by Ruby Vincent
“Shit, Zela.”
I might have answered, but his finger hit that spot and everything went black. My nails dug into his arm and he hissed. Through a haze, his figure came closer and then his lips were on mine. Cole took advantage of my open mouth and gave me a kiss that was far from tentative. I never thought our first one would be in the middle of an orgasm, but whether the nerve-tingly sensations flooding my body were from the kiss or his misbehaving fingers, I couldn’t tell nor did I care.
His free hand cupped the back of my neck, gentle even while our mouths tore hungrily at each other.
We both came down, breathing hard, rumpled, eyes cloudy. My wig came off at some point and strands of hair clung to my cheek and forehead.
“Wow...” I whispered.
“Wow is right.” Cole wiped my hand on his sheets. “I wasn’t expecting that when I brought you here.”
I wriggled into my pants. “Neither was I.” I buttoned up and then put my head on his chest.
Cole draped his arm over me. “We have to do that again.”
“We can do it again right now.”
His chuckle vibrated on my temple. “You don’t know how badly I want to say yes, but my parents will be home soon.”
My ardor cooled quickly. I was not in the mood for another interruption by parents.
“Should we go back to questions?” I asked. I lifted my head and propped my chin on his chest. “What would you do if you could do anything?”
He laughed. “Good one.” Cole cupped my chin and guided me up to his lips. This kiss was softer, gentler. “Can I tell you in the shower?” he whispered.
“Um, yes.”
Giggling like we were up to no good, we hurried to his bathroom, shedding our clothes on the way.
He turned on the water and we fell inside before it got warm. We couldn’t keep our hands off of each other.
“What I would do”—he wrapped my legs around him and pressed me into the tile—“is take over Breakbattle Academy.”
“What?” I was not expecting that. “Take over the academy?”
He nodded from the crook of my neck. “The battle system is a great concept taken in the wrong direction. It’s too easy to abuse and it doesn’t award potential the way Whittaker would like to think it does.
“There’s something to be said for a little genius from Chesterfield going to a school that recognizes she’s exceptional and gives her the teachers and tools she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. The problem is the class system is too rigid and Cs, Ds, and Fs should have the same access to those teachers and tools. If I could, I would take over as principal and change things.”
“Wow, Cole.” I tilted his head back to look him in the eyes. “We should talk more about this. I’d like to hear more about what you’d do.”
“I’ll tell you, but for now... are you ticklish?”
“No,” I said, much too quickly.
His grin widened.
“Cole, don’t you dare!”
He attacked my sides. Searing water beat on my face and neck as I tried to escape Cole. He tickled me relentlessly, finding every sensitive part of my body and making me squeal for a different reason.
“C-Cole,” I cried. “Stop!”
“I would but I bet you don’t respect people who show mercy either.” Water followed the lines of Cole’s smile. A real smile—not a half one, or a smirk, or a twitch of the lips. What made Cole Reed laugh... was torturing me.
“I do! I totally do!”
We were enjoying ourselves too much, laughing, messing around, and making out in the shower. It was only his parents impending arrival that forced us out.
Cole and I were dressed and sitting ten feet apart when his mom knocked on the door. He opened the door for her and Toby raced inside. He leaped on the bed and made himself comfortable.
“Hello.” She shook my hand. “Are you staying for dinner?”
Our activities made us both miss lunch and my stomach was one angry growl away from announcing it to the world. Water dripped through the lining of my wig and traveled down my neck.
I really needed to go.
“No, I have to get back, but thank you, Mrs. Reed.”
“Another time, then.” She smiled and it struck me how similar it was to Cole’s and Christina’s. the family resemblance was strong in this bloodline. “Cole, you can take Chrissy’s car to drop your friend home.”
“Oh, she’ll love that.”
She didn’t love it.
“Don’t put one smudge on my car.” She was hot on our heels as we headed toward the door. “Don’t do anything to it. Don’t even adjust the mirror.”
He tossed her a grin. “Don’t worry, I’ll only roll it off a hill. It’s not a big deal, right? You’ll be over it in two weeks.”
“That’s not funny!” Chris snatched the keys off her brother. “I’m driving.”
Cole’s grin evaporated along with his dream of fooling around with me on the side of the road. He chased her out the door while I followed at a slower pace. Regardless of their arguing, I could tell they were close. I loved this mid-day distraction with Cole not just for what we got up to in his room. I needed to see him like this. The bullshit stripped away and what was left is a guy who likes to swim, has a dog, and an annoying big sister.
I held on to that feeling as Cole snuck me a kiss on the steps while Chris applied her makeup in the rearview mirror.
It didn’t start to go until I returned to my room. What did I just do? I liked Cole but we were still feeling each other out since everything went down last year. He could take asshole to extreme levels, but the boy broke records until it finally hit him over the head that he needed to apologize.
I was still sorting through my feelings for him, and yet I hopped into bed with him for no other reason than it felt good at that moment.
And what about Landon? He agreed not to be exclusive but we never talked about what that means. By now he knew I was crushing on Michael, but I never mentioned Cole. How would he feel that I wanted not one, but both of his friends?
Not just wanted, I was prepared to let his friend claim my virginity before he did.
Oh yeah. He wouldn’t like that.
A thought stopped me cold. What if Landon didn’t have a problem with it? He gave me a sexual health test. Virgins don’t have things like that at the ready. He’s been with other people.
What if he’s been with them while we were together? What if he is rubbing himself on some oiled-up French girl right now?
Jealousy like I never felt before roared up inside of me. I lit a match and burned that thought to ashes, then I collapsed on my bed. I was a hypocritical, panty-dropping disaster and I needed my cousin.
Jordan answered on the third ring. “Miss me already, Zee.”
“Yes,” I stated. “Can I tell you something without you saying I told you so?”
“No promises.”
I groaned. “So... you were right about the willing young virgin lusting after manflesh. I have no clue what is wrong with me.”
“I need you to go back to the beginning and explain this in detail.”
I told her the whole affair with Cole.
“Dude, I leave you for one hour and you’re getting naked with swim douche.”
“Swim douche?”
“You can forgive them all you want but that’s what I call them in my head,” she replied. “Swim douche, track douche, and better-clothes-than-me douche. Although, track douche gets points for being there for you in Orlando.”
“Can we get back to swim douche?” I asked. “Jordan, I did not wake up today planning to hook up with Cole. Tell me how this happens.”
“You’ve been low-key crushing on him for months, Zee. The opportunity presented itself and you acted like any girl with a pulse would do when they’re alone with someone they like, but...”
I buried my face in my pillow. She said but. Jordan’s wisdom was incoming.
“But,” she continued, “you
don’t want to get into the habit of hooking up because you feel bad. All those feelings will still be waiting for you after you get your clothes on, which you’re experiencing right now.”
As if heeding her, my eyes stung with unshed tears. “Stop. Jordan, I’ve waiting weeks for him to talk to me and I get one word. Stop.”
“You two have to talk.”
“How?” I pushed myself up, rubbing my eyes. “I can’t go to his house. I’d never make it past security.”
“You’re in the same class and dorm now. He can’t avoid you. Corner him at school.”
“I can attach myself to his ass, but Derek won’t speak to me if he doesn’t want to. Trust me, no one does the silent treatment as well as this boy.”
“You’ll figure something out, Zee. You will also get a handle on this three-muska-douches situation. Have you spoken to Landon about hooking up with other people? And what will Michael think about you getting hot and soapy with his best friend?”
I sank back into the pillow. This was going to be a long night.
Chapter Three
I promised Jordan I would go cold turkey on manflesh while I sorted out what I wanted. I broke my promise less than twenty-four hours later when Cole rolled up the next day in his sister’s car and invited me over to his house to go swimming. We were in the pool for about twenty minutes and in his room for over an hour.
I had enough wits about me to not take it all the way, but everything else was fair game. By then I knew I wasn’t doing it for any other reason than I liked fooling around with Cole almost as much as I liked talking to him.
He told me his favorite books, athlete, television show, and childhood memory. We ventured into the weird and played silly would-you-rather games and shared our strangest dreams. He even told me he slept with a nightlight until he was eleven. We talked about everything, except us or where this was going.
“Where do you want it to go?” Adam asked.
The sun peeked through the shades, rudely reminding us Saturday had come. Aunt Bev would be here in a few hours to take me away.
“I like Cole,” I admitted. “I like him even more after this week, but it’s complicated with Michael and Landon.” I turned my head to look at him over the pillow. “Your mom makes this look way easier than it is.”
He nudged my arm. “Do you want to talk to her about this?”
“No.” I caught his arm and held it tight as I snuggled into his side. “I want to talk to my best friend. Tell me what to do.”
“Okay, here goes. Stop hooking up with Cole until you talk with Landon about your relationship. That happens first. Figure everything else out later.”
“That’s reasonable,” I murmured. “He won’t be back until the day before school starts, but I’m leaving today. Distance between me and Cole would be a good thing.”
“Speaking of school, are you ready to go back and face Cameron, Zach, and the Elites?”
My grip on him tightened. Hearing that name jolted me back to my porcelain prison—bound and screaming for uncaring captors. The grabbing and tearing at me. Ripping off my clothes on the sodden earth.
“Zela? Zee, are you okay?”
I pulled myself out of the memories, gritting my teeth. “I’m fine,” I hissed, “and yes, I’m ready to face them.”
I’ve done everything I could to push Cameron and the Elites from my mind so I could enjoy my summer, but I had not forgotten them and what the new school year would bring.
“Are you ready to be Elite?” I asked, shifting the focus to him.
“More than ready. Junior year is important for colleges. I have to step it up if I’m going to prove I’m ready to take over Shea Industries.”
“You are—”
A knock cut me off. The door opened and Val stuck her head inside. “There you are, Adam. Here, baby. I forgot to give this to you yesterday.” She came in carrying Jessie in one hand and a letter in the other. She deposited both on Adam’s stomach, dropped a kiss on his forehead, and walked out.
Jessie leaned forward and stuck her finger in my eye without preamble.
“Ah,” I cried. “Esme is rubbing off on her already!”
He chuckled over the sound of tearing paper. I picked Jessie up and moved her onto my lap. I cooed at the baby, battling her older sister’s influence with sweet nothings.
“No way. This can’t be for real.”
“What’s up?”
“Look.” Jessie disappeared behind cream and gold-embossed paper. I pushed Adam’s hand back for a better read. “Mr. Adam Moon, as a member of the Elite Class, you are cordially invited to a homecoming reception at the home of...” I trailed off, eyes widening as I read the name.
Jonathan Grayson.
I snatched the invitation from his hand and read it once, twice, five times. The sentences remained the same. Adam was invited to a party at Jonathan Grayson’s house on Saturday night before school started. Adam was invited because he was in the Elite Class. I’m in the Elite Class. Does this mean there is an invitation waiting for me at home?
I sat up and gave Jessie back to her brother.
“Adam, I have to get ready. My aunt will be here soon.” My phone was in my hand and I was dialing her number before I finished the sentence.
“Okay.” He got up and headed toward the door. “If we don’t see each other before then, I’ll catch you up at the party.”
“Yes,” I said softly. I was glued to the stolen invitation. “Yes, you will.”
AUNT BEV WAS CONFUSED about my eagerness to get home, but she kept the look on her face and the comments in her mouth. She turned onto my driveway and I was out the door before she killed the engine.
“Love you. Bye.”
“Love you too,” she called after me.
I bounded over the steps and dove for the mailbox. My panic was warranted. The letter Adam received was addressed from the academy. If Mom saw a letter from the school, she would naturally think it was for her just like Val did. Unlike Val, when she saw whose house I was invited to... Well, that’s the thing. I don’t know what Mom would do. All I knew was she hated Jonathan Grayson enough to make up an imaginary person so I’d never track him down. She could not get her hands on that letter before me.
I flipped open the mailbox and my heart leaped into my throat.
Empty.
I stood there for a long time, staring into the empty box.
“Zee?”
I jumped.
“What are you doing? Go inside.”
Turning away, I waved to Aunt Bev and unlocked the door. I stepped in and paused on the threshold, listening for Mom.
Nothing. No hum from the blender. No music coming out of her office. No chatter from the television.
I gave up the thought that she wasn’t home. Her car was in the driveway. Mom was here.
My footfalls were soundless on the hardwood floors. I passed by the kitchen entrance and there it was. Lying on top of the stack of mail, the letter lay safe and unopened on the island. I took a step toward it.
“Zela? Is that you?”
Mom. And she was close.
I didn’t think. I raced inside and snatched the letter off the stack milliseconds before she appeared in the entrance off the living room. I hid it behind my back as I willed my heart to slow.
“Hello, Zela. How was your time with Adam?” Mom looked classy in a pair of slim, black pants and a white, linen top. Her hair was growing in. Still short, but more pixie cut than peach fuzz nowadays. But no matter what my mother did with her hair, she was a beautiful woman.
All traces of her youthful beauty remained and it might have been that beauty which drew in a married man ten years her senior. But that beauty wasn’t enough to make him choose her or the child she carried.
Maybe I should hate him too, but all I wanted my whole life was to know him, meet him... talk to him. The letter crumpled in my grip. I couldn’t let her stop me.
“It was fun, Mom,” I said as I sidled around the isla
nd. “It’s nice to be in my own clothes again, though.” I tucked the letter in my pants and flipped my shirt over it. “How were you?”
She strode over to the cabinet and took down a mug. “Good. I finished up some edits on the book and approved the final cover. I was very productive.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and then moved over to my side just as I inched out of the entrance. “But I missed you. Let’s make dinner together tonight.”
“Okay.” I tilted my head up to accept her kiss. “I missed you too, Mom.”
She continued on to her office. When I heard the door close and lock behind her, I bolted up the stairs. I flung my backpack off. It missed my bed by a mile but I paid it no mind as I yanked out the letter and ripped it open.
“Mr. Zeke Manning, as a member of the Elite Class, you are cordially invited to a homecoming reception...”
“ARE YOU NERVOUS?”
“Shh.”
“Excited?”
“Shh.”
“What are you going to do when you see him?”
“Jordan,” I hissed. I cut eyes to my mother and aunt walking ahead of us. “Wait until we’re alone.”
She sighed like I was being difficult. “It’s creepy here with no one around,” she observed.
“No arguments here.”
The Elite move-in day dawned dark and gloomy. It rained on and off all morning and we all managed to get wet. The squeaks of our shoes were the only sounds to pierce the hall as we walked to the dorm building.
“Did we get the wrong time or something?” Jordan asked. “Shouldn’t other people be moving in? Where’s Adam?”
“He texted me and said he’s not coming until before— until tonight,” I amended.
“I can stay with you until everyone comes,” Jordan replied. “So you’re not by yourself. Mom, can I spend the night with Zee?”
I knew why she wanted to stay and it wasn’t to cure my loneliness.
“You can’t have sleepovers on a school campus, JoJo. You’ll see Zee next weekend.”
Shoulders slumping, she grabbed my arm. “Promise you’ll call me the second you get there.”