Until now.
I flashed Raya my brightest smile. “Thanks for letting me know, I’ll be sure to dress up real nice.”
“Oh, hell no, that wasn’t an invitation, bitch.”
Twisting the combination on my locker door, I brushed past her, deliberately bumping her with my shoulder. “Oh, it wasn’t? Sounded like one.” I peered back at her, shooting her a wink. “See you there.”
Damn, she was mad. Her face was as red as her big fake fingernails.
Twenty-Seven
Riley
Standing in front of the narrow, full-length mirror on the back of my bedroom door, I ran my hands down the front of the short, black, form-fitting dress, nervously smoothing out invisible creases. I’d curled my dirty blonde hair in tousled waves that hung well below my shoulders now. I rarely wore a lot of make-up, but I’d spent over an hour contouring and highlighting, creating a smokey eye with thick, winged liner, after watching about four hundred YouTube video tutorials. I wasn’t a natural, far from it, but the result wasn’t too bad. I looked like an older, edgier version of myself.
I also looked like someone who was about to wimp out.
Three messages and one call from Liss sat unanswered. I’d made a knee jerk decision, because of my confrontation with Raya earlier today, which I highly regretted now. Pulling my eyes from my reflection, I snatched my phone off the bed, grimacing as I read Liss' most recent text.
Liss: On my way. Don’t even THINK about bailing. I’ll hunt you down and haul your ass there over my shoulder...
Awesome. Apparently, my rash decisions didn’t come with a cooling-off period. Sinking down onto the edge of the mattress, I bounced the phone against my bare thigh, nervous energy coursing through me.
I rode to and from school with Liss most days. My mom had agreed to let me use her car on the days she didn’t need it, but I held a very real, and not altogether irrational, fear that I might hit some unsuspecting pedestrian and kill them, so I rarely took her up on that offer. During the ride home this afternoon, I’d regaled Liss with the details of my encounter with Raya. She’d exploded into an expletive-laden rant, which culminated in her declaration to attend the party with me as the uninvited plus one to my uninvited self. Suffice to say, I’d spent the rest of the afternoon lamenting my poor choices and regretting opening my big fat mouth. A horn honked, and I groaned, debating ignoring it. Ten seconds later, it honked again.
“Jeeeeeez Louise.” I dragged my butt up and stepped through my bedroom doorway.
Grabbing a small purse and stuffing my phone inside, the horn honked once more, the sound obnoxiously louder and more prolonged.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, you dragon,” I muttered under my breath, eyes scanning the room as I carried out an extended mental checklist. Considering all I needed was myself, my phone, and my keys, all of which I had in my possession, some might say I was stalling. My best friend, it seemed, fell into that category.
Her honk dragged on as if she’d hopped up and sat on the damn thing. Yanking the door open, I shoved my head around it and squinted my eyes at her. “Really?”
She grinned, shrugging her shoulders with a chuckle before holding both hands up in a protestation of faux innocence. “What? My hand slipped.”
I rolled my eyes, slamming the door closed behind me before locking up.
“Man, you’re impatient,” I huffed as I slumped inelegantly into the passenger seat.
“I’ll work on that,” she assured me, winking a perfectly made-up eye in my direction. I fought back a smile. “You wanted to back out.”
It wasn’t a question. I didn’t answer it. Instead, I inhaled a long, calming breath, gently shaking my head and repeating the phrase don’t kill best friend, over and over.
Liss pulled over just in front of the square patch of grass that ran parallel to the narrow pathway leading to Leon’s detached clapboard house. It took me less than a second to spot Raya and her gaggle of groupies standing on the front porch, directly in front of the door, as if they'd taken it upon themselves to act as event security.
“Ten bucks says they don’t accept our fake IDs,” Liss quipped.
A curt laugh slipped past my lips as I unbuckled. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
Four hostile sets of eyes fell on us as we advanced up the pathway. To say their looks were scathing would have been kind.
“Oh look,” Liss droned, sarcasm dripping from her words, “our very own welcoming committee. You shouldn’t have.”
Raya took a step forward, planting a hand on either side of the wooden handrail that lined each side of the steps to the porch, barring our way. Her eyes ran a slow path up and down my body.
“Thought you said you were going to dress up nice? What happened?” She sniggered.
I tilted my head. “I know, I know, I must have missed the memo, no one told me the dress code was show up naked... or is that just you?” I hiked a brow, mirroring her contemptuous appraisal. My eyes skimmed over the barely-there skirt that failed to cover her underwear, and the scrap of material she wore across her chest that concealed her nipples, but that was it. There was enough under-boob on display to earn her a citation for indecent exposure.
Her eye twitched, chin jutting out. “You fucking wish you could pull off this look.”
“What look’s that, then... sex worker chic?”
I could see the vein in her forehead bulging before she spat, “You really are desperate. Showing up to a party nobody wants you at. It’s beyond embarrassing.” The mean girls behind her tittered, speaking out in agreement. When I began my ascent up the steps, Raya shook her head. “When will you get it through your thick skull? My man has no interest in your scrawny ass.”
Liss brushed past me, moving until she reached the top step, forcing Raya to arch backward as she got in her face. “Speaking of asses, did you bust an implant when Reno threw you on yours the other day? Because your backside is looking a little,” her head tilted, peering around Raya's side, “... uneven.” She ended in a mock whisper, grimacing with an exaggerated wince.
“Fuck you, Lissa. Nobody asked for your opinion.” Ashley’s screechy voice entered the fray.
“Well, it’s lucky I’m happy to provide my advice unsolicited then, isn’t it? Because none of you yes men would tell her she looks like someone stuck a pin in one of her blow-up ass cheeks. Or how mortified she should be rocking up in this ensemble... I wear more than this in the shower.”
When Raya would have opened her duck lips to defend her wardrobe choices or toss around more insults, I stuck my hand up. “Save it, this is boring. Just kindly back the hell up and have your guard dogs stand down. We will gladly stay away from you for the rest of the evening. With the way you’re dressed, I don’t know if you were planning on staying out here all night to solicit sex from passing cars or what, but we,” I wagged a finger between Liss and I, “came to party. So, shift your wonky ass.”
“You little—”
“Raya... move. Last I checked, this is my place and I decide who gets in.” Leon’s deep voice resonated as he emerged through the door onto the porch.
Raya remained unmoving for a beat before she exhaled harshly through her nose, nostrils flaring as she reluctantly released her grip and moved aside just enough for us to squeeze past her. When she shifted a foot forward slightly as if to trip me, I pulled up short and stepped over it, raising my head on the way by and throwing her a condescending stare. “Grow up.”
An hour later, I wondered if Reno had even bothered to attend his own birthday party since I’d yet to catch sight of him. His birthday wasn’t until tomorrow, but Leon’s mom and step-dad were out of town at some work fundraiser in the city tonight, leaving the house empty for what was not the small gathering I’d expected.
Leon had regarded me with an unreadable expression as I’d strode past him into the house earlier.
“Surprised to see me?” I’d asked, injecting a little sass into my tone to cover my hurt at the
deliberate exclusion. They’d drawn sides without my knowledge or consent, and Leon hadn’t landed on mine. I was glad of that, I truly was. Reno needed him much more than I did, but still, the entire situation saddened me. He’d shrugged those big shoulders nonchalantly, hands planted in his pockets, like it was all a non-issue. But his normally bright blue eyes were dull, sad, and he’d answered softly with a short no before disappearing into the crowd.
“Hey, I’m gonna go get a refill,” I said to Liss, who was chatting with a girl named Sara. Sara was Jason’s step-sister. Well, kind of. Their parents were together, and Sara and her mom relocated from Florida to move into Jason’s dad’s place last summer. She and Liss shared calc.
Sara seemed like a genuinely decent person: pretty, quiet, non-bitchy. I’d been dipping in and out of their conversation about college, stumbling over my answer when she’d asked where I was going. I’d applied to a couple of places. I’d also applied for financial aid and a scholarship, which wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. I achieved good grades, had selected AP classes and maintained a solid GPA throughout high school. I’d done everything, fully intending to go, but that was before.
Now, I just couldn’t imagine leaving home to attend school. I was toying with the idea of attending community college for the next couple of years. Then I could consider my options again. With graduation creeping ever closer, the prospect of leaving my mom, and Reno, to go to school didn’t sit well with me. Besides, I still had no inkling of what I wanted to do. Everything felt so up in the air, my life on pause while I lingered in limbo, waiting for things to level out, waiting for things that may never happen.
“You want anything?” I asked, casting aside the bleak thoughts. They both declined.
Refilled cup in hand, I meandered through the kitchen and into the rear yard. It wasn’t a huge space, but it overflowed with Claremont students. Worming my way through several clusters of bodies, I quietly walked around the corner of the house, heading for the small wooden bench I knew I’d find by the side fencing in a quiet corner set away from the main part of the back yard. There wasn’t a lot of light, so when I looked up and spotted a dark figure leaning back on the bench, I had to bite back a shriek, my steps faltering. I quickly established who it was.
I’d found the elusive birthday boy.
As I coaxed my heartbeat back to a normal rhythm, I made my way to Reno. Hooded eyes watched my approach, but he didn’t move a muscle. I halted a few feet in front of him, feeling strangely awkward at not being able to anticipate how he would react. It was disconcerting. Agitated, I squeezed the sides of the plastic cup too hard and felt cool liquid trickle over my hand. Switching the cup to my dry hand, I stretched out my sticky fingers in a bid to relax them, to relax me, before shaking them out at my side to remove the moisture.
Glancing up from my task, I felt the heat from Reno’s gaze as it raked over me, and catalogued the subtle changes in his demeanour as he took in my appearance. I noticed the way his fingertips pressed into his thighs before curling into fists. His throat bobbed as he swallowed and his breathing kicked up a fraction, his sculpted chest expanding, stretching out his tee. He might be hell bent on lying to me, but his body reacted whether he wanted it to or not. One fist expanded slowly, large fingers spreading and flexing against his dark jeans. It felt like an eternity passed before he spoke.
“Thought you weren’t invited,” he said, voice deep and husky, his shadowed eyes settling on my face.
“I’m crashing,” I offered.
He nodded, glancing away.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly, gathering the courage to slide down onto the bench, leaving a good chunk of space between us.
There was something unfamiliar about this Reno, this subdued, silent Reno, that I wasn’t sure how to handle. He looked the same as ever, same soulful eyes and angled face, same dark hair, longer on top and swept a little to the side, begging me to run my fingers through it. Same hard body packed with lean muscle. But he seemed fragile somehow, a quality I never would have associated with him before. Amongst all these people here to celebrate him, he’d found a corner all alone out here in the dark. I doubted his family was far from his thoughts. I doubted they ever left them.
Without looking at me, he said, “You should leave.”
The quiet request hung in the air between us. Placing the untouched beer on the ground by my feet, I planted both palms face down on the bench either side of my thighs, and pivoted until my body angled toward him, keeping half my face in shadow.
“That’s what you want?” I shivered as a chill that had nothing to do with the weather washed through me.
He said nothing, staring off to the side, but tension marked every part of his body. Glancing down, I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip and considered my options. He didn’t want me here, or maybe it was that he didn’t want to want me here. I shouldn’t have come. I’d known it all along. Inhaling a steadying breath through my nose, I swung my legs lightly back and forth, feet crossed at the ankles, and dragged the soles of my shoes over the loose gravel once, twice. Lifting a hand, I rubbed two fingers over my forehead and pressed my thumb into my temple to ease the building pressure.
It was so tempting to yell and shout, demand he quit pushing me away, that he let me in. But trying to force him had gotten me nowhere, less than nowhere, and looking over at his hunched form, I couldn’t bring myself to raise my voice. Leaning in without thinking, I brushed my lips against the side of his jaw, letting them linger a little too long as I savored the feel of his scruff against my skin. When I inhaled, his scent filled my nostrils. His body tensed, a low rumble sounding in his chest.
Pulling back reluctantly, I whispered, “Okay... I’ll go.”
I rose to my feet and took two steps before I stopped, my back to him, and said quietly, “Happy birthday tomorrow, Maddox.”
Then I walked away.
Twenty-Eight
Riley
A couple of hours after leaving the party, a muffled bang against the side of my trailer had me lifting my head from the books spread out over my grey patchwork bedspread, my brows dipping low. I tapped the screen on my phone, noting it was only eleven forty-five. Way too early for my mom. Tugging the pen from between my teeth, I pushed off the bed and headed for the door as it rattled with the force of several loud knocks. Lifting onto my tiptoes, I peered through the window. My breath caught in my throat and my pulse kicked into high gear when Reno's face came into view. Flicking the lock without pause, I pulled the door back.
“Hey,” I said.
Reno swayed a little, shifting to lean his weight against the side of the trailer as he focused his gaze on the toe of his shoe trailing a pattern in the dry mud, before kicking a lump of stone into the shadows. Silently resting my cheek against the edge of the door, I bit my lip as I waited, taking in the hard line of his jaw and sharp cut of his cheekbones outlined in the moonlight. My fingers ached with the need to trace them, to touch him.
Eventually, his head lifted, and slightly unfocused chocolate brown eyes met mine. A myriad of emotions—too many to decipher and each battling for precedence—swirled in their depths. Reno’s hand rose slowly, catching a swaying lock of my hair between his fingers and rubbing softly. His brows came together, eyes narrowing.
“Your hair looks nice,” he murmured, voice low, before his lids squeezed closed. He slumped a little farther against the aluminium exterior of the trailer, his face sloping closer to mine as his expression turned pained. “Why do you have to be so goddamn beautiful, Ri?”
He let out a groan, the sound a combination of frustration and desperation. The strands of my hair slipped from his grasp as his arm slumped heavily to his side. I swallowed roughly, not sure what to say. He twisted, pressing his forehead into the aluminium.
“Fuck, I miss you,” he said, voice anguished. He lifted his tortured gaze to mine. “I miss you. So fucking much, it hurts.”
His harsh declaration ignited a small flame inside
my chest, a tiny flicker of warmth that spread cautiously outward. I inched closer to him, bridging the distance between us until our faces were almost touching.
“I’m right here,” I whispered, my voice shaky.
Our gazes caught and held, his tormented.
“Then why do you feel so fucking far away?”
His words tore at my insides, stabbed at my heart. Twin tears rolled down my cheeks as my head swayed left to right. He straightened, hands reaching for me and cupping my face, even as his brow creased at the sight, like he’d had no intention of doing it.
“Do you have any fucking idea how hard it is to stay away from you?” His thumbs brushed across my cheeks, tracing over the trails of moisture that coated my skin.
“I never asked you to,” I said, my voice a choked breath. My heart thumped wildly against my rib cage at his touch, at the heated look in his eyes and the depth of emotion in his words. “I don’t want you to.”
He watched me for a few seconds, gaze running over every inch of my face, before his head lowered and his hands dropped from me. He took a step back.
“I have to.”
I stared at him, my breath frozen and my entire body trembling as I whispered, “Then why are you here?”
He reacted slowly. The fire building in his eyes wasn’t without conflict, his internal battle played out over his face. But his gaze dropped to my lips and his eyes hooded. We moved at the same time, fusing together like magnets as we gripped and held on tight. And then our lips collided. His large hands clutched the sides of my face, dragging me closer to him as his mouth fitted against mine. My fingers thrust into his hair, latching on and fastening him to me, knowing how tenuous the situation was, how real the possibility that he might pull away at any second. His palms left my face and slid down the column of my throat, skirting over my breasts and down my sides, until they grabbed my hips and pulled my body flush against his.
Untouchable: (Unstoppable - Book 1) (The Unstoppable Series) Page 14