“Catch you later,” I say to Lo, and walk toward Speio.
“Definitely,” Lo says.
The single parting word curls around me like velvet, leaving me in little doubt of his intentions.
6
WARFARE
“Terrific game, Fighters!”
The metal bleachers around the field are packed and full of screaming supporters. We just took down the number-three seeded girls’ hockey team in Southern California and are now in the finals. Although my head wasn’t completely in the game, I’d used the field as a way to get rid of some much needed aggression. I’d played better than I’d hoped, scoring two out of the four goals. Jenna shot the winning goal in the final six seconds of the game.
As usual, Speio was sitting in the stands with a huge scowl on his face—and was the only one scowling when I scored my goals. He still thinks I’m wasting my time playing hockey, but there’s no way I will give up on my team, not after walking away from everything else. They need me. In any case, Lo’s enthusiastic cheering made up for Speio’s complete lack of school spirit. Not that I noticed, of course. I found it interesting that he showed up for the game.
Again, not that I cared. Much.
“You were on fire today, Riss!” Jenna screeches in my ear as we join our teammates walking back to the locker room.
“Says the girl who brought the fire,” I yell back, grinning. “You cleared, like, half the field in three seconds for that last goal. Just brilliant!”
“Thanks!”
We dump our gear and head for our lockers, sweaty and jubilant. Getting to the finals took a lot of hard work and many a long practice, but seeing the faces of my teammates—even Cara, who’d sat on the bench for most of the game—was worth every grueling second.
“So where’s the victory dinner?” It’s one of the defensive players on the team, another junior, Mary.
“Think Coach said the Crab Shack in an hour. You guys in?”
“I can’t,” I say quickly. “I have a ton of homework, and I have to head over to the Marine Coastal Center for a bit. You guys have fun.”
“Party pooper!” Mary says, sticking out her tongue at me. She grins suddenly. “Sure you don’t want to? Heard your boyfriend’s going to be there. The lovelicious Lo.” She draws out his name suggestively and waggles her eyebrows.
“What?” I sputter, glaring at Jenna.
“Don’t look at me,” she says, throwing her hands in the air. “As much as I’d like to claim I do, my many talents don’t extend to controlling the rumor mill.”
I turn my glare to Mary, whose grin widens at my red face. A door slams at the far end of the locker room and I notice that Cara is missing. “He’s not my boyfriend, regardless of what he or anyone says. I don’t even like the guy.”
“Great, so he’s up for grabs, then?”
“Sure,” I say, ripping off my uniform with more force than necessary and jerking my head toward the toilet stalls. “But I think Cara has dibs. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Noted,” Mary says with a grin, fluttering her eyelashes. “She doesn’t have a chance in hell.”
For a second, I envision myself smashing Mary’s pretty face in, but the feeling dissipates as quickly as it comes. Even when he’s not around, that boy has an atrocious effect on me. I avoid Jenna’s gaze like the plague because I can sense her studying me and coming to obvious Jenna-like conclusions in her head. I’ll only make it worse if I say anything, so I snap my mouth shut and strip off the rest of my gear.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then?” she says to me after a while. “Oh, Sawyer wanted me to ask you. You’re going to the surf meet next Saturday, right?” I notice that she doesn’t say anything about Lo even though he’s on the team, too. “There’s a bonfire on the beach afterward. Thought we could all hang out. Feels like it’s been forever with school and practice since we’ve done anything fun. You know, just us.”
Although ten different reasons that I shouldn’t go jump to my lips, I nod. Sawyer has been my friend for years, and just because he is now friends with Lo doesn’t mean that I have to give up my support and friendship. Plus, Jenna hasn’t quite forgiven me for bailing out of the double date, so I owe her. “Of course. Tell him I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Cool, I’ll let you know when he finds out more about the times for the heats,” she says with a glance. “Sure you don’t need me to come with to the marine center? I don’t really care about the Crab Shack thing.”
“Only if you want to,” I say, and I mean it. I was glad Jenna had agreed to volunteer with me at all. “I mean, I don’t have a shift or anything. I was just going to do homework and see if Kevin needed any help.”
“You know what, I’ll come and if Kevin doesn’t need anything we can do the Crab Shack.”
After showering, we walk out to the parking lot together, and I make the requisite call to Echlios, letting him know where I’m going to be. The truth is, I’m happy to sit around and do my homework at the marine center. Already, I’ve spent the past week there and feel more at home than anywhere else. A part of me wonders why I waited so long. It’s also part of the reason that I want to go over there instead of going out with the rest of the team.
I need to go there.
I don’t know if it’s the sense of purpose or doing something...anything...to help, but for the first time since I’ve been here, I feel like I’m in the right place at the right time. At the center, I’m involved in many of the ongoing projects that affect marine life—urban sewage runoff, pollution, toxicity, beach cleanup, reef regeneration—but my favorite is working within the Marine Protected Areas, which helps the protection of coastal ecosystems. The underwater state parks are beautiful.
“Hey, Kev,” I say to Kevin, the bearded guy who’s the youth program director for the center, at the front desk. “Any more news on those poachers near San Clemente Island?”
“Hey, guys,” Kevin says with a thoughtful frown at Jenna and me. “You have a shift today? Thought you weren’t back until next week?”
“We had some free time,” I say, throwing my backpack on the floor behind the desk. “You mind if we hang around for a while? Help out?”
“Actually, it’s good that you’re here. Need a favor. We have a new volunteer and it would help me out a ton if you guys could show him around outside. I’ve already done the tour in here, so just the beach and a couple of the main MPAs? Take the boat,” Kevin says. Grinning, I roll my eyes at Jenna—seriously, I must have Tour Guide tattooed on my forehead. Kevin nods to someone behind us. The smile freezes on my face the minute I turn around.
“What are you doing here?” I say.
Kevin looks from me to Lo and back again. “You guys know one another? Great! Jenna, Rissa, Lo will be doing some community service with us.”
“Community service? What’d you do, rob a bank or something?”
“Detention,” Lo drawls, and nods at Jenna, who for some reason turns a dark shade of red and mumbles something about getting changed before taking off. “Cano thought since I love cutting class so much to go to the beach, I should make up the time doing something worthwhile. I’m here every day after school for the foreseeable future.”
I glare at him, regretting that I gave up the team dinner only to be stuck with Lo of all people. I refuse to even think about him being here every day and ruining my sanctuary. “Seriously, you know this is taking it to a whole different level of stalkerism, don’t you?”
Lo pastes an innocent look on his face, widening his eyes—as blue as the ocean—in mock horror. “Cano sent me here.”
“Sure he did.”
“Actually, it was Leland but they sort of do things together. The dynamic duo, I like to call them.” I don’t know why Lo is trying to make small talk. Maybe it’s to imp
ress Kevin but I don’t care. I’m stuck with him once more for touring duty. As if reading my mind, Lo grins widely. “Lead on. I am at your bidding,” he says, repeating his mocking words from our first day of school.
“Glad you find this amusing,” I snap, grabbing my backpack. “Because it’s not the least bit amusing to me! I’m hardly the local tour guide.”
“You talk like a grown-up, you know that,” Lo remarks.
“Well, most of us juniors aren’t children like people think we are,” I say with as much snark as I can inject into my tone. “Unlike you.” I smile sweetly at Kevin, who has a bewildered expression on his face. “See you, Kev.” I turn back to Lo, my smile fading into a blank expression that barely hides my aggravation. “Well, come on, then, if you’re coming.”
Grabbing the keys to the ATV, I head through the front office doors and down the hall. Not looking back at him, I jab a finger down another hallway. “I’m sure Kevin told you the men’s bathroom is down there. Meet me out back in five. Five minutes, Lo, or I’m gone without you.”
“You’re so bossy,” he throws back, but I refuse to engage and walk away in the opposite direction.
In the women’s bathroom, my aggravation is unleashed on Jenna, who’s staring at me with a guilty look on her face. She pulls on a pair of cargo pants over her swimsuit. “Seriously, all I ask for is a moment where that guy isn’t stalking me for ten seconds.”
“Did it ever occur to you that he may be into you?”
“That’s just it. I’m not into him,” I snap, shrugging out of my school uniform. “And I’ve told him so. He just won’t take no for an answer. And plus, what’s with the Cara thing? Did you see them? They were practically canoodling after the game. And she’s a total psycho freak.” I know I’m ranting now but I can’t help myself. “I mean, the fact that he likes her and me in the same universe makes absolutely no sense. It’s kind of gross, really. And what’s with the lie about detention? Everyone knows that Cano likes the standard study-after-school detentions.”
“Cara used to be your friend, remember?”
“Used to, as in past tense, Jenna. She’s a bitch.”
She stares at me. “You kind of both were.”
“Wait, what?” My hand stalls at the folds of my T-shirt.
Jenna sighs. “Freshman year, when you guys were friends. Rumor is you sort of took over and shut her out. Put it this way—if I hadn’t transferred in, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with you back then. Plus, look at what happened with the game against Bishop’s. You made a bad call because you don’t like her.”
“I thought we were past that,” I say in a defensive voice. “And being better at hockey doesn’t make me a bitch.”
“Or prettier or smarter or naturally better at everything than she was.” She spreads her palms at my look and takes a deep breath. “Look, you’re different now. We all are, but you can’t really blame Cara for resenting you now. I mean, come on, even Cano told her to be more like you.” She pauses. “In front of everyone.”
I stare at her as I recall a vague recollection of Cano—Cara’s uncle—telling that to his niece in the school parking lot in front of half the school. I shrug. Cara’s family issues weren’t mine then, and they aren’t mine now. I narrow my eyes a fraction. “And that’s my fault how?”
“I don’t even think this is about Cara at all,” Jenna shoots back smoothly, refusing to be cowed or drawn into an argument. “I think a boy likes you and you’re afraid that you like him back. And maybe he’s telling the truth about detention—”
“Are you kidding?” I interrupt, ignoring the first part of what she’d said. “That guy wouldn’t know the truth if it hit him in the ass. He’s so self-absorbed, it’s insane. He practically followed me here after the game.”
“You don’t know that.”
“What does everyone see in him? Just tell me.” This time Jenna doesn’t answer me. She knows me too well, when I get into one of these moods. I don’t want an answer because anything she says will probably make me crazier. I sigh, shooting her a look. “Sorry,” I say. “I’m not myself today.”
Dressing quickly and suppressing the urge to break things, I stash my backpack in a locker. There’s no way that Cano or Leland would just get an idea to let a student do community service at the Marine Coastal Center. I’m positive that it’s all Lo’s doing and part of the whole challenge thing. It’s like I can’t get away from the guy—no matter what I do, he’s always there...watching and smiling that stupid, mocking grin of his. He’s getting under my skin like sand in the lining of a swimsuit, chafing and annoying.
“What a piece of work,” I mutter, twisting my hair into a ponytail.
“Look, here’s my two cents as your best friend. I know you’re going to do what you’re going to do, but listen to yourself for a minute,” Jenna says. “You’re losing sleep over a boy you claim to not be interested in, and this isn’t like you. You’re bringing up old stuff with Cara, of all people, because it’s bothering you that he hangs out with her for ten seconds after a game or stops to talk in the hallway at school.” I’m shaking my head in denial but Jenna continues, her blue eyes sincere. “Yes, it is. Thing is, you need to figure out the real reason why you don’t want to give him a break.”
Stumped, I stare at her for a minute, her face assessing but sympathetic. Jenna’s right as usual—I am being completely irrational. There’s no logical reason that I can’t be friends with Lo or work with him at the center. Plus, the more hands we have, the better. I just have to keep him at a distance. That shouldn’t be too hard, should it?
“Fine. You’re right. I don’t know why I get so irritated.” Jenna grins, looking like she wants to say more to answer my rhetorical question, but I stall her with a glare. “Don’t even go there,” I warn. “I’m okay with admitting I’m not being entirely fair to him, but that’s it.”
Jenna throws her hands in the air. “Look, I don’t want you to marry the guy, just give him a chance, that’s all. Sawyer really likes him, and you know Sawyer, he barely says a word to anyone.”
“Okay, I’ll try...just for Sawyer’s people spidey-sense,” I say, rolling my eyes and glancing at my watch. “Crap, I told Lo five minutes. It’s been fifteen!”
Lo’s waiting outside, and raises an eyebrow, tapping the face of his watch. I feel myself color immediately but Jenna jumps in to diffuse the situation.
“It’s my fault. Sorry,” she says. “Had to talk to my mom.”
“No worries,” Lo tells her with an easy smile, and for a moment, I feel peeved that he is so laid-back with her as opposed to how punchy he is with me. If I’d said anything, no doubt he would have provoked me more and things would have escalated from there. “So we ready?” he asks, and gestures at his clothing. “This okay?”
He’s dressed in boardies and a dark blue T-shirt. For early spring, the weather is in the high sixties so it’s not that cold. Still, I don’t know why it irks me that he looks entirely too comfortable. “It’ll be colder on the boat,” I warn him.
He shrugs, glancing at me dressed in cargo shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. “I’ll be all right.”
“If you say so.”
“You sure you know how to drive that thing?” he asks warily as I jump into the four-seater ATV. Jenna straps herself into the backseat and I can’t help grinning.
“Scared, princess?” I taunt, turning over the engine, my grin morphing into something wolfish. “Come on, you’ll be as safe as kittens. Right, Jenna?”
“Um, sure?” Jenna says.
“It’s not the ride I’m worried about,” he says with a teasing smile, and all of a sudden, all of my bravado leaves my body in a whoosh. He swings in on one of the upper rails, and I pull off so quickly that he snaps backward in his seat and grabs for his seat belt. A small twinge of satisfaction seeps through
me.
Riding down the sandy trail at the back of the Marine Coastal Center, we head down to the beach. The boat is docked at the far end of the shore, and I make certain to ride over every sand dune that I can at the highest speed. We’re practically flying over some of the dunes and coming down hard. By the time we reach the opposite end, Lo is a few shades paler than normal, clutching the sides of the ATV in a death grip. Jenna isn’t new to my driving, but even she looks a little shaken.
“You have issues, I hope you know that,” Lo tells me, hopping out on shaky legs.
“That was for stalking me.”
“Look, I’m not stalking you,” Lo protests in earnest with a sidelong look at Jenna. “To tell you the truth, I was just leaving Cano’s office the other day, and Jenna’d suggested to Leland that the center needed extra hands.”
Jenna freezes, her face indignant. “That’s not how it happened. Leland asked me about my extracurricular activities for the college apps, and that’s what I said. I totally didn’t invite him to have detention here!” She punches him in the arm. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Seavon!”
Seavon?
Why’s she calling him by his last name like they’re best buds? I frown. My throat is so tight that all I can do is glower. Oh, she’s so dead later. I’m so mad, I can’t even speak and I can feel my face getting redder and redder. Jenna rushes to thwart the impending outburst.
“Riss—”
But Lo diverts the fire. “Trust me, if I’d have known Nerissa was going to be here...”
“Then what?” I burst out.
A wicked grin. “I would have cut class every day and gotten detention sooner.” Jenna snorts and bursts into giggles.
“You’re impossible,” I say, blushing through an imperceptible snort of my own. The corners of my mouth twitch at his cheek, my anger deflating like a receding wave. I shake my head, face flaming. “A real piece of work. Come on, help me with the ropes before that mouth of yours gets you into trouble.”
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