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

by McKayla Box

He stands up. “I'm going to wait outside. I need some air.”

  “We can bring him home,” Brett says. “If you want to get going. We can wait on him.”

  Mr. Robinson starts to say something, then stops himself. He looks toward the desk and the officer behind it. Then he looks at Brett again. “You know, that might be a good idea. I think he and I will both need a little space. If you'd bring him home, I'd appreciate it.”

  Brett nods. “Yeah. We will.”

  Mr. Robinson nods back, turns, and leaves.

  “Wasn't sure if he'd go for it,” Brett says, sitting down. “But I figured they might kill each other when Trevor comes out.”

  “No shit,” Jake says, leaning against the wall.

  Brett scoots over on the bench and looks at me. “You can sit if you want.”

  I shake my head. “It's okay.”

  “I didn't show up at the hotel to bring you here,” Brett says. “Or to make you leave.”

  “I know.”

  “I feel bad. But I figured you'd want to know.”

  I nod. “You figured right.”

  “You look good,” Jake says. “In a hot sister kind of way.”

  I try to smile. “Thanks.”

  The overhead lights buzz.

  The clock on the wall ticks away.

  And we wait.

  An hour later, the door to the hallway opens and Trevor emerges.

  He's in a pair of shorts and his tux shirt. It's a jarring look.

  He looks at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Waiting on you,” I say.

  He frowns.

  The officer behind him guides him over to the front desk. Trevor signs a few pieces of paper and the officer tells him he's free to go.

  We all walk outside.

  “Well, that was super fucking fun,” he says.

  “Your dad was here,” Brett says. “I told him we'd bring you home.”

  “Oh, great,” Trevor says. “That should be a real fucking great time. He's had plenty of time to get his speech ready.”

  None of us say anything as we walk to the truck. Brett climbs in the back. I sit in the middle again. Trevor climbs in behind me.

  We drive in silence for a few minutes.

  “Hey, Jake,” Trevor finally says. “Do me a favor. Drop us at the beach?”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah,” Trevor says. He glances at me. “You okay with that? I'll get you home.”

  “It's fine,” I tell him.

  Ten minutes later, Trevor and I are getting out of the truck near the pier. He and Brett slap hands as Brett gets into the front seat. We stand there and watch them drive away.

  The lot is empty and even the parking lot lights are off. The ocean is loud in the dark and the moon is just a small sliver in the sky.

  “Feel like walking a little?” he asks.

  I nod, step out of my shoes, and set them on the wall between the boardwalk and the sand. He takes my hand and we go down to the sand.

  The wind is light off the water and I shiver against it.

  He lets go of my hand and puts his arm around me.

  We walk like that for awhile.

  “I just didn't wanna go home yet,” he finally says. “I know how mad he is and I just need to be mentally ready to face him.”

  “I'm sorry,” I tell him. “I'm so sorry. This is all my fault.”

  “It's your fault that I kicked the shit out of Derek Morgan?” he says, laughing. “I don't really think that's the case.”

  I stop walking. “But it is. It all goes back to that night. If I hadn't been so stupid with him and with Shanna, none of this happens. None of it.”

  He thinks for a moment. “Maybe. But I still would've pounded that fucker in Santa Barbara.”

  “I'm serious, Trevor,” I say.

  “I know you are,” he answers. “And I'm telling you that it's not your fault. I didn't have to beat his ass that night. I wanted to. I chose to. I knew it could come back and bite me in the ass. And now it has.”

  “You got into both of those fights because of me and you know it,” I tell him. “You know it. And if I hadn't gone to the police, Derek wouldn't be pressing charges against you.”

  “Going to the police was what you needed to do,” he says. “You know that. It was the right thing to do.”

  I shake my head. “I don't know that. If this is the end result? I'm not sure I made the right decision.”

  He makes a face. “Please. They arrested Shanna for what she did. That's the end result. Or, one of them anyway. This shit with me?” He waves a hand in the air. “This is collateral damage.”

  I look away from him. “I shouldn't have done it.”

  “Presley, look at me,” he says.

  I don't move.

  “Presley, look at me,” he says again.

  I turn around and wipe at my eyes.

  He points at the pier. “You remember that night? When we jumped from up there?”

  I nod.

  “Yeah, of course you do,” he says, smiling. “I'll never forget it. Carrying you off the beach, kicking and screaming and so fucking pissed at me.” He laughs. “You wanted to kill me.”

  “I really did,” I admit.

  He nods. “Yeah. Because you're a fighter and because I was being an asshole. But I got you up on that pier and I know you were scared as hell. But you jumped. You did it. We did it. You trusted me and you're tougher than anyone else I know.”

  “Stop,” I say.

  “I mean it,” he says. “You are. You've had all this shit happen to you, but where were you tonight? At the fucking prom with a whole bunch of people who know your story. You're not embarrassed. You're not afraid of them. You've looked them all in the eye, stared them down, and given them the finger. Because that's who you are.” He smiles. “You're a fighter, Pres. You may not believe it, but I know it. And a fighter doesn't sit back and let people get away with shit, no matter what happens.” He shakes his head. “There's no way you would've been able to live with yourself if you let Shanna and Athena get away with their bullshit.”

  “Nothing's happened with Athena yet,” I say.

  “That we know of,” he says. “But it will. It's going to come around. But even if it doesn't, you did your part. You can look in the mirror and know you did it. You didn't stand down. You fought.”

  “Why are you playing cheerleader here?” I ask. “Shouldn't I be doing that for you?”

  He laughs. “You cheerleading for me? That's hilarious. Should I put on a uniform and you can get some pom poms?”

  I swat at his arm and he laughs again.

  “I just want you to see what I see,” he says. “That's it. I'll get through this. Whatever happens, I'll get through it.”

  “You can't know that,” I say. “You could do jail time. It could keep you out of college.”

  He rubs at his chin. “Maybe. Yeah, I guess those things are possible.”

  “And that doesn't scare you?” I ask.

  He looks at me. “What scares me is being without you.”

  “I'm with you,” I say. “You have me.”

  He spreads his arms. “Then I'm not scared. I can handle anything that gets thrown at me if I have you.” He looks at me. “You know when I knew that I loved you?”

  I shake my head.

  He turns and points at the pier again. “That night. Up there. We're standing up on the rails and I asked you to trust me and you did. No real hesitation. You trusted me.” He pauses. “No one's ever trusted me like that. When we jumped, there's literally nothing that would've pried your hand out of mine. Nothing. And as we were falling into the ocean, I knew. I literally heard it in my head.” He smiles. “I love this girl.”

  I look down at the sand.

  “And I tried to fuck it up,” he says. “Because I didn't trust you in the same way. But you gave me a second chance. And I won't fuck that up. I may do some stupid shit, but I won't fuck that up. Ever.”

  I look
up at him. “I believe you.”

  “You fucking better,” he says, smiling. “So let's not stand here and worry about me. I want you to trust me again.”

  I want to.

  I really do.

  But I also know the reality of what he's facing.

  And it's scary.

  So it's not that I don't trust him.

  I just don't trust the rest of the world.

  But I do trust him.

  I take a deep breath. “Okay.”

  He cocks his head to the side. “Okay?”

  I nod. “Okay. I trust you. That hasn't changed. I'll try not to worry about it.”

  “Okay, good,” he says. “But I do need something else from you.”

  “You do?”

  He nods. “Yep.” He takes my hand and steps back away from me. He looks me up and down. “I cannot believe I missed dancing with you at the prom when you look like this. You look...incredible.”

  I smile. “Thanks. Your outfit is...weird.”

  He laughs. “I didn't even have pants on when the fuckers came for me. They let me put shorts on.”

  “It's a look,” I say.

  “It's nothing compared to yours,” he says. “I'm looking forward to getting you out of the dress in a little bit.

  “In a little bit?” I say. “Not right this second? I'm not sure how to take that.”

  He laughs again and his eyes sparkle in the moonlight.

  Damn.

  He pulls me closer to him. The sand is cool beneath my feet.

  “I need something else first,” he says.

  “What's that?”

  He pulls me all the way into him and slips his arms around my waist. “I need to dance with you one time. In that dress. On prom night.”

  I put my arms around his neck, push up on my toes, and kiss him. “I think we can do that.”

  So we dance, slowly turning in the sand for awhile.

  There's no music.

  There's no flashing lights.

  Just the sound of the ocean and the glimmer of the moonlight.

  We dance.

  “I love you, Pres,” he whispers in my ear.

  “I love you, Trevor,” I tell him.

  His cheek brushes against mine. “I'll be okay. We'll be okay. You'll see.”

  We'll see.

  THE END

  Hey Awesome Reader!

  Thanks so much for reading SPRING, the third book in the Sunset Beach High series. I hope you loved it! If you did, it would be AMAZING if you'd take maybe two minutes and leave a review at Amazon, telling everyone how much you enjoyed it. Reviews really make a difference! (And then go tell 24 friends about the books!)

  The response to the first two books has been just incredible and I'm really hoping you'll love this one just as much. And there's one more book coming your way to finish Presley and Trevor's story. In fact, SUMMER is now available for pre-order by clicking right here and it'll be out September 10th ! It's going to bring everything to a close and I can't wait for you to read it!

  MB