Crazy For You

by Alexander, S. B.

  “What was the sermon about?” I asked. Maybe the priest had talked about teenagers, given how adamant she was that Georgia and I attend church with her.

  Nan’s face brightened, eager to share. “Salvation.” She pinned me with a pointed look, as though I needed salvation. I was sure I would need a lifeline when Dad finally passed.

  Georgia eyed me for some odd reason. “Everyone needs saving. Right, Skye?”

  I could feel a deep crease forming in between my eyebrows until I got her silent message—Colton. Or maybe she meant me.

  Dad and Nan exchanged a surprised look.

  “Are you talking about Colton?” I asked Georgia.

  “Maybe,” Georgia said.

  Nan went over to Dad and fluffed his pillows. “What’s going on with Colton other than family troubles?”

  Georgia sidled up to me and hooked her arm in mine. “Yeah, Skye. Want to dish?”

  Nan laughed. “We know Skye likes Colton.”

  Dad grinned.

  What they didn’t know wasn’t my story to tell, though, and I would never betray Colton’s trust. It was time to change the subject.

  Nan beat me to it, as though she knew I needed help. “I bought some cinnamon rolls from the bake sale at church. They’re homemade.”

  My stomach growled as if on cue. I was famished. I hadn’t eaten anything since the morning before. I had planned to eat dinner with Colton that day, but after he’d finally changed the oil in my car, I hadn’t seen or heard from him. The Caldwell house had been quiet all night. Even Colton’s room had been dark like he wasn’t even there. But I knew he had been—his truck had been in the driveway. I suspected after that tense night with his dad, he and his parents were probably working things out. Or at least I hoped they were.

  I gave Dad a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you later. Maybe we can watch a movie?”

  He blinked once, telling me yes, he would like that.

  Nan rolled his table away from the bed. “Skye, I know it’s only been a couple of days, but have you thought any more about your birth mother?”

  My mind wasn’t on her, and I felt weird talking about the woman who’d birthed me with Dad present.

  “I’ll be in the kitchen,” Georgia said, then bounced out.

  I gnawed on my bottom lip. “Not really. But I haven’t changed my mind about Nan being my guardian.” I looked at Dad when I spoke. “Honestly, I have too much going on right now to process and dissect the whole adoption thing.”

  Dad raised an eyebrow, wanting me to explain.

  “School, for one. And I’m not ready.” I didn’t want to tell him that Colton had taken possession of my thoughts just about every minute of the day. Or that I felt like I would be betraying Dad if I learned more about my biological mom.

  “When you’re ready,” Nan said.

  Dad blinked in agreement.

  I gave him a hug, then met Georgia in the kitchen. “What in the world are you doing?”

  She was up on her toes, her face practically plastered to the kitchen window. “Shh. Colton is outside with his dad.”

  I yanked on her pretty silk top. “Get back. They’ll see you.”

  She stepped away. “Oh, come on,” she whined. “I can make out words here and there. Colton called his father a dick.”

  I glanced quickly. Colton sat tensely in a chair, clearly ready to jump up. The good news was that a table separated him from his dad, and they seemed calm, not throwing punches. Mr. Caldwell’s features said otherwise, though. He was definitely angry.

  “Do they normally air their differences outside?” Georgia asked. “It’s kind of odd.”

  I guided her away from the window and up to our small square island. “Maybe his mom is vacuuming and it was too noisy. I don’t know.” I wasn’t about to try and understand why people did what they did. I had enough of my own problems.

  She backtracked to look at them again, but I blocked her. “I don’t want his dad to see us eavesdropping.” Once again, I ushered her to the island. “If his dad sees us, he’s likely to storm over here. It’s bad enough that I had a weird encounter with him the other day.”

  She commandeered a barstool. “Weird encounter? Please tell me he’s not a dirty old man.”

  I shuddered. “Ew. But he did ask if Colton was sleeping in my bed.”

  Her pretty blonde brows lifted. “OMG! What did you tell him?”

  I grabbed the milk out of the fridge. “Nothing. Mrs. Caldwell interrupted us.”

  She dove into the homemade cinnamon rolls. “So I’m dying to hear what happened with Colton after I left the beach yesterday. And don’t leave out a drop of detail.”

  I poured two glasses of milk, giggling. “I’m surprised that wasn’t the first thing you asked me when you walked in this morning.”

  “I would’ve, but you were with your dad.”

  “When has that stopped you?” I teased.

  She bit into the cinnamon roll while I set the glasses of milk on the island. “Mmm. These rolls are heaven.”

  I sank my teeth into one, and the cinnamon exploded on my tongue. “Yum.”

  As we ate, I kept looking at the kitchen window, but I couldn’t see much from where I sat.

  Georgia inhaled her roll, watching me as she chewed. “Well, talk.”

  “How can I?” I asked between bites. “This is too good.” I pointed to the roll in my mouth.

  “Okay, I’ll talk. I sent Kyle a text last night, but he hasn’t responded.”

  I twirled an imaginary circle around her mouth. “Then why the frown?”

  “He read it, but nothing.”

  I hated when someone read a text and didn’t respond. “I’m sorry. Maybe he was in a place where he couldn’t.”

  She wrapped her fingers around a glass of milk. “I should just stick to guys around here. Those out-of-towners only break your heart.”

  I sagged in my seat. “Colton is leaving town next weekend.”

  She almost spit out her milk. “What the… seriously? He’s going back to the academy?”

  “Not really. He needs space. He’s going to stay with a friend.”

  “Girl or guy friend?”

  I took a drink of milk. “Don’t know. I don’t want to, either.” The less I knew, the better my mind would be. It was none of my business, anyway.

  “Is Colton okay?” she asked. “You know, he would’ve run into a tree Friday night if not for you.”

  “I didn’t bring that up. He didn’t seem as agitated yesterday. I think Grady helped too. Plus, he didn’t tell you or Mia. Remember, Mia overhead him tell Grady. Anyway, I couldn’t blurt out, ‘Hey, were you really going to run into a tree?’ I figure when and if he’s ready, he’ll tell me.” He’d shared one of his demons with me, and that was a step in the right direction for him to heal.

  “Fair enough. What else happened?” She checked the archway. “Please tell me you lost your virginity.” Her voice was low.

  “No. Although I tried.”

  “Shut the front door. You came on to Colton? I think you’re my new hero.”

  I snorted. “I’m sure Mia has that trophy. She’s the one having sex.” It was my turn to check if the coast was clear. While I wouldn’t care so much if Nan heard, I wasn’t ready to cross that bridge if she decided to play mom. Satisfied she wasn’t anywhere nearby, I said, “But we had an extremely passionate kiss. And yes, if you must know, it was the best ever.” I touched my lips, almost feeling his on mine.

  “You’re toast, girl. We need a plan to make sure he doesn’t leave.”

  “For sure.” I was praying he was working out his differences with his dad. Maybe he wouldn’t leave after all.

  “Back up,” Georgia said. “You tried to get him naked and he said no?”

  “I was wondering when you would catch on to that. He isn’t ready.”

  She choked. “What dude in their right mind says he isn’t ready?”

  “In all fairness to him, I guess I wasn’t e
ither. I’m not on the pill, and he didn’t have a condom, anyway.”

  A shudder wracked my body as I reminisced about our intimate interlude.

  “But he slept with Amanda.”

  “He didn’t.”

  She straightened her spine. “Mmm.” Her tone was skeptical. “She is all talk, though.”

  It didn’t matter if she believed that statement or not. I did, and no amount of skepticism on her part would change my mind. Then why do I suddenly feel nauseous?

  23

  I cruised around the track that circled the football field, feeling free and energized. The last time I’d been on my skateboard was the day Colton had run over it with his truck, which seemed like eons ago, when only a month had passed.

  With the balmy wind in my face, I scoured the field for Colton. It had been four long days since our time on the beach, and I hadn’t seen him at all, not even at lunch, when he usually sat with the football team. When I left school each morning, his truck was gone.

  Mia had mentioned that Colton was staying with Grady for a few days. That told me the conversation he’d had with his dad hadn’t gone well. Still, he wasn’t in school, and he hadn’t left town because Mia would’ve told me… unless she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

  I kept scanning the field as my stomach wound into a ball of knots. I homed in on Grady, who was getting ready to throw. I coasted along, watching as the football left his hand and soared through the air until it landed in the hands of a beefy guy who wasn’t wearing red cleats. Colton was the only one on the team who wore red cleats.

  So I inspected each player, coming up empty each time. I hoped I hadn’t missed the chance to say goodbye to him, or a last-ditch effort to convince him to stay.

  I hopped off my board, ready to scream. I’d never obsessed over a guy like that. I needed to skate to clear my mind—and not around the track, but at the skate park. I needed to catch air, concentrate on jumps, and feel like I hadn’t lost who I was.

  Georgia was going to be furious with me. We’d agreed to meet at her house after school, but for my mental health, I had to do something to tame the thoughts running rampant in my head. Maybe Colton had left. He didn’t say goodbye. He was going to stay with a girl.

  Then my worry over Dad wormed its way in. The night before, Dad had had a near-death choking episode at dinner. I’d never seen Nan so scared. Dad’s face had turned a thousand shades of blue, and I’d held my breath, praying he wouldn’t die right in front of us.

  I silently scolded myself. I was worrying about a guy, and my dad was on the fast track to live with the angels. It was time to get my head on straight and focus on the most important person in my life.

  I patted my ass where my phone should have been, but it wasn’t in my pocket—then I remembered I’d forgotten it at home that morning. I was surprised my head was still attached to my body. Even in class, I hadn’t paid an ounce of attention to any of the teachers or their lectures.

  Georgia had chided me. “Who forgets their phone? You’ll die without it.”

  By the time I’d met her and Mia at the Latte House before school, it had been too late to go home. And that morning, I hadn’t been in the mood to rush home, then explain to the vice principal why I was late. We couldn’t use our phones in class, anyway, which would’ve been his retort.

  I clenched my teeth, walking over to Mia. She and her cheer squad were in the middle of a routine, their collective voices loud as they shouted one of their cheers. The upcoming home game that week was a huge deal. We were playing one of our biggest rivals.

  I waved at Mia, hoping to get her attention, but three girls who had just climbed down from the bleachers garnered mine.

  The blonde in the group said, “I saw Colton at Amanda’s last night.”

  I swore the sky darkened as my blood gelled. Sure, they could’ve been talking about some other Colton and Amanda, but the odds were nil that another couple in our small school had the same names.

  “I thought Colton didn’t want anything to do with Amanda?” the petite brunette of the three asked.

  I wondered briefly if the brunette was the same one who’d had her tongue down Colton’s throat the week before.

  The blonde shrugged. “I guess that was just a rumor.”

  Rage seized my muscles. I gulped down a growl. What the fuck? So many things ricocheted off the inside of my skull, faster than a rocket shooting into outer space.

  Mia jogged up to me, out of breath. “Girl, what’s wrong?”

  I lifted my chin. “Can you tell Georgia I’ll call her later? I have something to do.”

  I set my skateboard down, ready to ride like the freaking wind, when Mia’s nails dug into my arm. “Wait. What’s going on?” Her hazel eyes were filled with fear. “Is it your dad?”

  Air punched from my lungs. “God, no.” The minute the words came out of my mouth, I felt the need to lose my lunch. Since school was out for the day, I didn’t have any way for Nan to get ahold of me. “I need to go.”

  She wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her hand. “I’m almost done here. I can give you a ride.”

  “I want to skate.” As I hopped on my board, tears stung my eyes.

  “Skye!” Mia shouted.

  I waved her off. “I’m fine.” That was the biggest lie I’d ever told. I was far from fine. I was about to break down. I was about to have the worst crying session yet.

  Hearing that Colton was at Amanda’s felt like someone was carving out a hole in my chest. I skated past the three girls until they climbed the grassy knoll up to the parking lot. When I reached the cement stairs, I had no choice but to get off my board.

  I took the steps two at a time, grinding my molars down to nothing and shaking my head like I had some sort of nervous tic. Once on the parking lot pavement, I got on my board, ready to blow that popsicle stand, when I spied a certain guy with shoulder-length hair. I wavered, practically falling off my board.

  Great. Way to make an idiot out of myself.

  Colton rushed over like a Greek god ready to save the woman he loved.

  A maniacal laugh barreled out of me like an F-5 tornado as I managed to stay on two feet. My skateboard, though, decided it’d had enough of me and traveled toward Colton’s truck like the stupid piece of wood missed him.

  Thank God his truck was parked. I would seriously deconstruct into a blubbering mess if the one thing in my life that kept me sane busted once again.

  Colton’s strong hand latched onto my arm. “Are you okay? Is it your dad?”

  Words were on the tip of my tongue, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out, which was a good thing. I would have stuck my foot in my mouth and said something brilliantly stupid, such as “How’s Amanda? Did you screw her again?”

  He prodded me with those brown eyes, drinking me in and revving my pulse.

  We stared at one another until a car drove up, breaking our connection.

  I pushed out the breath I’d been holding until I saw the driver. Then I laughed again. Amanda fucking Gelling was behind the wheel of her convertible, looking beautiful with her auburn hair tied up on her head, diamond-stud earrings sparkling, and an off-the-shoulder blouse that gave her a seductive vibe.

  The need to scream was strong, but I straightened my spine and plastered on a fake smile. I wasn’t about to show my jealousy. Dad had taught me to be the bigger person. Don’t ever let them see you sweat.

  It was probably too late for that. I was sweating like a pig. Dad had meant it metaphorically.

  “Amanda.” My tone was as sweet as I could make it. “Did your mom sell that house on Pony Circle in Crane Plantation?”

  She looked at me like I had five heads. “Why would you want to know that?”

  Colton tucked his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, which were hugging his body nicely, and inclined his head.

  No harm in telling them the truth. “My mom designed that house. I lived there until she passed away.” I wouldn’t expect her to
know any of that. We’d never been close friends.

  “That’s a badass house,” Colton said.

  I could feel my lips forming into a smile that would brighten a dark room. “My mom was a great architect.”

  “I don’t keep up with my mom’s business.” Amanda’s tone was curt. Then she regarded Colton. “I just wanted to say thanks for last night.”

  My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. I was such a fool for believing he liked me. You were just his means to salvation. He saved you to forgive himself.

  Swallowing, I willed my legs to move. To get the hell away from him. To find a dark hole to curl up in and cry.

  24

  I ran to get my skateboard, which was lodged under the back tire of Colton’s truck. My hands shook as I pushed the tears away. I wasn’t going to cry. No way in hell. Dad had said to “live and learn” many times when I made a mistake as a kid, but I didn’t like learning when my heart was on the line.

  As soon as I retrieved my board, the darn thing fell to the ground. That time, my board rolled over to Colton’s feet. I was beginning to believe he’d put a curse on it when he’d fixed it.

  I debated whether to interrupt their conversation, since Amanda was blushing at something Colton was saying. Unbelievable. I fisted my hands at my sides, and when she laughed, I walked in the opposite direction. To hell with my skateboard. My heart was more important than a piece of wood with wheels.

  I’d barely made it ten feet when Colton called my name. Goosebumps immediately pebbled my skin at his Southern drawl.

  Damn him. Damn my body.

  “Wait!” he shouted.

  My legs stopped, against my better judgment.

  Amanda sped by, honking her horn.

  I was ready to throw her the finger until Colton’s breath tickled my ear. “Don’t forget this.”

  I pivoted on my heel, and I shouldn’t have. A tear ran down my cheek.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” His tone was gentle, soft, and soothing. “Seriously, is your dad okay?”

  I took my board from him. “My dad is fine. It’s nothing that concerns you.” I was lying through my teeth. “Why are you here, Colton? Shouldn’t you be on the football field?”