by K. Anne
He grinned. “I’d sit by you even if you did stink.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said as I nudged his shoulder with mine.
My morning was passing by without incident. I joked around with Asher and Amanda in math class. A few of my classmates looked back at me in shock when they realized I was actually speaking, but no one said anything. In science, Jenny wouldn’t even look at Asher or me. Instead, she kept her head low and stared at her book the entire time. It might’ve made me a bad person, but I couldn’t help but grin at her sullen mood. The tables had finally turned on her. She was the one hiding, and I was the one laughing. It was Karma at its finest.
Asher, Amanda, and I stood in line to get our lunches. When we reached our table, Cain was already waiting for us. He smiled at me when I sat down next to him. His smile disappeared when Asher sat down on my other side. I frowned at both of them.
“So, how was Jenny?” Amanda asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
I grinned. “It was epic, Amanda. I’m not even kidding. She wouldn’t even look at me. I’ve never seen her so…not herself.”
I wrapped my arms around the brothers and hugged them. “And it’s all because of these two.”
Asher gave me a small smile, but Cain rolled his eyes.
“Don’t get too excited. Jenny might be licking her wounds now, but she’ll start acting like a bitch soon enough,” Amanda said.
“Then, I’m going to enjoy this while I can.” I picked up my hot dog and bit into it. “And when she comes back for me, I’ll be ready. I’m done letting her push me around.”
In English class, Cain sat next to me again. Other than asking if I still planned to run with him after school, we didn’t say much. As we were leaving class, he informed me that I would be riding home with him. He didn’t leave any room for argument from me. I bit back a sarcastic reply over being told what to do. From the smirk on his face though, he must have known what I was thinking.
I was dreading gym class. After the showdown between Cain and Asher on Monday, I was worried that they might actually attack each other. Luck was with me though as they were both assigned to the same baseball team. Unless I counted the evil glares they were shooting to each other every few minutes, gym class was passing by without incident.
“Have you figured out what’s up between those two?” Amanda asked as we watched Cain walking up to home plate.
He raised the bat.
I shook my head. “Nope, and I asked them. They each just gave me a vague answer and changed the subject.”
“I bet it’s over a girl,” Amanda said.
“Why do you say that?” I asked, my eyes never leaving Cain.
“Because guys don’t fight, like, ever. If it’s this bad, I can guarantee that it is over a girl. I bet you’ll make it worse.”
“Why do you think that? I want them to stop fighting, and they both know it!” I said as the pitcher threw the ball.
Cain hit it with enough force that the ball sailed over the fence on the opposite side of the field. He walked lazily around the field with a grin on his face.
“Show-off,” I muttered as I watched him.
His gaze found mine. As he passed by the dugout, he winked at me. I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was showing off just because everyone was giving him their undivided attention.
“Because neither of them can take their eyes off of you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied.
I had noticed the brothers watching me whenever I was around them. I tried not to think about it too hard. I liked both of them, and even though they were both hot enough to make girls want to rip their clothes off, I didn’t want anything more with either brother. I only had three months left here, and then I’d be leaving for college. I doubted if I’d ever see either of them again.
“Then, you’re blind, Ella,” Amanda said.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be out of this town soon enough, and they’ll be nothing more than a distant memory.”
“Is that how you feel about me, too?” Amanda asked, her voice full of hurt.
I cursed myself for hurting her feelings. “No, Amanda. You know that we’ll keep in touch. You’re the only friend I’ve had these past few months. I wouldn’t just walk away from you and never look back.”
“Somehow, I think you’ll feel the same when you leave Cain and Asher behind, too,” Amanda muttered, still looking upset.
I looked up to see Asher watching me. “Doubtful.”
But even I knew that I was lying.
Cain was waiting at my locker at the end of the day. I noticed him before he noticed me. I stopped and watched him. Why, I wasn’t sure.
He had his back against my locker as he stared in the opposite direction of where I was standing. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes, begging for me to push it back. His expression and body language screamed, Stay away. Everyone seemed to take the hint and avoided walking near him.
I’d never realized just how intimidating Cain could be. I couldn’t help but wonder why he even talked to me.
I forced myself to continue walking down the hall. As soon as his gaze found me, he smiled. The iciness in his gaze was replaced with such warmth that I took a step back without even realizing what I was doing.
He pushed himself off my locker and walked the few feet to where I was standing. “You ready?”
“Um, yeah. Just let me grab my books,” I mumbled as I sidestepped him and went to my locker.
I refused to look at him as I stashed my book and grabbed the ones I needed. I had no clue what to think about the warmth in his eyes as he’d watched me. Cain had been nice to me more than once, but he’d never looked at me like that.
I threw my books in my backpack and turned back toward him, willing myself to calm down. Before I could say anything, he took my bag out of my hands and threw it over his shoulder.
“Come on.” He walked to the staircase.
I followed behind¸ wondering why he was being so nice to me.
When we reached the parking lot, I saw his motorcycle parked near Asher’s car.
“Wait, I need to find Asher and let him know that I don’t need a ride home,” I said as I looked around for Cain’s twin.
“He already knows,” Cain said without looking back at me.
I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “What? You two talked? Willingly?”
He shrugged as we reached his motorcycle. “He knows. Now, get on.”
He tossed me the helmet before shoving my bag into the storage compartment. I watched as he climbed onto the bike.
“You need a helmet, too, you know,” I said as I pulled it over my head.
“No, I don’t. I’ll be fine. I’m not fragile like you.” He glanced back and grinned, letting me know he was teasing.
“Your skull is as fragile as mine. Actually, I take that back. You don’t need a helmet. You’re too hardheaded as it is.”
I climbed onto the bike and wrapped my arms around him. I pretended not to notice the hard contours of his stomach, but I failed miserably.
He started the bike and took off. I relaxed my body against his as he drove back to our houses. Just like the day before, I loved riding on his bike. Shinnston was congested with school traffic, but I still felt free.
When traffic came to a halt, he swerved off the main road and drove on the sidewalk, and I laughed. A few people shouted at us as we passed by, but I paid little attention to any of them. I should’ve been worried about getting in trouble, but I wasn’t. I trusted Cain when I was around him. The rules didn’t seem so black-and-white like I’d always thought. No, there was much more gray than I’d ever expected.
He swerved back onto the road and turned up the big hill leading to our houses. Once we reached the top of the hill, traffic pretty much disappeared.
As soon as we pulled up in front of his house, I climbed off the bike and stretched. I handed his helmet back to him, and then he grabbed my bag and tossed it t
o me. I shouldered it and stared at him, waiting for further instructions.
When he did nothing more than look at me, I sighed. “Are we going to run or not?”
“Yeah, but I want to change first. Jeans aren’t the easiest to run in. Meet me back out here in ten.” He climbed off the bike and started walking to his house.
I watched him disappear inside before walking to my own. I unlocked the door and hurried upstairs to my room.
After dropping my bag on the bed, I grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top out of my dresser. I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it into the hamper. Just as I was about to pull my tank top on, I caught movement outside of my window. I jerked my tank top over my head and then hurried over to my window. The only thing I saw was my yard and a darkened window in Cain and Asher’s house. I stared at Cain’s window, wondering if he had just watched me change clothes. After a minute, I finally gave up. There was no one at the window. As usual, I was paranoid. Still feeling uneasy, I lowered the blinds before pulling off my jeans. I shimmied into my shorts and pulled on my tennis shoes.
As I walked downstairs, I realized that the afternoon with Cain would probably end in embarrassment. I knew I was out of shape, and Cain…definitely wasn’t.
When I walked outside, I didn’t see Cain waiting for me, so I headed across our yards to his front door. I knocked and stepped back, waiting. After a minute, I frowned.
“Where is he?” I whispered.
“Right here.”
I jumped when I felt his warm breath tickling the back of my neck. I spun to see him standing only inches away. He didn’t try to hide his interest as his eyes skimmed down my body. I felt myself blushing as he stared at my legs. I suddenly wished I had worn sweatpants.
His gaze finally worked its way back up my body to my face. The warmth that I noticed in his eyes earlier was back. I wanted to take a step back again, but I held my ground. I was being stupid. Cain was attractive, but he’d never once made me nervous.
“Tell me what to do,” I said. I wanted to slap myself for saying that. I knew he was going to say something perverted as he smirked.
“You can go—”
I held up my hand. “I mean, about running.”
He continued to smirk at me for a minute before speaking, “We need to stretch first.”
“Like in gym class?”
He nodded.
“Okay, I can do that.”
We walked out into the yard. He dropped down onto the grass and started stretching his legs. I did the same, making sure to copy his every move. He seemed to notice and grinned as he stood up, and I followed right behind him. He leaned down and touched his toes for a few seconds before standing back up.
“Keep doing that. I need to run inside and grab water bottles,” he said as he backed away.
I nodded and kept stretching. Without him beside me, I suddenly felt like an idiot. I continued to stretch, touching my toes, for another minute or so before finally standing up straight. I turned toward the house to see if he was coming, and I noticed him standing on his porch.
“What are you doing up there?” I asked.
“Admiring the view.” He grinned like the devil.
“The view?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah, the view. Sadly, it turned around.”
It took me a minute to figure out what he’d meant. When I did, I felt my face turning red in embarrassment. “You were staring at my ass?”
He jumped up onto the porch banister and then down onto the lawn. It happened so fast that I blinked twice to make sure I was seeing clearly. Before I could register his entirely too fast movements, he was standing next to me, holding out a water bottle.
“Wha—how did you do that?” I stuttered.
“Do what?”
“Jump like that! You were like a freakin’ ninja!”
“Maybe I have secret ninja skills. Ever think of that?”
“I think you’re secretly a cat…or something,” I muttered, staring at him in disbelief.
He grabbed my hand and shoved the water bottle into it. “Come on. Let’s run.”
He jogged across the yard but stopped when he reached the blacktop. I was still in the same spot, too confused by what I’d seen to move.
“Are you coming or not?”
I nodded my head and hurried to catch up. Once I was next to him, he started jogging again. The pace was slow enough that I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with him—well, at least for the time being.
If he tried to make me run uphill, I knew I wouldn’t make it. I wasn’t fat or even remotely overweight, but I didn’t exercise anymore. I’d spent most of high school as a cheerleader. I’d left the team after everything happened with my mom, and I hadn’t bothered to try to stay in shape. I was regretting it now.
Both of us were silent as we jogged down our street and onto the next.
I was still trying to figure out what I’d seen him do back at his house. He’d moved so gracefully and so fast, almost too fast. I thought back to that first day when I’d thought I saw him dent the gym wall with the dodgeball. And he could disappear and reappear without me even noticing. I shook my head. I was going crazy.
I’d been so lost in thought that I wasn’t paying attention to where we were jogging. On one of the many one-lane roads in Shinnston, I looked around and realized that we were over a mile away from my house, and we were also in the bad part of town. Sure, several farms were around here, but the area was also known as the place to go to buy drugs.
“Cain, I don’t think we should be here,” I said, surprised that I wasn’t even out of breath. Apparently, I could jog just fine. It was walking uphill that killed me.
“Why not?” He looked over at me.
I wiped sweat off of my forehead, noticing that he wasn’t sweating at all. Ass. “This isn’t a good place to be. People get in trouble out here all the time. Usually, it involves police and less than stellar mug shots.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you. Don’t worry.”
“You say that now,” I said, glancing around again.
I always avoided this part of town. Even when Jenny and I had been close, I had skipped the parties that happened out here. Every Monday morning, Jenny would fill me in on what had happened, and I’d been glad that I wasn’t there.
“Stop freaking out and jog, or I’m going to start sprinting and leave you behind.” Cain smirked at me. “I promise you that no one will mess with you as long as I’m around.”
I sighed in annoyance but kept my mouth shut. I doubted if Cain would actually abandon me, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. We continued to jog, occasionally increasing our speed to a steady run before going back to a jog.
After the first half an hour, I started to feel tired. Cain kept pushing me, refusing to let me quit. I forced him to walk a few times as I tried to keep my breathing under control.
“I need to head back, Cain. I can’t go any farther,” I said an hour later. It was the truth. I couldn’t go any farther, or he’d end up carrying me home or leaving me on the side of the road. Neither option was appealing to me at the moment.
He nodded, and we turned and started walking back the same direction we’d come. It would take us forever to get back, especially since I couldn’t jog anymore, but I didn’t mind.
Woods and farms surrounded us at this point. We were long past the bad part of town. I watched a farmer maneuvering a round bale of hay into a feeder as the cattle watched him, anxious to start eating. It felt peaceful out here.
I looked up in surprise when Cain rested his hand on my lower back. I was suddenly self-conscious as I realized I was soaked with sweat and probably didn’t smell the best. I tensed up, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“You did good today, Ella. A lot better than I thought you would. I’m impressed,” Cain said.
“We haven’t made it home yet. You might not be quite as impressed if you end up carrying me,” I joked. “My legs feel like jelly.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” he said quietly.
I glanced at him, expecting to see his usual smirk but it was nowhere to be seen. His expression was serious.
“I’d be dead weight,” I said, trying to shake off his strange mood.
“Not at all. In fact, we’d probably make better time if I carried you.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but the words died in my throat as he suddenly scooped me up and started jogging. Once I remembered how to speak, I started shouting at him to put me down. He ignored me as he continued to jog.
“Cain! Put me down!” I shouted again as I tried to wiggle free.
His grip on me tightened, but he stopped jogging. I sighed in relief, expecting him to release me.
“I want to do something really stupid right now, Ella,” he said, his voice still serious.
I glanced at the pond we were standing next to. “If you throw me in that pond, I will murder you in your sleep!” I shrieked as I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep him from tossing me like a rag doll.
He stared down at me, indecision written across his face. Then, his face relaxed. “Screw the rules,” he muttered before doing something I never expected.
He kissed me.
I froze in shock, unable to process what was happening. His kiss wasn’t gentle. Instead, I felt like he was trying to devour me. I found myself kissing him back, unable to stop myself. He continued to cradle me in his arms as my hands worked their way into his hair. It was as soft as it looked, and I found myself gently pulling on it, trying to pull his mouth closer to mine as if that were possible.
He hungrily kissed me, like he hadn’t kissed anyone in years, like he was trying to make up for lost time. Somehow, I doubted that was the case with Cain. I had no doubt that he’d had girls throwing themselves at him back in Colorado just like the girls here wanted to do. The only thing that had stopped them so far was Jenny’s wrath.
He suddenly broke the kiss, looking as shocked as I felt. He released me, and I nearly fell over before finally regaining my balance. I couldn’t look away from him. His eyes were closed now, and his chest heaved as if he’d been running nonstop for hours.
