I walked out of the office.

  I heard Pop get louder. I heard Jett fight back.

  Outside the garage I lit a cigarette.

  Ryland, Dean, and Nick decided to cruise by the shop again.

  I should have just stayed in the cabin near the pond. We should have stayed there forever.

  Because if me punching a couple guys scared Aira…

  … things were just getting started.

  Chapter 10

  Aira

  I walked through Liam’s house with the music blasting and people talking all around me. It was just another party but I was there to meet up with Wes. Trying to recapture something that felt like normal in life.

  Emma hooked her arm into mine and led the way to the kitchen.

  I looked at the spot where Wes had saved me from Ryland.

  It felt like a lifetime ago that happened.

  Everyone who looked at me had the same kind of eyes. Either they were worried about me, judging me, or just felt bad for me. I had gotten used to the stares, just as long as nobody said or did anything.

  I spotted Ryder and his left eye was black and swollen.

  I waved to him and he quickly turned his back to me.

  “What was that?” Emma asked.

  “Nothing,” I said with a grin.

  “You’re turning into a bad girl,” she said.

  We walked to the back door and went outside where the waves crashing into the ocean were the perfect sound.

  “A bad girl?” I asked.

  “You play into it. What Wes does.”

  “I don’t know about that. I mean, it’s…”

  “Hot as fuck,” Emma said.

  “Yeah, that. But then it’s dangerous. He’s going to get himself in trouble. Like real trouble.”

  “That’s Wes,” Emma said. “He’ll never change. You have to know that.”

  “I know,” I said. “I mean, I appreciate it and all. But…”

  “Stay here, I’ll get us something to drink.”

  Emma walked back into the party and I sat there alone in the dark.

  “What a perfect night.”

  I turned my head and saw Ryland sitting down.

  “Someone’s sitting there,” I said.

  “Oh, no, I’m sitting on someone invisible,” Ryland said as he wiggled his butt on the seat.

  I curled my lip. “Whatever. I’m out of here.”

  “Wes isn’t in there,” Ryland said. “I know you’re waiting for him. Thought we could catch up for a second.”

  “Why would I want to talk to you, Ryland?” I asked.

  “I thought about some of the stuff that happened,” he said. “And for a second I thought about apologizing to you.”

  I laughed. “Thought about it?”

  “For a second. But let me ask you a question. Since this all happened… have you… done that to yourself?”

  “You know what, Ryland? I don’t have to answer that. You’re a loser. You try to dig into people’s lives just to feel better.”

  “No, you’re wrong, Aira. I tell the truth.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You and your truth. Like you’re some hero.”

  “I’m not a hero,” Ryland said. He started to stand up. “You sit down. You relax. You need it.”

  “I need it?”

  “You went back home to face it, right?”

  “How did you know that?” I asked.

  “Just assumed,” he said. “You just confirmed it.”

  He winked.

  I felt like throwing up.

  “You weren’t in town. Where else would you go? I’m sorry your house burned down.”

  “Can’t change it, can I?” I asked.

  “No you can’t. But maybe it was a good thing that happened.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, in a greedy way, it brought you here. I can’t believe you once lived here and left. Imagine if you were still here when I showed up. Oh, the time we lost out on, Aira…”

  “Yeah, right. So much time. How will I ever get over not having you?”

  Ryland laughed. “I love your sense of humor. Keep that tight. You’ll need it soon enough.”

  He started to walk away and I caught myself wanting to go after him. To ask what that comment meant.

  “What did he want?” Emma asked as she handed me a red cup.

  “Just trying to cause problems,” I said.

  “What a fucking idiot. He just can’t help himself. Says and does whatever he wants. Especially to get into your pants. Then he’s gone. But that’s not even close to what… whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

  I swallowed hard.

  I saw the glow of a cigarette and I put the drink down to go after Wes.

  “Yeah, it was nice talking to you,” Emma called out.

  Wes came up the steps and slipped an arm around me. “Emma can-”

  “Don’t even say it,” I warned Wes.

  “How’s the party?” Wes asked.

  “Actually kind of boring,” Emma said. “I was thinking of bolting. I know Charlotte and Flynn disappeared. Big surprise there.”

  “Kailey was flirting with someone,” I said.

  “Kyle,” Emma said.

  “Miles?” Wes asked.

  “Yeah,” Emma asked.

  “That’s desperate. She could just give Walker a free pass for a night if she’s that lonely.”

  “Or your other cousin,” Emma said.

  “No way,” Wes said. “Walker has got eyes for you.”

  “I’d rather eat a baseball bat,” Emma said.

  “You know, I’ll tell him you said that,” Wes said.

  “It’ll probably just turn him on,” I said.

  “So gross,” Emma said.

  “There’s one way to make it stop,” Wes said.

  “Never,” Emma said. She finished her drink. “I need more of this.”

  “I need more of this,” Wes said and he grabbed my ass.

  I jumped and smacked his chest.

  “You two have fun. Be safe.”

  “Later, Emma,” Wes said.

  “See you tomorrow,” I called out as Wes pulled me from the deck.

  It was like a monster swallowing me up into the dark.

  And actually, it kind of was.

  That’s what Wes was.

  But he was mine.

  * * *

  “You sure you don’t want something to eat?” Cherry asked me for the tenth time.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “I promise.”

  “Okay. Just checking. Now deal me in, Carolyn. Let’s do this.”

  “Playing poker,” Wes said.

  “Could be worse,” Cherry said. “Plus, I already robbed your cousins. Dumb kids. But they have good hearts.”

  “That’s why we love you, Cherry,” Wes said.

  “One more hand for me,” Carolyn said.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Cherry said. “Aira, sit down.”

  “Go ahead,” Wes said. “I’ll be out front.”

  He kissed my cheek.

  I took a seat but had no desire to play poker. It made me laugh that we bailed on a party for this. But this was actually kind of better. The whole party thing never did much for me. Everyone just grabbing at each other, spreading rumors, looking for a story to tell. And I really didn’t want to be near Ryland. Better yet, I didn’t want Wes to be near Ryland.

  “How are you?” Cherry asked me.

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “Living here isn’t easy sometimes,” Carolyn said. “Hanging around that shop. Hanging around my son.”

  “Stop that,” Cherry said. “I’m talking about Aira herself. She’s a strong woman, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show emotion. Emotion is not weakness.”

  “Says the woman who fights against showing emotion,” Carolyn said.

  “In my house, I show myself,” Cherry said.

  I sat there a little uncomfortable. “I’m really fine.”

  Cherry put her cards down. She swiped her hand across the table and ended the game.

  “Don’t let any of those guys get to you,” Cherry said. “No matter what.”

  “Get to me?”

  “I think her and Wes have their thing going now,” Carolyn said.

  “Oh, that thing is more than a thing,” Cherry said. “That’s why I’m saying to ignore the other guys. I don’t want Wes to lose himself.”

  “Why would Wes lose himself?” I asked.

  “Oh, sweetie,” Carolyn said. “Wes loves you. He’ll do anything to keep you safe. He’ll be in his own head about it. Nonstop. Trust me. He won’t let anything get in the way of that either.”

  I felt my cheeks a little warm as I smiled. “I care about him too. I know things are kind of crazy…”

  Cherry and Carolyn laughed.

  “You just take care of yourself too,” Cherry said.

  I watched as Cherry reached for my hand. When she touched me, it was like warm butter. She felt kind, calm, and caring. The way I always remembered Cherry. Even if she had a little darkness to her. But that only came out if you made her mad or deserved it.

  “Don’t fucking talk to me!”

  Everyone turned to see where that was coming from.

  “Hey, Noe, wait the hell up,” Wes’s voice boomed.

  Noelle came storming through the kitchen, throwing her earbuds to the floor.

  Cherry stood up and Carolyn reached for her.

  She was there and gone within two seconds, out the back door.

  That’s when Wes appeared, pissed off, looking ready to explode.

  “What did you do to her?” Carolyn snapped.

  “Nothing, Ma.”

  “That wasn’t nothing.”

  “Weslee,” Cherry said.

  “Nothing,” he growled. “She’s… things are getting too close again.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  Wes’s eyes looked to mine. “Nothing.”

  “Too close for what?” I asked.

  “I’ll go talk to her,” Carolyn said.

  “No,” Cherry said. “Let her calm down.”

  “Thank you for having me here,” I said as I stood up. “I think I’m going to walk home now.”

  “You don’t have to leave,” Cherry said.

  “I think I do,” I said. “I have to protect myself, right? Take care of myself.”

  Cherry grabbed my hand again and squeezed it once.

  I turned and walked by Wes, shoving him out of the way.

  I knew he was going to chase after me, which was fine. I just wasn’t going to stick around and deal with the Wes and Noelle thing. The thing.

  “Hey, darling, wait up,” Wes called after me.

  I just kept walking.

  He ran.

  His shoulder was right next to me. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

  “I’m going home, Wes. Or better yet, I’ll go back to Liam’s house. Have some drinks. Dance. Lose myself a little. Forget about this.”

  Wes cut in front of me.

  I put my hands to his chest to push him away.

  He pulled me close and hugged me.

  “Wes,” I said. “Don’t…”

  “She slept with Ryland,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “Noelle.”

  I broke away from Wes. “She…”

  “With Ryland,” he said. “A couple years ago. She’s always been going through a tough time. Okay? I promised I would always help. Always be there. Something happened at a party and I’ve gotten an answer.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “You think it’s jealousy,” he said. “Or that there’s something there. It’s not that. I’ve told you the truth, Aira. I care about Noelle as a sister. Nothing more. But there was a party she showed up to. I told her not to go. I didn’t want her messing around at those kinds of parties. She would always drink to make her feelings go away. And I knew that was going to get her into trouble. A guy like Ryland preys off that.”

  “So it is jealousy,” I said. “You didn’t want her to sleep with someone?”

  “I don’t give a damn what Noelle does,” Wes said. “But when it was her first… time… and when she told me she didn’t want it…”

  I saw the anger spread across Wes’s face.

  My eyes went wide.

  I slowly put a hand to my mouth as my stomach flipped.

  I tried to process it. I thought about me and Wes together. That first time. All the feelings growing and exploding. The way my body felt and the way my mind raced, making damn sure it was the right person and the right time. And in my heart I knew that if it wasn’t - even at the last possible second - that Wes would have stopped.

  “So she thinks Ryland…”

  “I don’t know, darling,” Wes said in a low voice. “That’s the problem. Noelle is just this lost soul in this town. So even if she wanted to say something or do something, there’s nothing she can say or do. Nothing would happen to Ryland. His parents have so much money, they’d lawyer up and turn it on Noelle. If anything, they’d find a way to make Noelle go away. That’s why she goes to Tech now. She was really smart. But after that night, it just made her darker. You think I’m doing one thing with her, but you’re wrong. I’m just trying to make sure she knows she has someone she can trust.”

  “What just happened tonight, Wes?” I asked.

  “Sometimes it gets to her. I pushed at her too hard. She’s jealous of you.”

  “Of me…”

  “Yeah. Because the second Ryland messed with you, I stepped in. But when that happened to her… I sort of hate myself for the way it all went down. Ryland stayed steps ahead of it. Telling everyone what happened. How it happened. He controlled the story, Aira. Meaning that even if Noelle wanted to defend herself, she would just look like a liar.”

  I looked over my shoulder at Cherry’s house. “Every time I hear something, it just brings up more questions.”

  “Welcome to Hidden, darling,” Wes said.

  “I’m going to go talk to her.”

  “Aira…”

  “I need to talk to her, Wes,” I said.

  Wes stood there as I walked away.

  I went through Cherry’s house like I had been there a million times.

  I stopped to get the earbuds off the floor because I now realized why they meant so much to Noelle.

  Stupid me for worrying about her or judging her. Even if she was bitchy and honest with me about her feelings for Wes. And stupid me for having to admit that Wes had been right and honest when he said she was just afraid of losing him to me.

  I opened the back door to the house and found Noelle sitting on the top step of the back porch. There were custom lights along the entire porch and she sat next to one of the lights on the railing and scribbled in her notebook.

  “Hey,” I said.

  Noelle turned her head and looked up at me. “Hey.”

  I slowly sat down next to her and handed her the earbuds. “Figured you’d want these.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What are you working on?”

  “Nothing,” she said.

  “Can I see?”

  “Whatever,” she said.

  She tilted the page and I saw a sketched mess of shapes and designs. There was one word on the paper. The word NO.

  I swallowed hard, feeling a little sick again.

  “I think you’re really good at this,” I said.

  “Scribbling in a notebook?” Noelle asked.

  “No. Just drawing and writing. Better than I can ever do. I hate writing. I’m so terrible at it. I’m actually kind of terrible at everything. It seems like everyone has their shit sort of figured out. I feel like a mess.”

  “Yeah,” Noelle said. “I get that. I feel that way at Tech. Everyone is talking careers. Or it’s just all rich kids bragging about their new cars or trucks or motorcycles. They’re just there to look cool and waste time. The outcasts of HCH, you know?”

  “I’m sure it doesn’t help having Ryker and Walker there,” I said.

  Noelle rolled her eyes. “Walker couldn’t get laid if a named woman guided him along. And Ryker thinks everyone wants him. Nobody does.”

  “How are they related to Wes?” I asked.

  Noelle smiled but it faded fast. “Look, I said some stuff to you before…”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. I touched her hand. “We’re all in this together, Noelle. You might not believe it. But… I’m here. If you need anything. I love Wes. And he loves me. I don’t want to be worried about you. Or hate you. Or you hate me.”

  “You’re the first one,” Noelle said.

  “First one?”

  “That he loved. He never loved anyone else but you, Aira. And when I realized that, I looked for love in the wrong places. I did everything wrong.”

  “No, you didn’t,” I whispered.

  Noelle suddenly leaned toward me.

  She put her head to my shoulder.

  And she started to cry.

  I held her and sensed someone behind us.

  When I turned my head, Wes stood there. I had no idea how he was able to sneak behind us without making a sound.

  But he was there. Standing so tall. So strong.

  He nodded.

  The moment should have been a good one.

  But it was far from it.

  I felt like I was in the middle of a fucking storm.

  Chapter 11

  Wes

  Ryker’s car was low to the ground and could go from zero-to-sixty in no time. The kind of car that by just gently pressing the pedal sent you flying. So fast you’d have to grab the wheel and hold tight.

  He wasn’t a fan that I was driving his car, but he had no choice in the matter.

  I peeled out of the parking lot of the shop and the back tires let out a cry as I cut the wheel and took off.

  “Careful, man,” Walker called out from the backseat.

  “You have to watch when you shift-” Ryker started to say.

  I shifted gears and the car grabbed even more speed.

  Ryker put his head against the seat and groaned.

  There was an intense feeling of weight pressing against my chest as the car moved faster. Going down the main strip in Hidden, the road was long and it was wide. I could have taken the car over one hundred miles per hour but I kept it at a cool eighty.

 

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