Dane clears his throat at my side, speaking low. “I’m going to go wait in the parking lot. Take your time.”
He follows the parents and their kids out of the gym through the side door. Ryen stuffs the diary in her bag and picks up the towel, continuing to dry off her legs. Her black bikini bottom, unlike her rash guard, is not as conservative as I would like. Her toned legs look tight and smooth, and the droplets of water on her thighs have my heart skipping a beat.
She realizes I’m still here and scowls. “Well?” she snaps. “You can leave now.”
I slide my hands into my pocket. “And why would I do that, Rocks? When it’s so warm in your presence.”
“Why do you keep calling me Rocks?”
I ignore the question, keeping my eyes locked on hers. But then I notice her shiver, and without thinking, I glance down, seeing that her nipples are harder than ever. She’s obviously cold, and visions of her in a hot shower invade my head. Naked, steam, heat…
Wait…
Shower. I glance behind me at the men’s locker room door. Her friend and that fuckwad could still be in there. What if she hears something? Or sees them come out together?
I turn back to her. So what? She should find out what goddamn sleazes those people are whose opinions she cares so much about. She should find out exactly what a bad investment that was. She has this coming.
But, for some reason, I don’t want her to confront that. Not unprepared. If she sees her prom date and best friend together, no one will take her side when the fallout happens.
No one will probably be surprised by Lyla’s behavior, and Trey will be the man.
Ryen will just be the stupid girl who was duped.
And I’m not sure why I care.
“Come on,” I say, “It’s dark out. I’ll walk you out.”
“Piss off.”
She pulls on some shorts, tying the little string, and then slaps on a baseball cap, not even sparing me a glance.
“There’s someone breaking into the school at night,” I point out, my voice turning angry. “You shouldn’t be here alone.”’
She laughs, leaning down to zip up her bag. “Yeah, maybe it’s you, and you just want me out of here so you can get going on writing stupid crap on the walls.”
I hesitate.
Okay, yeah, I’ve broken into the school a couple of times. She’s right about that. But I’m not the one breaking in and vandalizing the place. That is definitely not me.
I didn’t risk coming here to get caught doing stupid shit.
She straightens and turns to fix me with a look. “You called me a cunt and cut my hair. You think I’d actually trust you to protect me? Don’t blink too hard, Shit-for-Brains. You might lose your last few brain cells.”
I widen my eyes, and every muscle in my body squeezes so tight it burns. What the fuck did she just say?
Before I know what I’m doing, I sweep her up into my arms and carry her to the side of the pool.
“Cannonball or washing machine?”
Her eyes widen. “Wha—?”
“Cannonball, it is!” I shout out. And I throw her into the pool, hearing her scream as her entire body hits the water, and she completely submerges.
I storm out of the gym without looking back. Hope the swim teacher knows how to swim.
I dig my keys out of my pocket and head for my truck. Shit-for-Brains? Breathe too hard?
She’s got a nasty mouth on her and an answer for everything. Does she ever shut up?
I climb into the truck, slamming the door. “Dammit!” I growl. “What a fucking—!” But I stop myself, breathing hard. I’m so damn angry I almost wish we had a gig tonight. Or a practice. I want to take what I’m feeling out on something.
I hear a snort next to me, and I suddenly remember Dane is with me.
“I told you,” he says. “She looked kind of cold. I’ll bet she feels good when she warms up, though.”
“I couldn’t care less.”
I stick the key in the ignition, yank the shifter to Drive, and lay on the gas.
“Yeah, it looks like it,” Dane comments dryly.
Dear Ryen,
What do you think of this line to replace the ending of the chorus for Titan? You know, that song I sent you last time?
Don’t hold your breath, ‘cause you weren’t first! Someone had to build the stairs that you climb.
I was at the warehouse last night, and it just popped in my head. I think it fits the song a lot better, and with the beat, I think I’ll like the way it’s going to come out. Thoughts?
And yeah. Before you give me shit, I was at a party last night, sitting by myself, and writing music. So what? I think it helps my street cred, to be honest. You know…the quiet loner? The mysterious, hot rebel? Something like that? Maybe?
Whatever. Fuck it. You know I don’t like people.
Anyway, you asked me my favorite place in your last letter. The warehouse is one of them. During the day, when no one is there, you can hear the pigeons flapping through the rafters, and you can take in all the graffiti without everyone around. Some of it’s pretty incredible.
But I guess my absolute favorite place, other than you, of course, is my house. I know, I know. My dad is there, so why would I want to be? But actually… After my dad and sister have gone to sleep at night, when everything is dark, I crawl out my window and up to the roof. There’s a little hidden valley between the ridges where I sit back against the chimney, sometimes for hours, dicking around on my phone, taking in the view, or sometimes I write you. I love it up there. I can see the tops of the trees, blowing in the night wind, the glow of the street lamps and stars, the sound of leaves rustling… I guess it makes me feel like anything is possible.