His touch is light and gentle and he doesn't say much until he sets the towel down on the bathroom counter and inspects his work.
“I think you're good. I’m sorry that Chaz ruined your pretty hairdo.”
I find myself smiling at him and wanting to hear his voice more: he’s got this smooth softness in his deep voice that doesn't sound fake or forced, it's like an underlying warmth to everything he says.
“It's ok. I’m glad I was able to help and Pryce is making sure that he gets home safely.”
His smile widens a bit.
“What about you? How did you get here? Did someone bring you?”
I explain that I took an Uber and that I was invited by Lissa but that since I’m sorta new around here, I don't really know anyone.
Reece winks at me.
“Well, now you know me and Pryce. And Chaz.”
“If he’ll even remember me. He didn't seem too aware of his surroundings.”
“Oh trust me, Chaz never forgets a pretty girl.”
Did Reece just call me pretty?
We stand there for a while, talking about the A-Class and the teachers: I can tell that Reece is a very intelligent guy, not your classic jock.
But then again, that stereotype isn't always true: my brother was the QB and still at the top of the Academy rankings.
When he hears that I want to try out for the cheerleading team, his eyes take a curious glint.
“Oh, then maybe if I’m lucky, you’ll be my rally girl ...”
I’m about to ask him who his rally girl was last year, when he takes my hand in his and warns me.
“Abi, be careful with the other girls in the team. There's a lot of cattiness and rivalry. They all wanna be popular above all else and they aren't always the nicest to other girls.”
“I've only really spoken to Lissa and Gabbie so far.”
He nods.
“Lissa seems to be all right. I don't know her that well, a bit too obsessed with her own reflection and clothes. A bit shallow, if you will. Gabbie ... she's a good friend to have. She’s smart and really nice in a take no shit kinda way.”
I agree with his statement: I picked up on Gabbie’s sincerity straight away and I hope that we’ll become friends.
Reece is still holding my hand and all of a sudden he sighs.
“I’m tired. I think that as soon as Pryce gets here, I’ll call it a night. How do you plan to get home?”
I tell him that I’ll call another Uber and he shakes his head.
“There's no need. Unless you wanna stay a lot longer. Pryce lives really close to you. He’s practically your next door neighbour. He can drive you home, if you want.”
My heart’s fluttering in my chest at the way Reece is smiling at me: he doesn't seem a very smiley type of guy but he should definitely smile more.
When his smile reaches his eyes, his already handsome face becomes absolutely stunning.
“That's very kind of you. I’ll go home with you, if it's not too much trouble.”
He begins telling me that it's fine but he never manages to finish the phrase because everything starts moving and shaking violently.
Every single item on the bathroom countertop falls onto the floor and the fragile things, like perfume bottles and soap dispensers, shatter into pieces.
The lights start flickering and it looks as if the walls were made of rubber: they seem to sway in an oscillating motion.
It's hard to remain standing because the floor is moving in waves too.
So we crash to the ground.
“It’s an earthquake! Let's get under that pillar: it's a structural one. It's gonna be stronger and the safest place.”
We crawl towards the pillar and Reece rests his back against the bathroom door, dragging me with him and wraps his arms around me, hunching over me and protecting me with his strong body.
The earth keeps moving violently, it feels like really bad turbulence on an aircraft: we’ve got no control of our own movements.
I’m terrified and I feel a hot tear sliding down my cheek.
“I don't wanna die. Not without ...”
I never manage to finish the sentence: I was gonna say not without having been kissed.
But it's as if the universe was listening or maybe Reece is because he touches his lips to mine.
He has the warmest, softest skin I’ve ever felt and at first the pressure on my own lips is really gentle but when I surround his neck with my arms, he increases the pressure, moving his lips against mine as if he were nibbling on me.
I feel a warm rush invade every part of my body and after a few touches of his puckered lips against mine, I feel the tip of his tongue teasing at the seam of my lips.
And that's when everything stands still.
The earthquake is over and Reece’s lips leave mine with the same abruptness as they had initiated the kiss.
My first kiss.
But I have no time to dwell on it because he's standing up, pulling me up with him with his hands on my shoulders.
“Are you ok, Abi?”
Am I ok?
My heart is beating fast and I feel almost dizzy: I don't know if it's because of the earthquake or his kiss.
Maybe both?
“Yes, thank you.”
He wraps a supportive arm around my waist and unlocks the bathroom door.
Outside it's chaos: people are running, screaming and trying to get outside.
Reece uses his body like a shield and we make our way up the stairs and out of the door.
“The safest place to be is outside, just in case of an aftershock. I’m sure that Pryce is gonna be here soon.”
As if summoned by his best friend, Pryce pulls over in a convertible mustang and Reece moves the front seat to let me in.
It's only eleven pm but I feel so tired that I literally pass out on the back seat of Pryce’s car.
3.
Rally Girl
Abi
I WAKE UP RUBBING MY eyes: this jet lag is really kicking my ass. I’ve been back from Europe for a week now and my body hasn't caught up yet.
I stir and look around: what am I doing outside?
Why am I lying on a lounger in a garden I don't know?
It's still pitch black outside, the almost full moon is surrounded by a pale halo in the warm late summer night.
And then memories of the party rush back to me: bumping into Chaz, the earthquake, my first kiss with Reece ...
The last thing I can remember is climbing into the back of Pryce's car ...
I look around and I spot Reece asleep on a lounger nearby, his chest raising and falling peacefully, his soft lips slightly parted.
There's a third lounger with a blanket strewn across it that seems to have been vacated and I guess that Pryce must've been the occupant.
I rise as quietly as possible and walk towards the end of the garden to try and see if Pryce has gone that way.
It's obviously still late night or extremely early morning, so I need to find out exactly how close to me Pryce really lives.
Reece said that we're practically next door neighbours but before I even attempt to walk home, I need to know exactly where I'm at.
The main house security system will record my access to the house and I don't want my dad to know that I was out until the wee hours of the morning, so I need to get onto the property from the beach and into the pool house.
That's the way I left anyway, so actually if anyone looked, they’d think I was home all night.
If I wait in the backyard, I can follow one of the house staff when they get in and out to do their work and Dad will be none the wiser.
I spot a tall form standing at the edge of the manicured back lawn, the spot where he's standing is in the shade but I can see it's Pryce because the moon sheds enough light on his handsome features.
He spots me walking towards him and smiles at me, waiting until I’m closer before talking.
“How are you? You must've been exhaust
ed, you passed out in the car. Sorry about bringing you here but I drove in front of your gate and my car wasn't recognised by your house security system. So, we decided that the safest place to be was with us and outside in case of another quake.”
I thank him for taking care of me and explain that my house security system is paranoid to say the least.
“So, how close to each other do we really live? Reece mentioned that we’re neighbours?”
Pryce emits a low chuckle, his silver eyes twinkling in the moonlight.
“I’m your next door neighbour to the left. Do you know that wooden dock on your portion of private beach? How if you walk beyond that, you find a cluster of rocks with some natural pools? That's my property.”
That's perfect: I can walk back to the pool house very easily and I probably should before dawn but I don't wanna go yet.
I like standing here next to Pryce, he’s not only handsome but kind and easy to talk to, he seems more laid back and relaxed compared to Reece.
“So, these earthquakes ... Do they happen often? I lived in London most of my life and there aren't any earthquakes there. I admit that it was really scary ...”
“They happen very often but most of them aren't powerful enough for us to feel them. This last one was quite powerful but I’m glad that there doesn't seem to be any damage. Houses around here are built with all kinds of anti-seismic features. It wouldn't save your house from anything above a six on the Richter scale but for stuff like tonight's, we’re pretty safe. I looked online when I woke up, tonight's earthquake was a five.”
I shudder.
“Hmm ... I never thought about earthquakes when I decided to move back. That would've definitely gone on my cons list. Thank God Reece was there. I would've been terrified if I’d been on my own.”
“Good. I’m glad Reece protected you ...”
He steps closer to me: we’re both bare foot and our toes are barely touching.
He takes one of my hands in his and I like the feeling of his slightly rough skin on my smooth one.
His hand is warm and dry and so big that it engulfs mine completely.
His eyes get more intense and as he draws closer, I notice that the silver of his irises is surrounded by a dark blue outer circle that gives his eyes a beautiful shimmer when the light hits the right way.
“Abi, I don't know you very well but you seem a great girl and your brother’s my good friend. Just ... be careful at school and don't believe everything you hear.”
I smile and I explain that I might've gone to a girls only school, run by nuns but gossip and mean girls exist everywhere.
“I always try to make up my own mind on things. It's like at my old school, people said that I was stuck up and unfriendly.”
Pryce tilts his head slightly to the side and a small smile tugs at his lips.
“You seem perfectly friendly to me.”
I smile and he adds:
“And pretty ... so pretty ...”
And then, unexpectedly, he lowers his head and his lips brush softly against mine.
I don't move: shocked and elated by his kiss at the same time.
When Reece kissed me earlier, the contact was fleeting and it didn't last long, so I almost expect Pryce to do the same thing.
Instead, when I don't move, his hand finds the curve of my waist, drawing me closer and his lips press harder against mine.
I don't know what to do: this is new and at the same time my body's into complete overdrive.
My heart is beating so loud that I’m sure that Pryce can hear it and I feel heat spreading everywhere.
The kiss is soft and gentle but it starts changing when I feel the tip of his tongue tease at the seam of my lips, demanding entrance.
I open my mouth and when his tongue strokes mine, it feels so good that I moan softly and press my chest closer to his.
My arms close around his neck and I let him explore my mouth until we’re both breathing hard.
He breaks the kiss for an instant and whispers against my mouth:
“Hmm, you taste better than I imagined ...”
And then he kisses me again but this time it's shallower and he leaves me wanting more.
What exactly I don't know but there’s a new heat everywhere in my body, especially between my legs.
We must've been standing here for a while, because the sun is starting to appear over the horizon.
“Can I walk you home?”
We walk down to the beach and to my pool house hand in hand, in a comfortable silence and just before I sneak into the pool house from the patio door I left unlocked on purpose, he kisses me goodnight and whispers that he’ll see me at school.
I can't believe that in the space of one night, I kissed two boys and school hasn't even started!
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL is a whirlwind and the A-Class is allocated one class room, so I don't have the stress of having to run from class to class.
But while at my old school I went pretty much unnoticed, here everyone knows that I’m Alex’s sister, so it seems that all eyes are on me.
I sit at a desk in the second row next to Gabbie and somehow Pryce, Reece, and Chaz are sitting behind me in a sort of weird triangle formation.
The three boys are obviously best friends but they couldn't be more different from one another: Chaz is sitting slumped on his desk with dark shades covering his hazel eyes.
I catch Pryce smiling at me every time I turn around and I know I’m blushing but I don't care.
All I’ve been able to think about since early Sunday morning, has been his kisses and ... Reece.
And talking about Reece, he’s sitting at his desk with an impenetrable expression, almost detached from everything around him.
When lunch period comes, I’m thankful that Gabbie hangs around and asks me if I wanna sit with her.
“Sure, I’m absolutely starving!”
As we enter the cafeteria and get our food from the extensive buffet that lines the whole length of one of the walls, I realise that sitting with Gabbie might be a bit more complicated than I thought because she heads to the table where all the other cheerleaders are sitting.
As she sets her tray down at the end and moves a chair for me, one of the other girls that I vaguely recognise from the party, clears her voice.
“Uhm, Gabs, I think your friend needs to find another table. As you know better than me, this table’s for the cheer team only. Sorry ...”
Her voice sounds totally false, especially the apology at the end.
Gabbie narrows her eyes and retorts:
“I don't know, Marlene. I think we can let Abi sit here for today? She's trying out for the team anyway.”
Marlene’s smile widens but looks even more fake than before.
“Trying out doesn't mean getting in ... plus, uhm ... I don't know ...right, Lissa?”
And she gives me a slow, appraising once over: with a calculating gaze, almost as if she knows something I don't.
Gabbie runs out of patience fast and scoffs:
“I thought we were better than this! Sorry Abi, let's just find another table.”
At this point, Lissa intervenes.
“No, no, it's not necessary. Abi can sit with us for today. After all she's Alex Richmond’s sister. And then we’ll see after tryouts.”
“Right ...”
Gabbie puts her tray down with a grumble but Marlene doesn't seem intentioned to let this go.
“But Liss ... you know that ...”
Lissa glares at her, obviously unhappy to have her authority questioned in front of me.
I sit down very reluctantly: I’m grateful that Gabbie stood up for me but at the same time, I hate to sit with people who don't want me.
For a minute, I think that this is feeling like my boarding school, where I was excluded from every clique or group but then I try to shrug it off: I want this year to be different.
The afternoon classes go very quickly and before I know it, it's time for tryouts: t
he weather is still hot and it's decided to have us try our routines at the end of the football field.
The football team is training too right now, so I spot Reece, Chaz, and Pryce, and I suddenly feel very self-conscious about cheering in front of them.
Pryce winks at me when he runs past, Chaz throws me the occasional glance but Reece doesn't even look my way, his jaw tense as if this wasn't a football practice but a war operation.
I concentrate on the routine that Lissa and Marlene demonstrate for us and I know I did a good job by the encouraging smile on Gabbie’s face.
Mrs Stubbs asks us to wait for a moment while she consults with the three senior cheerleaders: Lissa, Marlene, and Gabbie.
While the four women discuss who's in and who isn't, the football team is released by their coach and as the guys start running towards their locker room and a deserved shower, Pryce runs past me and says with a smile:
“Do you want a ride home, pretty girl?”
I nod with a smile: I really, really like Pryce and I can't stop thinking about his kisses, actually it's all I can think about.
I keep replaying the feeling of his and Reece’s lips on mine.
Mrs Stubbs powerful voice snaps me out of my daydream and we’re called to be informed of the results of the tryouts: there were ten girls trying for three spots and I got one of them!
Gabbie hugs me beaming proudly, Lissa has a cautious smile on her face while Marlene openly glares at me with a dissatisfied look on her face.
“All right, ladies! Coach Benson and I will draw names to assign a rally girl to each football player and you’ll be texted the results sometime tomorrow. Also, for the new girls, if you log into the uniforms section of the academy website, you can order your cheerleader uniform online. I urge you to do it soon because the first game’s next Friday and if you don't dress the part, you can't cheer. Have a good evening and Abilene, Kylie and Natalie, congratulations and welcome to the BHPA cheer squad.”
Gabbie offers me a ride but I thank her and say that I already have one, so she hugs me goodbye and tells me well done for making the team.
So I wait outside the sports building, checking the photos of Saturday’s party that Lissa has posted on Facebook.
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 34