Chapter Ten
“I just can’t believe you said that to her.” Heather laughed loudly.
I giggled at how animated she had become over the past few hours. Normally, she was so cool and snarky, and it was a nice change to see she could be goofy. Of course, the two margaritas we’d each polished off might have something to do with it.
I picked up my glass and downed the last little bit.
“So what do you think is going to happen? Will they pull the money?” Heather picked up her glass and finished it off.
I shrugged. “They can try, but Grandmother is the one with all the real money. It was an empty threat though.” I grabbed a few chips to munch on. “If they stopped paying for school, it would get around at the club, and there’s no way that would look good for them. The club is everything.”
“I have to say,” Heather snagged a chip and popped it into her mouth, “your world is pretty hard core.”
I nearly choked as I tried to swallow.
“I wouldn’t call it that,” I said and poured a little more margarita mixture between the two glasses. One pitcher down.
“Well, I would. Parents who have children like puppies, money tossed around, and all the back stabbing.” She leaned closer and mock whispered, “It’s a wonder we’re not adding in mob bosses and putting hits on people.”
I laughed. If I thought about it much, it really was a miracle we hadn’t resorted to violence. Our world was harsh but safe for the most part.
“Okay, what about your family?” I leaned back against the front of the couch. The pillow on the floor by the table was starting to become less comfortable the longer I sat. “You come from money, right? Don’t you have similar problems?”
Heather shook her head and leaned back next to me. “It isn’t like that. We’ve all been raised to work on the farm. There’s money, maybe not as much as you all, but a lot gets put back into the farm. Not to say we don’t have nice things.” She grinned. “But we all have to pitch in, and everyone plays their part.”
“What about you?” I nudged her. “What’s your role?”
She sighed and looked over at me. “Mostly being an oddball. I’m bisexual, sarcastic and don’t go with the norm in my town. My role is to be the town weirdo.”
I patted her on the knee. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
She shook her head. “I’ve been trying to convince the people of my community to change their livelihood strategy. Dairy is down, and from my research, it’s only going to continue going down. Stock prices and futures have been falling, but no one wants to see the writing on the wall. They would rather follow William Thornton, even if it means they don’t have a farm to call home.” Her lip curled in irritation.
I opened my mouth to say something but was surprised when Heather popped off the floor.
“Enough about farming,” she said. My stomach twisted a little when I spotted the twinkle in her eyes. “I have an idea.”
There was no way this was going to end well.
* * *
“This is a terrible plan,” I whispered into the dark.
“Shush,” Heather whispered back. “It won’t take long to get in.”
“But it’s after pool hours,” I said back. This was sounding more and more like a bad idea. All we needed now was for the slasher guy to jump from behind a bush.
“You are such a wimp. This is really no big deal.” The door popped open, and the warm chlorine air drifted out. “Besides, it’s not really breaking in if you’ve got a key.”
I followed her inside to a dimly lit hallway. “And how did you get a key like that?”
She turned and shot me an innocent look. “I can’t help it if someone on the swim team was hoping for a little late night loving.”
“Oh, that is scandalous.” I laughed.
Giggling, and still highly tipsy, we made our way down the hall. When we reached the pool, the area had been well lit. I assumed that they didn’t want someone drowning because they didn’t know the pool was there.
It was almost spooky not having other students in a place they normally were. I turned back to tell Heather and found her stripping off her clothes.
“What are you doing?” I asked and turned around.
“Skinny dipping,” she said simply.
I whirled around. “Skinny dipping? Here?”
She shrugged and jumped into the water totally naked. “Why not?” Heather swam up to the edge and looked up. “It’s on the list, right?”
“Well, yeah,” I said and looked around. “But I thought it would be both under the cover of night and outside.” I stepped back. “By myself.”
Heather laughed. I felt slightly silly.
“Well, what’s the point in that?” she asked.
Really, what was the point in that? I was supposed to be letting go. Granted, I’m sure Grandmother wasn’t really talking about getting naked while drunk and breaking in to the school pool, but, knowing her, she wouldn’t disapprove.
“All right, but I’m leaving on my underwear,” I said.
“Chicken,” she mumbled.
I turned to her and dropped my shirt on the ground.
“Whatever,” I said. “I’m just not comfortable.”
“Chicken,” she mumbled again.
I sighed loudly. I was a chicken. This wasn’t a real risk. This was one of the easy things on the list. Something fun and stupid, and something everyone does.
I felt the heat rise in my face as I unhooked my bra and dropped my pants. It shouldn’t have been embarrassing considering how often Emma had seen me naked, but this was different. Anyone could just walk in at any time. It didn’t help that this recent bit with Chance left me feeling insecure.
I jumped in and laughed when my head came back above water. It felt amazing! Weird but amazing. There weren’t many times in my life where I could say I felt free, but this was one of those times.
“What do you think?” Heather swam over to me.
“It’s a step,” I said.
“It sure the hell is.” She grinned.
We swam back and forth for a bit, splashing in the water. It was fun to just play, but the margaritas from earlier were wearing off. I yawned.
“I think I’m ready to dry off a bit.” I yawned again.
We climbed out. I leaned back and watched the water ripple from our play.
“The guy you talked about earlier.” I turned to her. “Did you have a thing with him?”
She wrinkled her nose. “William is a bit older than me, so we really don’t know each other, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a thorn in my ass.”
I laughed. It was hard to picture someone who would get to her like that.
She sighed and leaned back. “I went to school with his sister. Their dad died when he was a teen, and he’s been in charge of the farm since. He’s stuck in the old ways and won’t listen to anyone. Doesn’t help that he has the oldest farm in the community, so everyone automatically listens to him. He’s going to be the reason the town fails.”
I looked over to her. “Sounds like he cares at least.”
She snorted and looked over to me. “He’s got a stick up his ass and is a dick to work for. What’s worse, he’s my parents’ neighbor.”
I laughed. “Well is he at least good to look at?”
She shrugged. “Last time I saw him was before he left for college. William was tall and thin. Who knows what he looks like now.”
I nodded, but it really didn’t make sense. Their world was like a foreign country in my book.
“What about the guy who gave you the keycard for the pool?” I grinned. “A swimmer. I bet he was something.”
She gave me an odd look. “He was cute, but it never came to that. I’m actually a…” She froze at the sound of a door scraping.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered.
Heather looked around and stopped when voices carried into the room. “Shit.” She jumped up. “We gotta run.”
“I thought you said we weren’t technically breaking in!” I jumped up and snatched up my clothes.
“Well, we weren’t technically not breaking in,” she said.
“Someone here?” A male voice echoed through the room.
“Run,” she said.
My heart jumped up in my throat as I could hear a man’s voice calling for us to stop. Still wet, we ran down the hall and out the back door. The cool air pricked at my skin as we continued to run. Several people hooted on the lawn, despite the early hour, at our state. I nearly tripped when one voice hit my ears.
“Grace?” I caught Dean from the corner of my eye, his face wide with shock as we barreled past him.
We ran until our legs shook and there was nothing but buildings and the pending morning. We ducked behind a wall and pulled on some clothes. Our teeth chattered as we got dressed. Once we were fully clothed, it was easier to make our way back to the dorm. Once the door was shut, I looked at Heather in stunned silence.
“What the hell was that?” I asked and paced the floor.
“I think it was the maintenance guy,” she said. Unflustered, she sat on the couch. “Didn’t see that one coming.”
“I couldn’t tell,” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, that’s part of the fun of it all. The chance of getting caught.” She grinned at me.
I stopped pacing and looked at her. “Fun? Are you crazy?”
Her smile fell away. “You didn’t have fun?”
I was torn. Part of me wanted to let her have it. The other half wanted to admit it might have been fun.
“It was…new. And fun. And absolutely terrifying.”
She laughed. “So I take it this won’t be a regular thing for you.”
I shook my head. “I’ve done it. Now I can move on.”
Heather laughed and picked up her bag. “Well, I’m glad I could help. We better get to bed before we both turn into a couple of pumpkins.”
I walked her to the door and pulled her into a hard hug. This was just the sort of night I needed. Heather was a little wild and crazy, but she was genuine and that was a rarity in my world. I let her go and pulled back.
“You were going to say something earlier,” I said. “What was it?”
Something in her expression told me it was important. Her brows knit together in thought, and then the tension vanished.
“Never mind.” She smiled. “It really wasn’t important.”
I watched as she tried to store the emotions that were brewing below the surface.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “But if you ever need to talk, just call. I’m here for you.”
She beamed at me and gave a nod. Whatever it was, she wasn’t ready to talk, but I’d be there when she was.
“Night, Grace,” she said.
“Thanks, Heather,” I whispered.
When she disappeared down the hall, I closed and locked the door. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as I climbed into bed, and for the first time ever, I cursed my pink curtains. Nothing about them was going to block out the day.
I chuckled. Heather really was having an influence on me.
***
Chapter Eleven
The following week was the worst on record. All over school everyone was talking about the Bare Butt Bandits. It didn’t even make sense. We didn’t steal anything!
Of course, Heather thought it was great. She kept telling me that this was the sort of thing that college kids dreamed of. Odd, it was never a dream of mine.
It didn’t help that every time I saw Dean he would grin and wink at me. I had been dreading film for that very reason. My stomach turned outside the room.
I pulled into a seat and stared at my phone. I could feel his eyes on me when he came into the room. They burned my back, and I twisted in my seat to escape his searching gaze.
When he plopped into the seat next to me, I jumped.
“Been swimming recently?” he rumbled in my ear.
I glared at him.
“Don’t,” I hissed. “Someone will hear.”
He laughed. “No one cares.”
“I care,” I said back.
He laughed and put an arm around the back of my chair.
“It’s just funny, and that was the last way I expected to see you that morning.” He grinned.
My heart flipped in my chest, and heat rose in my cheeks.
“Did you expect to see me at all?” I said. I turned away from his intense eyes and stared at the front of the class. A lump formed in my throat when he leaned in closer, his lips nearly touching my ear.
“Only in my dreams,” he said. His voice was husky and made me quiver with need.
I pulled away from him and tried to control my desire. This was just him playing games. After all, he’d spent the last few weeks avoiding me and making me feel like crap for helping a friend.
“Did you really just use that line?”
He smiled broadly at me. “Too much?”
I rolled my eyes and turned back to the front of the class.
“Listen, Grace,” he said and leaned closer.
I jumped when the door banged shut, and the professor strolled to the front of the class.
“It’s been quite the eventful weekend.” He smiled.
My stomach twisted, and somehow I knew this wasn’t going to be any fun for me.
“So we’re taking a little detour from the schedule to add in a film that is fitting with the theme from this weekend. Since several of you had the chance to see the female form nude, I thought it only fair we give the ladies a little something. So who knows anything about The Full Monty?” I slid down into my seat.
Dean chuckled in the seat next to me.
“This is not funny,” I whispered.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think it is.”
The professor passed out the DVDs, and it was obvious he was really enjoying this.
“So Sunday?” Dean asked.
I turned to look at him, and irritation raced through me.
“Sure you don’t have other friends you want to watch it with?” I raised an eyebrow.
He frowned. “Friends?”
I nodded in the direction of a few girls. “Your fan club.”
Dean turned to look at them and then smiled at me. “Are you jealous?”
I snorted. “Please.”
He shrugged. “Kinda seems like you are.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes.
We fell silent when the lights went down. I stared into his deep blue eyes before facing forward. His hand skimmed my back lightly, and I jumped. It didn’t stop his movement. His thumb circled on my back near my side. It sent chills through me.
My breathing shuddered as his fingers skimmed my side and moved up.
I gasped when his fingers traced the bare skin on the back of my arm. His hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me to him.
His hot mouth pressed against my ear.
“You might not want to admit it, Grace,” he said. His lips brushed the skin, and I felt my hand shake. “But we could be something. I want to be something.”
I jerked away, and his hand fell back. A small portion of me felt sorry for my reaction, but I didn’t really know what he wanted me to say. We couldn’t be something. It wouldn’t work. I had too many things to work on, and they did not involve falling in love.
We sat in silence through the rest of class. When the lights flickered on, I quickly gathered my things and fled the room. Outside, Chance was leaning against the pillar.
He waved and met me half way. “I needed to talk to you,” he said.
I placed my hand on my hip. “How did you know about this class?”
Chance rolled his eyes. “It’s not hard to get a schedule printed off.”
I glanced over my shoulder and found Dean staring at me.
I sighed. I was going to end up paying for this, yet again.
“What’s going on?” I said to Chance.
“
You said you could come talk to her. Vivien. It just keeps getting worse,” he said.
I glanced back over to Dean who was waiting for me to finish and then back to Chance.
“Okay, but give me a few minutes,” I said.
Chance looked over my shoulder at Dean. “For him?”
I nodded.
“You know it won’t work with him,” he said.
I stared hard at Chance. Despite his harsh words, he wasn’t trying to be mean.
“I don’t know anything anymore,” I said. “Life is confusing right now.”
He looked back at me and nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Just give me a minute.”
I turned and walked over to where Dean was standing. His eyes were fixed on Chance.
“You two seem to be pretty close recently,” he said. The muscles in his jaw twitched.
“He…” I sighed. This was going to be hard to understand. “He needs me right now.”
“Needs you?” He looked at me with disbelief. “And what does that mean?”
“Well, not what you think it means.”
Dean looked away embarrassed.
“Look, I’ve known his family for years. He needs my help, and that’s what I want to do.” I stepped forward a little. “We still on for Sunday?”
He turned and smiled. I still didn’t know how to respond to his confession, but I liked Dean. There was no question in my mind that I liked him. It couldn’t hurt to see where things went.
“Yeah, Sunday,” he said quietly.
I smiled. It was different being around him.
“Great. I’ve got to go,” I said and gave a little wave. “See you Sunday.”
I walked back over to Chance and followed behind him to the parking lot. When I turned around, Dean was still there, watching. I gave another little wave and smiled when he waved back.
* * *
We sat outside the school and waited for her to come out. It was strange being back at my old school. Things still all looked the same, like we had never left, but we had changed. The uniforms of the students even were the same. But each of us had grown in some way or another.
I glanced over at Chance. It was surprising to see him so attentive to the needs of his sister. He had always had a good relationship with her, but this was more than I had ever seen. Either this was just a ploy to get me out with him, or she was even worse than he said.
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