by Jordan Ford
Aidan gives her a grateful smile, then tips his head, putting on the best puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen.
Aw, man. I roll my eyes while Savannah’s head jerks back.
“What are you doing?” She narrows her eyes at him, and he keeps silently pleading until her lips part and she lets out a little squeak. “You want me to tell her? You want me to convince her to go to prom with you? Aidan!” She lightly smacks his chest with the back of her hand. “Don’t pull me into this.”
“Please.” He clasps his hands together, about ready to drop to his knees. “You’re like her closest friend that’s a girl.”
“Don’t you dare start begging.” She points at him. “That’s not fair.”
He sighs and mutters, “Fine. I guess I could call Jed.”
“Or talk to her yourself.” Savannah gives him a pointed look.
He just scoffs, his smile pitiful.
I frown at him, but he doesn’t notice. He’s too busy pulling out his phone, ready to pass on the job to somebody else.
The phone rings in his hand and he winces at the screen. “It’s Harley.”
“Perfect!” Savannah flicks her hand at him. “You can tell her yourself.”
He groans and answers the call, faking a bright voice. “Hey, surfer girl.”
Savannah turns in the sand so we’re facing each other, her chest pressing into mine, her wisps of wind-blown hair tickling my cheek. “You’re coming to prom with me though, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” I grin and lean forward, relishing the taste of her lips on mine. I don’t think it will ever be possible to get over kissing this girl. She feels so damn good in my arms. So right. So perfect.
I’m just opening my mouth to deepen the kiss when Aidan’s voice rises. “I left it in your carport. I swear.”
Savannah pulls away from me and glances over her shoulder at him.
His head slumps forward with a sigh. “Naw, babe. Do you think it’s been stolen?” He runs a hand through his hair and squeezes the back of his neck while he listens to her reply. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there in a minute.” He hangs up and turns with an agonized frown. “Someone’s stolen Harley’s surfboard.”
“Oh no.” Savannah’s voice goes deep. We all know how bad that is. Harley’s weirdly attached to her board. Doesn’t like surfing on anything else. She’s no doubt feeling like she’s lost a limb or something. It’s like her most precious possession.
“Yeah.” Aidan winces, rubbing a hand over his mouth before looking at his phone again. “I think I’m gonna need some Jed backup for this one.”
Savannah and I both nod our agreement. If anyone can make Harley see reason, it’s usually her best friend, Jed. He’s got a way with words like nobody else.
“I’ll catch you guys later.” Aidan gives us a halfhearted wave.
“Call us if you need us,” Savannah calls to him as he stalks away, then starts running up the sand.
Poor guy. I do not envy him or Jed right now.
Harley is going to be savage over this.
4
JED
“SUNFLOWER” is playing in my ears as I run the wet cloth around the bathroom sink and hum along. My head bobs to the beat and I start to sing the chorus, doing a little spin and throwing the dirty rag into the bucket.
Snatching a towel off the floor, I dry the surfaces and stand back to check my work.
The upstairs bathroom is done.
Grabbing the bucket handle, I head down to the laundry. All I’ve got left to do is vacuum and wash the floors. I’ve been at this house cleaning thing for just on an hour. It kind of sucks, but Skylar’s coming over for dinner tonight, and despite the fact that she comes over a lot, Gramma always likes the house to sparkle when we have guests.
“Skylar’s hardly a guest, Gramma,” I tried to argue.
I was rewarded with a steely look that told me this house better be clean by the time she gets home from work.
With a snicker, I dump the wet rags into the washing machine. She’s going to be pleasantly surprised when she walks in the door after work.
I dry off my hands before checking the time on my phone. My girlfriend will be here in an hour with the groceries. Gramma doesn’t know it, but we’re surprising her with dinner tonight. It was Skylar’s idea, and I loved her for it. Gramma works damn hard, and she deserves this treat.
Hustling out of the laundry room, I whack my elbow on the doorframe and hiss, rubbing it to ease the pain while I head for the cleaning cupboard.
I kind of hate doing the vacuuming. It’s my least favorite chore, but I want it done fast so I have time to shower and change before Skylar arrives.
Images of my petite girlfriend make me smile. I wonder what she’ll be wearing today. She could turn up in a potato sack and still look out-of-this-world amazing. But she likes to take care with her clothes and makeup. She’s always loved fashion, and looking pretty makes her feel more confident. Right now, she can use all the confidence she can get.
I think of her tears from a couple of nights ago and my dreamy smile morphs to a frown. It’s been a pretty shitty school year at Walton Academy, having gone from Miss Popular to Miss Coma to Little Miss Liar—that’s what some of her ex-friends think, anyway. The town has been really divided over her accusations against Officer Malloy. All the important people in her life believe her, but that doesn’t stop the sting of what she’s had to face all year.
It only got worse when the DA decided not to press charges, as there was no evidence, no witnesses, and Malloy maintained he was innocent.
Anger bubbles in my stomach as I think of all my girl has had to endure because of that asshole. Thank God he no longer lives in Ryder Bay. After an extended vacation, he came back for like one week just before Christmas, then ended up moving out of our town altogether. No word to anyone. One day he and Craig were living in Ryder Bay; five days later, they were following a moving van out of town. I have no idea where they live now, but I hope it’s far, far away.
It’s so freaking unfair. The guy should be in prison.
Shaking my head, I yank open the cleaning closet and am just wrapping my hand around the vacuum cleaner when my song is interrupted by a text alert. I pull the phone from my pocket and check the screen, my gut pinching tight as I read Aidan’s message.
Harley’s surfboard has been stolen. I’m gonna need BMF backup.
My eyes bulge as I picture my feisty best friend going savage over this. Her surfboard. Her most treasured possession.
“Not good,” I murmur, turning my back on the chores and heading straight out the door.
I text Skylar on my way, hoping I’ll be back before she arrives at my place.
But who knows how long this will take?
Harley’s pretty damn good at keeping those emotions locked up tight. But the problem with a dormant volcano is that when it erupts, it’s got a hell of a lot to spew out.
5
SKYLAR
I PUSH the shopping cart toward the checkout, feeling pretty good about the night ahead. I can’t wait to surprise Mrs. Delaney with a home-cooked meal that she hasn’t had to prepare. Mom helped me put together a little menu. She was so funny, all excited as she shared her hosting expertise with her transformed daughter.
Twelve months ago, I wouldn’t have cared one little bit about trying to do something nice for some old lady.
I let out a little sigh. When I think about all I’ve been through this year, I feel worn-out and hollow. But good has come from it too. I have the world’s sweetest boyfriend. I have nice friends who actually care about me. And my parents…well, we’re getting along pretty well. They’re a lot more protective than they used to be, which is sometimes a drag, but they trust Jed, so at least I don’t have to fight for time with him.
My phone dings and I pull it out of my handbag, checking Jed’s text with a frown.
Poor Harley.
She’ll be so gutted.
I decide to head straight to her plac
e instead of showing up early at Jed’s. I was going to help him finish off the housework, but I’ll swing past and see Harley first. Jed will no doubt still be there, and I can drive him home so he doesn’t have to walk.
Unloading the cart, I fight a grin as I picture my boyfriend. It’s funny. He’s the last guy I ever would have been attracted to. He’s big and chubby, his muscles soft rather than hard. He gets out of breath when he runs, and he often has sweat patches on his shirts. That kind of thing once would have repulsed me, and I have to admit, the sweat patches do still make my nose wrinkle a little.
But he’s Jed.
And I love him.
He’s kind, sweet, thoughtful, funny. His eyes are all kinds of beautiful, and his hugs are the best in the world. I feel so incredibly safe and cherished around him, and I would take that any day over some hot jock like Craig who only dated me for status and sex. Jed and I haven’t even had sex yet, and we’ve been dating for nearly nine months. He’s putting zero pressure on me, and I love him for it. The longer we’re together, the more I feel I’m ready for the next step, but I’ve decided to wait until after graduation no matter how I feel. Putting a date on it definitely takes the pressure off. That way, we can hang out, sometimes get a little hot and heavy, but I never have to worry about us taking it too far.
My man knows what the word ‘respect’ means. He lives it on a daily basis.
“That’ll be $62.20, please.”
I smile at the checkout girl and pull my bankcard out of my wallet. Swiping it through the machine, I punch in my number and wait for the receipt before gathering my two bags of groceries. I decided to throw in a few fancy treats for tonight’s meal. If we’re going to all this trouble, we may as well make it special.
I mentally run through the menu as I head out to my car, my steps only slowing when I spot two guys leaning against the trunk.
Oh, shit.
Jonah and Stanton.
The asshole duo.
Jonah and my ex-boyfriend, Craig, have been tight throughout most of high school, and unfortunately their bond only got stronger after I accused Craig’s dad of raping me. Thank God that man no longer lives in Ryder Bay. There have been various rumors circulating over what happened to him, and where he and Craig went. I did hear mention of Craig having to go and live with his mother for a while. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but he would hate that so much.
But it’s not my problem. I can’t let myself think about either Dayton or Craig Malloy for very long or I get caught in this swirling vortex of anger and grief.
It guts me to think Dayton got away with what he did to me, but another part of me just wants to turn my back on that whole part of my life. So justice wasn’t served. As long as I never have to see that pig again, then I can live with it. I guess.
A secret part of me is still hoping he’ll mess up big one day and end up in prison for some other reason. You know, like Al Capone getting busted for tax evasion. I can only hope.
At least he’s not in Ryder Bay anymore and he can’t touch me again.
Well, not physically anyway.
Ryder Bay is divided over whether I’m telling the truth or not. It’s been so hard attending school this year. Thank God for Savannah and Aidan. I don’t think I could survive Walton without them.
Jonah takes great delight in taunting me and passing on messages from my ex-boyfriend. Whether they’re legit or not, I don’t know, but they still sting. I’ve been called every name under the sun. Most of the time I can brush it off, especially when I’m flanked by Savannah and Aidan. Trying to handle it when I’m flanked by two bags of groceries is a whole other story.
I pull my shoulders back, setting my jaw as I walk toward my car, determined to ignore these assbutts.
“Hey, pretty little liar.” Jonah smirks at me.
I avert my gaze, focusing on my keys. My car beeps and I pause at the trunk. “Get off my car.”
Stanton snickers, eyeing me up and down with greedy eyes. It makes my skin crawl, but I refuse to show how intimidated I feel.
“Move your fat ass, Stanton,” I growl.
This makes Jonah laugh. “You think his ass is fat!” His howling chuckle makes me think of a hyena. “You’ve seen your boyfriend, right?” He spreads his arms wide, as if Jed is the fattest human on the planet.
These assholes don’t know shit.
My Jed may be on the larger side, but his kind eyes and perfect face will always be better-looking than these athletic jocks.
I clench my jaw and pull the phone out of my bag. “Get away from my car or I’m calling the police.”
“Oooo!” They both mock me but thankfully do actually move off the trunk so I can put the groceries in the back.
Jonah sidles up close, his breath tickling the back of my neck.
“Touch me and you’re dead,” I warn him, slamming the trunk down and turning to face him.
My insides are going crazy, fear coiling inside of me and making my head spin. But I’m not going to let them see that.
“What are you going to do? Send your Michelin Man boyfriend after me?” Jonah scoffs.
“He’s stronger than he looks,” I seethe.
This just sets the hyenas off again. I shove Jonah away from me and walk around to the driver’s door, praying I can get in without any more harassment.
Revving the engine, I punch out of the parking space, nearly running Jonah over. He jumps back from the car and scowls at me. “Watch yourself! You don’t want more trouble coming your way, you lying little slut!”
I shift the car into Drive and scream away from his insults, my hands trembling as I grip the wheel and blink back my tears. With a determined sniff, I pull onto the main road and head to the safety of the south end of town.
Not in a million years did I think I’d find sanctuary on the south side of Ryder Bay, but it’s become my haven. Clifton Terrace, Walton Academy…all the places that used to make me feel so superior and in control…now feel like my own personal prison.
I can’t wait to get away from this place. Graduation can’t come fast enough.
A thought steals me, making the tears I’m fighting surge up inside of me. I sniff a few more times, my knuckles turning white as I head to Harley’s place.
I haven’t told anyone yet, not even Jed.
It wasn’t even my intention, but after a super bad day at school, I got home to an empty house. Jed was working, Savvy was looking after Louis, and I didn’t feel like going to the beach to find Harley or Aidan. So, I sat at my desk and on a whim applied for the Pratt Institute in New York. It was the farthest place from Ryder Bay I could think of.
I stayed up all night putting my application together, and I never expected to get in, but I got the acceptance letter two days ago.
I’m still trying to decide what to do with it.
When I’m snuggled up with Jed, watching TV on his couch and listening to him talk about our future plans, I want to stick with it and go to a college in San Diego like we’ve talked about. But on days like today, when I come face-to-face with hell on earth, I want to run as far away as I can.
It’s so appealing, and the thought of living in New York excites me to no end. Plus, the Pratt Institute is an amazing design school. I could learn so much there, really kick-start a career in the fashion industry. It could be everything I’ve always dreamed of.
There’s only one heart-wrenching problem that is impossible to ignore.
New York is miles away from Jed, and I have no idea how I could ever leave the guy who saved my life. The guy who shows me every day what real love looks like.
How do I live without that?
How do I make this impossible choice?
6
HARLEY
I’M STANDING in my driveway feeling like crap.
Aidan’s got his arm around me, trying to make me feel better. I love him for it, but another part of me wants to shake him off. He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t get how important that board
was to me.
It was my victory board. Even though it came from the person who tried to ruin me, I turned it into a symbol of strength and fight. And now it’s gone, and I feel oddly lost.
Staring at the spot where it normally sits, I fight my tears, refusing to let them fall. That’ll only make things worse. When Aidan first arrived, I was in rampage mode. Picking up pebbles off the driveway and hurling them into the carport. Ranting like some crazy person.
Jed turned up about three minutes after Aidan, and the second I saw him, I realized how insane I was acting. Of course Aidan called for backup. He couldn’t handle his psycho girlfriend alone. She needed her BMF too.
Glancing at Jed, I give him a sad smile, knowing Aidan was right to call him.
He talked me around in that calm way of his, and now we’re all just standing here, staring at the carport. Aidan’s called the police already. We’re just waiting for them to show up and take my statement.
The sound of a car engine makes me turn, and I peek over Aidan’s arm to spot Skylar getting out of her car.
Great. Everyone’s here!
I cross my arms and squeeze my biceps, my nails digging into the muscles as I try to control the raging emotions inside of me. This has happened on the worst day possible. As if rejecting Aidan’s invite to prom wasn’t bad enough, now to have my board go missing? It’s unearthing all the ugly from that time in my life. I don’t want to feel any of that shit again.
I want to be freaking victorious!
I won’t let what “that guy” did to me define who I am.
Yet it’s trying to.
As I stand in my driveway, gazing at that empty spot, I feel small and untethered. Just the way I felt as I ran home after the rape.
My stomach is literally trembling as I fight to keep it all in.
“Hey.” Skylar gives me a sympathetic smile.
“Hi,” I croak.
“I’m really sorry about your board.”
