Sage and I took a seat.
“Dang, I forgot my blanket.” He stood back up.
“I can share mine if you want, but only if you’ll let me use your pillow too, because I didn’t grab mine,” I said. Oh God, why’d I just say that? My heart skipped a beat as I waited for him to answer.
“Deal, because I don’t really want to go back upstairs again.” His voice sounded huskier as he settled in beside me. Casting me a sideways glance, he placed his pillow behind us.
I spread my blanket over us and we laid back. Dad put the movie in and shut off the lights. A big thunderclap sounded, making me jump.
“Geez, the movie hasn’t even started yet and you’re already scared.” Sage chuckled.
“Don’t make me hit you,” I said.
Being this close to him, made me very aware of every inch of his body. His bare arm touched mine, but I made no effort to move, neither did he. My skin warmed. My heart sped up like a track star running a race.
I turned my head slightly to glance at him. His eyes met mine. We were so close. After a moment, we turned back to the movie.
The woman on the screen had run out of gas and was walking to find help. From behind her, branches snapped. The music got louder. Creepier. The actress picked up her speed, wobbling in the high heels she wore.
“Crap, run stupid,” I said.
And she did. She rounded a turn in the road and a man wielding an axe jumped out in front of her.
I screamed, burying my head in the crook of Sage’s arm.
From next to me, he laughed. “Scared-y cat.”
“Like you didn’t jump.”
“That’s because you made me.” He moved his arm and wrapped it around my shoulder and I nestled against him.
It felt good to have him hold me. It’d been so long. I knew this didn’t mean anything, but I wanted it to.
The lights in the kitchen flickered, and then the power went out, sending us into complete darkness. Everyone shrieked and I huddled closer to Sage.
“Oh God, see, stuff like this only happens during scary movies and storms,” I said.
“Don’t worry, Gracey, I’ll protect you.” Sage brushed my hair from my face. “I won’t let any psycho axe murderer get you.”
I hit him in the chest. “Funny.”
“Yeah, I know.” He squeezed me tighter.
“Everyone just stay put,” Dad said. “We’ll have to light some candles.”
“Grace should know where those are at.” Sage tickled my side.
“Now, you’re being a smart ass,” I whispered.
We heard our dads rummaging through some drawers and a few moments later, tiny flames came to life, setting the room in a light glow.
“See, this is what you’re supposed to use candles for,” Sage said.
“You’re never gonna let me live that down are you?” I slugged him in the arm.
“Hey, you might want to be careful, last time you tried to get violent with me and there were lit candles around you started a fire.”
His eyes twinkled and I had all I could do not to throw myself at him. But with our parents right across the room, it might not be a good idea. Besides, I didn’t think I’d be able to survive the rejection.
Dad went to the closet and grabbed a couple of flashlights. He handed one to me and Sage then one to Rochelle and Caleb.
From above, I thought I heard a high-pitched squeak. I glanced around, but didn’t see anything.
“Are you looking for monsters?” Sage pulled me closer against him.
My hand rested on his chest. Beneath my palm, I felt the steady beat of his heart. “No, I thought there was something up there.”
“Wait, I get it, you’re trying to scare me,” he said.
My gaze slid to his lips. “N-no.”
“Mom, what is that?” Allie screeched, pointing toward the ceiling.
My eyes followed where she gestured. “It’s a bat.”
“Everyone get down,” Mr. Castle said. He and Dad rushed across the room. They went toward the garage, a second later they came back holding brooms and tennis rackets.
The black-winged creature swooped down into the living room.
“Oh God.” I covered my head with my hands. There’d been enough horror stories told throughout the years where those buggers got caught in people’s hair. I had no idea how true they were, but I didn’t want to find out.
“Lor, watch out for the lamp,” Mom yelled as she tugged a pillow up over her head.
Dad and Mr. Castle were swinging their weapons of choice around like maniacs.
“Did you get it?” Mr. Castle asked.
“No, it flew right past me.”
From the hallway, Chico let out a loud meow then launched himself into the living room. Great, my psycho cat was on the loose too. Our feline climbed on top of the back of the couch and when the bat dive-bombed us again, he leapt to catch it. Unfortunately, he missed it and ended up latching onto Dad’s chest instead.
“Ow, damn it, Chico, let go.” While my dad fought to get the cat off him, Mr. Castle swung his broom around, clocking Dad right in the head.
Dad and Chico went tumbling over the back of the couch, landing on Mom.
“Sorry, Lor,” Mr. Castle said.
“It’s fine.” He climbed back to his feet. “You kids just take cover.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I jerked my blanket up over mine and Sage’s heads. I listened to our dads running down the hall, then the thumping of the racket and broom on the walls.
“Do you think they’ll actually get it?” Sage grinned at me.
“No. It’ll likely be Chico.”
Right then we saw the shadow of the bat swoop toward us through the blanket. I yelped and Sage tugged me closer, wrapping both arms around me so I was pressed right against his body. He rolled to the side so that he was practically on top of me, shielding me. His bare legs, tangled with mine. My fingers quaked as I gripped tight to him.
“Don’t be scared, Grace. I won’t let the bat get in your hair.”
“I’m not scared,” I whispered. My trembling was caused by something else. By his nearness. The way he held me. Butterflies took to flight in my stomach. “Sage?”
He buried his face in the crook of my neck. For a second, I thought I felt his lips brush against my skin. I went still. But realized I’d probably imagined it. He lifted his face, so his cheek rested against mine.
“What is it, Grace?”
“I-I wanted to tell you something,” I said. Okay, I could do this. I could tell him how I felt. “I—”
“Got it!” Mr. Castle yelled. “You can all come out now. We’ve trapped the bat and are going to put it outside.”
Sage rolled off me, taking the blanket with him. Damn. The moment was broken. We watched our parents escort the tiny winged animal out the door. Everyone did a quick sweep of the house to make sure there were no other wild beasts lurking, and when it was determined we were all safe, we went to bed. For hours after, I laid in bed imagining how the night could’ve went, if only I’d had a few more minutes under the blanket with Sage.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Step #10: Tell him how you feel/apologize
With one last glance in the mirror, I smoothed down my blue tank top and adjusted my jean shorts then followed Sage, Ben, and Allie outside. We made our way down the beach to Logan and Lila’s. I so wasn’t looking forward to tonight. But it was better than playing twister with Caleb and Rochelle.
When we rounded the bend, I gasped. Their house was huge. I wasn’t talking farmhouse big, I was talking rich people big. The gray Victorian home had turrets with lots of windows that reached for the sky. There were three floors of decks, which surrounded the whole back of the house, each with a brilliant view of Lake Michigan.
A bonfire blazed down on the beach, where there were logs and chairs set up around it. Lots of strangers milled about, holding plastic cups. Girls decked out in summer dresses and perfect tans, guy
s who looked like they belonged on the rugby field. I instantly felt out of place. I’d been to parties like this before. Pretty soon, someone would break out the liquor and everyone would act like idiots.
Michelle and Rori had thrown enough bashes like this.
Lila bounded down the stairs from the deck. Her dark hair hung down the middle of her back, the red summer dress she wore clung to her like saran wrap. She clutched hold of Sage’s arm. She was beautiful. Next to her, I looked like a pile of pond scum.
“Good, you made it,” she said. “You’ve got to come see my birthday cake. It’s perfect.”
We followed her up onto the lower deck where the food tables were set out. There, in the center of the largest one, was a cake in the shape of a giant purse, with candy jewelry tipping out of it.
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Allie said.
“I know, right. My parents actually got it right this year.” She smiled.
Down below, I watched some guys goofing off, shoving ice down a couple girls’ shirts or dresses.
“Sage, you have to come meet all my friends. They’ve been dying to see the guy I’ve been talking about all summer.” She dragged him away from us.
Logan dumped a few used plates in a trashcan. When he noticed me, he gave a quick wave, and I waved back.
I swiped a cup of pop from the table and leaned against the railing.
“I feel like I don’t belong here,” Allie said from beside me. “It’s like we’ve been dumped into the middle of some rich kid reality show.”
“No kidding. Maybe we can sneak off when no one’s looking.”
“And leave my brother by himself? In case you didn’t notice, he’s been taken hostage. Speaking of my big bro, you never did tell me how your day trip went the other day.”
“It went good. We actually had real conversations. It was like we’d never been apart.”
“So do you think he likes you again?” Benji swung an arm around Allie’s shoulder.
“I have no idea. It’s like I’m always getting mixed messages.” I scuffed my foot against the wooden floorboards.
“You could just ask him.” Benji glanced at me.
“Right, too bad I don’t have a ‘Do you like me, check yes or no’ app on my phone.” I rolled my eyes.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea. You could text him. Tell him to meet you at the lake in five minutes, clothing optional.” Allie waggled her brows at me.
“You two are definitely a match made in heaven.” I laughed.
Just then, music blared to life as the live DJ got his equipment up and running. “All right everyone, we’re here to celebrate Lila’s eighteenth birthday. And we’re gonna start it off with a request for her favorite song … ” he said into a microphone.
A hip-hop song echoed through the night.
“Come on, let’s go dance.” Allie grabbed Benji’s arm and led him down to where other teens were already gyrating and thrashing around.
I walked around the crowd of people, staying on the outskirts. Sometimes it was easier to be an observer. It was nice to see Allie and Benji together. They seemed to have a lot of fun. They reminded me of Sage and I when we first started dating.
After a while, the pounding of the bass made my head throb. I really wanted to leave, but didn’t want Sage to think I was being rude to Lila.
A guy bumped into me. “Hey, sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.” I smiled.
“I’m Todd, one of Logan’s roommates. Are you one of his sister’s friends?”
“I’m Grace and not exactly here for his sister.”
“Grace? As in the girl who went hiking with Logan?”
I laughed. “Yeah, one and the same.”
“Nice to finally meet you. Logan’s told me a lot about you.”
My face warmed. “Thanks, nice to meet you too.”
My gaze shifted across the bonfire. A stabbing pain shot through my chest. There, through the flames, I saw Sage and Lila kissing. Every dream I had of getting back together, shattered in that moment. It was like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. The world seemed to shift under me. Devastated, I wanted nothing more than to run down the beach and up to my room. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Keep it together. You can’t cry. Not here. Not now.
“Excuse me,” I said to Todd. “I think I’m gonna go get another pop.”
“See you around.”
I turned to go and ran right into Logan.
“Hey.” He caught my arm.
“Hey back, um, can I use your bathroom?”
“Sure, come with me.” He grabbed my hand and led me up to the deck and through a pair of glass French doors.
When I entered the living room, my eyes about bulged out of my head. Hardwood floors were covered with expensive rugs. A mammoth stone fireplace sat in the corner of the room, surrounded by leather furniture. A painting of a ship, the size of a small car, hung above the mantel. Magenta walls were trimmed in cherry wood.
It was like I’d stepped into one of those luxury house magazines. We continued into the house and down a hallway.
“Here you are. The bathroom, milady.” He gave a mock bow.
“Thanks.”
I went inside and locked the door behind me. The tub was nearly as big as a flipping pool. I half expected the toilet to have a gold seat, but lucky for me it didn’t. I stood there for a few minutes, my head buried in my hands. This was what I’d been trying to avoid. The pain. The hurt. Okay, just get through the party. Then you can go home.
Once I used the bathroom, I washed my hands and wiped my face off, hoping no one would be able to tell I’d been crying.
When I finished, I found Logan waiting for me. “You don’t look like you’re having much fun.”
“Sorry, but to be honest, I’m not big into the party scene.”
“Me neither. I got over it in high school.” He ran a hand through his blond hair.
“So why are you here?”
“My dad wanted me to help keep an eye on things.”
“Are your parents even here?”
“Yeah, he and Mom are up on their deck watching things to make sure they don’t get out of hand.”
“Oh, I met Todd downstairs. He seems nice,” I said, trailing after him.
“He’s cool. We got put in the same dorm room freshmen year and have been friends ever since.” Logan reached for my hand once more.
His skin was warm against mine. And in a way, kind of comforting. “So are you going to head back out to the bonfire?”
“Actually, if you want, we could shoot some hoops out front. I know you’d said you like basketball.”
I smiled. “I’d like that.”
Two hoops were set up in the driveway. Logan went to a shed beside the house and pulled out a basketball. This was more like it. I kicked off my flip-flops and he did the same.
He tossed the ball to me and I dribbled it in and did an easy layup. He rebounded then took it back to the free throw line and shot. It went in and he got it again.
“Hey, pass it here,” I said. I dribbled it between my legs then put it up from around the three-point zone. Swish. It went in.
“Dang girl, you got game.” He grinned.
“Sometimes. Let’s see what you got,” I teased. “How about a friendly game of horse?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve played that since I was like fourteen.”
“Are you chicken?”
“No. Let’s do this.”
We took turns making crazy shots. It was fun. And nice not to think about anything other than putting the ball in the net. That’s why I loved soccer and basketball so much. It was a way to forget everything. To push myself. It was the one place where I truly felt at home.
A car pulled in the driveway—its headlights pierced the darkness, nearly blinding me.
Logan frowned, his hand catching my arm. “Grace, go on in the house.”
“Wait, what’s going on?”
All of a sudden a guy hopped out, the engine still running and the door wide open.
“Logan Meyers—how come you didn’t invite me to your par-tay.” The bulky guy staggered toward us.
“You’re not allowed on our property, Brent. Get out of here.” Logan tensed, his eyes narrowed. He released my arm and moved forward.
“Quit being a pussy. Some stupid piece of paper from the court doesn’t mean shit to me.”
“Brent, I’m not fucking playing.”
The other guy chuckled. “Are you showing off for her? Hey, pretty girl, you’ve got nice titties. Have you let Logan touch ’em yet? I bet you have.” He moved toward me.
“Dude, I think you’re drunk,” I said, taking a step back. What the hell was this guy’s problem?
“I’m not drunk. I just had a few beers.” He held up five fingers. “Why don’t you come here and give me a kiss?” He stumbled closer.
“How about no,” I said.
“Back the hell off, Brent.”
“Or what? You’ll call your daddy? I’m sure he’ll bail you out of trouble again.”
“Grace, please go inside. Now.”
“Logan, I don’t want to leave you alone out here.”
“Aww, isn’t that sweet. How is it you’ll give him the time of day but not me? It’s because of his money, isn’t it? Or maybe you just like to get a piece of ass.”
“That’s it.” Logan shoved him.
Brent took a swing at him and missed. Instead, he fell to the ground and busted up laughing. After a minute, he pushed to his feet again. “Logey wants to fight. Got something to prove? So do I. Bet your girlfriend would like some of this.” He grabbed his crotch and shook it at me.
Next thing I knew, he barreled toward me and slammed me to the cement. Pain shot up my arm and shoulder as I hit the pavement. Logan ripped him off of me, but before he could do anything, Sage launched from the shadows, tackling Brent. I’d never seen him like this before. He proceeded to punch the crap out of the drunk guy.
“You want to try that again, you asshole?” Sage shouted, driving his fist into his face.
“Sage, stop.” I climbed to my knees and grabbed hold of his T-shirt.
Brent howled, then slugged Sage in the face.
How to Unbreakup Page 14