The boy sure had some awesome kissing moves. He moved down my neck and sucked hard.
“Oh wow,” I whispered. A zip of something warm shot up my legs. When one of his hands went under my shirt and landed above my stomach and squeezed, I moved my head away and pressed my palms against his chest.
I took in deep breaths. My heart pounded. This was happening too fast.
Dylan leaned down to give me another kiss, but I twisted my head to the side. He kissed my cheek instead.
“I think we need to take a break. I’m not used to this.”
He didn’t look upset or angry. He moved a piece of hair away from my cheek and rubbed his thumb over my skin.
Another tingle traveled through my body.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just…I wish we could be alone. There’s so much we can do together that would feel nice. We could always go up to my bedroom where we wouldn’t be disturbed.”
I wiped the side of my mouth with a finger and laughed nervously. “That’s a pretty slick line you got there.”
He chuckled and gathered me in close again. We stayed like that for a while, and when he began kissing my neck and moved toward my mouth again, I sidestepped before I gave into the temptation and took him near the trees again to continue.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He linked his fingers with mine.
“Come on, let’s go back to the party.”
He draped his arm around my shoulders, and we walked slowly toward the house. “You still owe me a date.”
“Really? What’s this, then?” I asked.
“This doesn’t count. I want dinner.”
We had just reached the top of the driveway when he leaned down to whisper something in my ear. I didn’t hear him. My attention focused on the new car among the others parked. It was the green compact car I knew so well because it was always parked across from my house. Pete had arrived. He must have borrowed his dad’s car.
I moved out from under Dylan’s arm. “Pete’s here. Let me introduce you to him.”
He reached behind my neck and gave me another tongue-smacking kiss that made me dizzy. He released me and gave me a proud smile. His eyes focused on my mouth and then down my chest.
“Why—”
The sound of glass breaking and people shouting made us both pause. After a beat, we rushed into the backyard.
The music was still blasting, this time with more of a techno beat. All conversation had stopped. As Dylan and I came around from the front, a small crowd had formed in a circle near the patio.
Anthony lay on the ground, blood running down his chin. Toby held back Conner, who let out loud curses and struggled in his hold. Pete stood there, clenching his fists and breathing hard. He had a new cut under his eye that had turned black and blue.
Shocked, I started for Pete, but Dylan wouldn’t release me.
“What the hell happened here?” he asked and scanned the area.
Conner shoved Toby and rushed at Pete. A few other guys circled and blocked him.
“That asshole threw Anthony to the ground and punched him in the face for no reason.”
“That’s bullshit, Conner, and you know it!” Pete pointed a finger at him. His face was filled with angry disgust.
Dylan pushed his way to the middle and knelt down near a groaning Anthony. Next to him lay a flask. Dylan lifted it and sniffed.
“I don’t care what happened. Get this drunk loser out of my sight.” He waved at Pete. “You need to leave before you cause more problems.”
I touched his arm. “But, Dylan, it’s not—”
“No, Wendy. Everything was fine until this troublemaker arrived.”
Many heads nodded in agreement. Pete wiped his mouth with his arm and blood came away. No one went over to him to see if he was okay.
As Toby and another one of his friends lifted Anthony up and dragged him around front, the music grew louder and everyone started talking again.
Pete stomped past without a word.
“Pete, where—?”
Dylan grabbed my arm when I started following Pete. “Let him go. The guy’s got issues.”
I pulled away from him, holding back my temper. “He doesn’t have issues. I need to see if he’s okay since no one else has.”
Dylan latched onto me again. Pam came over before I could freak out. “Wendy, Anthony said something to Pete, and Pete lost it. He threw Anthony to the ground and punched him in the face. He’s such an angry freak.”
I jiggled my leg in frustration. “I’m going to get the rest of the story and see if Pete’s all right. Don’t stop me or follow me,” I snapped, and tearing my arm away from Dylan, I marched away.
I found Pete off to the side, watching Toby put Anthony in the backseat of a car. Two other guys got in and drove away while Toby gave Pete a nasty glare. He whispered the word, dickhead and gave Pete the finger as he passed by.
I went up to him and laid my palm on his shoulder, but he knocked it away and stomped over to his car.
I bolted in front of him. “Explain what happened.”
He dropped his hand away from his face. His lip was split and bleeding.
“Oh, Pete.” I lifted my hand to his face.
He batted me away. “Go back to your party and…to him,” he snarled and stepped around me.
“What the fu—?”
He growled, or what I think was a growl, and gripped me by the arms and shook me. “Why can’t you leave me alone?” A tear slipped from his eye.
He barely cried. This frightened me.
“Oh no.” I pressed my palm against his cheek.
“I h-have…to get out of here.”
I wrapped him in my arms. “Sshhh…let me get my bag and we can go wherever you want. To talk.”
“Can we go to the lake?” he whispered against my shoulder.
“Sure, whatever you want. Everything will be okay.” I lifted his head up. His eyes were glassy. “Go start your car. I’m gonna go grab my bag and we can leave.”
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, nodded, and got into his car.
I rushed into the foyer and into the kitchen where I’d left my bag hidden in one of the cabinets underneath the sink. As I turned to hurry outside, Pam blocked my way.
“You’re not running off with that loser. I won’t allow you to,” she said.
“I don’t care what you want. Pete’s hurting, and I need to take care of him.” I ran toward the front of the house. Pam came up behind me and grasped the back of my shirt. I stopped, not wanting it to rip, and turned to face her. “What is your problem?” I yelled.
“This is social suicide. If you leave with him, you’ll become a social outcast. I know you don’t give a shit about other people’s opinions, but you need to stop and think for a minute.” She grabbed my hands and squeezed them. “How will Dylan feel if you leave him like this? He’s already considered to be one of the most popular guys in our class, if not the entire school. Everyone already thinks you two have something going on. You’ll make him look stupid. Pete’s a big boy who can take care of himself. He doesn’t need you to save him.”
I inhaled and dug my fingers into my palms to stop from screaming. “Pete will think I’m choosing—”
Dylan came out from the kitchen. He didn’t appear happy. “Sorry to interrupt but, Pam, you should come outside and talk to Toby. He’s chugging beers and snarling at anyone who comes near him.”
She cursed and rubbed her forehead. “Okay.” She gave my hands another squeeze. “I’m going to take care of my drunk boyfriend, and then you and I are going to talk.”
She hurried past Dylan and he stepped forward. The way he stared at me was really intense—much like he did when we kissed underneath the tree.
He brushed back a piece of my hair sticking to my cheek. “Why don’t we go up to my room where you can relax? You’re upset. I want you to stay here with me so I can take care of you. Don’t leave with him. Stay here with me.”
&n
bsp; I shook my head no and started to move away, but his arm curved around my waist. He ran his knuckles over my cheek.
“Why are you doing this?” My breath clogged in my throat, and my heart raced.
“I want to stop you from making the wrong decision. Maybe I need you more than him.” His face was blank, but his eyes were dark and bitter.
A scuffing sound came behind me, and before I could turn to see what it was, Dylan cupped my butt and hauled me up against him.
Pete called out my name. I thrust Dylan away and twisted around. The tears in Pete’s eyes were more noticeable, and his face was red.
“I-I….” I was at a loss for words.
“Don’t bother to explain,” Pete snapped. An ugly expression crossed his face.
I wasn’t sure it was directed at me or at Dylan, whose hands rested on my shoulders. I jerked away from him and hurried toward Pete, but he held up his hands to ward me off. That was the first time he’d ever done such a thing to me. His arms shook, and a sound I couldn’t describe came from his mouth. I felt paralyzed. I should have run to him and begged him to forgive me. But I could only stand there, watching him as if he was some wounded animal that would attack if I moved any closer.
It seemed like Pete might say something else, but then he backed away and rushed outside.
“Pete!” I ran after him, but by the time I got to where he had parked his car, it was no longer there. He drove away without me.
Panic settled in my stomach and I dropped my face in my hands. Tonight had been surreal. Someone touched my shoulder
“Leave me alone!” I shoved them away.
“Wendy, come inside. I promise I’ll behave.”
I lifted my face up to the darkened sky and a yell built up on my throat. Counting to the number five, I turned to Dylan, who had guilt written all over his face. I think he did it for my benefit.
“You did that on purpose, knowing Pete was watching. Why? So I wouldn’t leave with him? Was it your point to make me look bad in his eyes? For him to hate me?” My voice shook. If I’d been a violent person, I would’ve slapped him across the face.
“I play to win. He doesn’t deserve you.” He slipped his hands into his shorts’ pockets and lifted his chin, giving me a satisfied stare.
“Deserve me? What the hell are you talking about? Is this some sick game to you? I’m not some prize for you to win.” I blinked away tears of frustration and fisted my fingers into my hair.
“The moment we kissed, all bets were off.”
My jaw dropped, and a loud ringing filled my ears. For once in my life, I was dumbfounded.
Pam and Susie walked out the front door, stopping when they noticed me and Dylan. Behind them was Susie’s boyfriend, Carl, who held a smashed Toby upright.
“I have to get Toby home. He almost punched another guy and started ranting about stupid shit that didn’t make any sense. I think we’re pretty much done for the night,” Pam said to me. “You can hitch a ride with us, unless you want to stay—”
“I’m done. I want to go home.” And see Pete and beg him not to hate me.
Dylan came over to us with an easygoing smile. “I can drive Wendy home—”
“No!” I shouted, and everyone, including Toby, gave me confused stares. I squeezed Pam’s arm, silently pleading for her to help me.
She seemed to know something weird was going on. She nodded and actually pushed Dylan aside when he grabbed for me. “I think we all had enough excitement for one night,” she said to him. “Maybe when Toby’s feeling better tomorrow, we can come over and help you clean up.”
Dylan hugged his arms across his chest. “Sounds like a plan.” He went over to Toby, and with some help from Carl, put him in the car.
I chewed on a thumbnail, a nervous wreck as horrible thoughts about Pete rushed through my head. I hoped he would be at home so we could talk. If not….
“Wendy, you look like you’re going to puke. How much did you have to drink?” she asked.
“I only had soda.” I rubbed my forehead, and my stomach churned. “I’m not feeling well either. I just want to go home and sleep.”
“You should stay over at my house. If your parents see you like this, they’re going to think you drank something else besides soda. They might flip out.”
“No, I’m going to find Pe—”
“Wendy.” She took my hand away from my face. “It’s late. There’s nothing you can do about Pete now. He’s probably blowing off steam somewhere. It’s what guys do. Trust me on this.” The smile she gave me seemed sad, and I couldn’t understand why.
“Girls, I’m ready when you are.” Carl got into the driver’s seat. Susie sat in the front, and an almost passed-out Toby was in the back.
“You both should go and take care of my boy. I would, but I’m the host and have to make sure no one causes any more problems,” Dylan said.
I swallowed a rude remark. Minutes before, he was offering me a ride home.
“Let’s go.” I followed Pam, and we jumped in the backseat.
Dylan came over to my side of the car, and before he could speak, I rolled up the window. He didn’t knock on the window or try to grab my attention. Carl started the car, and we drove away. Pam held Toby to her, whispering to him.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. Dylan stood on the front steps. His arms lay at his side and he clenched his fists, appearing furious.
We would most definitely see each other again. Everything that had occurred tonight between us and Pete’s reaction, including my own stupid one, would haunt me for a very long time.
Whatever was going on between me and Dylan was far from over.
Chapter Eleven
Carl offered to drive me and Pam to her house first. His plan was then to bring Toby to his house and have him spend the night since his parents were out of town. I was surprised she didn’t offer to care for Toby. She was more concerned about convincing me to stay with her. Since I had a raging headache and wanted to shut her up, I caved. When we got to Pam’s house, she made a big show of hugging Toby and speaking to him in this annoying baby-type talk, promising she would see him tomorrow. The way she acted seemed fake to me, but then again, my mind was total slush.
Her parents were already in bed, and they didn’t come down to see what was going on. I then called my own house. Thankfully, Dad answered, and when I asked if I could sleep over at Pam’s, he gave his permission without any argument. I expected him to say no. Part of me hoped he would, but I didn’t think Pam would accept that explanation. Before we went to sleep, she gave me the riot act about rejecting Dylan, even though I tried explaining the shady move he pulled and how Pete witnessed it all. She just rolled her eyes and said I should be lucky to have two guys interested in me. We started arguing, and I snapped at her. She called me selfish and ran into her bathroom. She was in there a long time, but before I could see if she was okay, she came out with her face washed and ready for bed. She told me to sleep in the guest bedroom and slammed her bedroom door in my face.
I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet, trying not to cry. Pam’s attitude really sucked lately, and she acted, I don’t know, jealous of me. But why should she? She had a great guy who adored her, even though he had occasions of stupidity, which had been shown perfectly at Dylan’s party.
I barely slept at all. My stomach was in knots, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Pete. What if he thought I stayed with Dylan and went up to his room to make out or did something more? If I were in his shoes, I would think the same thing. That’s why I had to see him as soon as possible before he heard rumors of Dylan and I hooking up.
The second the sun rose, I got up. I didn’t wake Pam to tell her I was leaving. I wasn’t in the mood to fight with her more, and there was no way in hell I was going back with her to Dylan’s to help clean up his post-party mess.
Mom and Dad weren’t home. I found a note that they went to church and were running errands. I sighed in relief. After taking a quick shower
and changing clothes, I went out again on a mission to find Pete.
His father’s car wasn’t in his driveway. Instead of ringing his bell and doing the normal thing and asking if Pete was home, I threw some stones at his bedroom window. He didn’t answer. I snuck a peek in his backyard. He wasn’t there either.
There weren’t many places he would hide. If he wanted to hang out, he’d do it with me. We would take out our bikes or head to the park or the lake—
Aha! How could I forget? He had mentioned about us going to the lake last night.
Grabbing my bike, I pedaled down the street. The lake was less than a ten-minute ride from my house.
When we were younger, we always went to the lake, but not so much as we grew older. For some reason, he preferred the park. When I asked him why, he said his father no longer wanted to go fishing with him or take the boat out on the water. I think that’s when their relationship started to suffer.
The parking lot was practically empty, although there were some people in boats on the water and a few joggers on the path circling the lake. I got off my bike and approached the Preiss’ boathouse. A green sedan was parked near the building. Pete sat on the hood, eating a donut.
I leaned my bike against the car and stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something.
“I can’t escape you.” He sounded tired, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
“Nope. I know where all your hideouts are,” I said cheerfully, and slid my hands into the back of my jean pockets to stop from fluffing his hair.
“Wearing more clothes today, huh?” He tore off a piece of his powdered donut and chewed loudly.
I dropped my arms to my sides and examined my shirt. It was a typical T-shirt of mine, a dark maroon. I also wore my favorite black jeans. Today was much cooler than yesterday.
“Did you expect me to wear a bikini or a miniskirt while I rode all over town searching for you?” I asked, my voice growing higher.
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