by Jenna Lehne
CHAPTER FOUR
I dream about the accident. Only this time I don’t get out of the van. Instead, the vehicle folds over itself and pins me to the ground, the river calm around us. My heart slams against my chest and I taste blood again. I can’t move, even as water starts to fill the cab. I push against the metal, but it won’t budge. I grit my teeth and push harder and it finally buckles. And then the metal shouts.
“What the hell?” Teddy grumbles from somewhere on the floor.
I turn on the bedside lamp and yank the blankets over my skimpy tank top. “What are you doing in here?”
Teddy climbs off the floor and rubs his hip. He’s shirtless and rocking a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. The soft light makes his chest and abs shimmer like he’s on the cover of a freaking romance novel. “I didn’t think you were serious when you said you wanted to sleep alone.”
I chuck a pillow at his head. “Of course I was serious, you ass hat. You can’t just crawl into someone’s bed, you know! That’s creepy and rude. Really rude.”
“I know.” Teddy drops the pillow. “I’m sorry. I tried sleeping upstairs, but I kept dreaming about the accident. I thought if I slept next to someone, the nightmares would go away. I didn’t even touch you, I swear. I slept on top of the covers so I wouldn’t touch you. I must have rolled over. I’m sorry, Murphy. I just didn’t want to sleep alone.”
“Then you should have asked.” I glare at him and cross my arms over my boobs, just in case he’s looking.
“I know.” Teddy opens the door and steps backward. “I’m really sorry.”
I try to think of something snappy to throw back in his face, but I can’t. I know exactly how he’s feeling--scared, on edge, but thankful to be alive. I pull back the covers on the other side, his side I guess, of the bed. “Get in. But be warned, if you try to feel me up when I’m sleeping I’ll castrate you with a frozen spoon and a lighter.”
“Gotcha.” Teddy shuts the door behind him and climbs into bed, careful to leave a foot of space between us. “Night, Murph.”
“Night, Teddy.”
A cloud of bacon grease and cinnamon wakes me up the next morning. I pull on Mom’s cabin robe – a white, fluffy little number, and wander into the kitchen.
Teddy, Oliver, and Henry are in the kitchen whisking eggs, flipping pancakes, and pushing bacon around a cast iron skillet. Peyton and Hayley are already sipping orange juice out on the deck, relaxing in the comfy lounge chairs.
“Morning,” I mumble.
“Morning, Murph!” Oliver flips a pancake in the air, but when he goes to catch it, he holds the spatula three inches more to the right than it needs to be. He blinks a few times and scoops up the pancake. “Whoops.”
“Morning, roomie.” Teddy winks at me and takes a sip of his coffee. “I had a great sleep last night.”
Henry snorts. “Yeah, right.”
“Seriously,” Teddy says. “Murphy gave in and let me sleep with her.”
Henry stops pushing bacon and looks at me. It’s the same sideways, frowny face from yesterday. “Is he serious?”
“It’s not a big deal.” I roll my eyes as the sun, or something, warms my cheeks. “We both had nightmares, so we slept together. It’s not like we’re dating or anything.”
Teddy clutches his chest. “You wound me.”
I snort and grab Teddy’s coffee out of his hand. “I think you’ll get over it.”
“Murphy!” Peyton squeals as I step through the sliding door. “I thought you were going to sleep forever.”
“It’s not even eleven yet,” I say. “Why are you all up so early? We’re on vacation.”
“I didn’t want Olly to sleep anymore than he had too.” Hayley pushes her sunglasses up her nose and slathers sunscreen onto her pale stomach. “I think he has a little bit of a concussion.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” I set my coffee down and lean on the balcony railing. “What a beautiful morning.”
Peyton joins me and bumps her shoulder into mine. “Aren’t you glad we lived to see it?”
I nod and rest my head against hers. “I hope we see thousands more.”
Breakfast is a greasy, delicious fiasco.
“I say we pack the cooler full of beer and go down to the lake.” Peyton separates the fat from a piece of bacon and takes a teensy bite
“Sounds good to me.” I dunk my bacon, fat and all, in maple syrup and stuff it into my mouth. “We better enjoy this while we can. Without cell service, it won’t take long for my parents to realize I’m not at your house. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already on their way home from Palm Springs.”
“Do you think they’ll check here first?” Henry asks.
I shrug. “I doubt it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed up tomorrow.”
“Then we better make the most out of the day then,” Peyton says.
“Maybe we can have a fire tonight and roast marshmallows tonight,” Oliver says, in the adorkable way only Olly can pull off.
“And tell ghost stories?” Teddy pours a beer into his remaining orange juice.
“I love ghost stories.” Hayley’s grass-green eyes light up. “Oliver knows some great ones.”
“Yeah, I do.” Oliver stacks three pancakes onto his plate and covers them with peanut butter, eggs, and ketchup. “They’re even better if you smoke up first.”
We argue over weed’s hallucinogenic properties before we split into our separate rooms to change. Teddy, being the semi-gentleman he is, agrees to change upstairs.
I’m ready first, so I browse the bookshelf Mom and Dad keep stocked with Reader’s Digest and board games missing dice and other crucial game components. So far we have marble-less Hungry, Hungry Hippos, dice-less Yahtzee, and card-less poker. So much for games tonight.
“Come on, Murph. We don’t have all day.” Warm hands wrap around my waist and lift me off my feet. Before I know it, I’m slung over Teddy’s shoulder and staring at the dimples pressing into his lower back.
“Let me down!” I kick the air harmlessly and smack Teddy’s back, but his grip only tightens.
Peyton giggles when she comes up the stairs, but Henry just scowls again. I can’t figure out what his problem is.
“Put me down.” I smack him again but I can’t help but laugh.
“You like it.” Teddy carries me out the sliding door and down toward the lake.
I do like it, but only because it feels nice to be touched, not because of the person touching me.
CHAPTER FIVE
There’s something about a lake that makes it better than any other body of water. Lakes, unlike oceans, are predictable. They’re safe. There aren’t any sharks or undertows, alligators or piranhas, only the occasional leech and a butt tonne of lake weed. The only dangerous thing in a lake is a buff senior who’ll use any chance he has to toss you in. I don’t make it three feet onto the pier before Teddy scoops me back into his arms and sprints for the end of the floating dock. I have enough time to plug my nose, but that’s it.
We burst through the glassy surface and sink like stones. The water is cool, clear, and crisp.
“This is awesome.” He flicks the water out of his eyes, and his hair goes into a perfect fifties-style poof. “I love it out here.”
“It definitely doesn’t suck.” I tug my swimsuit up to better hide my cleavage and look around the lake. Aside from us, it’s still and peaceful. I wonder why no one else decided to come out this long weekend. Usually the lake is buzzing with speedboats and jet skis this time of year. “It’s kinda cool we have the whole lake to ourselves. This never happens.”
“If we’re all alone, you probably don’t need this.” Teddy nods at my bikini.
I splash him in the face. “You wish.”
Teddy grins. “You have no idea.”
The droplets of water hanging off the angles in his face make him look like a walking cologne ad. To my freaking horror, I find myself leaning in to taste the drop dancing along his lower lip.
“Get a room.” Henry sets down the cooler and a stack of towels. “Or at least float under the dock a bit.”
“He threw me in,” I shoot back. I swim away from Teddy and crawl up the ancient submerged ladder. One of these days it’s going to disintegrate into saw dust, and the only way you’ll be able to get out of the water is to scale up the razor-sharp rocks lining the lake or develop those arm muscles all the circus performers have. “Where’s Peyton?”
“She’s coming,” Henry says.
Oliver, Hayley, and Peyton make their way down the tiny stone steps, each carrying a fresh drink.
“Give me a hand, dude,” Teddy says to Henry, offering his hand out.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” I say, but it’s too late.
Henry grabs onto Teddy’s outstretched hand. A second later, he’s in the lake.
“You looked like you needed to cool off.” Teddy laughs. “Pass me a beer, Daisy Grace.”
“Oh god. Don’t call me that. Please.” I twist the tops off a couple beers and pass one to Henry.
“Why?” Teddy takes his beer and swallows nearly half of it. “It’s your name.”
“Because she hates it,” Henry says. “Her parents named her after their dead dog and an old movie star because it was the first two things they thought of. I started calling her by her last name, Murphy, in second grade and no one’s called her Daisy Grace since.”
I point at Henry with the bottom of my grape cooler. “Yes. That.”
Teddy shrugs. “I’m going to bring Daisy Grace back.”
“Try it and I’ll drown you,” I shoot back. I realize my mistake a second too late. “Sorry, I guess it’s too soon for death jokes.”
“It’s fine.” Teddy grins.
Henry and I don’t say a word.
Teddy continues. “Seriously, we went through a traumatic experience or whatever, but we need to get over it.”
We do, but not right now. Not the day after it happened. Still, I’ll take any out I can get. Peyton, Hayley, and Olivia help me out by clomping onto the deck and depositing their stuff at my feet.
“It’s so hot out.” Peyton dives into the water, hardly causing a ripple, and surfaces.
“Uh, babe.” Henry’s eyes are glued to Peyton’s chest.
Her white bikini is completely transparent, revealing her small but perky boobs. She looks down and grins. “Guess it’s good we’re all alone then, hey?”
Henry rubs the back of his neck and looks at Teddy. “We’re not that alone, Peyton.”
Peyton rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, Henry. It’s not like Oliver and the girls haven’t seen my boobs before, and I’m sure Teddy’s seen plenty.”
“It’s true.” Teddy punches Henry on the arm. “I’ve seen hundreds of racks, dude. Hundreds.”
“Seen one pair, you’ve seen 'em all.” Oliver sighs and looks up at the sky.
“Olly!’ Hayley socks him in the shoulder but she giggles. “He’s just saying that because he’s only ever seen mine.”
“That’s not true.” Oliver grins lazily.
“Porn boobs and your mom’s don’t count.” Henry splashes Oliver, who turns an adorable shade of pink.
“Then yeah, I’ve only seen one chic’s rack.” Oliver lies back and rests his head in Hayley’s lap. “But they’re the best boobs in the world.”
“Aw, thanks, babe.” Hayley leans down and kisses the tip of Oliver’s nose.
“Gag me.” Peyton puts her finger down her throat. “Pass me a beer, Murph.”
I grab her a drink and jump into the lake. Hayley’s sound dock pumps out a lame old country song, but I can’t help but smile and agree with the words.
It really is a great day to be alive.
We hang out on the dock until the sun starts to set behind the surrounding mountains.
“What should we do tonight?” Peyton wraps a towel around her waist. Her top is mostly dry, but still hugs the curves of her chest. I think she’s doing it just to piss Henry off.
“Can we worry about dinner first?” Teddy lugs the empty cooler onto his shoulder and tosses me his towel. “I’m starving.”
He walks up the stairs and Peyton and I instantly check out his butt.
“Not bad, hey?” Peyton asks under her breath. “Anything happen with you two last night?”
I shake my head. “We slept, that’s all.”
“Too bad,” Peyton sighs. “I’d love to see what he’s sporting underneath those trunks.”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up or Henry will hear you.”
“There’s no harm in looking,” Peyton giggles. “And occasionally fantasizing.”
I open my mouth to tell her that yeah, there is harm in drooling over your boyfriend’s best friend, but Henry comes up before I can lecture his half-naked girlfriend.
“Let’s get out of here.” Henry wraps her arm around Peyton’s waist. “I think Hayls and Olly want some alone time.”
Hayley and Oliver are tangled up in each other, staring at the setting sun, and occasionally kissing. I know they occasionally hook up outside, but I didn’t think dock’s in the middle of a potentially busy lake counted.
“We’ll be up in a few minutes,” Hayley sings.
“Babe,” Olive groans. “Give me a little more credit than that.”
We laugh and make our way up the tiny, winding staircase until we’re back on the deck. I look over the railing just as Hayley tosses her bikini top into the air and collapses onto Oliver’s chest, giggling loud enough that I can hear her from way up here. The tie-dyed, organic cotton bandeau top floats away from the pier, farther and farther away until it slips under the mirrored surface, never to be seen again.
CHAPTER SIX
“I have an idea.” Peyton flops down on the loveseat and cracks open a fresh beer. After the lake, we all showered up and made a huge pot of spaghetti. Now that we’re all squeaky clean and full of carbs, it’s time to have some fun. “Let’s play truth or dare.”
“We’re not in junior high anymore, Pey.” Henry takes a sip of Dad’s scotch. Judging by his face, I don’t think he likes the taste as much as he likes the way the amber liquid catches the light of the roaring fire. He tilts the glass on its side and stares through it. “What do you want to do, Murphy?”
I shrug. “Truth or dare works for me.”
“Me too,” Teddy says. “As long as someone dares the girls to make out.”
“You don’t have to dare me to do that.” Peyton winks. “I don’t mind putting on a show for you boys.”
Teddy’s eyes blaze. “Then let’s see it.”
Peyton stands up and slowly walks over to the overstuffed recliner Hayley is sitting in. She drags the tip of her toes along the floor as she carefully puts one foot in front of the other. She puts one pink-tipped hand on each of the arms of the chair and leans forward. She straightens her legs, making her daisy-duke clad butt pop up.
Teddy, Olly, and Henry’s eyes double as Peyton runs her tongue along her lips. Hayley tips her head back and looks up at Peyton through her eyelashes. Peyton bends down and their lips brush against each other so gently it’s hard to tell if they touched at all. And then Peyton stands up.
“Come on!” Teddy throws himself back onto the couch and shakes his head.
“You’re such a tease,” Henry says.
Peyton licks her lips again. “You have no idea.”
“I’ve heard some things.” Henry winks at her and does the subtle junk arrangement all boys learn in sixth grade.
Teddy tosses back his drink and looks me in the eye. “Truth or dare, Murphy?”
I take a sip of Mom’s fancy wine – the stuff she and Dad drink on the deck, and smile. “Dare.”
“I dare you to jump off the dock,” Oliver says. “Naked.”
“I dare you do three shots of tequila,” Teddy says. I can practically see the wheels turning in his head.
“I put out less when I’m wasted,” I say to him. “Any other dares?”
Peyton taps her lips with her finger. “I dare you to kiss Teddy.”
“Yeah, okay.” I snort back a laugh.
“Seriously,” Peyton says. “When was the last time you kissed someone?”
One year, two months, and eighteen days. I glare at Peyton.
“I second the dare,” Hayley’s eyes dance in the fire. I wish I could see into her mind and find out what she’s thinking.
“I’m changing mine,” Oliver says. “Three of the same dares means you have to do it.”
“Fine,” I groan.
Teddy flops down on the couch next to me and puts his mouth against my ear. “We don’t have to do anything,” he whispers. “It’s okay.”
“Yeah, I don’t think they’d notice anyway.” I roll my eyes and nod to my gawking friends.
“It’s totally up to you,” Teddy says. “You won’t hurt my feelings if you shut me down. Again.”
I smile a little and bite my lip. Do I want my first actual kiss since…him… to be a dare? I stare at Teddy, at his almost too-gorgeous face and notice his front tooth is chipped. And he has a chicken pock scar on his forehead, like a tiny crater on the face of the moon. On top of that, his nose is slightly bent to the right. “You’re not perfect.”
Teddy winces. “I said you didn’t have to kiss me, not that you could insult me.”
“No, it helps, trust me,” I say. I lick my lips and lean closer to Teddy.
Teddy turns so he’s facing me and brushes my cheeks with the back of his fingers. He traces my jaw before sliding his hands into my hair, bunching his fists in my thick waves. He leans in close, so close I can smell his lingering body wash. He nudges my nose with his own. “Can I kiss you?”
I nod. Our mouths are only a whisper apart when the bookshelf holding the misfit games creaks. I tear my gaze away from Teddy’s just as the shelf falls forward and bursts into a thousand pieces.
“Holy shit!” Henry jumps and spills scotch down the front of his t-shirt. “Why did that fall over?”
Teddy stares at my mouth for a second longer before he leans back with a sigh. “I don’t know, man. Why don’t you go find out?”