by Keelan Storm
They were in the middle of what had to be their eighth run through when the room started to tilt again. Ignoring it, pushing through, Isabel came out of her backflip and leaped into her arc, spots dotting her vision as Leo caught her waist. She tried to blink them away, her head spinning as she held her position in the air. The last thing she remembered were the spots spreading into blackness just as Leo twisted her around to his back for the lift she’d never make.
“Izzy, Izzy!” The voice broke through the cacophony of fleeting images she couldn’t quite see. “Izzy!” Her eyes opened to find Leo kneeling beside her, his features stressed with concern as he tapped at her cheeks. “Oh, thank God,” he said when her focus returned. “Are you okay?”
“Dizzy,” she managed. “Give me a minute.” She crossed her arms over her face, taking long, slow breaths until the room felt still again. “What happened?” she asked her friend.
“You fainted when I was spinning you around for the lift. Thank God for the mirror, or I wouldn’t have noticed in time. I barely managed to catch you.”
“Thanks then. That fall would have sucked,” she tried to joke.
Leo sat back, looking shocked. “Shit, Izzy, that seriously scared the crap out of me. Are you going to be okay? Have you eaten? What happened?”
“I ate,” she replied, “but it’s been a while. I could probably use more water, too.”
“Here,” he said, reaching for her bottle. He helped her sit up, and she took several long sips.
“Thanks,” she smiled, already feeling better.
Trying to look stern, he said, “Just don’t do that again, okay? I’m not built for that shit.” She laughed. “Come on,” he couldn’t help but grin as he pulled her to her feet. “I think that’s our cue to call it for today. Let’s see what’s at the snack bar.”
“Izzy.” She felt a nudge to her shoulder and startled awake. “Sorry,” Annie apologized. “We’re almost home.”
Isabel nodded groggily and looked out the window, the outskirts of Bentonville coming into view. Her stomach fluttered with excitement. Tucker was getting home today as well, and she was anxious to see him. Phones weren’t allowed out at camp, so she hadn’t talked to him since she left. Would things be the same? Had the time apart changed how he felt?
“What do you wanna do when we get home?” Annie asked, excited. “We could go hang out at the beach or go for pedicures?” She may not be a girly girl, but she did not like gross feet, and the promise of some nail pampering was typically a shoe in for Izzy.
“I’m actually hoping to catch Tucker if he’s back. Have you heard from him?”
“Not yet,” Annie replied, her smile fading.
Isabel’s Fitbit buzzed with a message. “Got back after lunch. You almost home?”
She sent him a quick text, nearly giddy in her seat as they turned onto Sandy Drive. “Be over in a minute.”
* * *
Tucker ran anxious fingers through his hair in his bathroom mirror after Izzy’s text. It had been a long couple of weeks without her. He’d thrown himself into camp this year, honing drills and perfecting moves like never before, anything to make the wait less frustrating. But now that he was home, those doubts had returned. He’d never had to do this before. Would things be off?
The doorbell rang, and he bolted downstairs to fling the door open. Izzy stood there, beaming that crooked grin of hers, eyes bright with excitement.
“Hey,” he breathed.
“Hey.”
There was a charged moment of pause, and she leaped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as he lifted her up. Pulling the door shut, he pressed her against the wall, her honeysuckle scent invading his senses as he devoured her with a kiss. It was hot, frantic, and he loved the way she fit against him.
“Tuck?” she gasped, breaking for air. His lips moved to her neck, and she swallowed. “Your family?” she glanced around, nervous.
“Gone,” he answered. His dad had left for a work emergency at the ranch and his sisters had talked his mom into a shopping day, thank God.
“Bedroom?” she gasped as he sucked the sensitive spot behind her ear.
He growled, not bothering to set her down as he ran up the stairs. She clutched to his shoulders, kissing him fiercely as he rushed them to his room. Her fingers wound through his hair and his hips ground against her as soon as they found the bed. She moaned in response but surprised him by pressing against his chest.
“What?” he asked, leaning back.
“We don’t have time for that,” she growled, pushing him back against the bed. His hand scrambled for the nightstand as she yanked his jeans away, and he rushed to get the condom on. She crawled over him with a saucy look and sank down with a groan, not bothering to remove her dress.
His hands gripped her thighs, watching as she moved, her hips hypnotic with the rhythm of a dancer. She reached for his hands, and he held them, steadying her as bliss reached her expression.
Tucker loved it when she took charge, had never expected it of her before, but the more they did it, the wilder he discovered she could be.
He waited for her cries to finish and then pulled her dress from her body, his deft fingers making quick work of her bra as she tugged at his shirt. Free of their clothes, he flipped her, dragging her hips into his lap. It was his turn at control now.
Isabel gasped at the sensations of the new position, thrashing her head against his pillow as her release built. Her legs started to tremble, and the world around her shattered as she cried his name. Tucker smiled, still amazed at how receptive she was as he shifted them again, noting every touch and move that made her gasp and moan. He would never take for granted that she was his.
“I love you,” he told her when he finally collapsed beside her. She smiled, her body like putty as she caught her breath.
“I love you, too. What time will your family be home?”
He glanced at his clock. “Soon, probably.”
Disappointed that they couldn’t linger, Isabel reached for her clothes. “Wanna go to the beach?”
Tucker shook his head. “I’m meeting Jet and the guys down at Corey’s to water ski in a bit. Not that I don’t want to,” he explained when she frowned, “but Jet reminded me to leave time for you and Annie today.”
“She did mention pedicures earlier…”
“Yeah, she kind of let me have it when you left for camp, love. Apparently, I’ve been hogging all of your time,” he smirked playfully.
Pulling her dress over her head, she thought back over the summer so far, realizing she hadn’t made much time for her sister or really anyone but Tucker before she’d left. She leaned over to give her boyfriend a quick kiss. “I’ve gotta go, but the next day you have off, you’re mine.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he grinned as she darted out the door.
12
Drawing Attention
“And so another year begins,” Jet said as he climbed down from the gym bleachers when the back to school orientation assembly was over.
“Ugh, don’t say that,” Annie groaned, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and making her way down the steps.
“Why are you complaining, sis, miss top of the class and hardly studies at all?”
Annie threw her sister a look. “You’re still top ten, Izzy, and it’s not about that. I don’t want summer to be over yet. It was one of the best we’ve had in a while.”
“It was a good summer, wasn’t it?” Tucker replied from Jet’s side.
“Yeah, it was.” Isabel stood up to follow Annie, but the gym spun around her. Tucker grabbed her elbow to steady her.
“You okay, love?”
She waited a few seconds until the room was still again. “Yeah,” she answered. “I just feel kind of off. I’m still fighting that cold Leo gave me, I think.”
“Just how I wanted to start my senior year,” she thought as Tucker guided her down the bleacher steps by her arm
. She noticed some other students nearby staring inquisitively at them and shifted uncomfortably next to her boyfriend. “I must look like an idiot right now, nearly busting my butt in the gym before homeroom even starts.”
“I guess we should go get our class schedules before one of the teachers finds us just standing around,” Jet suggested when he saw Ms. Lane, one of the counselors, eyeing them from near the doors.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Annie replied, “but let’s meet up by our tree and compare when we’re done. I want to know how many classes I’ll have you guys in.”
They all agreed and headed off towards the alphabetically arranged tables.
Isabel watched as Tucker bumped fists with his buddies, Kyle and Corey when he joined his line, Jet just making the cut off for the next line over. The group he started talking to pointed directly to her, and several more eyes caught her gaze as she looked around. She was used to some attention due to who her best friends were, but this felt different.
“Why are so many people looking at me today?” Isabel asked as she waited with her twin in the A-D line.
Annie flashed her an ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ expression. Isabel shrugged.
“Oh, come on,” she said in exasperation. “Tucker’s been a hot commodity at this school for the past three years. Girls love to flirt with him, just hoping to get the chance for a date, while lots of guys just wish they could get that kind of attention. Think about it… You leave school last year as best friends and come back this year glued to each other’s sides. People are bound to be curious.”
“But Tucker and I went out together this summer. People saw us.”
“Yes, but, my dear introverted sister, were you out in public with Tucker enough for the entire high school body to have seen you? Some people probably just thought it was a rumor until this morning.”
Isabel nodded, realizing Annie was probably right. They grabbed their schedules and headed to their favorite tree in the courtyard to wait for their friends.
* * *
“Good hustle out there today, Patterson,” Coach Lyson said when Tucker finished a sprint down the track. Others didn’t start trailing in for several seconds.
“Thanks, Coach. Just trying to stay in shape for basketball in the spring.”
“Well, keep it up. Now head off to the showers before you’re late for your next class.”
“Right, Coach,” he replied, taking off.
“Dude, I still don’t understand why you don’t go out for football,” Jet said, wrapping a towel around his waist as he stepped out of the showers. He and Tucker headed over to their lockers to change. “The team could really use a player like you.”
“Because there’s too much that can go wrong. What if I tore up my knee or a shoulder or something? It would fuck up my game. I could kiss playing in college goodbye, and forget about going pro. Besides, track keeps me in just as good of shape,” he replied as he applied deodorant.
“You could tear something running track, too, ya know.”
“There’s a lot less risk, though.”
“Whatever.”
“Hey! Tuckman! Long time no see!” Noah Reynolds greeted as he opened a locker opposite the guys’. He started running a comb through his light, golden brown hair using the mirror on the inside of the door.
“What do you mean?” Tucker asked, now pulling on his jeans. “We hung out.”
“Yeah, mostly back in June when you were bagging chicks left and right. Respect, by the way. But when you started whatever that thing was with Izzy, you disappeared.”
“Yeah, the ladies seem kinda down,” Hector Gonzales said as he walked up. “I think they hoped you’d have dumped her by the time school started. They look crushed seeing you holding hands with her all day.”
“I thought y’all were just a fling.” Kyle shook his auburn head. “I never thought I’d see the day… Tucker Patterson…whipped! Say it isn’t true, man…”
“Can’t,” Tucker replied, rolling his eyes.
“I guess I’ll have to find something else to laugh at besides all those stupid looks girls would give you when you walked by,” he continued.
“Well, you won’t catch me stuck on one chick. This stud can’t be whipped. I was meant to spread the love if you know what I mean…” Noah said with a wink when he was done running the comb through his hair.
The group of friends stared at him, shaking their heads. “No,” Kyle replied, “we don’t know what you mean.”
“Fuck y’all,” he replied, slamming his locker door.
Tucker exchanged a look with Jet. “We’ll see what you say when you meet the right girl, man.”
“I just hope you’re getting some,” Hector threw in. “You could’ve had your pick of just about any girl at this school, but props on it being Izzy. She’s been an untapped, unreachable resource for years. Even Noah stopped trying with her.”
Noah shook his head. “Above my game.”
They all nodded. “Yeah, we know.”
Reaching for his shoes, Hector added, “At least Jet’s got access to some of that hot, twin ass.”
The room stayed silent for a few moments, the other guys very aware that Hector had more than likely just crossed the line. Jet and Tucker didn’t even have to exchange looks, both reaching to whack him upside the head.
“Ah, God, what’d I say?” he cried.
“So where’re you headed to now?” Jet asked when they left the locker rooms.
“Calculus with Izzy.” He’d been psyched to see he had his first and last class with her this year. “A great way to start and end the school day,” he thought as he headed to seventh period.
“Well, get ready for her to vent. People have been asking her questions about y’all dating all day. Three different girls came up to her when we were just walking to class, and when I ran into her before athletics, she said it was a big topic during dance class, too.”
“Yeah, ask Annie about how many stares I was getting during Economics. I feel like I’m on show or something,” he said, wondering how long people would be staring when he walked with her down the halls.
Jet shrugged. “They’ll get over it. Pretty soon, you two will be old news, and they’ll move on to something else.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll catch you later,” he said when they reached a split in the hallway, heading in opposite directions towards their final class of the day.
* * *
Jet saw Annie sitting by the windows when he entered their health class a few minutes later.
“Hey, babe, how’s your day been?” Annie asked him when he sat down in the seat next to hers.
“Not bad. Yours?”
“Typical. Oh, hey, Emma,” Annie said when the short, athletic blonde walked up.
“Hey, guys. I’m beginning to think that you’re following me around,” she joked, taking the seat in front of Annie.
“Yeah, seeing you almost every day this summer at work just wasn’t enough.”
Jet gave them a funny look, and Annie laughed. “We’ve had like more than half our classes together today,” she explained.
He nodded as the bell rang, and the teacher shut the door, calling for quiet.
Mr. Girst went over his rules and expectations and then assigned everyone a textbook. They were instructed to begin reading the first chapter and finish it at home that night, along with a description of three different things they learned.
Jet was becoming anxious for the bell after only a few pages. Reading was incredibly boring unless it was about cars.
“Class, I need your attention before the bell,” Mr. Girst said when there were only a few minutes left. Relieved sighs could be heard around the classroom as books slammed shut. “Okay, seniors, I have a note to pass out to you about a college application seminar the school counselors are holding. It will be this Friday after school in the cafeteria.”
Jet performed a mental eye roll. “Gr
eat, we’re only one day into the school year, and they’re already going to start drilling us about college.”
“Are we required to go?” someone asked from the front of the room.
“No, you are not required to go. There will be a mandatory session in a few months, but it is highly recommended that you attend this time, especially if you want a head start on things. And raise your hand, Mr. Yates. Now take one, and pass it back,” he said, passing a small stack to each person in the front row.
The notes had just reached the back when the bell rang. “Remember to do your homework!” Mr. Girst called out as students were shoving their books into their bags and running out of the room.
“This should be fun. I can’t wait to start college and move out,” Annie said to Jet and Emma as they headed to meet their friends outside.
“I know,” Emma bounced excitedly. “I bet the parties will be so awesome.”
“Y’all do realize that this is just a seminar about when and how to apply to college, right? It’s not the real thing.”
“Yes, Jet, we’re well aware of that,” Emma said, tossing him a dismissive wave of her hand as she rolled her sky blue eyes. “But it’s the first step to get us closer to it.”
“Exactly! Should we head over together after class Friday, babe?”
“I’ve got football practice.”
Annie’s face fell, used to her early morning track practices. “That’s right.”
“I’ll head over with you,” Emma offered.
“Thanks.”
“Alright, sweetheart,” Jet said when they reached the sidewalk that lead to the field. “I’ve got to get to practice. I’ll catch you later?”
“Okay, have fun,” she said and gave him a quick kiss.
He took off, feeling bad that he didn’t even want to go with the girls to the seminar, but the idea of sitting around listening to the counselors talk about how they were going to be making important decisions about the rest of their lives didn’t thrill him.