“Yes, that! Because I do all my partying with you.”
“And that would be why I do not think that. Okay? You happy now?”
“Not really.”
He smiled softly and any lingering irritation floated right out the open window. “You will be once you get some sleep.”
Getting into the house became its own brand of obstacle. I couldn’t walk straight to save my life, so Elijah had to help me in and upstairs. Right past my parents’ room, which became another problem when I couldn’t stop giggling.
“You’re killing me here.” Elijah pushed us into my room and kicked the door shut with his hand planted firmly over my mouth. “There, you’re in. Now get some sleep.”
“Okay.” I didn’t have to be told twice. I crawled right onto the mattress and face planted in my pillow.
“Don’t you at least want to change first or something?”
“No.” I groaned into the pillow and heard his exasperated sigh.
“Alright. Well, I’ll see you in the morn—”
“Wait.” I rolled over to see his dark silhouette against the streetlight coming through my window. “Don’t go. Stay?”
“You want me to stay? Here? Ry, your parents are one door down. I don’t think—”
“Please? I just . . . It’s always when I’m lying in my bed in the dark that I feel the most alone. I don’t want to feel alone tonight, Elijah. Please stay?”
“Princess . . .”
I could feel him ready to turn me down. I couldn’t take the rejection. Not tonight. “Just for a little while?”
When he sighed again, I knew I had him. “Just for a little while.”
“Okay.” I agreed far too excitedly and scooted over on the bed.
Elijah stretched out behind me, bending to fit the curve of my body. With the heat of him radiating against my back and his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, I drifted off quickly.
Chapter Twenty
Morning came far too early with the alarm blaring, birds singing, sun shining, and . . . Elijah in my bed? Holy crap!
“Wake up.” I shook him with no response. “Elijah, wake up. Wake. Up.”
Jesus, it was like trying to wake the damn dead. Finally, he groaned and rolled over to bury his face in my pillow. Seriously?
“Elijah, my parents are going to be in here any minute.”
That did the trick. He shot up in the bed like a freaking Jack-in-the-Box, startling a slight scream out of me.
“Shit. I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting you the hell out of here before my father shoots and stuffs you.”
Elijah tilted his head at my particularly strange metaphor and I groaned in frustration. “Just move, would you?”
I practically shoved him out of the bed and that’s when I realized he wasn’t wearing any pants. Good Lord, I’d spent the night in bed with a boy with no pants on. A situation to overanalyze at a later time. He stumbled around the room, pulling on his jeans, and made his way to the window.
“We’re on the second floor.”
Elijah pulled back the curtains to examine his chosen escape route. “I think I can make it.”
“Are you insane? Hide in the closet or something until they go to work.”
“I’ll be late for school.”
“Really?” That was his biggest concern? “You’re willing to risk life and limb to get to school on time.”
“Yeah, on second thought,” he took another peek out the window, “not so much.”
The quiet snap of the closet door shutting behind him coincided with the whoosh of my bedroom door over the carpet as Mom poked her head in the room.
“Almost ready?”
“Yeah, I’ll be down in a few.”
We were almost home-free when she stopped and turned around. Her eyes narrowed on my rumpled outfit. “Didn’t you wear that yesterday?”
“Yeah.” I laughed nervously. “Fell asleep studying. I’m not dressed, yet.”
“Well, you better hurry or you’re going to be late.”
After she was gone, I rooted through my dresser for something else to wear and heard a long, drawn out “Cluuuuuueleeeeesssss,” come from inside my closet.
I burst out laughing and had to slap a hand over my mouth to avoid drawing my mother back in.
After what was probably the fastest shower known to mankind, I threw on some random ass outfit and flew out the front door. Mom was still sitting at the kitchen table with her tablet and coffee when I left, but Dad’s car was gone. She wouldn’t be far behind us and then Elijah would be free to go. I felt a little guilty leaving him up there in my cramped closet all alone, but what choice did I really have?
***
“What happened to you?” I hadn’t even made it to my locker yet when Angie pounced, Carrie hot on her heels.
“What?”
Her eyes darted down to my outfit, which, yes, consisted of sweats I usually reserved for gym class and Saturday mornings at home and an oversized tee, but it wasn’t like wearing sweats to school was against the dress code or anything.
“I was in a rush.”
“Rylie.” Angie pulled me aside like this was some kind of private crisis intervention. “Don’t you care that people are going to see you like this?”
I got the distinct impression that she was more concerned with the fact that people were going to see me with her like that.
“Image is everything. How people see you is how they treat you. Do you really want everyone to start treating you like some kind of . . .” her gaze traveled my outfit again with a look of disgust, “hobo?”
“I don’t really give a crap what you or anyone else thinks about my damn outfit, Ang.” If this was going to be such an issue for her, I didn’t need her anyway. I was happy in my moment until she came along and ruined it.
“That’s the problem. You don’t care about anything anymore.” Carrie was the last person I expected to hop onboard the judgmental bitch train. “You haven’t been to the gym in weeks, you don’t hand in homework, you don’t participate in class, and . . .” she dropped her voice, “people are starting to talk, Ry. Your eyes are always red and you’re always hanging around with those stoner losers.”
“They’re not losers, Carrie. They’re my friends.”
“We’re your friends!” Angie insisted.
“Not if you’re going to be such raging bitches about it.” Why had I never seen what stuck-up, conceited jerks they were before now?
“We’re not trying to be—”
“No, Car. She’s right. We’re bitches. She completely ditches us for a whole new set of ‘friends’.” Angela actually used air quotes as though the people I hung out with couldn’t possibly be considered my friends. “And we’re the bitches. Let’s go. I hope your new friends visit you when you end up in juvie. Or, hey, maybe you can share a cell.”
Angela spun on her three inch heel and tossed her perfectly cropped golden locks over her shoulder. Carrie hesitated, but in the end she followed with sad, dark eyes that came dangerously close to making me feel bad about what I’d said. Angie was a bitch. I never realized how very much like my father she was, determined to get what she wanted and uncaring of who she had to step on to get there. Bitch.
Carrie? Not so much. But she’d still chosen Angie. She was supposed to be my best friend, and instead she’d gone behind my back to judge me and my decisions. God forbid I did some things for myself for a change. Why was everyone so damn against my happiness?
“Hey, Princess.” Well, not everyone. A warm, wet kiss landed on my cheek and all thoughts of vindictive ex-friends melted away.
“Hey. You escaped.”
“I did. By the skin of my teeth. It was very James Bond-esque.”
“Really?” What the hell happened after I left? Oh, God, did he really jump out the window? I immediately scanned him for any signs of bodily harm.
“No. Your
mom left for work and I walked right out the front door.”
He burst out laughing at my relieved breath and I smacked his arm. Hard. “You jerk! You freaked me out.”
“Aww, were you worried about me?”
“I’ll never make that mistake again.”
He was still shaking with laughter when he pulled me close to drop another quick kiss on my hair. “Looks like I made it on time, after all.”
***
Lunch time brought about a dilemma I hadn’t considered. While I’d been spending almost all of my free time with Elijah, I still ate lunch with Carrie and Angela every day. Sitting with him at lunch had always seemed too official . . . too public. I guess it was part of that image thing Angela was harping about and I hadn’t seen how totally conceited that was until she practically threw it in my face.
Wow, I was a bitch, too. But not anymore.
Striding across the cafeteria, head held high, I aimed for to the table in the back corner where Elijah, Liam, Meg, Julie, and Declan always sat together. I could feel the weight of the stares of the entire school following me, but I didn’t care. Screw them. I wanted to sit with my boyfriend.
Boyfriend? Where had that term come from? I didn’t know . . . but it made me happy.
“Hey, guys.”
“What’s she doing here?” Evidently, they weren’t all my friends. Julie had been an ice queen to me since the day I met her, so I went out of my way to avoid her. She did the same, so we rarely had cause to see each other. She was at a couple of parties I went to, but we always stuck to different sides of the room and different conversations. I didn’t know what her problem was and I didn’t care. I wanted to sit with my boyfriend and that’s what I was going to do.
“Can I sit here?” I directed my question to Elijah, ignoring the stunned look on Liam’s face, the glee on Meg’s, and the scowl on Julie and Declan’s.
“Sure. Of course.” Elijah looked a little surprised himself, but he smiled as he scooted over to make room for me. I climbed in and unpacked my homemade lunch.
Not wanting to rock the boat too much, I sat back, munching on my tuna sandwich, and listened as the others fell back into conversation.
After a while, Elijah leaned into me. “What happened to Angela and Carrie?”
“Nothing. We . . .” I didn’t really want to tell him, but there was no use denying it. It would be all over the school soon anyway. “We had a fight.”
“What about?”
I didn’t answer, instead choosing to stuff a large bite into my mouth.
“About me?”
He waited while I chewed and swallowed. When I went to take another, he gripped my wrist and pulled the sandwich away from my mouth.
“Princess, was the fight about me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“That’s a yes,” he grumbled, releasing my arm. Suddenly my appetite was gone. “And it does matter. How many times do I have to tell you? It matters to me. You’ve gone above and beyond your comfort zone to make sure I got to keep spending time with my friends. I don’t want to be the reason you lose yours. Maybe I can—”
“You’re not the reason.”
“You just said—”
“Okay, yes, the fight was about you, but that’s not the reason we’re not friends anymore. The fight just made me realize what complete and total bitches they are . . . I was.”
“You can say that again,” Declan remarked from across the table and I realized I had the complete attention of the entire group.
Elijah glared at him and opened his mouth to say God knows what, but I intervened. “No. He’s right. I was as big a bitch as they are, so focused on where I was going I didn’t see where I was, or the people around me. But I don’t want to be that way anymore. And I don’t want to hang out with people who act that way.”
“Well, welcome to the anti-bitch club,” Meg laughed throwing an arm around my shoulders. “We made an exception for Julie.”
Julie snarled at her from across the table, which made me laugh out loud. Meg, Elijah, and Liam quickly joined me and eventually even Declan broke a grin. Julie continued to glare daggers at me, but I doubted I’d ever win her over.
Chapter Twenty-one
“Can we go to your place?”
“It’s Wednesday, Ry. If you spend any more time in the ‘weight room’, they’re going to start expecting you to look like the Terminator. I know they’re clueless, but don’t you think your parents will catch on eventually?”
I would have been insulted by his lack of desire to be with me if he didn’t look as conflicted saying it as I felt hearing it. He was right, of course. I’d made up track related excuses nearly every night for the past week-and-a-half to spend time at Elijah’s. My parents might have been gullible, but they weren’t complete idiots. I had a good thing going and I shouldn’t push it, but still . . .
The thought of going a full twenty-four hours before I could go to Elijah’s to get high was almost unbearable. It was getting harder and harder to quiet the voices, silence the guilt and remorse. It seemed the harder I tried to fight it, the more the guilt grew, gnawing on my insides like a ravenous beast. And the more time I spent with my parents the louder the voices got. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go that long without relief. I’d lose it.
“I need my own stash, Elijah.”
“What?”
“My own . . .” I glanced around to be sure we wouldn’t be overheard, but the lot was practically vacant, “pot. You showed me how to roll it myself. I just need my own supplies.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” Elijah’s mouth grew tight.
“Why?”
“I just . . . I prefer you to smoke with me, that’s all.”
Irritation flared. “I’m not a child, Elijah. I don’t need a damn chaperone.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I just like to know how much you’re using.”
“Oh, that’s rich. Do you only use when I’m around? Do you report your usage back to someone else? This is such bullshit.”
“I’m trying to look out for you, Ry.”
“You’re trying to keep me dependent on you, Eli.” I stressed the usage of the name he hated to hear from me and it had the sting I meant for it to. He winced, but I pressed on despite the guilt compounding inside of me. I needed a break from it. My parents, Carrie, and now Elijah? I needed this. “Forget it. I’m not dependent on anyone. I’ll go to Rafe and get it myself.”
“No.” Elijah gritted his teeth in frustration. “Dammit, Ry, I’ll get it for you. I don’t want you near Rafe without me there. Okay?”
“You’ll get it for me?”
He didn’t look thrilled about it, but he said, “Yeah,” and that’s all that mattered to make me happy in that moment.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck. “Can we go right now?”
“You want to go now?”
“I’m going to need it for tonight if I can’t be with you and, like you said, I should probably get home soon.”
Elijah’s shoulders sagged and he ran a hand through his beautiful long locks. “Fine. But you stay in the car.”
“Okay.” I would have agreed happily to pretty much anything he said.
He took For.Ev.Er, but when he remerged from Rafe’s house, he handed me a bag and some rolling papers.
“That’s a quarter bag. It should last you a while. But, Ry . . .” He waited until he had my complete attention, which wasn’t easy to give him with a bag of weed in my hand. “Take it easy with that shit, okay?”
“Yeah. Of course.” What the hell did he think, I was gonna go home and smoke the whole thing without him there to babysit me? Jeez.
I was still contemplating stopping for eye drops and air freshener when Elijah dropped me off at my car back at school.
“Thanks, babe. I owe you.”
He accepted the kiss I offered, but the concern was still lingering in his eyes when we
broke apart. It hurt to see. I just wished he’d have a little more faith in me.
“Don’t forget your parents are in that house. Open a damn window and be careful. I don’t want to lose you to a couple of prison wardens over this.”
That’s what he was concerned about? The hurt dissipated and I smiled at him. “You’ll never lose me, Elijah Prince. I love you.”
I said the words without really thinking, but once they were out, I didn’t regret them. His devastating smile broke free and those dimples reflected the sun like the gems they truly were. “You love me?”
“I might.”
“You might?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Well,” he dipped his head, brushing his lips against mine just enough to ignite my body before pulling back, “what if I loved you?”
“That might weigh in your favor.”
“Might it? Hmm . . .” He bent close again, eliciting tingles across my skin. “Might this, as well?”
His mouth crashed over mine and his tongue invaded. I gladly accepted everything he gave, as his arms came around me and he backed me into the side of my car.
It was hands-down the most passionate moment we’d shared in broad daylight. In public. At school. The reality of our surroundings, as well as the ticking clock I was working with came crashing back to the forefront of my mind and I regretfully withdrew.
“I have to go. My parents will be home soon.”
“But you never answered my question.”
I stared up into those bright silver eyes, shining with adoration and mischief. At that stunning smile. That ruggedly handsome face, the broad muscular chest, strong, protective arms, and beneath it all to the heart of the only person who truly knew me. Truly loved me.
“Yes, Elijah Prince. I love you.”
His smile softened along with his eyes. “I love you, too, Rylie Stark.”
***
Opening the window helped, but I was glad I decided to stop for the air freshener when I heard the front door open. With an obnoxious burst of Apple Berry, I made a quick detour to the bathroom to check my eyes. They looked okay, so I continued downstairs.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie. How was school?”
Rock Bottom Page 9