“Why can’t you just talk to me?” he turned toward me and grasped my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “We’ve known each other a long time, and I’ve never seen you act like this.”
“Yeah, we have. Twelve years, is it?”
“Stop. Just tell me why you’re in here.”
I licked my lips. “I don’t know how. I should tell someone what happened, because I can’t figure out how to fix it.”
“Alright, we’ll start with a simple question. Where were you when this happened?”
“In the girls bathroom.” I cringed, feeling exposed. I’d felt more covered up when I accidently bumped into him in my underwear.
“What were you doing there?”
“Hiding.”
“From?”
I forced out, “Max—I was hiding from Max. It seemed smart. Boys can’t go into the girl’s bathroom. But when I came out of the stall he was there.”
And then it happened, the word vomit. I spewed, in detail, exactly what happened.
It felt great to get out too.
By the time I finished I was shaking with relief, and Zack took me by surprise. He hauled me up, in his lap, and hugged me. He just held me. I felt better than I had in days. This was the second time he’d hugged me. The last time being on the boat a week ago. It was even better than I remembered.
“Whoa! Separate.” A gravely man’s voice broke my trance.
We looked up to see the baseball coach coming into the locker room. He leaned heavily on a metal cane, face red from huffing it down the hall probably.
Zack set me beside him and stood. “Can I see you in the office, Coach?”
The older man nodded, ginning at me. “It’s you again. I should have known.”
“I’m sorry?” I’d never met him before.
“Chloe, I’ll be right back.” Zack went with the coach into a room near the showers. He shut the door.
I didn’t hear much. Most of the conversation was muffled.
But I was able to pick out a few words when Zack raised his voice—
Max…Chloe…and break his arms.
Hearing Zack say that brought a smile to my face. That smile grew even bigger when he came out and told me Max had been suspended from the team for objectionable behavior.
“Friday.” Zack said as we walked out of the stadium.
I nodded, smiling when he wrapped his arm around me. “Happy Friday.”
“Got any plans, Baker?” he pulled his keys from his pocket.
“Uh, actually, Stella wanted to hang out. But if you’re staying here this weekend, I’ll just do something with her next time we go home.” I added, “and you are welcome to crash in my room.”
“Thanks.” Zack chuckled. “Chloe, babe, lets get one thing strait.”
“What?” I sighed, completely in love with how easy it was to be around Zack now.
“If you want something, ask me.”
“I don’t understand…” I tipped my head back to meet his eyes once we stopped next to his truck.
“I mean, if you want to go home, just tell me. I don’t mind driving you.”
I smiled. “Really?”
“Why do I get the feeling you don’t like asking for help?”
“Because, when it comes to driving…I don’t know. I’m embarrassed, and not all that confident. I have my license, but all those cars whizzing past scare me.”
“Okay.” He opened the door and gave me a boost into the cab.
“You don’t think I’m being a wimp?”
“No.” He started up the truck and I flipped on the radio. “So, lets go see how the love birds are doing, shall we?”
“Thanks.” Why did I always get so choked up around Zack? I wanted to cry from the relief of going home. “I didn’t want to spend the weekend here dodging Lana.”
He tugged playfully on my ponytail. “And I didn’t want to sped the weekend here near Max. After what he did to you this afternoon, he’s lucky I’m heading home and not hunting him down.”
“You’d hunt him down?” I knew Zack was tough, and strong. Probably pretty good in a fight. But for him to seek out Max because of me?
“If the situation called for it, yes.” He slid me a careful glance. “Chloe, I want you to know I’m a good guy. But I’m sure you remember what I was like before I straitened up.”
“I do.” I said. “Though most of the stuff you did was exaggerated.”
He winced. “No, it wasn’t.”
So he really had sex with all those girls? “Oh?”
“I fought, Chloe. A lot.”
Huh, so not about sex. “I know.”
“I don’t anymore, but that doesn’t mean I won’t beat the shit out of someone that lays a hand on you.”
I gulped, thinking the scuffles Zack had were more intense than I’d realized. “Okay.”
He smiled. “You can trust me, Chloe. I’d never hurt you.”
“I know.” I said. “I trust you.”
Chapter 18
I heard the water running early the next morning. Still sleepy, I got out of bed to see what Zack was doing before sunrise. Normally I’m up first. So I knocked and he opened the door.
He was brushing his teeth.
“You got a family of rodents living in there, Baker?”
I looked in the mirror and gasped, grabbing my brush and quickly ridding my hair of a massive knot.
“I’m going out.” He said, and that’s when I noticed he had his new sneakers on and red basketball shorts. His shirt was tossed over his shoulder.
“Where?”
“I like to run.” Good for him. My exercise was a little less invigorating, and usually involved walking Kirk. I could drop three pounds by ignoring salty food. Which would be helpful, if I actually cared about those three pounds.
I followed Zack downstairs, making an excuse about needing to feed Kirk since I wasn’t in the mood to go back to bed. The sounds of mom and Glenn giggling and hushing each other echoed out of the kitchen.
I groaned, backing up a few steps. “Oh, no.”
Zack laughed. “Sucks to be you right now.”
“I’m going with you.”
“Can you run?”
“Sure.” For about fifteen minutes on a treadmill as of two years ago.
“Three miles, at least?”
“Un-uh, but I can ride a bike.”
That old bike, the BMX Vince got me, I still had it. I could ride it because he bought one I’d grow into. It was just a tad small now, but manageable. So I changed into shorts, a t-shirt, jammed my feet into sneakers, and hauled ass out the front door. I found Zack stretching in the grass next to the garage.
My face went hot and butterflies zipped around my stomach.
It should be illegal to be so cute.
Granted, he had flaws just like everyone else.
If I was really critical, I could say that his arms were a little long, a bit gangly. His eyes might be too far apart, and he made this dorky under-his-breath laugh, somewhere between a snort and a chuckle when he thought something was amusing. He could be bossy, and always left blue streaks of toothpaste in the sink and kept the water running while he brushed.
At least I didn’t see him just as godly hot like some other girls from school.
Zack was a person, with feelings, not a hunk of meat.
Ugh, but forgive me if I drool…
Its times like this, when the racing of my heart stampedes my good intentions.
No matter how I felt or what I saw in the depths of his eyes, I had no business even daydreaming about the possibility of him and me. We were just going to be friends.
But my brain wasn’t in agreement with my emotions, the feelings of nervousness and excitement. No matter what I told myself, the feelings always tromped on my good intentions, leaving me upset and confused.
Grabbing my bike, I pedaled out to meet Zack in the yard. He was grinning the whole time I approached.
“Don’t you dare.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“Make fun of me,” I blushed, something I only do around him.
“That bike is uglier than I remember.”
“I’m not about to run three miles.” I glanced back at the house. “No way in hell am I going to sit in my room while our parents go at it like rabbits.”
“When you put it that way, I’d ride a bike with pink streamers.”
At first peddling was awkward, but then I found that the seat adjusted. I hopped off at the end of the driveway to raise it. It wouldn’t budge. I twisted and jerked, managing to slam one of the pedals into my shin.
Zack stared at me, still amused. “Do you want some help?”
I rubbed my shin. “Sure, why not.”
With little effort, he adjusted the seat and winked. “Let’s go.”
I peddled right beside him, or in front, depending on how fast I went, or he went. Zack fluctuated between a steady jog and a dead run that would leave me in the dust if I ever ditched my wheels.
We couldn’t really talk, since he was focused on breathing, so I enjoyed the scenery. “It all looks the same.”
He nodded. “Yep…swampy.”
“Flat green…bug…blue sky…another bug…sun…more flat green…ducks!”
“I’ve never been so entertained on a run before.” He snorted with laughter, having to slowdown for air.
Okay, there wasn’t much to see, but I was out of the house, so that was cool.
While stopping for a water break—Zack had stowed two bottles in the basket on the front of my bike—he asked if we could take a detour through town.
I was curious, so I agreed.
“Can you believe this place?” he slowed to a walk once we reached the sidewalk. “You’d think it was a joke or something.”
“Some elaborate joke,” I got off my bike and pushed it between us.
We stopped in front of the coffee shop boasting the world’s worst cup and a stack of pancakes for five dollars.
I raised my eyebrows. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“You better have an iron stomach, Baker.”
I left my bike outside. Zack pulled his shirt out of the waistband of his shorts and slipped it on. We went into the black diner, thinking it was something interesting to see. Except inside wasn’t much to write home about.
The tables were old and rickety, chairs wobbly. We took a seat in a booth that had stuffing coming out of the seats; I stared at the menu glued to the wall next to our table.
It was all breakfast, all the time.
And chili.
The waitress came over, well, more like waddled. Her hips were huge! And I am so not mean, but I think it’s in a person’s best interest to lay off the sweets and crap when you’re as wide as you are tall. Extra padding isn’t a bad thing until it interferes with your health. Which was why I didn’t mind that my tummy was softer, sometimes it pooched over my jeans when I sat down. I did not want to look emaciated or rock hard. Boney is gross, and I’d leave the rock hard to Zack. He pulled it off much better.
“What’ll it be kiddies?” the waitress garbled, pulling a pen out of her curly white hair.
“Pancakes and coffee,” Zack ordered, smiling.
She waddled right back behind the counter and said something to the cook, who looked like Elvis with a swarthy grin and goatee.
“So, this is fun.” I glanced around at bland nothingness.
Zack lowered his voice. “Two words,”
“And they are?”
“Food poising.”
“Gee, I hope not. They have health codes to follow.”
“Sure, but who’s here to enforce them?”
“You take the first bite. If you keel over, we’ll have our answer.”
“I’m touched you are concerned for my wellbeing.”
“Oh,” I winked. “No problem.”
There weren’t many people in the diner, and the ones that were probably considered themselves well seasoned, as opposed to old and crusty.
Two really ancient guys sat in the far corner squinting at a chessboard. They were using salt and peppershakers they stole from the other tables in place of the missing pawns. Then there was an old lady stuffing sugar packets in her purse under the table. Another guy clipping coupons from a week old paper had a steaming bowl of chili in front of him.
“Why did we come in here again?” I whispered.
Zack flicked a piece of cracker off our table. “We have a death wish?”
“Ha, ha.”
“Here we go kiddies!” the waitress set a massive plate of pancakes and two steaming cups of car oil in front of us. “Enjoy.”
I watched her waddle away, and then focused my attention on the coffee.
Zack picked up a cup and sniffed. “Dare me?”
“Honestly, I’m a little afraid for you.”
He took a small sip and gagged. “Shit.”
“Bad?” I pushed my cup away.
“Words cannot describe…” He nodded at the massive stack of pancakes, “I tried the coffee.”
I snagged a fork, stabbed off a chunk, closed my eyes, and…
“Well?” he asked.
I grinned, taking another forkful. “If I was a selfish person, I’d say they suck.”
In fact, they were the best pancakes I’d ever had. They didn’t even need syrup. Chocolate chips were sprinkled in-between each hot and cakey layer with sliced strawberries smothered in whipped cream. It was heaven. We polished off the whole plate, barely leaving a crumb.
I leaned back in the booth and Zack did the same, we were stuffed.
“I’m so glad we came in here.” He murmured.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“You can put away some food too.”
“What does that mean?” I crossed my arms.
“Damn, I meant it in a good way.”
“So you like a girl who actually eats.”
“At least I know you wont flake out on me.” He leaned closer. “I don’t like girls who are part rabbit.”
“You wont find me eating celery in lieu of a cheeseburger.”
“Awesome.”
Zack paid the waitress with money he had stuck in his shoe. I wondered if it was sweaty from his running…but the lady didn’t seem to mind, and to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have either.
Chapter 19
Zack
We left Chloe’s bike at the diner and walked across the street to the shopping center, debated going inside, thought better of it, and cut through the back parking lot to a big grassy field that housed a shed for sports equipment. We managed to find swings, and slides, and kid toys. I’m guessing it was supposed to pass for a park. Chloe hopped on a swing and pumped her legs, taking her high into the air. I indulged my laziness and sat on a child’s rocking horse, probably looking like a giant. I wondered if the horse would break under my weight. It was made for the toddling crowed.
“What else do you like, besides sports?” she asked.
“Cars,” I said. “Hanging out with you is fun.”
“Really? Thanks, but you’ve got to give me something more than that.” I could see the light bulb flick on over her head. “You have a punching bag in your room, and I saw trophies that weren’t for baseball in a box when we unpacked.”
“My secret…you can’t tell anyone.” I really didn’t mind if she found out. In fact, I wondered what her reaction would be. “The only other person outside of my dad who knows is Kyle.”
Her eyes went wide. “I’ll never tell a soul.”
“A few years ago I got involved in martial arts. I went on to win a few trophies, second place on a national level.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I like it. You have your photography hobby. It’s the same thing.”
“I don’t see how that touches what you do. What does Glenn think?”
“He doesn’t care, long as I have good grades.”
“That’s great,” she shifted forward in the swing and fo
cused on the ground. “Dare me to jump?”
“I’d rather you didn’t break an arm.”
“It’s not that high.”
“Okay, it’s your body.” I pushed off the horse and walked over to the swings. She slowed a bit, and jumped forward, tumbling into the grass. Laughed the whole time.
“That was fun.” She rolled onto her back and laughed some more when I stood over her and picked a leaf out of her hair. “You’re so much taller from down here.”
I grinned, sitting next her. “Better?”
She nodded. “Can I ask you something else?”
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