Spring: A High School Bully Romance (Sunset Beach High Book 3)

by McKayla Box

  I shake my head. “No. I thought about it, but I wasn't sure if I should or not. I'm sorry.”

  “No, it's fine,” he says. “I'm glad you didn't. That'll be a whole different can of shit I have to deal with now.” He shakes his head. “He's gonna love this.”

  “Yeah, but he can probably get you a good lawyer, right?” I say. “All of you? Or I can talk to my dad. I'm sure he knows someone if it's not his thing.”

  He shrugs. “Whatever. I'll figure it out. We'll see what he says.”

  There's something in his words that I can't quite pin down. I'm not sure if he really doesn't care or if he's just pretending that he doesn't. I can't read him.

  “I'm sorry,” I say.

  He frowns. “Why? Fuck that guy.” He laughs. “I hope his hair never grows back.”

  “Man, I wish there was video of that, Presley,” Jake says. “I'd love to have seen you kick his ass.”

  And all I can think is that I wish it had never happened.

  TWENTY ONE

  I can't sleep.

  We get back to the camp site on the beach and people immediately swarm, wanting to know what happened. I ignore most of them and Jake does most of the talking, happy to relay what it was like going to jail. Trevor asks if I want to sleep in his tent and I do. I walk down the beach with him to escape the crowd and we crawl inside. He opens his sleeping bag up and we get inside.

  “Don't worry,” he whispers.”

  “Okay,” I say.

  But I do and I can't sleep.

  I've barely moved for most of the night and when the sun starts slipping through the netting on top of the tent, I decide to get up.

  I wiggle my way out from underneath Trevor. He stirs, but doesn't wake up. I crawl out of the tent and walk back up the beach toward the tent with the girls. As I expected, they are all out cold. I crawl in, change into my swimsuit, then crawl back out, and pull on my wetsuit. I grab my board and head down to the water.

  Gerald and his pals are already floating out at the break and he holds up a hand when he sees me.

  “Miss Presley!” he says. “You couldn't stay away from the donuts, could you?”

  I smile and shake my head. “Guess not.”

  He paddles closer, studying me. “You okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “You look tired,” he says. “Everything alright?”

  I nod. “Yeah. Just a long night.”

  He hesitates, then nods. “Well, nothing better than the ocean to wake you up. Let's have at it.”

  And for the next ninety minutes, I do.

  I paddle into everything I see and charge like I've never charged before, trying to surf the anger and fear I'm feeling right out of my body. Even when I fall, I bounce right back on the board and go again. I am as locked in as I've been on a surfboard.

  When I paddle in, Gerald is already there, waiting for me.

  “Young lady, that was quite a show out there,” he says.

  I slide off my board and stand up. My thighs are burning. “Was it?”

  He nods. “It was. I don't think you were entirely honest with me.”

  I unstrap the leash from my ankle and take a second to catch my breath. “Why's that?”

  He raises an eyebrow. “I heard there was a little action down here last night.”

  I pick up my board and tuck it under my arm. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  He waves me up to the sand and leads me to a big, pink box on a square blanket. He picks up the box and holds it out to me. “I told those other old goats to leave the good ones for you.”

  I open up the flap and there are two huge powdered sugar donuts. I pull one of them out. “Thanks.”

  He winks at me.

  I take a bite and the powdered sugar flies off of the donut in a tiny cloud. I'm either ridiculously hungry or it's the best donut of my life.

  “This is amazing,” I say.

  “Little place over off State,” Gerald says. “Been going there every Sunday for most of my life. My dad used to bring them home for us.”

  I take another bite and it's better than the first. “It's awesome. Thank you so much.”

  He nods. “Of course.” He pushes the lid closed. “So let's hear what went down here last night.”

  I finish the donut and tell him what all happened.

  “I think I know those boys,” he says when I'm done. He sets the box down on the blanket. “I've seen 'em around, acting like jackasses. They don't mess with us because they know better, but I know that just means they're finding people they aren't afraid of.”

  “They hassled us when we got up here on Friday night,” I say. “They came back for more and it just was pretty bad.”

  He runs a hand across the top of his head. “That's not great. I'm sorry. I know this was supposed to be a fun weekend for you all.”

  I shrug. “I'm just worried about my friends now.”

  “You know exactly what they were charged with?”

  “I know they said aggravated assault,” I say. “And something about menacing.”

  Gerald nods. “Sounds right. The aggravated part is probably because someone got hurt pretty good?”

  I nod. “Yeah. The one guy who started it, he got the crap kicked out of him.”

  He laughs. “Isn't that always the way it is. But, yeah. If he was hurt pretty good, that might move it from simple assault to aggravated. Changes the consequences, too.”

  “They said something about how if the other guys decide to press charges, that might determine how bad it is?”

  Gerald nods. “Yeah, possibly. If the alleged victims decide to really press charges, they'll probably try for the most severe to start. But that's only a starting point. It can always be negotiated. Your friends ever get in any legal trouble before?”

  I shake my head. “Not that I know of.”

  He squints into the sun. “That's good then. Should be easy to at the very least strike a deal if they get to that point. Fights on the beach happen all the time. I know it seems scary, but most likely, they'll get slaps on their wrists, and move on, provided their records are clean.” He eyes me. “They have access to lawyers?”

  “Probably.”

  He nods then squats down and unzips the backpack next to the pink box. He pulls out a beaten leather wallet and slides a business card out of it. He stands back up and hands it to me. “Tell them they can always give me a call if they want. No charge since you and I are old pals now.”

  I smile at him. “That's very nice of you.”

  He shrugs. “We all do things once in awhile that don't turn out the way we plan. Doesn't mean we're bad people.” He nods at the card. “But they can reach me there, if need be. Just tell 'em to mention that they're friends of yours and I'll do what I can for them.”

  “I will,” I tell him. “Thank you.”

  He smiles and nods.

  I look up the beach. “I probably need to get going. We have to pack up today and head home.”

  “Long drive back to Sunset,” he says. “Traffic is going to be murder on a Sunday. I don't envy that drive.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “So we probably need to get moving once everyone's awake.”

  He nods. “Sure.” He holds out a hand. “Presley, it's been a pleasure.”

  I shake his hand. “Thanks for everything.”

  “Anytime,” he says. “And if you end up coming up here to school, I will expect to see you out here on the water. We'll always have a spot for you.”

  I laugh. “Okay.”

  “One condition, though,” he says.

  “What's that?”

  Gerald smiles. “We take turns buying donuts.”

  TWENTY TWO

  The girls are just starting to stir when I get back to the tent.

  “Did you go surf again?” Gina mumbles.

  “Yep.”

  “You really are insane.”

  “Yep. But I had an amazing donut,” I tell her.

  Bridget rolls over. “Donuts?�
��

  “Sorry,” I say. “My new friend only brought one for me.”

  “New friend?” she asks.

  “One of the old guys from yesterday morning,” I explain. “See, if you get up and get moving in the mornings, you might actually meet some interesting people.”

  “There are interesting people in my dreams,” Maddie says. “When I'm asleep.”

  I laugh and shake my head. “Whatever. He's a lawyer, too, and he heard about last night, so I was just telling him what went on.”

  “What did he say?” Bridget asks.

  I shrug. “Just telling me that they should be okay, no matter what happens. They'll probably get in trouble, but it shouldn't be terrible. And he offered to help if they need any help. He's a really nice guy.”

  Gina sits up. “Does Trevor know you left him in his tent for an older man?”

  “Gross,” I say. “Gerald is older than my dad.”

  “Older guys can be hot,” Gina says. “Like, super hot.”

  Maddie sits up. “For real. That whole salt and pepper in the hair thing? Fucking rad.”

  Gina makes a moaning noise that leads me to believe she concurs.

  “Gerald is my friend,” I say. “Nothing more.”

  “You say that now,” Gina says.

  I throw my pillow at her. “I left my phone in Trevor's tent. Be back. Get your asses up.”

  I crawl back out and walk up to Trevor's tent. He's still in his sleeping bag, but his eyes are open.

  “You're awake,” I say.

  “And you've apparently been awake for while,” he says. “And out on the water.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why didn't you invite me?”

  “You were snoring,” I say.

  “I don't snore.”

  “I can record it if you want.”

  He frowns. “Lies. How was the water?”

  “Pretty good, actually,” I tell him. “I've surfed with these old guys the last two mornings. Super cool guys.”

  He laughs. “Old surf guys are the best. They know all the tricks and they don't give a shit about anything. They just ride.”

  I nod. “Yeah. That's these guys. The one guy I was talking to the most, he's a lawyer.” I hold out the card. “He said to call him if you need help.”

  He takes the card, reads it, then drops it on his chest. “Cool.”

  “I think he meant it,” I say. “The offer to help. He'd heard shit happened last night, so he was asking about it. He's a very nice guy.”

  “Okay,” he says. “I'll remember that.”

  “Aren't you worried?” I ask. “I didn't even sleep because I was worried.”

  He sits up in the sleeping bag. He runs a hand through his sleep-wrecked hair. “I mean, what's worrying gonna do for me? It happened. I can't change it. And I'd do it again if he or anyone else said shit like that to you or anyone else that matters to me.”

  “You don't have have to be my protector,” I tell him.

  “I know that,” he said. “But fuck that guy. I'd do it again. So I can't worry about it until there's something to worry about.”

  “Gerald said if your record is clean, you probably don't have a ton to worry about,” I say.

  “Gerald?”

  I point to the card. “The lawyer. My new friend. That I've been talking about for five minutes now.”

  He laughs. “Sorry, didn't catch his name. Well, that's good then. I don't have anything on my record and I don't think Brett or Jake do either. So hopefully he's right.”

  I take a deep breath and sigh.

  “What?” he asks.

  “I just feel like it's my fault,” I tell him. “If I hadn't gone after him Friday night, he wouldn't have come back last night and then you wouldn't have beaten the shit out of him and none of you would've gotten arrested.”

  “You should've gone after him,” he says. “You can't take that. Walking away isn't always the right answer. It's not always the right thing to do. Sometimes, you have to fight.”

  I nod. “I guess.”

  “And there's a good chance he would've shown up anyway last night, run his mouth, and something would've happened,” he says. “So. It's not your fault. Get that out of your head.”

  “I don't want you to go to jail,” I tell him.

  “I'm not going to jail,” he says. “It'll get worked out.” He looks me up and down. “You're still in your wetsuit.”

  “I haven't changed yet,” I say.

  “Maybe you should.”

  “I guess,” I say. “I gotta go get some dry clothes in the other tent.”

  He smiles. “No, you don't.”

  “I don't have anything in here.”

  His smile widens. “I know.”

  I lean over and zip the flap on the tent closed. I get on my knees, find the zipper on the back of my wet suit and pull it down.

  Trevor watches me.

  I push the wetsuit down to my waist. I let him look at me for a second, then pull the strings loose on my top and let it fall off.

  He grunts, shifting in his sleeping back.

  I roll back off my knees and push the wetsuit all the way down off my legs and push it into the corner of the tent. I push my bottoms off and throw them on top of my top and the wetsuit.

  “Fuck,” he whispers.

  I crawl over to him and unzip the sleeping bag. He's in just a pair of boxers. I slip my hand inside the waistband and find him.

  He groans.

  I pull the boxers down his legs and push him down on his back. I crawl on top of him, straddling him, teasing him. His hands grip my hips.

  I lean down and brush my lips with his. “We have to be quiet.”

  He nods.

  I smile at him, then raise up. I lay my hands flat on his chest and lower myself down onto him. I stifle a moan as his fingers dig into my skin and he pushes up into me.

  “Fuck,” I whisper.

  We move together and I press my hands hard against his chest. I can feel the wave building inside of me and I move faster.

  My fingers curl against his chest.

  He lifts up into me again.

  I grab his hand and press it over my mouth as the wave bursts inside of me, an explosion of heat and light, and I scream into his palm. He grunts, shifts beneath me, and I feel him slip out. His body spasms beneath mine, his teeth gritted, his eyes shut tight. I collapse on his chest, my heart threatening to leave my body. I can feel his heart pounding, too.

  We lay there for awhile and he strokes the back of my hair.

  “It's been a long time,” he whispers.

  “Too long,” I mumble, my body feeling like a wet noodle.

  “Let's not wait so long for the next time,” he says into my ear.

  I smile against his chest and kiss his skin. “Gimme ten minutes and I'll be ready.”

  TWENTY THREE

  An hour later, the tent is packed up and we've loaded all of our stuff back into Maddie's car. We've done one last sweep of the sand to make sure we haven't forgotten anything and she's pulling us out of the lot, pointing us toward the freeway.

  We make it maybe thirty minutes south before traffic starts slowing.

  “This is gonna be a long haul,” Gina says, leaning her head against the window.

  “We can pull off somewhere in L.A. and eat,” Maddie says. “Just to break it up.”

  “If we get to L.A.,” Bridget says. “Ugh.”

  “Yay California,” Gina says.

  I look out the window. Cars are inching along. Most of the drivers I see look irritated, but resigned to the fact that they aren't going anywhere.

  “You haven't said a word since we got in the car,” Bridget says, tapping me on the arm. “What's up?”

  “Me?” I say, turning to her. “Nothing. Just tired, I guess.”

  She raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

  I shrug.

  “You hear from your dad at all?” she asks. “About...you know?”

  I shake my
head. “I texted him, but he didn't say anything about that.” I look toward the front seat. “By the way. My dad went out with Shanna's mom. Just fyi.”

  Gina whirls in her seat. “What the fuck?”

  “That's what I said,” Bridget says.

  Maddie eyes me in the mirror. “Really?”

  I nod. “Really.”

  “Fucking gross,” Gina says, wrinkling her nose.

  I lean back in the seat. “Just hoping we don't have to have, like, some dinner together anytime soon.”

  “Maybe he hated her,” Bridget suggests.

  “Maybe,” I say. “No idea.”

  “I take it he doesn't know what she did?” Maddie asks.

  I shake my head. “Nope.”

  “Well, that's not awkward at all,” Gina says, turning back around.

  I can't think of anything more awkward, really. And the whole thing, all of the interconnections have been gnawing at me the entire weekend. I want to stop thinking about them, but I can't.

  “Did you and Trevor talk about prom?” Bridget asks.

  I shake my head. “No. We've barely had time to get back together.”

  “You had time to go down to his tent last night,” Gina says.

  “Nothing happened,” I say. “Last night.”

  It's quiet for a moment.

  “Oh god,” Gina says. “You did it this morning? You really are a morning person.”

  We all laugh.

  “I think we should all just go together,” Maddie says. “Fuck tradition and coupling up. Let's go as a foursome. None of us were planning on going, but I think we should.” She eyes me in the mirror. “Unless you really wanna go with him?”

  “I haven't even thought about it,” I say. “Two days ago, I was planning on ice cream and Netflix on prom night.”

  “Now you don't have to,” Gina says. “I'm with Maddie. Let's go together. I don't need to pull some sophomore kid along with me. Fuck it.”

  “I don't have a date, so I'm in,” Bridget says. She looks at me. “What do you think?”

  I look out the window.

  I wasn't thinking that I was going to have make plans for prom. It completely fell off my radar when Trevor and I broke up. Now all of a sudden, it's rushing right at me.

  “It's cool if you want to wait and see,” Maddie says. “I totally get it.”