by Lauren Price
“Hey.” I suck in my nerves and lean closer to him. “Are you okay?”
Alec grunts a little. “Yeah I’m fine.”
“No you’re not.” My eyes narrow. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“I said nothing,” Alec snaps, suddenly shifting his weight away from me.
“Hey, don’t snap at me!” I retort, eyes narrowing. “You and I both know I’ve done nothing wrong. What’s got you like this?”
Alec gives me a look of disgust. “Nothing. I said drop it.”
“Fine, I will.”
There’s awkward silence for a few minutes between us – foreign territory in our friendship. If the others picked up on it, they draw no attention and carry on in their blissfully happy world of bonding. Violet is chatting away contentedly. She seems to be fitting in really well. It’s nice that she feels welcome, although it would be even nicer if Alec could be bothered to chip in and greet her. He needs to pull that stick out from his ass and stop manstruating.
“Look.” He clears his throat and sits up a little but his voice is low. “I’m sorry, I just don’t want to talk about it. I’m not really in the mood to fight.”
“And you think I am?”
“No,” Alec chooses his words. “I just . . . I’m a little frustrated.”
“Are you going to tell me why?”
Alec looks at me for a long second. “What’s going on between you and Dylan?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, startled by the blunt question. How does he know? Unless, when I saw him storming at the beach it was because . . . “Wait – you saw, didn’t you? You saw what happened at the beach?” I say with trepidation.
“I saw,” Alec confirms. I note that he doesn’t exactly sound overjoyed, which stirs up the butterflies in my stomach.
“I don’t think anything will happen,” I tell Alec quietly. I like you.
“Really?” Alec sounds disbelieving. “You seemed pretty happy with his tongue down your throat.” He’s jealous. My heart surges with hope, but it’s quickly extinguished by the reality of my situation. Even if he is jealous, it shouldn’t matter. I don’t know if I’m even ready for a relationship; I said no to Dylan for precisely that reason. There’s also the rather substantial factor that Alec may not be ready, and may not want one.
“I don’t like him,” I say softly, hedging my chances. “He knows that.”
Why can’t you just make a move if you’re interested? Tell me if you are!
I prod his arm, and when he looks up he seems less moody. His face is a few inches from mine, and from here I can see every detail about his face from the gold specks in his eyes to the faint freckles dotting his forehead. My toes curl.
Riley, you have it so bad for him.
“Riley, there’s this thing,” Alec begins vaguely.
“A thing?”
“Yes, a thing,” Alec says. “My mom’s engagement party tomorrow night.”
“I am aware of that event.”
“Well . . . because both our families are going, and my mom wants me to take a date . . . she told me to ask you. So, um, do you want to be my non-official date to this party?”
Don’t scream yes. Say it calmly. He’s not asking you out; he’s just being forced into going to an event with you. One which you were going to anyway. Be chill.
“That sounds calm! I mean, um, good. Yeah, good.”
Alec gives me a strange look, but he’s smiling. “Cool.”
Feeling eyes on my back, I go rigid before turning round to survey the scene. Toby walks past us a few metres behind, and his eyes are locked onto mine. Not this again.
Alec grumbles beside me, so I’m guessing he’s seen too, and then he slowly intertwines his fingers with my own. I can’t help but notice that, again, it is only for the sole purpose of keeping another guy away. Toby’s eyes narrow. Another dominance fight. I turn back to face the table, glad to see that Violet and the boys are too busy debating werewolves versus vampires to notice the focus of mine and Alec’s attention. After a second, Alec turns back to face the front as well, although his demeanour has definitely changed. His hand slides slowly from my own, and I miss the warm buzz of comfort that it brought.
“Are you kidding me? Werewolves are so much better!” Violet argues. “I mean take Edward Cullen as an example. He sparkles. That’s hardly big bad vampire material is it? That dude has ruined the reputation of vampires. Werewolves are so much hotter, plus the whole full moon thing just makes them so much cooler too.”
I agree. I mean, have these guys not seen the Teen Wolf actors? Drool.
“What about Dracula?” Dylan retorts, shaking his head. “Dracula is a legend, one of the classics. You don’t see any classic werewolf stories, do you? Vampires have been around so much longer.”
“Exactly!” Chase says. “Vampires are old, man. Werewolves are fresh.” He slaps the table to emphasise his point, as though he’s just ended the debate, which makes me laugh. I glance at Violet, feeling a small buzz of happiness in my chest. We’re sitting with people at lunch, and it’s fun. It feels like I haven’t had anything like this in so long.
“Excuse me.” A voice interrupts our debate, and I look to the side to see a pretty brunette girl standing there, hand on her hip and flanked by a petite blonde. She wears a slightly too short dress, and her eyes are bright. Not one of Tiana’s minions, I don’t think. “Hi.” She smiles at Alec, fluttering her eyelashes. “I just wanted to give you my number, because you seem like a really nice guy.”
What? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. No way does she want to give Alec her number because he seems like a nice guy.
She pauses to flick her hair behind her shoulder, leaning in towards him seductively. “I’m free tonight if you want to come round?” she murmurs quietly.
I snort quietly to restrain my sarcastic remark. I’m sorry, but just how obvious can you get? We all know what she said, judging by Joe’s eye roll and Chase’s impressed stare. Alec must get this a lot. Still, my laugh has a tone of bitterness to it and I wonder if anyone notices.
“Er, no thanks,” Alec coughs, blushing a little, and I think we all turn to stop and stare. Alec Wilde is rejecting a girl?
“Your loss.” The girl leans back, her flirty aura turning cold and hostile as she flounces away with the blonde girl in tow.
Meanwhile, I’m still choking on my saliva from what Alec said. He’s probably already seeing someone tonight – that’s got to be it, right?
“I’m sorry but did I just hear that right?” Joe questions him, mouth agape. “You’re denying a hook-up?”
Well at least I know I wasn’t imagining things now, and that Alec actually did just totally reject a hot girl.
“Dude.” Chase coughs out a laugh, leaning over the table to slap Alec on the forearm. “When was the last time you got laid?”
Do I really want to know this? I share a look with Violet, wrinkling my nose.
“Alec’s not getting any,” Joe sings, laughing, and I chuckle quietly along with him.
“Shut up,” Alec mutters, blushing the tiniest bit. “I got laid last night for your information.”
Lie. Last night Alec was at home studying. I saw him through the window.
“Well I don’t know about you guys,” Dylan says with a smirk, “but I don’t believe him.”
And I definitely don’t.
“Hey, Riley.”
“What?” I look across the window at Alec, frowning. He’s lying on his side on his window seat, wriggling his eyebrows at me mischievously. In all honesty, he looks like a complete and utter weirdo, but it’s quite endearing at least. Not every guy would do this.
“You know what I’ve been thinking?”
“Enlighten me.”
“You and I are like butt cheeks,” Alec drawls. “Although there’s crap between us, we always stick together.”
“Oh my God.” I face palm, placing my pen back dow
n on my desk. These keep getting better and better. I’m supposed to be studying, sitting here in my sweats with my hair pinned into a pile on top of my head, but Alec is a huge, gorgeous distraction. I can’t say I’m complaining.
“Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I’ll give it back.”
“Shut up, Alec.” I laugh. “Give me my bra back and then we can talk.”
“Do you work in Subway? Because you just gave me a footlong.”
“I really hope you mean a sandwich. Seriously, where do you come up with these lines? Do I need to check your search history?” My voice is weary, but I can’t deny that I love the little conversations Alec and I have over our windows, even if they do revolve around some quite dirty pickup lines. They make me laugh, at least.
“Tumblr,” Alec admits sheepishly. Then, unwilling to give up on his fun and games, he continues with another stupid and clichéd line. “Are you from Jamaica? Because Jamaican me horny.”
“Nope.” I shake my head with a confident smile playing on my lips. “But you must be from Yukon, because Yukon go screw yourself.”
He’s not the only Tumblr fan.
“Ouch!” Alec clutches his heart dramatically. “You wound me.”
I smile, and Alec goes back to his studying like I go back to mine. My head doesn’t seem to want to shut up, though. Thoughts of Alec, memories of today, overanalysing every possible detail to the extreme. I thought it was weird when he denied that hook-up, and yet he shows up at my window playing bad pickup lines like an old guitar.
I think that’s a good sign.
I can’t be with Dylan. I just can’t.
14
Dancing Hurts
“Why do I have to wear a tux?”
I glance up at Alec from my place in front of the mirror, smirking a little at his disgruntled face. “Why? Don’t you like it?”
He shakes his head and pulls a face in reply, making me laugh even though I completely disagree with his judgement. Alec in a tux is just too much for me. He looks annoyingly perfect; the suit hugs him in all the right places, emphasising his defined figure and his hair is styled into that effortless tousle he always seems to achieve. Although he might be uncomfortable, he looks like a frigging angel. That has to be some consolation, right?
“Well you have to wear it,” I say. “It’s your mother’s engagement party, and you are the son of the brides-to-be.” Saturday night has arrived, and we’re almost ready to go.
Once again, my eyes scour my appearance in the mirror. My dress is a soft gold colour, strapless and satin, with matching heels. I’ve been ordered to wear them both with no objections, by my darling mother who bought them for me. I’m just trying to figure out whether I look like a princess or a marshmallow.
“Okay, Riley,” I mumble. “We can work with this.”
“You know that mirrors can’t talk, right?”
“Luckily for you, they can’t laugh either,” I retort, sticking my tongue out at him.
Alec, noticing my attire for the first time after scrutinising his own, wolf whistles as he steps behind me. “Hot damn, Riley.” Our eyes meet in the mirror, and I hope and pray that he thinks the red tinge in my cheeks is purposeful. “Nice dress,” he compliments, then he grabs a lock of my hair and twirls the freshly curled ringlet round his finger. “You should have your hair like this more often.”
My heart jumps a little, and I have to swallow down my hope.
“If I did, my hair would be dead.” I pull a face. “Anyway, how come you’re here instead of with your mom at your house getting ready?”
“Because I wanted to let my date know to hurry the hell up,” Alec says, throwing himself on my bed. “We’re cab-sharing, and our families are waiting downstairs, so get your ass into gear.” Alec pauses for a moment, distracted by something on my bedside table. It’s only when I crane my neck that I discover it’s the photo of Kaitlin and me. I turn stiff as I stare at him for his reaction.
He notices the resemblance. “Hey, this is the girl from your phone.”
“My cousin.” I manage to get the two words out. I must have done it calmly enough that Alec didn’t suspect anything, because he has no real reaction to the words.
“You know,” he begins, “you’d get along really well with my cousin Natasha actually. She’ll be there tonight; I’ll introduce you two. She’ll love you.”
“Definitely, sounds good. Let’s go then,” I say hurriedly, grabbing my clutch and targeting the door. “I can’t keep them waiting any longer.” All I want is for Alec to get the hell away from that picture as soon as possible. Although I’m glad that he knows about Kaitlin’s existence now, I don’t think I’m quite ready yet to tell him everything.
I know it shouldn’t be a secret that she’s gone, but I don’t want people to know. Because she didn’t live in Lindale, it’s easier for me to pretend that she never existed, because nobody ever knows she did. I don’t want the sympathy and the pats on the back and the questions. My only form of closure is if people don’t talk about her. That’s how we cope as a family. It’s coming up to the anniversary in a little under a week and now is not the time to open that can of worms.
Maybe I’ll tell Alec at some point, but not just yet. Not now.
We walk down the stairs and I manage to somewhat compose myself before we see our families waiting. Both of our moms are wearing gorgeous cocktail dresses, but there’s something about the happy glow around Marie that makes her the most beautiful of us all. Her fiancée is arriving about halfway through their party, after something she has to attend first. Marie looks like a bride-to-be, and it’s amazing to see. Jack is wearing a tux, with his head in his iPad as per usual. Millie beams as we come down.
“Riley, you look beautiful!” Marie gushes, coming forward to meet me at the bottom of the stairs. “I knew you’d look a bombshell in that dress.”
“Thanks.” I curtsey jokingly. “You both look stunning. Is the cab here yet? Are we ready to go?” Don’t think about Kaitlin. Forget about it, just for one night.
“Yes, but they can hold on a minute while we take a few photos of you two. You look like such an adorable couple,” Mom says, pulling her camera from her bag.
I don’t dare to see Alec’s response to this. As the camera is directed at us, I stare into it like a deer in front of headlights. A warm arm slides round my waist.
“Go along with it, Greene,” Alec whispers in my ear.
The camera flashes. I smile my way through, and somehow the brittleness of my lips dissolves as he pokes my sides and whispers nonsense pickup lines in my ears. I like the boy standing next to me so much that it hurts.
And by the end of the photographs, my smile isn’t fake at all.
Alec doesn’t remove his arm from my waist until we get into the cab.
When we finally arrive at the country club where the engagement party is being held, I’m more than a little impressed.
It’s a vintage building with huge decorated columns and arches, surrounded by fields. Vines lace up the side of the old stone, and the gardens are immaculate. Based up in the cliffs, in the richer part of town, I have only ever heard about this place.
“Whoa,” I breathe out. “This is amazing.”
We’re standing at the entrance, a pair of glass double doors that lead straight onto the balcony of the ground floor. The balcony wraps round the exterior of the building, framed with a gold fence covered in vines. A sweeping staircase leads down to the dance floor and a fancy café with a bar, which is currently brimming with people. People begin cheering as they recognise Marie coming down the staircase.
“Can I accompany you down the stairs, princesa?” Alec holds out his arm, and I take it without hesitation. We make our way down the stairway as elegantly as possible, and I try my very hardest not to slip in my shoes on the polished marble.
“Princesa huh?” I tease Alec. “Look at you, Chico, speaking sexy.”
“Are you calling me sexy, Riley?” Alec’s lips twitch into a coc
ky grin.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I’m saying Spanish is a very sexy language.”
“Ah, but I am part Spanish. Therefore you are calling me sexy by default.”
“You’re about as sexy as a dog’s behind.”
We reach the bottom of the stairs, without me tripping (achievement unlocked!), and head straight over to the bar area. Millie is already over speaking to a couple of other kids her age, who I assume she knows. Jack is standing, looking about as awkward as I feel, right at Mom’s side as Marie introduces her to the guests. I know no one at this party, and it’s quite intimidating as I feel the weight of stares from strangers. The eyes on our linked arms.
“Alec, who’s this hottie you brought with you?”
Alec and I spin round to see a tall girl with short raven- black hair, curled around her face. Her features are delicate and feminine, and she’s freckled intensely in an adorable way.
“Hi,” she greets as she looks at me. “I’m Natasha.”
“My cousin,” Alec explains.
“Oh right!” I realise, smiling at her. She’s absolutely gorgeous – evidently it runs in Alec’s family. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Riley Greene, Alec’s friend.”
“He didn’t do you justice when he told me how pretty you are.” Natasha’s eyes glint deviously as she glances at Alec, and I’m suddenly hit by the resemblance of the two cousins. Alec grumbles something next to me, and she turns her attention back. “I know who you are anyway,” she continues. “You’re the one who drew on his face, am I right?”
Well that makes me seem like a right bitch.
I open my mouth to protest but she beats me to it, with a mischievous laugh. “No need to explain; I’ve heard all the details. You’re basically a legend.” She lifts her hand up for a high five, and I stare at it for half a second before slapping it enthusiastically, slightly dazed that I really do seem to like this girl as much as Alec said. Damn him, why does he have to be so right all the time? Alec’s hand tightens round mine, and Natasha doesn’t fail to notice. “So, Alec, how did you manage to grab yourself a girl like this?”