by Jordan Ford
I wriggle free of his hold and turn back to look at him again.
His eyes are beautiful.
I snap mine closed so I don’t have to look at them. I’m not getting drawn in by his beautiful eyes. And dammit, now I have to thank him for saving my life.
Clenching my jaw, I will my voice not to shake or stutter. “Thank you,” I grit out and open my eyes in time to see him smile at me.
Great! His smile’s amazing too! Of course it is.
He opens his mouth to say something when someone shouts what I can only assume is his name. “Jace!”
He spins and I notice a group of teenagers walking toward us.
They look super intimidating with their black hair and leather jackets. Like a freaking biker gang. A geek like me will be a prime target for people like them, so I slip away, checking the road twice before quickly darting across it.
Disappearing into the first shop door, I linger by the window and watch Jace collect his board and start talking to what I can only assume is a squad of troublemakers.
11
Trouble Magnet
JACE
I’m surprised how disappointed I am when I notice that awkward girl is taking off across the street.
I get it, though. As Neo and Raven approach with their friends, I armor up and get ready for whatever they’re about to throw at me. I’m not afraid, but I do wish my boys were around to back me up. I’ve basically spent the last week of school ignoring the Vape Squad, and I’m guessing they’re gonna have something to say about it.
“Too good for us now, huh?” Raven’s hip juts out when she stops beside me.
I go for a casual grin. “Just gotta keep my nose clean at school.”
Neo scoffs and shakes his head.
“Trying to avoid military school, you guys. You get it, right?”
Raven’s eyes narrow as she studies my face. I’m telling the truth, so I just raise my eyebrows at her. Glancing to my right, I notice Trav close in and figure they’re about to have some fun with me, unless I make it clear that I’m happy to have some fun with them.
It’s my only way out of a miserable Saturday morning. With no backup, there’s no way I can defend myself against these guys, so it looks like I’ll have to join them instead.
“But I’m not in school right now, so…no clean nose required.” My lips rise with a grin, and after a painful beat, Raven laughs.
“All right, man. Let’s go.” She tips her head and I follow her down the boardwalk, glancing once across the street to see if I can spot the girl I nearly knocked over.
There was something so adorably awkward about her. The way she stuttered over her words and looked all indignant when I called her out for staring at me. That blush on her cheeks was pretty sweet. And I liked how long her hair was. It draped over her shoulders like a silky brown blanket, reaching over halfway down her back. Straight, shiny locks that I want to run my fingers through.
I frown.
What the hell?
I want to run my fingers through her hair?
With a sharp headshake, I clear the thought from my mind and focus back on the people around me. They’re trash-talking some guy I don’t know. I half listen in, my mind bouncing from awkward girl to Snap Dragon and then over to my Sterling Beach friends.
Man, I miss them.
If I were back home, we’d be at the beach right now, carving it up, then maybe playing volleyball and flirting with the girls.
But not Hayes.
As far as I know, he’s still in the hospital awaiting another back surgery.
The ash in my stomach stirs, trying to choke me out as we cross the street and head down an alley that takes us to the back of a line of shops.
“Here.” Raven points to the gray brick wall.
It’s only then that I notice Dom take a bag off his shoulder and unzip it. The familiar sound of rattling spray cans makes me stiffen. Images of the last night I spray-painted a wall devour me. Vic’s titter as he left his tag, Isaac’s feet as he sprinted away from the Bryants’ house, Hayes out of breath behind me as we split. Hayes jumping onto the roof because he was following me, trying to be like me. Hayes falling through the air. His terrified scream when he knew he wasn’t going to make it. The crunch of his back as he hit that fence, then flopped onto the driveway next door.
Shit, it’s hard to breathe.
I rub my chest, trying to stay cool, hoping no one around me will notice.
Dropping my board to the ground, I think about skating away. It won’t exactly score me points with these guys, but thoughts of Hayes broken on the concrete are killing me.
“Don’t be twitchy, East Coast. We do this all the time.” Raven’s voice is harsh and scathing.
She thinks she knows me.
She doesn’t know shit.
I’m about to let her have it when I hear a chilling sound that makes my instincts kick in.
“Hey! What are you kids doing down here?”
I glance up to see a police officer walking down the alley, and I act without thinking. Racing to the wall, I jump and grab the lip, scrambling up the smooth surface as I make my escape.
Chaos is reigning behind me. I can hear cursing and the scuffling of feet.
“Hey! Get back here!”
I know it’s the cops and I should do what they say, but I keep moving, hauling myself over the wall and landing with a hard slap on the other side. The soles of my feet sting, but I jump up and start sprinting.
Oh shit, my board!
I hesitate for a second but then keep running. I’ll just have to get it later. I can’t get caught by the cops, especially when I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
I wonder how the others are doing as I pump my arms and scream down the road.
I don’t know this place at all, so who knows where I’m running to. I’m just following my gut, and…
My gut sucks.
I race around the corner and am stopped short by the blast of a siren as I come face-to-face with a Ryder Bay squad car.
“Don’t move,” the officer shouts at me, getting out of the car and looking pretty damn pissed.
“Shit,” I mutter, raising my hands and following his instructions to the letter.
I’m soon in the back of the cruiser and heading straight for Marshall and Denee’s place. Leaning my head back against the seat, I close my eyes as dread burns away my stomach lining. I’ve been here a week. One freaking week, and I’m already being brought home by the cops. Thankfully they’re not taking me to the station. I couldn’t help wondering if this guy knows Marshall, because when I mentioned that I live with the Swintons, his expression changed and he said he’d drive me home.
As we pull into the driveway, my body goes taut with the impending shouting and lectures. I’m so not in the mood for this bullshit.
Dammit!
Why’d those guys drag me into their mess again? This is the second time I’m being busted for their trouble.
You’re the one who chose to hang out with them, you dick!
I ignore my inner voice and clench my jaw, getting out of the car and cringing when Denee slides the door open and steps onto the deck. The flash of disappointment on her face makes me feel bad, so I look to my feet and don’t say anything as I shuffle up the stairs.
“Mind if I come in for a quick chat?” the officer asks.
“Sure, Troy. Come on in.”
Great. They’re on a first-name basis. This is just swell.
She offers him a drink before ordering me to sit down at the dining table. I plunk into a chair and rest my hands on the wood, picking at a small indent near my index finger. Officer Troy takes a seat across from me, and I refuse to look at him.
“So, what’s been happening?” Denee places two glasses of iced water on the table, then sits down beside me.
“Picked this one up doing a little unwanted artwork at the back of Colby Brown’s store.” The officer points at me with a stern frown.
“What?
” Denee sighs, disappointment scrunching up her face.
“I didn’t do it,” I murmur. “I didn’t paint anything.”
“Then why’d you run?” the officer asks. “If you’re not guilty of anything, why’d you flee the scene?”
I roll my eyes. “Call me an idiot, but when a cop starts running toward you, you run the other way.”
“Okay.” He nods. “Well, you’re an idiot, then. Running just makes you look guilty.”
I swallow and don’t know how to respond. Running’s always been my MO. It’s the rush, the thrill of evading the law. Weird how ever since Hayes got hurt, I just can’t seem to find that same thrill again. It’s like the adrenaline inside of me has been tainted.
“Jace.” Denee gently lays her hand on my wrist. “Are you guilty?”
“No.” I move away from her touch. “I didn’t paint anything. I was just watching.”
“So, guilty by association,” the officer murmurs, pulling out his notepad.
I tip my head back with a groan. “I barely know those guys.”
“Then why are you hanging out with them?”
“Because I have no other friends!”
“He’s new in town.” Denee helps me out.
“I’m aware of his situation. Marshall’s kept us up to speed.”
I clench my jaw. I bet he has. I bet he’s told everyone on the freaking police force to keep a special eye on me, which is probably why he let all the others go and targeted me during the escape.
Clicking his pen on, the policeman scribbles something on his notepad, then glances at me. “Can you give me their names? I’d like to follow this up.”
My nostrils flare and I shake my head. “I’m not giving names.”
“Son—”
“I’m not your son!”
The man pauses and licks his lips before starting again. “You don’t owe these people anything, and I don’t want you to take the fall for something you didn’t do. Now, if you can help me out here…”
“I’m not giving you names. I have to survive at school on Monday. You get me? I’m not turning into a narc. Forget it. I’ll do the community service or whatever the hell you want me to do, but I won’t paint a big fat target on my forehead.”
The guy’s eyebrows pop high and he wipes the edge of his mouth with his finger, like he’s trying to figure out what to do with me.
After a long sigh, he gives me a sad look. “You really gonna let these bullies control you this way?”
I scoff and shake my head. “You haven’t been in high school for a while, so I’m guessing you’ve forgotten, but I have no friends here. I have to protect my own back, which means I keep my damn mouth shut!”
“Jace.” Denee’s soft voice warns me to calm down.
I glance at her, and she gives me a kind smile that I don’t understand.
Why isn’t she glaring at me like most adults do?
“You head to your room.” She tips her head in that direction. “I think you should spend the rest of the day in there. I’ll bring you some lunch in a little bit.”
Confused, I give her a nod, then leave the table. I’m not about to refuse an easy out like this one.
Closing the door behind me, I lean my ear against the wood but can’t make out what they’re saying about me. After a few minutes, I give up and flop backward onto my bed. I’m almost tempted to email Snap Dragon but then decide against it.
She doesn’t want to hear about another epic fail from me.
Shit.
Why can’t I just be good?
Like that girl I bumped into today. I bet she’s a freaking angel. I can’t imagine such a sweet girl ever getting into trouble with anyone.
12
Super-Hot Skater Boy
LETTIE
Window-shopping gets old fast.
I mean, strolling along and people-watching is kind of interesting, but I’m over browsing through stuff I’m not going to buy. Ryder Bay needs a bookstore so badly. I hate that it doesn’t have a decent one. We’ve got a few gift shops that sell some books, but most of them are picture books you put on a coffee table or historic books about Ryder Bay culture, blah, blah, blah.
Tabitha’s Trinkets probably has the best range of fiction, but it’s slim pickings for a bookworm like me. I tend to order online or buy e-copies, but it’s not the same as browsing through a delicious-smelling bookstore, where the shelves are lined with the latest releases. Row after row of shiny new covers and stories I could spend the day diving into.
With a huff, I cross my arms, thoughts of Mr. Hot skipping through my mind. In spite of the fact that I shouldn’t be thinking about him, I glance up and scan the road, secretly hoping to spot him weaving through human traffic on his skateboard.
He was really athletic looking. I bet he’s super cool on his board, doing tricks and stuff at the skate park. I can picture him cruising along the road, his body swaying back and forth as he balances, his muscles flexing. And that tattoo. I want to get a decent look at it.
I wonder where he got it done.
I’m not old enough yet, and I hate that. I’ve been wanting to get one ever since Mom died. I just want a way to honor her, to keep her with me. I try to insert her into every aspect of my life. I’ve read all of her favorite books, I take photos with her camera, her name is numerically in my email address. But the longer she’s gone, the less stuff I have to draw on. I’m growing up. The space between us is getting further apart and she’s fading.
I don’t want her to fade.
Tears burn the back of my throat, and I pull into an alleyway to avoid being seen by anyone.
Blinking fast, I sniff and turn my face away from the street traffic.
That’s when I notice something sitting at the end of the alley. With a confused frown, I move toward it and soon figure out that it’s a skateboard.
Wait.
Is it his skateboard?
I bend down to pick it up, running my hand across the skull design on the back, then flipping it over and distinctly remembering the chip on the right-hand edge.
It is his skateboard!
So why’d he leave it here?
Turning a circle, I look for Mr. Hot but can’t see him anywhere.
“Hello?” I call out, my timid voice not making much of an impact.
Shyness creeps over me, and I’m tempted to put the board down and just walk away, but something stops me. I spend a couple of minutes walking along the back of the shops, my nerves on fire as I hunt for Jace.
But I can’t find him.
After twenty minutes of fruitless searching, I carry his board the entire way down the boardwalk and back again.
He’s nowhere to be found.
Worry for him snakes through me as I stand there, wondering what to do with the board. In the end, I take it. I have no idea why. Do I think I can somehow get it back to him? The only name I have to go on is Jace.
But he looked school age. Maybe he goes to high school with Harley and Jed.
Biting my lip, I chew it all the way back to Savannah’s car.
Why am I doing this?
Is a small part of me hoping to see the guy again?
I shouldn’t want to. He’s… I’m…
Shaking my head, I swallow and walk down to the sand, finding Savannah’s keys and locking the board in the trunk. I’ll sneak it out once we’re home and hide it in my room until I can figure out what to do with it.
Hopefully Jace won’t come back to the alley looking for it.
Crap, that’s probably exactly what he’ll do.
As I toy with the idea of returning it, my sister and her friends barrel out of the water, and I can’t think of a quick excuse to disappear.
Looks like the board will just have to live at my place until I find the courage to ask Harley or Jed if they go to school with a super-hot skater boy named Jace.
13
Crispy Kale and Chest Pains
JACE
So after spending t
he afternoon in my room, then arguing with Marshall, who would not let me go back to get my skateboard (I threw a bunch of F-bombs at him for that), I now have to suffer through the world’s most painful dinner. They didn’t banish me to my room, shoving two slices of dry bread and a glass of water through the door, which would have been so much easier. No, they made me come out and eat with everyone as if the house was completely chill and no one was pissed off with anybody.
And then they actually served the food, and I knew they had their vengeance.
As much as I like Denee (she handled the whole cop thing pretty damn well), she’s healthy to the point of disgusting. There ain’t no meatloaf and cheesy mashed potatoes in this house. Uh-uh. We have to suffer fried kale with spinach and orange salad, barbequed chicken breasts, and roasted squash.
They don’t even have ketchup in the house. Apparently it’s really high in sugar, which apparently is super bad for you.
But it’s not just the food that’s making this dinner so hard.
It’s the fact that Griffin brought his girlfriend around, and they are like this perfect couple. Her name’s Savannah, and she’s sweet and polite to the point of cringe-worthy. She gets along really well with Marshall and Denee too, so the four of them sit there laughing and acting like longtime besties. I may as well be invisible.
They talk surfing for the first half of the meal, and my ears are freaking burning the entire time. But I sit quietly, not wanting to get drawn into the conversation. I can sense them trying to reel me in, but I refuse to budge. It’ll feel like a defeat somehow, so I focus on crunching my kale without making a face.
I can’t believe that Savannah surfs. She does not have that surfer chick vibe going at all. She’s got a classy edge that reminds me of Isaac’s rich girlfriend, Allie. Well, ex-girlfriend, unless he’s figured out a way to sneak around behind her father’s back. Man, I hope so. Those two were seriously loved-up, and her snobby, elitist father shouldn’t be meddling.