Between the Boys (The Basin Lake Series Book 1)

by Stephanie Vercier

  And then my phones rings… again.

  Garrett shakes his head, and I bend down to turn it off, but when I see that Evan has called three times and texted double that, I sigh and turn the screen toward Garrett.

  “Something might be wrong.”

  Garrett crosses his arms in front of his chest and nods. “Yeah, sure.”

  He’s not happy, but I won’t be able to enjoy anything else here if I’m worried about Evan.

  “You okay?” I say after accepting the call with a swipe of my finger.

  “Paige?” Evan sounds shocked that it’s actually me.

  “Yeah, is everything okay? You’ve been blowing my phone up.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I know it’s slightly psychotic, but did you get my texts?”

  I look back down at my phone. “I saw them pop up, but I haven’t had time to read them.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll just tell you then.”

  “Tell me what?”

  He sounds so excited, and it’s so different from the glum, angry Evan I saw on Monday, the guy who couldn’t be bothered to even talk to me.

  “I got your scholarship back.”

  “What? That’s not funny Evan.”

  “It’s not a joke, and it’s not exactly the same thing, but I talked to my dad, and he’s secured a full ride for you to go to Well’s Creek.”

  “Well’s Creek? In North Carolina?”

  I lift my eyes just enough to see a worried look cross Garrett’s face.

  “Yep. Paige, I know it’s not perfect, but we’d be going to school together, and you wouldn’t have to worry about loans or saving up. Everything is paid for, even your living arrangements.”

  I’m not sure what to say. I’m elated if what he’s telling me is true and not some cruel joke, but I’m also broken hearted for the look Garrett is giving me right now.

  “Paige?”

  “Yeah, I’m here… it’s just—Evan, that’s like crazy. Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure,” he says. “You just have to fill out an application and do an essay and that kind of a stuff as a formality, but you’re in!”

  I breathe a giant sigh of relief, even if I’m not sure how I feel about going to college on the opposite side of the country.

  “Thank you, Evan,” I say. “Can I call you back a little later?”

  “Yeah, sure, and I should probably apologize for being a dick this week.”

  “Later,” I say. All I want to do is get off the phone and talk to Garrett who appears to have gotten the gist of the entire conversation.

  “Sure,” Evan says before we hang up.

  I bite my lip, unsure of what to say next. Garrett puts a hand behind his neck and is looking out at the water. I step toward him and put my hands on his chest and lean into him.

  “He says I’ve got a full ride at Well’s Creek,” I say softly.

  “Yeah, I kind of got that.” Reluctantly, it seems, Garrett puts an arm around me. “Are you going to do it? You going to go with him?”

  I sigh and look out at Basin Lake, reflecting the cloudless blue sky above us. There are boaters at the far side of the lake, the part where the tourists go, but here where we are, it’s quiet except for the long grass rustling in the gentle breeze and birds chirping in the groves of trees dotting the shore. I always dreamed of getting as far away from here as I could, but now that there’s an opportunity to take me even further away, doubt seeps in.

  “I have to at least think about it. I mean, it’s a full ride, Garrett. That’s kind of like winning the lottery.”

  His heart is beating so fast under my palms that I figure his emotions must be all over the place.

  “I know I’m going to sound like a dick, but I’m going to say this anyway.” He lets out a breath. “Please don’t go.”

  “What?” I push back from him and look into his downcast eyes.

  “I told you I’d sound like a dick, but damn, Paige… North Carolina? We’ll never see each other.”

  I swallow hard. He’s right of course. Trying to be more than just friends from opposite coasts is going to take a lot of work.

  “We can try though, right?” Part of me wants to agree with him and stay, but just the idea of being able to go to school on a full-fledged college campus and not just our small community college is exhilarating, not to mention the fact that it will be absolutely free.

  “For you… yes, I’ll do more than try.” He pulls me back toward him and kisses my forehead.

  If he’d wanted more than just making out and stripping down for a skinny dip, I can tell that moment has passed, and Garrett’s mood has shifted to something far more melancholy.

  Against his warm chest, I tell myself we’ll make it, that being separated by thousands of miles will just be a bump in the road of our story. But at the same time I can’t help but to feel a pulse of excitement at the idea of being with Evan for the next four years instead of Garrett.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  EVAN

  June and July

  I have more news.

  I’ve had the best sleep in months and send the text to Paige as soon as I wake up. If Garrett wanted to be a dick and go for the girl I love, then I can be a dick too and get her as far from him as humanly possible. And it doesn’t hurt that she’ll be with me. I remind myself this is for Paige, though, that her entire college education will be paid for, even if I’m not being completely up front with her about how it will work.

  Paige: Good news I hope?

  My heart jumps seeing her name flash across the screen, and I immediately call her.

  “Hey,” she says, clearing her throat.

  “You sound sleepy,” I say, hoping I didn’t wake her but happy to hear her voice. “You not working this morning?”

  “I am, but I don’t have to be there until ten.”

  “Well, you’re awake now. Can we meet up?”

  She sighs. I can’t imagine Garrett took this North Carolina thing very well, and I’m hoping he didn’t take it out on her.

  “Paige?” I say.

  “Yeah, sure. You want to maybe go for a run with me?”

  I laugh. “You want me to run? Come on, Paige, you know I don’t do running.” Moving furniture. Yes. Lifting weights. Yes. Swimming across Basin Lake. I’ve done it. But running isn’t my thing.

  “Then walk really fast,” she shoots back. “Meet me at my house in like half an hour?”

  “Sure.” If she needs me to run, then I’ll run. “See you then.”

  I dig some running shoes out of my closet and lace them up outside. Mom and Bill’s cars are already gone, which isn’t surprising. It’s summer vacation, but I doubt either of them will slow their work schedules down, leaving my sister, McKenzie, and half-brother, Henry, to fend for themselves. If I could stay close to home for them, I would, but North Carolina is my only option for any chance of higher education at a decent school.

  By the time I reach Paige’s house, I realize I probably should have thrown on a T-shirt and some running shorts instead of the cargo shorts and button up I went with. Oh, well.

  She’s on the front porch and giving me a friendly wave, and she looks so damn good in her small running shorts and sports bra. Her blonde hair is thrown up into a loose bun, and I have to admit I’m still waiting for her to get bored of her natural color and dye it some hue of the rainbow again. Personally, I’m down with blonde, but I thought she was beautiful in whatever color or cut she’d come up with over the years.

  “Hey,” she says when I draw close to her.

  “Can you believe it?” I jog toward her, feeling the giant smile plastered on my face. “You and me. The next four years are going to be so awesome!”

  She smiles back, but knowing Paige, she’s going to worry about how this whole thing will affect Garrett. As for me, I don’t care.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” she says. “I mean, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to pay back what you and your dad have done for me.”


  “Oh, I can think of ways.” I lift my eyebrows at her.

  “Garrett is really hurt,” she says, ignoring my flirtation and motioning me to follow as she begins walking away from the house. “This is kind of the last thing he was expecting.”

  I nod, but I don’t say a word. And the last thing I expected was to see his arm around her.

  “So, what’s the new news you’ve got for me?”

  This is the part I’ve been waiting for. “You don’t have to wait for fall. You’re all set to start summer quarter—you’ve just got to pick the classes.”

  She laughs like she doesn’t believe me as we walk out of her backyard and into one of the big fields behind her house that will hook up with a desert hiking trail. “You aren’t being serious, are you?”

  “I’m being totally serious.” And I try to match my tone to that. “Because of your late entry, you can start a bunch of the classes that would otherwise be full in the fall if you do summer quarter. Gives you a head start.”

  She shakes her head, eyeing me with skepticism. “You aren’t messing with me?”

  “Why would I do that? Aren’t you happy?”

  “I just…” She brushes some loose hair away from her face, and I want to reach out and tuck it behind her ear.

  “You just what?” I wipe my brow. It’s hot as hell out here, and I start to unbutton my shirt.

  “A lot of people are going to be unhappy with me.” She eyes my fingers as I continue unbuttoning. “I thought I had until August to finish up at Pamela’s and help my Mom and hang out with…”

  Garrett.

  I peel off my shirt and tie it around my shorts, keeping pace with her as she walks on, not wanting to imagine her spending time with my now ex-best friend.

  “You have to do what’s right for you,” I tell her. “I mean… you could wait until August, but you’d be behind, and it would just be harder. Garrett’s a big boy—he’ll get over it.”

  She stops cold, leaving me to go a few paces further before I turn back to her. “You pissed about this, Paige?”

  “You’re not being fair to Garrett, and you still haven’t told me why you refused to speak to me all week. I mean, I know you’re not happy about Garrett and me, but I’d like to hear exactly why.”

  Shit. I look down and kick at the sun baked dirt. Do I tell her what I feel for her now and risk her not going to North Carolina with me?

  “Evan? I’m beyond thankful for what you’re doing for me, but I need to know why you’ve been acting so strange.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

  “It threw me for a loop,” I reply. “You and Garrett.”

  “We told you as soon as it happened,” she says with her wide, pleading eyes. “We weren’t trying to lie to you.”

  “No, I know that, it’s just…” I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath, unsure of what my next move is going to be.

  “Whatever it is, it kept you from talking to me for four days… and Garrett too.”

  “I’m just a little jealous I guess,” I blurt out and then try to laugh it off, but I can’t really, so I go further. “I’m pissed off that he beat me to it.” I slowly adjust my gaze to hers, and at least she doesn’t look horrified.

  She doesn’t even look surprised.

  “I don’t know what to say,” she says, walking again.

  Is that a blush I see spreading across her face or just exertion from the heat?

  “You don’t have to say anything.” I keep pace, afraid her answer won’t be what I want or quite frankly need to hear. “I figure you were never interested in me that way, so no loss, right?”

  She keeps her face forward, like she doesn’t want to look me in the eyes.

  What is she thinking?

  “Well, let’s remember you pretty much live for Lexi. I think World War Three would break out before you’d end your relationship with her.”

  I don’t blame her for thinking that, but at least I can finally tell her something different than the response I’d have given her just a few days ago. “We broke up,” I say, the sentiment behind those words making me feel light and at peace.

  “No you didn’t.” She stops in place and eyes me like she’s looking for any signs of untruthfulness.

  “I did… finally.” I’m dead serious. The day after I saw Paige and Garrett together, I went over to Lexi’s and officially broke off our relationship. She’d been expecting it and took it better than I thought she would, and I don’t doubt she’ll replace me just to prove to me she can.

  Paige starts up again without saying anything.

  “No comment?” I keep close to her. “Come on Paige, I know you can’t stand her. You’ve got to have something to say about it, right?”

  She shrugs, keeping her eyes down. “I always knew you’d have to before you went to college, but I thought you were going to try the whole long distance thing?”

  “Nah, it wouldn’t be fair to her. She needs someone who can support her here.” And that’s the truth. What I’ve been telling Lexi for the last six months is that she needs a therapist, but at the very least she needs a boyfriend who isn’t two thousand miles away from her.

  “So, what about Garrett?” She stops, facing me down. “Doesn’t he need my support? I mean, come on, this is weird, Evan. I finally get together with a guy who might actually be interested in me and now I’m moving to another state?”

  I freeze because yes, it is weird, and Paige isn’t dumb. I’d like to think I’d have arranged her full ride even if she wasn’t with Garrett, but in truth I might have just sold my car and made sure she got in her first year at WSU to avoid having to ask my asshole of a dad for help.

  “You don’t want to go?” I finally sputter out.

  “Of course I do,” she says, resolute, “but it’s just all so sudden, and I can’t help but wonder…” She closes her eyes and sighs.

  I place my hand on her shoulder. “Tell me, Paige. What do you wonder?”

  And then her tears come, and it guts me to think I might be causing her this hurt. “Hey, hey…” I pull her toward my bare chest and wrap my arms around her. “Don’t cry. Did I say something? I mean, I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole. I’ll apologize to Garrett today. I’ve been a bad friend.”

  I don’t know if I can really say sorry to Garrett, but I’d do it for her. I’d do anything for her. I expect her to push me away, but she doesn’t. She just lets me hold her, and it feels so good.

  PAIGE

  After I’d released a cascade of tears against Evan’s chest, I didn’t say much else of consequence. Him being jealous didn’t exactly blindside me, though him finally breaking up with Lexi did. Had this happened several months ago, I would have told Evan everything I felt for him. I would have kissed him and asked him why we hadn’t been honest with one another sooner.

  But now?

  I couldn’t know for sure if he was only jealous because I was with Garrett. After Mike, I’d been single for months. Why hadn’t Evan said anything then? I would have waited for him to break up with Lexi if he’d given me the chance. But he didn’t. I guess that’s what led to the tears, the sense of loss, feeling like we’d blown a chance at something.

  But I have to believe that Evan’s intentions in getting me to North Carolina are pure. Whatever his feelings, he’s my friend, and he wouldn’t willingly pull me away from Garrett for his own selfish needs. If he’s jealous and regretting that he didn’t ask me out first, then he’ll get over it, just like I have to.

  I’m pretty sure though that Garrett doesn’t agree. While he won’t come right out and say it, he pretty much infers from his facial expressions or long pauses on the phone that he thinks Evan might try to take advantage of me in some way, which still leaves me dumbfounded. Evan and Garrett are supposed to be best friends, so why would either of them be trying to hurt the other? Can’t Garrett trust that Evan will be respectful of us, even if he is jealous? I think the answer is a very unfortunate no.

  But even w
ith Garrett’s concerns, I know I have to think about my education and what’s best for me. Mom didn’t believe me at first when I told her about Well’s Creek, and she didn’t allow herself to get excited until she’d called Evan’s dad as well as the administration at the college to be sure this was for real. And she tells me the only thing she suspects Evan of is caring for me.

  “If that boy has ulterior motives, it’s for something good,” she says while we’re packing up my clothes, some to be shipped to my new apartment later and others that I’ll squeeze into my luggage. “Even if he wanted to steal you away from Garrett, it would be because he loves you.”

  “Yeah, but Garrett is his best friend,” I counter.

  “And so are you,” she reminds me. “I have to be honest and tell you that I’m not thrilled about you going to college so far away from us, but I also know your dad would support you spreading your wings and experiencing a completely new part of the country.”

  I kind of make a face, one that is part missing my dad and the other a bit concerned about that new part of the country. “I’m a little worried about how conservative they’re supposed to be in North Carolina.”

  Mom laughs. “I think you’ll find a college town to be a little more liberal, and it’s okay to be friends with people who have different points of view.”

  “But I don’t want to be around anyone like that, anyone that would have a problem with someone like Mike.”

  “So, be an example. If someone says something inexcusable, then call them on it. That’s what college is about, about finding your voice and meeting new people, and you’re going to get a lot more variety in Well’s Creek than you will staying here in Basin Lake. It’s all going to help you be a better teacher someday.”

  “So you really think I should go?” I pose it as a question, but I already know the answer. It’s just that ever since Evan told me we’d be flying to North Carolina in two weeks, I’ve been going back and forth in my head about what I should do. I always come to the same conclusion, that I should go, but I seem to need a lot of reassurance that it’s the right thing.

  “Honey, it’s a full ride. It’s a highly rated college in an adorable little town. It’s getting out of Basin Lake, meeting new people and doing new things.”