from her voice.
“Shove it, Clo,” I snapped. “It’s none of your business.” Shit, in those shoes she was as tall as Tony and I had to tilt my head back to look at her face.
“It is my damned business when this jerk is coming to my house and fucking my stupid little cousin.”
My mouth dropped open. What in the world made her say that?
But obviously, she wasn’t done yet. Folding her arms underneath her breasts, she looked down her nose at me, leaning slightly back and displaying her disgust. “I hope you’ll enjoy him. Meager skills, I’m sorry to say. But then you’re one to be easily satisfied, aren’t you? Not making high demands on someone as long as they’re willing to just let you follow at their heels like a dull puppy. You’re so pathetic, little cousin.” Her voice turned low and cold. “But I guess that makes you two the perfect match.”
Horror clogged my throat. I had to swallow hard before I could say anything. When I spoke, it was loud enough for the rest of the room to hear. “Why are you such a shit, Cloey? Whatever did I do to you that meant you must destroy my every happy moment? You probably don’t even realize that jealousy brings out your ugliest side. Why can’t you back the hell out of my life?” I stomped forward and added, my voice lethal, “And what do you know about Tony’s skills? You nev—”
“Sam!” Tony’s hand closed tightly enough around mine to cut the blood flow to my fingers. He pulled me back. I looked at him over my shoulder. His gaze sharp, he mouthed, “You promised.”
“But—”
“No, Sam.” He eased his grip on my hand but didn’t let go. “She’s not worth it.”
A second passed. I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t let me defend his honor. But in the end, it didn’t matter. “You’re right,” I said, turning away from Cloey and toward him. “Let’s get out of here.” I pulled him with me and we headed outside.
The heavy door closed behind us and the music faded to a dull noise. A cool wind whirled my hair around my face as we walked down to the street. Finally letting go of Tony, I raked my hands over my skull, tilting my face up. Thousands of stars dotted the sky. The silence was calming. I sighed.
A gentle arm snaked around my shoulders and pulled me against a comforting chest. Being so close and held by Tony made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
In a soft voice, he said in my ear, “I’m sorry about the crap she threw at you.”
“She’s not over you yet,” I mumbled against the fabric of his shirt.
“Looks like she isn’t.”
“Is it strange I feel sorry for her, no matter how ugly she was to us in there?”
“Not at all. She can style her hair like yours all she wants. Your compassion will always be the one big difference between the two of you.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, enjoying his caress on the back of my neck. “So you think so, too. She’s trying to copy me, isn’t she?”
“M-hmm.”
“But why? She hates me,” I whined.
“Maybe she does. But she also adores you, I think. Did you know that imitation is the highest form of flattery?”
Now I tilted my head back and gave him a skeptical look. “Where did you get that from?”
Tony grinned, loosening up the tension inside me easily. “Data. I’m a Trekker.”
He was? Realizing I knew so little about him yet, I hugged him tighter. “So you love Star Trek…what else?”
He cut a glance up at the stars, deliberating. “There would be cheese crackers and mayo, for one. Dolphins. And video games.” He looked down at me again with a smirk. “And then I love you in that hot black top you’re wearing right now.”
That made me laugh.
We strolled off, hand in hand. When we reached Tony’s car, or rather that of his mother, he said, “Want me to give you a ride home?”
“Umm, no thanks. I think I’ll walk tonight.” I needed to calm down before I got back to my aunt’s house.
Tony pouted. He looked so sweet, it made me want to kiss him on the tip of his nose for it. “But if you like,” I added in a low, hopeful voice, “you can walk me home.”
His pout disappeared and the corners of his lips tilted up. Oh yes, he liked.
I walked slowly, because I didn’t want to reach my aunt’s house too quickly. Ambling in the dark with Tony appealed to me. He swung our hands back and forth, stroking his thumb over my knuckles. We didn’t talk much at first, which was a shame, because the only thing missing for me to make this moment perfect was the sound of his voice and laugh.
Thinking about it made me remember last Sunday, when he’d taken me to his aunt’s house. The day with him and the horses was one of the very best of my life. With the memory also came the image of the picture he’d drawn of me that afternoon. The one I’d destroyed.
“I’m sorry I shredded your drawings,” I said in a low voice.
Tony eyed me sideways. “Why did you?”
“Because I thought I hated you.”
“You thought?”
“Yeah, well…” I raised our joined hands to his view. “Obviously, it wasn’t true.”
He smiled at that. “Don’t worry, Bungee. I do have one or two more drawings of you.”
My shoulders dropped. “The witch?”
“Nope, not the witch.” He frowned into the distance. “I burned that one the other day.”
“Really?” That was news to me. Good news. “Then what?”
“Nu-uh, not saying.”
“Oh, please,” I begged, dancing before him, walking backward a few steps. “When did you draw me?”
Tony smiled, pulled me to his side, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, not letting go of my hand, so my left arm hung diagonally across my chest. “The first one I drew after you practiced with the cheerleaders for the first time.”
I creased my forehead, th
inking. “That was—”
“Tuesday. Your second day at school.”
The information sank in and I stopped dead. His hand dropped from my shoulder. “That was before Miss Jackson gave us that particular homework.” I turned to face him. “Why did you draw me back then? And what did you draw?”
A sly grin sneaked onto his face. “No, Summers. You’re not making me tell you that right now.”
“Ryan said it looked quite awesome,” I mumbled, remembering how he’d found me under the tree in tears.
“Yes, he was the only one who actually saw them. Or one of them.”
“Will you show me?” I pleaded when my curiosity actually killed me.
He laughed, obviously feeling a little uncomfortable now. “Maybe. One day.”
Okay, that wasn’t a no, so all it would take was a little more persuasion. And I would have lots and lots of time for that…now that he was my boyfriend. Oh my freaking God—that word alone combined with Tony made millions of tiny, excited butterflies erupt in my stomach.
Tony pulled me on, asking, “Why do you wear camouflage pants all the time?” I knew he’d changed the subject so he wouldn’t get pestered about the pictures anymore.
I let it go. “Why not? I like them. And you never know when they’ll come in handy.”
He arched his brows, dipping his chin, and gave me a dubious look. “Come in handy?” he repeated flatly.
“Yeah. See, if I ever need to hide from someone, I just jump in here…” For demonstration purposes, I let go of his hand, jumped into one of the bushes in someone’s front yard, and spread my arms in a silly ta-da pose. “And no one can see me. That’s it. I’m a bush.”
Tony’s laugh made my heart skip. “Come here, Bush.” He took my hand and roughly pulled me out of the bush and against his chest. Looking down at me, he picked a twig and some leaves out of my hair, then brushed a strand behind my ear. “You know that you’re insane, right?”
I smiled up at him.
At the same time, his cell phone went off in his pocket. Just a whistling sound. He pulled it out, studied the display, then keyed in a message.
“Who’s texting you?” I asked.
“Hunter wants to know where I am.” When he was done, he laced our fingers again and we strolled on. But a few seconds later, another text arrived. “He asked me to come to his beach house tomorrow afternoon. Most of the clique will be there, too.”
An invitation? It didn’t escape me that my cell phone hadn’t buzzed with a message. I wanted to pout but held off. Instead I gave Tony a cute look. “Can I come with you?”
“No. You’re too crazy, Bush.” Playfully, he tucked me under his arm.
Squaring my shoulders, I looked into his mocking eyes. “I can do normal.”
“Oh, really? I’m dying to see that.”
With a resigned pout, I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Relax, Bungee.” Tony chuckled. “Hunter actually said, ‘Bring Sam’.” He taunted me with a roll of his eyes.
A lunatic grin on my face spread wider and wider.
“Give me your telephone number,” he demanded then. “I’ll call you tomorrow before I pick you up.”
We’d reached my home, and I sat on the curb of the sidewalk, reciting the numbers while he punched them in. Tony lowered himself beside me, stretching his legs out on the street. They were so much longer than mine. “My dad says there’s a chance I’ll grow a little more before I turn eighteen,” I told Tony for no obvious reason. Maybe I just felt I had to defend my height to him.
“That’s cool. But I like you the way you are.” He said it so absently, so naturally, that it sounded more like the truth than anything else I’d heard from him. My mouth dropped open, but he didn’t notice as he was still busy with his cell.
The next instant, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out. “You’re calling me?”
Tony rang off before I could answer his call. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Now you have my number, too. And if you get bored alone in your room later, you can send me a text.” He winked at me, setting my blood on boiling temperature. Texting Tony. That was like emailing him, only better. And I’d loved reading the emails he’d sent me the other day.
Anticipation crawled into my chest. I tried to hide it from him, because it made me feel a little silly. With my finger I traced the outline of one of the holes in his jeans. “So, you expect me to send you a message later?”
“No.” His answer came out flat and emotionless, but in the next moment his eyes took on a mischievous shine. “But I hope you will.”
Oh, he could have that. Now I couldn’t wait to get inside and think of a nice goodnight message to send him.
“Be careful,” he growled with a smirk, nodding at my hand on his thigh where I kept playing with the loose threads.
“Why?”
“Bigger kids than you got lost in that hole.”
He made me giggle. When I didn’t remove my hand, he suddenly jerked next to me and made a roaring sound like he was a wolf after my hand, clapping his on mine.
He shocked the hell out of me. I winced, then I laughed—really laughed—my eyes tearing up.
Staring at me, fascinated, he waited until I got a grip again. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
“Oh, no. I made you cry again,” he said, tilting my chin up with his knuckle and stroking his thumb across my lip, smiling.
“Yeah, but the bottom line is, are they good tears or bad ones? You can make me cry like this anytime you want.”
A soft breeze whirled around us. I zipped up my hoodie, trembling slightly. Tony was only wearing his short-sleeved shirt and he didn’t seem cold at all. But my shiver didn’t go unnoticed. He rose from the concrete, took my hand, and pulled me up, too. “It’s late and you’re cold. You should go inside now.”
I nodded. “Will you go back to the party?”
“Nah. Just going back to get my car.” He enveloped me in a tight embrace with my hands trapped between our chests. The warmth from his arms seeped through the fabric of my hoodie, but still, my shivering got worse. Even my lips trembled when Tony placed a soft kiss on them. “Freezing girl,” he complained with a chuckle. “No goodnight kiss then.” Releasing me, he walked me up the drive but stopped in front of the steps that led to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Tomorrow. I smiled.
Silently, I let myself in and tiptoed upstairs.
Taking a shower before going to bed, I thought of the sound of Tony’s laugh and it made me giddy. Lost in reverie, I forgot the time and stood under the warm spray for almost half an hour. He would be home by now. Hopefully, he hadn’t gone to bed already. I still wanted to send him a sweet message. Just what could I write?
When I came back to my room, the problem was solved. He’d already sent me a text while I was in the bathroom.
IF YOU’RE STILL UP, CHECK YOUR INBOX. NOT ON YOUR PHONE. DO IT ON YOUR COMPUTER.
My heart lurched to my throat. Another email? What couldn’t he tell me in a short text? And why couldn’t I check it on my smart phone? Oh, the guy had me taut, all right. I rushed to my desk and booted up my laptop. Nervous, I typed my password incorrectly twice.
When I finally got access to my inbox, there was one email waiting for me.
___________________________
From: Anthony J. Mitchell
To: Samantha Summers
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2013 23:57
Subject: Why wait?
7 Attachments (12.27 MB)
Sam…I know I said one day, but tonight’s as good as any, I guess. Here are the pictures. I’m sorry you only saw the ugliest of them last week.
T.
I took a look at the pictures in the slideshow viewer, but after the third I opened them fully, one after the other. My mouth dropped open as my eyes widened. All seven files were scanned pencil drawings of me in various positions I’d been in over the past couple of weeks. He’d
dated them all and signed them with his distinctive T.
In the first drawing, I was doing stretches against a tree. My hair was falling into my eyes as I bent forward to grab my ankle and lay my head on my knee. The way he’d drawn me, I looked a little shy…like I’d been caught staring at him. Damn, he’d drawn that from memory? I couldn’t believe it. So many small details. It was perfect. And so beautiful.
I switched to the next drawing. It was dated 11/8/13. Two days later. In this one I was sitting at the table in the cafeteria, sucking on a lollipop. This drawing made me giggle.
The next one was from 11/9/13. Me hunkering under a tree, arms folded on my bent knees and face hiding in my arms.
11/11/13. I was squatting in front of a campfire, warming my hands over the blaze. And I was wearing Tony’s black sweater.
On 11/12/13 he’d drawn two. In one I was standing in front of a dreamy forest, shoulders hunched, rain falling on my head. I was smiling at the viewer. In the other—oh my fucking goodness—I was dancing.
The drawings were all gorgeous. But it was the last one that surprised me most. It was the exact same picture he’d drawn of me in AVE, which I’d shredded before returning it to the sender. Tony had replicated it—last Wednesday. The day I’d given him the sweater back.
Leaning back in my chair, I laced my fingers behind my head and studied the screen for what seemed an eternity. The picture started to swim in front of my eyes. What I saw in my mind then was how he’d gazed at me during that lesson. How he’d looked at me in the restroom today when he didn’t want me to leave. And how he’d looked on the stairs in Ryan Hunter’s house tonight, shortly before he kissed me. Oh, he could make a girl go dreamy, all right.
Releasing a deep, happy sigh, I smiled to myself, then typed an answer for Tony.
___________________________
From: Samantha Summers
