My stomach flipped. “I hate you for what you did.”

  Dad looked at me. “I know. But I didn’t know you were home. You were at a party.”

  “I can still smell the smoke. I can still feel the heat. And that feeling that I was going to die…”

  Dad touched the corners of his eyes. “Aira, please…”

  “You tried to kill me.”

  “No I didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. There’s a difference.”

  “No there’s not,” I said. “You did this to me. You turned me into this.”

  “Into what?”

  “A bitch,” I said.

  There was a silence again as I walked toward the door.

  I had my freedom. He didn’t.

  “Aira, wait,” he said.

  “No. I get to do whatever I want now. And just so you know, she’s selling your story. The entire thing. She’s going to cash in on what you did. You’ll never live this down, Dad.”

  “I know,” he said. “I’ve pleaded guilty to everything they’ve charged me with. And the people I work for… they’re not happy with me. I might not ever see you again, Aira.”

  “Then take a good look now,” I said.

  He wiped his eyes again and nodded. “Just remember the ocean, Aira. Don’t turn your back on anything that can hurt you.”

  “I’ve already learned that,” I said. “But you know what? You can’t hurt me now. Or ever again.”

  I turned my back to Dad and pounded on the door.

  It opened a second later and I walked out.

  I heard him yell my name but I ignored him.

  I wanted to go jump into the ocean and beat the waves and pretend I was an orphan trying to find my own version of home.

  * * *

  Wes cupped my face and kissed my lips. Then my forehead. Then the top of my head. He smelled like expensive cologne and cheap smoke. I kept my hands at my sides, still keeping it all together. Still taking it all in.

  “It was nothing I didn’t know,” I whispered to Wes.

  “You did it though, darling,” he said. “He’ll be gone forever.”

  “Yeah he will,” I said.

  I looked up at Wes and he stroked my cheeks under my eyes but there were no tears.

  I broke away from him and got into Nova’s car.

  “Mind if I smoke?” I asked her.

  “Not at all,” she said.

  “Drive,” I ordered.

  “Wes is standing at the door.”

  “I said to drive.”

  Nova took off, leaving Wes standing there.

  It wasn’t personal.

  Or maybe it was.

  All I had been pulled into because of him. Because of Ryland. Because of Mika. Because of HCH. And the fact that he fucked how many girls in Hidden Creek High? And of all the nasty bitches… Nelle?

  It shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did.

  Or maybe it was my mind just grabbing for a cheap excuse to get jealous and distracted.

  “J,” Nova said. It had been at least ten minutes since we started driving. In complete silence. “J could be for… just know I’m always here for you, Aira.”

  I looked at her and smiled. “You’re a good friend, Nova. I hope whatever happened with that summer boy thing, he suffers without you. Or maybe you should find the hottest guy in Hidden and then find summer boy.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that stuff,” Nova said. “Please.”

  “Right. You want to talk about my father? And everything he just said to me?”

  “No,” Nova said.

  “Then what are we going to do? Recite the alphabet?”

  “Aira, we’re going to go back to the beach and surf. And then get drunk and laugh. But before that… look in the mirror.”

  I did.

  There was nothing out of the ordinary.

  Wes was right behind us on his motorcycle.

  “He’s following you,” she said. “Always following you. Wes doesn’t follow anyone. Ever. He’s always made his own path. Until you showed up.”

  “I know,” I said, my eyes not moving from the mirror.

  “You didn’t want him to come today to see what he would do,” Nova said. “You’re worried about him sleeping with other girls. But believe me, he would never hurt you like that. Anything he’s ever done was just for fun. Nothing was ever serious. So fuck the stories. And the rumors. You have him now, Aira. You have the craziest and wildest bad boy in HCH. And he’s following you on his motorcycle like a horny dog.”

  I laughed. “Hey. Pull over.”

  “What?”

  “Pull over right now, Nova,” I said.

  Nova moved to the side of the road.

  Wes followed.

  I opened the door before we were fully stopped and I jumped out.

  I ran toward Wes.

  He stopped his motorcycle. “What are you doing?”

  I grabbed his shirt, moved to my toes and pulled myself to his mouth.

  I kissed him like I had never kissed someone ever in my life.

  Short, but with purpose.

  When I stopped kissing him, I slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

  “Don’t ever think about breaking my heart or fucking with my heart, Weslee Jackson. Ever.”

  Wes touched his cheek.

  His mouth was open.

  He was shocked.

  I pointed at him. “And for the record, I love you too. I’ve always loved you.”

  I got back into the passenger seat and Nova’s eyes were as wide as Wes’s mouth.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “Just love,” I said.

  I looked in the mirror at Wes again.

  He was still rubbing his cheek.

  But he was smiling.

  I smiled too.

  Chapter 22

  Wes

  I stepped into the office and slapped down a small stack of papers.

  Pop turned in his chair and looked up at me.

  “Work,” I said. “Keeping things in order.”

  “Right, grandson,” he said.

  There was always a hidden story behind Pop’s eyes. Sometimes I waited to see if he would actually talk, but he never did. I couldn’t imagine what he felt about West. Or the shop. Or the town. But it was all he knew. There was never a chance at changing Pop or the way things were. He’d live and die in the shop and there was no changing it.

  “We have another list started that we can-”

  “I’m watching something here, grandson,” Pop said.

  He turned away.

  I smiled.

  As I walked to the main office door, I looked back at him one more time.

  Just to see him.

  I rubbed my jaw as I walked outside, still trying to process everything that had happened. A part of me wanted to get my hands on Aira’s old man. Then again, if that crazed son of a bitch hadn’t set his own house on fire, Aira might not have made her way back to Hidden.

  I heard the sound of a woman laughing and a quick left turn revealed something I thought I’d never see.

  Julia.

  Standing there, hugging herself, laughing as Jett leaned against the garage, smoking a cigarette, looking like the coolest fucking guy on earth. That was how I knew and remembered Jett. And I remembered him with Julia. And I remembered when they split. And she took off and ended up marrying that guy. And Jett never got over it.

  I watched for a few seconds before Jett noticed me.

  “See something?” he asked.

  “Nope,” I said.

  “Aira said she was meeting you,” Julia called out.

  “Heading out right now,” I said.

  “Be safe,” Jett called out.

  I looked at him, then Julia, then back at him. “You too.”

  Jett showed me his middle finger.

  I got onto my ride and looked at the shop. I had a sinking feeling of goodbye going through me but I wasn’t there yet. There was no goodbye. Shit would keep changing and shit would keep moving forward. Just like the waves in the ocean. Constant.

  Just like the way I felt about Aira.

  Fucking constant.

  * * *

  “I brought something for everyone to see,” Ryker announced. “Can we all gather around please?”

  He held out a red cup that was full of something good. He was feeling better than okay and the way he kept grabbing Kailey’s ass and kissing her, he was making a bold statement about his feelings for her. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure she wasn't going to turn him down later.

  Which wasn’t going to happen.

  Kailey had lust dripping from her eyes.

  I didn't think anyone could outdo Flynn and Charlotte but these two were making a case.

  Then again, who was I to fucking talk?

  I sat on a log with Aira curled up in my arms.

  We shared a drink.

  My kind of drink.

  Something strong, straight, no ice.

  With each sip Aira took, her eyes got bigger and flirtier.

  She was like staring down at a dream.

  The impossible dream in my arms.

  Her secrets and scars.

  My past and present.

  One big pile of mess but we’d figure out how to make it work.

  “Come on, you’re going to love this,” Ryker said.

  “He’s going to tell the story of how he lost his virginity to Kailey,” Walker said.

  Everyone laughed.

  “Bro, I wasn’t a virgin,” Ryker said. “Shit you were there the night I first-”

  “Think about that sentence,” I said. “I don't want to know what you two do.”

  “Fuck,” Ryker said. “Not like that, Wes. I meant he was there. At the party.”

  “Did he roll the condom on your dick and pep talk it?” Flynn asked.

  Everyone laughed harder.

  Ryker waved his hands. “Fuck you all then.”

  “No, no, no,” Kailey said. “Ignore them.”

  “Never mind,” Ryker said.

  “Oh, come on,” Flynn yelled.

  “Don’t be a pussy,” Leo said.

  Leo was just Leo. Standing a couple feet away from us. Like the observer, always looking around, waiting for trouble to show up. That was only because Leo loved to fight, drink, and fuck.

  “Fine,” Ryker said. “I figured since we’re all here… we can do something fun.”

  “What's your definition of fun?” Emma asked.

  “Get your baseball bat and let's find out,” Walker said.

  “What exactly do you think you can do with a baseball bat sexually?” Charlotte asked in a clear, honest voice. Then she added, “Because that won't fit…”

  Walker started to laugh. “It’s just a joke.”

  “But it’s stupid,” Charlotte said.

  “Thank you, Miss Fucking Serious,” Aira said.

  She snorted and laughed.

  “Hey, everyone take a breath," I said. “Give Ryker a chance. I’m sure whatever he has to say it’ll be life changing.”

  “Yeah, no pressure at all, bro,” Walker said.

  “It was going to be funny,” Ryker said.

  “But then you started talking,” Leo said.

  “You’re all assholes,” Kailey shouted.

  “Hey, calm down TT,” I said.

  Kailey threw her cup at me. “Fuck you, Wes.”

  “Hey, fuck you, Kail,” Aira said. She swung her legs off me and stood up.

  I grabbed her waist. “Calm down. It’s all for fun. We’re just joking.”

  I pulled Aira down to me.

  She pointed at Kailey.

  Kailey showed a fist and slowly lifted her middle finger.

  “You know where you can stick that?” Aira asked.

  “I do,” Walker said.

  “Perv,” Emma said as she swung her hand and punched Walker in the arm.

  “I love you, Aira,” Kailey said.

  “Love you too, bitch,” Aira said.

  “You all totally ruined this,” Ryker said.

  “Oh yeah, Ryker has something to show us,” Flynn said.

  “Whatever,” he said. He reached down into the cargo pocket of his shorts and held something up. “These are…”

  “Oh, fuck me,” Leo said. “The peppers wearing sunglasses.”

  “Undies?” Emma asked.

  “Panties,” I said with a laugh.

  “I thought I could lighten the mood,” Ryker said. “Everyone remember these?”

  “Leo just said what they were,” Charlotte said.

  “Right,” Ryker said.

  “Bro, you're too drunk for this,” Walker said.

  “Just wait a second,” Ryker said. He stepped toward the fire. “I figured this would be good to do. Like getting rid of everything bad. You know?”

  “So you’re saying your panties brought us bad luck?” Emma asked.

  “They’re not panties,” Kailey said.

  We all laughed again.

  “What are you going to do with them?” Nova asked.

  “Burn them,” Ryker said. He threw them into the fire. “Don’t worry. They’re clean.”

  “What the hell…,” Leo said. “You just threw boxers into a fire.”

  “For good luck,” Ryker said.

  “There’s got to be a better way to bring on good luck,” Nova said.

  “I second that,” Aira said.

  “They’re kind of right,” Kailey said.

  “What?” Ryker asked, looking at Kailey.

  “That’s weird,” she said. “Plus… I sort of took those off you… remember…”

  “Oh, you just lost your undies from the night you lost your virginity,” Flynn said.

  “Here, we can make it into a tradition,” Walker said.

  Without warning, he turned and dropped his shorts.

  The sight of bare ass made everyone groan.

  I pulled Aira tighter to me.

  Leo pulled Emma away.

  “What are you doing?” Flynn yelled.

  Walker didn’t care. He stepped out of his shorts and blue boxers. Then he put his shorts back on. He tossed his boxers into the fire.

  “I’m going to throw up,” Charlotte said.

  “So am I,” a voice said. “Fucking weirdos.”

  I looked back and almost threw Aira across the beach to safety.

  Instead, I stood up and put her behind me.

  Nick and Dean stood there. The two of them each holding a beer bottle in their right hands.

  I looked up in the direction of Jett’s house then at them.

  “I’ll give you this once,” I said. “But if you ever come near that house or this beach again…”

  “Fuck that,” Leo said.

  He was next to me, cracking his knuckles.

  I put my right arm out. “Give it a second.”

  “If you’re looking for a new leader, you’ve come to the wrong place, boys,” Aira said so boldly.

  “We don’t need a leader,” Nick said.

  “We never did,” Dean said. “We just hate you, Wes.”

  “Good,” I said. “What are you going to do with that now? Better yet… whoever took out Ryland… hope you weren’t involved with that too.”

  Click-click.

  That was the sound Flynn made with his fingers in the shape of a gun.

  Nick flung his beer bottle at Flynn for the gesture.

  It knocked right against Charlotte’s cheek, spilling beer all over her.

  She screamed in pain and Flynn couldn’t get to his feet fast enough.

  Leo looked at me.

  I nodded. “Go ahead.”

  He ran after Nick and Nick was already in position, dancing back, throwing fists.

  I looked at Dean.

  I approached him.

  He swung first, which maybe I let him do.

  Maybe in some fucked up way I felt bad for them. And for Ryland.

  What the fuck is happening to me?

  The second punch Dean landed woke my ass up.

  I stepped back and caught myself. I licked my lips and tasted blood. He was coming in for another punch and I side stepped and tripped him. When he went down, he smashed into the log I had been sitting on.

  That’s when the girls decided to attack.

  They were like wild animals to prey.

  Aira, Kailey, Emma, and Nova… all four of them kicking and stomping on Dean as he cried to stop.

  I rushed to Leo and hooked my arms into his to stop him from hitting Nick again.

  “What the hell?” he growled.

  “Hold him. This is Flynn’s.”

  “Fuck you all,” Nick said. He spit blood to the sand. “Fuck. You. All.”

  “Flynn, let’s go,” I ordered.

  Charlotte sat rubbing her cheek.

  Flynn ran as Leo and I held Nick up.

  With one punch, Flynn sent Nick to the ground and that was that.

  I looked back and saw Aira ordering the girls to do the same to Dean.

  They got him to his feet and Charlotte stood up and went for her shot.

  She hammered her fist down on Nick’s nose, making it explode with blood.

  “What a hit,” I said.

  “Fuck, yes,” Flynn yelled. “God I love her.”

  I grabbed Nick by his shirt and tossed him toward Dean.

  They were both on their ass.

  “Let me finish,” I said. “If I ever see you two again, you’ll be reunited with Ryland. Is that fucking clear enough?”

  They both showed their hands in defeat.

  I stood and lit up a cigarette and waited and watched until they were gone. Only this time they went down the beach. They were not going anywhere near Jett’s.

  Leo finally pulled at my shoulder. “Come on.”

  We all met up at the fire.

  I tasted blood in my mouth.

  “I smell like beer,” Charlotte said.

  “Take your clothes off,” Walker said.

  “I second that,” Flynn said with a wink.

  Charlotte surprised us all by taking her shirt off and throwing it into the fire.

  Leaving her standing in nothing but her bra, which didn’t hold much in.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22