“My mom is probably the most street-smart person you’ll ever meet. Believe me, she made sure her daughter knows what’s up.”
“Now, I know that’s not true,” he replied.
“Why’s that?”
Quentin’s eyes flashed at me. “Because if you were smart, you wouldn’t be spending time with a guy like me.”
“Being smart doesn’t have anything to do with why I’m spending time with you,” I said, unfazed. “I’ve got a bunch of community service hours I want to complete this summer.”
He huffed. “Aren’t you an all-around Mother Teresa?”
Most of the people were standing clustered in small groups, but we decided to take a seat in the sand. It was warm from the sun and the fire, and I wiggled my toes into it, already enjoying my very first beach bonfire. The company to my left might have been the main reason for that, but the warm sand and the sound of the ocean didn’t hurt, either.
“If you want a drink, I’ll get you one, but you know, don’t feel like you have to drink just because everyone else is.”
I nudged him. “Not everyone.”
He kicked his sandals off and buried his toes beside mine. “I don’t drink. But I don’t mind if you do.”
“Like you don’t drink ever, or you don’t drink anymore?”
He scooted us back a few feet when a couple of guys started tossing fresh wood on the already massive fire.
“Anymore.”
“Reason?” I dropped my head in front of him when he stayed quiet.
“I didn’t make the best decisions when I used to drink, and I already make enough bad decisions without the alcohol, so I don’t mess with it anymore.”
“Define bad decisions.”
He groaned, but it was one of those good-natured groans. “You’re not usually so curious.”
My palm turned up. “Indulge me.”
He shook his head. “Let’s see, there was the time I went streaking through my old high school’s football field during halftime.” When I blinked, he added, “I had a gorilla mask on and had my hand over my…you know.”
“Then that’s not streaking.”
His head cocked. “Then what is it?”
“Jogging semi-exposed.”
Quentin rolled his eyes at me. “Fine. But I was hauling ass, not jogging, and I was mostly exposed, save for what was hidden by a palm and a few fingers.”
“Please,” I said, blowing out a breath. “That’s one citizen exercising his right to freedom of expression. I wouldn’t put that in the not-the-best-decision category.”
“And then there was the time I jumped off a twenty-foot cliff into the lake below because my buddies who’d already done it were daring me to.”
“Wow. So you’re the person all those moms were talking about. Nice to put a face to the name.”
I circled my hand, suggesting I was waiting for more, but he just shrugged. “And other stuff.”
Right as I was about to ask him to clarify what “other stuff,” I noticed someone approaching. Quentin’s whole face changed.
“Oh my gosh, it is you.” The girl beamed, moving closer. “Quentin, no way.”
I was too busy staring at her to see the look on his face, but I could hear the catch in his voice. “Hey, Lindsey. How’s it going?” He started to stand, but she’d already dropped on the sand beside us.
“Hi, I’m Lindsey,” she said to me, smiling instead of sharpening her claws, so I guessed I was safe.
“Hi,” I said, glancing back at Quentin. Yeah, something definitely wasn’t right. “Jade.”
“Cool skirt.” Her eyes dropped to the patterned maxi skirt I was wearing. “Urban Outfitters?”
I expected Quentin to give a little laugh, but his face was frozen.
“Thrift store in Denmark,” I told her.
She laughed a little, like I’d made a joke. She was dressed differently than the rest of the girls at the bonfire. More polished or put together or something.
“So how have things been?” Lindsey asked Quentin, her eyes just sympathetic enough for me to assume she had an idea things might be a little rough.
Which confused me. Why was she behaving like she was talking to someone who’d just lost his dog?
“Good,” Quentin answered eventually, clearing his throat. “How ’bout you?”
“Same. Good.” Insert long, awkward pause. “I can’t believe we’re going to be seniors this year, can you?”
Quentin shook his head stiffly. “Me either.”
“Last year wasn’t the same without you at school. It was so weird.” Lindsey smiled, like she was reliving a memory. “Way too mellow for my taste.”
He stared into the fire, appearing tense. His back looked ready to snap from the tension. “I bet.”
Insert second awkward silence here.
“How’s the family?” Lindsey asked as her eyes roamed the party.
“Good,” he answered again, sniffing.
“And how’s—”
“Everyone’s good, Lindsey.” Quentin cut her off, his gaze flicking toward her. “Thanks for checking.”
I felt like the shiny silver ball in those old pinball machines. No clue what was going on or where this conversation was heading next.
Right when it looked like Lindsey was about to get up and leave, she sighed. “Have you talked to Blaire?”
The name made Quentin’s jaw look ready to break through the skin. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
Lindsey nodded, almost like she understood. “I’m sorry for how everything went down. That was cold. Even for Blaire.”
A sharp exhale came from Quentin. “I wasn’t surprised at all.”
Lindsey gave a small nod, her eyes going a little sad. Then she leaned over and gave Quentin the quickest hug ever. “Good luck, Quentin.”
He just sat there, unmoving.
“Nice to meet you, Jade. Do me a favor and look after him for me.” Lindsey lifted her chin in Quentin’s direction. “He’s one of the good ones.”
I waved at her. “I know.”
Lindsey disappeared into the crowd while I gave Quentin a chance to cool down. I didn’t have a clue what had just happened, but I knew it was something big.
“I know what you’re thinking.” He cleared his throat, his head turning toward me.
“I doubt it.”
He gave me a look. “What the hell just happened? Right?”
I drew lines in the sand with my finger. “Okay, so you know what I’m thinking.”
His face was starting to relax. The rest of his body was, too. “Can you guess what I’m thinking right now?”
My fingers rolled across the sand. “That you’re dying to tell me?”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Not even close.”
“Quentin—”
“This isn’t the place, Jade.” His jaw moved as his gaze wandered toward the bonfire and everyone circled around it.
A flash of frustration went through me. One minute I thought we were making progress, the next I felt like we were going backward.
Before I could press him any harder, someone plopped onto the sand beside me.
“Sorry. Am I interrupting?” Zoey’s smile fell when she saw the way Quentin and I were in some kind of stare-down.
“Perfect timing, actually.” Quentin rose from the sand, dusting off his backside. “I better go intervene before someone lights themselves or someone else on fire.” He made his way toward the cluster of lifeguards aiming a can of lighter fluid at the bonfire and intercepted them. Alcohol and lighter fluid should not mix. Ever.
“I totally just interrupted something, didn’t I?” Zoey’s nose crinkled as she messed with the bow she’d tied in her hair.
“It’s okay. He won’t get out of it th
at easily, trust me.”
“Good.” Zoey nudged me as she flagged someone over. “I wanted to introduce you to someone. My friend who’s a friend of…” Her gaze swept across the bonfire where Ashlyn was working the crowd of guys around her. She’d probably spent two whole hours on her makeup tonight—at least all that effort was paying off.
“This is Lindsey—”
Lindsey and I exchanged a smile. “Yeah, we just met,” I said as she settled onto the sand again.
“Nice to meet you. For the second time.” Lindsey laughed.
“So do you guys go to the same school or something?” I asked.
Zoey shook her head. “No. Lindsey goes to Murray Park; I go to Edison. The same one Quentin goes to.”
He was still distracted, trying to keep his friends from fulfilling their pyro dreams. In the bunch, I noticed the girl from the carnival with the “obscured” heart. Beside her, a leggy girl with beach hair had an arm draped behind her neck. Sam the surfing buddy, I assumed.
If Quentin wasn’t going to answer my questions, maybe someone else would.
“Quentin used to go to your school, though, right? With Blaire?” I asked Lindsey.
“That’s right. Ashlyn goes there, too.” Lindsey curled her legs beneath her, getting comfortable.
Perfect. Since I only had a few hundred questions to run by her.
“Who’s Blaire?” Zoey piped in, her head moving between the two of us.
I stayed quiet. But so did Lindsey.
Which only had my something-is-wrong radar hit peak levels. This Blaire topic wasn’t just a land mine for Quentin.
It was like he had telepathy or something, because two seconds later he was at my side, hovering above us.
“Jade, can you help me with something?” Quentin said, ducking back into the conversation.
“Yeah, we were just leaving anyway, to give you some alone time,” Zoey said, linking arms with Lindsey and pulling her up. “Too much couple drama going on for my taste.”
“What drama?” I asked.
Zoey’s finger moved between Quentin and me. “Whatever drama neither of you two are willing to get out in the open.”
I shot her a weird look, waving good-bye to Lindsey for the second time that night.
“What’s the matter?” I exhaled, feeling my stomach drop when I noticed the way he was looking at me.
“Nothing’s the matter.” His head gestured to the ocean. “I was just thinking how it’s a perfect night for a swim.”
Shiny silver ball thing feeling times two.
“A swim,” I said flatly.
“There is the biggest ocean in the world right behind us, waiting. It’s a warm summer night. You want to live like a red-blooded American teenager.” His foot tapped my leg, his smile more crooked than straight. “You’re only young once.”
“Not even touching on the fact that you’re so avoiding trying to explain what happened earlier.” I raised my hand and gave him a look that suggested I wasn’t going to let it go because I was willing to delay the inevitable. “But you’re right. I do want to live like one of those red-blooded teenagers. Live. Not die drowning in that biggest ocean in the world.”
Quentin lowered his hand for me to take. “If you’re worried about drowning, you’re swimming with the right person.”
I dropped my hand in his and let him pull me up. “Whatever you say, Head Lifeguard Ford.”
As we walked down to the water, it didn’t take long before darkness soaked in around us. It took my eyes a second to adjust, but I kept moving forward, letting Quentin lead the way.
By the time we’d made it to where the waves were more roar than echo, Quentin stopped. When he started to tug his shirt off, I took a step back and tried not to stare.
He must have mistaken my dazed look for something else. “If you don’t want to swim, it’s okay. It was just an idea. I’m not going to force you.” His hand molded around my arm, rubbing it lightly like he was trying to calm or reassure me.
It took turning so I was facing the ocean to be able to form coherent sentences. “Who wouldn’t want to swim in that ginormous black”—I paused, a scene from Jaws flashing through my mind—“dangerous ocean at night?”
“See?” He grinned, waving an arm between him and me. “You get me.”
Dropping his shirt in the sand, he held out his hand again to lead me the rest of the way to the water. “Come on,” he said when I didn’t take it. “We’ll only get our feet wet. See how we feel after that.”
But I didn’t only want to get my feet wet—not if I was going to do this. I wanted to fully submerge myself in that thrilling, terrifying mass. Because who would want a drop when they could have the whole ocean?
“What”—Quentin’s voice caught when he saw what was happening—“are you doing?”
My tank wound up on top of his shirt. He kind of blinked at the two tops like he was working on a differential equation.
“Going swimming.” I shrugged as my hands moved to my skirt.
Quentin’s hand flew into the air like he was a crossing guard trying to stop a garbage truck barreling down the road. “I meant swimming, as in the clothed version.”
I pointed at my bralette. “I am clothed,” I said, kicking my long skirt over to the growing pile of clothes. “There. Ready to swim.” I held out my arms like I was the very picture of cool and confident, but I was pretty much the opposite. Especially with the way he was staring at me.
“You’re in your underwear.” He said it like he was confused. Like he thought he knew what was going on but couldn’t quite convince his brain of what his eyes were telling him.
“You said you wanted to go for a swim, and I really don’t want to sink to the bottom of the ocean floor because of a skirt with fifty yards of fabric.”
“But underwear.”
My hands went to my hips. “If it makes you feel better, we can call it my ‘swimsuit.’ Besides, this ‘swimsuit’ covers more real estate than most of the ones I’ve seen at the pool.”
I started to move toward the water. “Are we swimming or what?” He jogged to catch up. “You’re not really letting me swim in my underwear alone, are you?” When I glanced back, he’d definitely been checking out my butt.
I think it was the way my eyes dropped to his shorts, more than my words, that made him realize what I was getting at.
He came to a stop, his fingers already working the top button of his shorts free. “Who’s the bad influence now?” He winked up at me before sending his shorts flying back to where the rest of our clothes were.
I tried not to make it seem like I was checking him out, but he was right. I could kid myself all I wanted—it didn’t change the fact that he was sliding up beside me, wearing nothing but his underwear. Boxers definitely were not a swimsuit.
“Just our feet at first, right?” I jolted when I felt the first wash of cold ocean water touch my toes.
“Of course,” he said, like I had no reason to doubt him. And then his arms were around me as he threw me over his shoulder, charging into the water as fast as he could.
I barely had a chance to scream and thump his back a few times before he’d gotten deep enough to dunk us both.
I came up sputtering. We both swallowed so much salt water, I felt part ocean. But we were having so much fun, I didn’t even think about how dark the water was or what scary ocean animals might have been lurking nearby. I didn’t feel how cold it was or how I was swimming, in my underwear, with some boy who was in his underwear, too. In the Pacific Ocean. At night.
So this was what I’d been missing out on. I got it now. What the big deal was. I loved my life on the road with my mom. It was part of me, ingrained into everything I was. But this…this might be part of me, too.
I didn’t realize I was shaking and chattering until Qu
entin touched my jaw. He stopped splashing and trying to dunk me, his face taking on a concerned shadow. “You’re cold?”
Now that I was thinking about it…“Only a little.”
He held his arms open and came closer. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Quentin wet. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him in a “swimsuit.” But from the way my throat was going all dry and parched, it was like this was the first everything.
“Good thing I’m hot,” he said, right before he folded his arms around me, one at a time, and drew me close to his body.
I snuggled against him, the next tremble that spilled down me from something other than cold. “Only a little,” I said.
His body rocked against mine from his laughter. “A bad influence and an ego checker? I think I’m smitten.”
“Yeah.” My head shook against him as I pressed a little closer. “Me too.”
I could feel the way his chest was rising and falling quickly against mine. My thoughts drifted to last night and what had almost happened.
Tonight there were no overprotective moms or aunts or anyone to interrupt us. Tonight there was only him and me.
When I leaned my head back so I was looking up at him, I knew he was thinking the same thing. His hands curled around my back, drawing me somehow closer. The water from his hair dripped down his face, rolling past his lips, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever experience a more perfect kiss than this one—waist-deep in the ocean.
My arms circled behind his back as my thumbs dragged down the dip of his spine. This time, he was the one who trembled. When I pushed a little closer, I could feel the warmth from his skin sinking into mine. His chest was moving faster now, his gaze dropping to my mouth as I felt his fingers comb into the ends of my wet hair.
Quentin’s head was dropping toward mine, his glowing green eyes excited, and one moment later something rushed over me. It wasn’t that warm, happy feeling I was expecting to feel. It was pretty much the other kind.
The wave hit us at the same time, taking us both by surprise. One second I was upright, and the next I was being swirled beneath the surface until I’d smashed up onto the beach. It took me a minute to catch on to what happened, but that was when I noticed Quentin a little ways down from me, in the same position as I was, stretched across the beach, laughing like we’d gotten off some awesome new ride at Six Flags.
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