Defying Gravity

by Kendra C. Highley

  Where the hell is Luke? “My hair isn’t purple, baby.”

  “Yes it is.” She pointed at the purple strobe in the ceiling. Ah, it must be shining down on him. “Did you call me baby?”

  “Yep.” He led her over to the exit, still searching for his brother. “Like it?”

  “Hmm.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Nope.”

  That would’ve shot a dart of ice straight through his chest if she hadn’t sounded so comically sure. “Okay, what should I call you?”

  “Buttercup, I think.” She nodded. “I like that.”

  “As you wish.”

  Her eyes lit up. “I love that you love my movies.”

  There was no way she’d remember this in the morning, so what the hell. “I love everything you love.”

  She nodded seriously. “Me, too.”

  He snorted. She really needed to get home before she did or said something she’d hate herself for. Or hate him for witnessing. But Luke wasn’t anywhere to be found.

  Fine. He’d leave Luke to fend for himself.

  P: Z sick. Taking the Jeep. Will come for you later.

  He bundled Zoey into her coat. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  As soon as they hit the frigid air outside, Zoey started shaking—full on, teeth-chattering, bone-rattling chills.

  “C-cold,” She blinked slowly, like she could hardly keep her eyes open. “Cold.”

  “I know you are, Buttercup. Just hold on.” He helped her into the Jeep, then ran around to get it started and blast the heater.

  She leaned against the headrest, trembling, eyes glassy. He hopped out and pulled the blanket out of Luke’s emergency gear. Once she was tucked in with all the heater vents pointed her way, he started for home, pissed that Luke hadn’t even answered his text.

  “I’m sick,” she whispered, still shaking.

  “You’ll be okay. We’re almost home.” He pulled his phone out of the center console and pressed it to his ear. “Hey, Brian? I’m on my way there with Zoey. She’s sick, and I’m not sure she’ll make it to the door on her own. Can you watch for us?”

  He didn’t ask any questions, merely saying, “Yes. I’m at the door.”

  “Good. We’re turning onto our street now.”

  Parker drove the Jeep straight into her driveway and came around to help her out the car. She stumbled. “Is it an earthquake?”

  He didn’t answer. Just scooped her up into his arms. No way she’d make it to the house on her own. Her head lolled against his chest. The front door was flung open and her dad hurried toward them. “Take her to the living room.”

  Parker set her down on the couch and her mom moved him aside to take off her boots. “I knew she was getting sick. I should’ve made her stay home.”

  “Bird flu,” Zoey said matter-of-factly, and it almost sounded coherent.

  Jen laughed. “It’s not bird flu, honey.”

  Parker went to the dads. “Will she be okay?”

  “Depends on what it is,” Brian said. “But I imagine she’ll be fine in a day or two. Good call on bringing her home.”

  “Yeah, she wasn’t making much sense.” Although, he hoped she meant some of the things she’d said. “I need to drive back up to the club to pick up Luke. I couldn’t find him, and he didn’t answer my texts, so I ditched him.”

  His dad nodded, looking perturbed. “Sounds like he had that coming. See you home in a bit.”

  Zoey lifted a heavy hand from the couch and waved. “Thanks for…knight…armor.”

  He gave her a small smile. “As you wish.”

  “Where did you two go?” Luke was standing on the sidewalk outside the club, looking livid. “I left to look for you, and they wouldn’t let me back in. I’ve been standing out here for twenty minutes.”

  Served him right. “Didn’t you see my text?”

  “I left my phone in the car, dumbass.”

  Oops. Okay, that was on Parker. “Zoey got sick. I took her home. Surely you can’t be pissed off about that?”

  “There are a great many things I can be pissed off about today.” Luke motioned for Parker to get out so he could drive.

  Parker didn’t budge. “Get in and air your grievances while I drive, asshat.”

  Someone on the street honked behind them, halting any argument Luke might have made. Grumbling, he yanked the passenger door open and climbed inside.

  Parker pulled away from the curb, waving at the impatient driver. “Let’s hear it, then.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Oh, so you’re going to grump at me that you have things to be pissed about, then clam up when I ask about them?” Parker’s hands clamped down on the steering wheel. “Nice, bro.”

  Luke sighed heavily. “What was going on with you and Zoey? She was all over you earlier.”

  Uh uh, no way. He wasn’t playing this game. “She was all over you, too.”

  “Not in the same way.” Luke pointed at him. “That’s why I left. You two didn’t look like you needed a third wheel, and you know I don’t like to lose, especially twice in one day.” He glared out the windshield. “Your turn, what’s going on with you and Zoey?

  “I’m not sure,” Parker said carefully. He didn’t know if the bet was over, if he’d won, no matter what Luke thought. He’d probably better keep it quiet. “She was kind of delirious.”

  “Huh.” Luke scratched the back of his head. “She did seem a little out of it.”

  Parker didn’t respond. He’d heard some of the things Luke said to her. He’d waited, just off the dance floor, for a chance to butt in. Luke had been pressing pretty hard, and Zoey had dodged all his advances.

  But she’d smelled Parker, and plastered her body against his. That wasn’t something a best friend did, high from fever or not. Had she decided Luke wasn’t the right Madison for her? She’d been spending less and less time around Luke the last few days…

  The air slowly left his lungs as the reality of what was happening sunk in. If anything that she said tonight was true, even just one thing, then he knew.

  Zoey was falling for him.

  He let out a soft laugh, and gravity seemed to fall away faster than it did at the apex of a big jump. Best. Day. Ever. Oh, he’d thought that when he won the competition, but if all this was falling into place with Zoey, then it was absolutely true.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Luke narrowed his eyes. “You look like you’ve been sucker punched.”

  “I have been, bro.” He turned onto their street, grinning away. “I totally have been.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Zoey

  Quiet voices hummed in the background and the world slowly turned gray. Zoey was lying still on something soft, and it smelled like home, of Dad’s cigars and coffee cake. It took a ton of effort to open her eyes, and even then she wanted to shut them again. “Mom?”

  A cool hand rested on her forehead. “Right here. I brought you some water.”

  Then Dad was there, too, helping her sit up on the living room couch. The water tasted so good, but Mom took it away before she was finished. “I want some more.”

  “You need to take it slow,” Mom said. She drew an infrared thermometer across Zoey’s forehead. “One-hundred-point-one. Better than the one-oh-three-point-six we saw when you made it home.”

  Zoey groaned and lay back down. One-oh-three? No wonder she felt so bad. “Time is it?”

  “After midnight. Think you can make it up the stairs to your bed?” Dad asked.

  She nodded and, between the three of them, she crept up to her room. The stairs warped under her feet, but not as badly as…wait. What all had happened? She remembered leaving for the club, and she was still in her skirt and black top. Everything else, though, was a blur. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something Parker had said…but what was it?

  Dad left and Mom helped her into pajamas and tucked her into bed like she had when Zoey was little. “Need anything?”

  “Some sleep, I think.” H
er bones had started to ache again, but the world had stopped spinning. “I’m tired.”

  Mom left, turning out all her lights except the little nightlight in the corner. Zoey snuggled down in bed, letting herself be thoroughly miserable for a minute. She hardly ever got sick, so she might as well give in while she sorted out what happened at the club. She remembered driving there. A guy being a jerk, and Luke chasing him away. The smell of Parker’s cologne. Had she smelled him? Zoey let out a shocked laugh. She couldn’t remember much more than flashes, and all of it was jumbled. Except…wait.

  Parker said he loved all the things she did.

  A hand flew to her mouth. They’d been flirting. Hadn’t they? Oh, boy. She only remembered little flashes, but a lot of it was her, in Parker’s arms, saying the most outlandish things. And she clearly remembered the hardness of his body, pressed against hers.

  Sweet baby Jesus. She’d totally come on to him. There couldn’t be any mystery as to how she felt about it, not with the way she’d hung all over him.

  And he hadn’t run.

  Zoey flopped onto her back, wincing when her arms and legs protested. How was she going to handle this? Should she come out and tell him, when she was finally well enough for company? This wasn’t the kind of thing you texted to someone, so she’d have to wait until she saw him in person, and make sure he knew it wasn’t just the fever talking, but how she really felt.

  What if her addled brain hadn’t remembered everything right, though? What if he was humoring her and thought she was simply delirious and being silly?

  Only one way to find out: she had to ask him.

  Her stomach twisted at the thought. Or maybe it was the flu…she wasn’t sure, and that was a problem.

  She’d think about it tomorrow. She needed to rest and maybe she’d have some answers by then.

  The next morning, Mom came up with a tray of toast and orange juice, startling her out of a light doze. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

  Zoey stretched in bed. Her bones didn’t ache, and her head was fine. “I feel pretty good.”

  Mom took her temperature. “Ninety-eight point eight. Your fever broke. Maybe it was one of those little twenty-four-hour things.”

  “Does that mean I can go out?” she asked, reaching for the toast. She was starving and it tasted wonderful, even if it was a little burned and had barely any butter on it.

  “No way,” Mom said. “You’ll stay indoors today, young lady. If you’re fever free tomorrow morning, you and the boys can have your Christmas Eve morning trip to Snowmass, but for now, you stay inside, resting.”

  Zoey flopped against her pillows, frustrated. She had things to do and a boy to fall in love with. She hoped. “But I suppose that rule doesn’t apply to you and Dad?”

  Mom was already in the thermals she wore under her ski gear. She looked down at her outfit, her mouth twisting into a guilty smile. “We already had plans to go out to Buttermilk with the Madisons today, and since you’re better, we decided to go.”

  “So I’m stuck at home all day.” She chugged down the juice, and got an idea. Orange juice: brain food for serious plotting. “Can I have Parker over?”

  Mom took the tray, nodding. “Of course. You two could have a movie marathon.”

  “Okay.” She held still, but inside she was dancing. A whole day with the house to herself, and permission to bring Parker over. She probably should feel a little bad for not mentioning that he wasn’t quite “just a friend” anymore, but what Mom didn’t know wouldn’t worry her. “I’ll ask him.”

  As soon as her parents left, Zoey threw back the covers and took a hurried shower. It shouldn’t have been hard to decide what to wear, but today was the start of something really different, and that made it difficult. Finally, she decided on skinny jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt. That way, if she needed to cool her jets because she had everything all wrong, then it wouldn’t look like she’d gone to extra effort.

  Finally, with shaking hands, she texted Parker and asked him to come over.

  She wasn’t sure how long she’d have to wait, so she went downstairs and started making cookie dough. If she’d learned anything from Ben—and his mom—it was that baking could cure just about anything: boredom, a broken heart, frustration, nerves. It kept her hands busy and her mind occupied just enough to keep her from pacing the house.

  She’d put the first batch in the oven when the doorbell rang. All her nerves came rushing back as she crossed through the living room to open the door, with a big smile on her face.

  Luke stood on her doorstep, leaning against the porch wall in an inviting way.

  He gave her a full doze of bedroom eyes, and her smile faded. “Oh, I was expecting…um, hey, what are you doing here?”

  He pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back. “Get well offering, and an apology.”

  “Apology for what?”

  He held the flowers out to her. “Why don’t you let me in and I’ll tell you.”

  “Oh. Yes, sorry. Come in.” She led him into the living room. He sat on the couch and she went into the kitchen to toss the flowers into a vase. When she came back, he patted the cushion next to him, eyebrow raised in invitation.

  Frowning, she sat in the chair, not sure what he was up to. “So, why are you apologizing?”

  His eyebrow dropped and he rubbed his hands together, his expression disappointed, but contrite. “For not being there when you and Parker needed me. He told me how sick you got last night, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”

  A memory of dancing with him surfaced from the jumble of last night. Zoey flushed. Did she really curl up against him so tightly? Great. “It’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine.” He scooted over on the couch, moving closer to her. “I meant what I said last night.”

  Her stomach swooped. She hated how he still had that effect on her. “Honestly, I don’t remember what you said.”

  His cheeks went pink. “Ah. Okay…I asked you out. For a romantic drive.”

  “Oh.” Was that what he said? And what did she say in answer? “That’s nice, but I’m under house arrest until I’m feeling better. Mom’s orders.”

  Some of his swagger returned. “Does that mean you’ll consider it for later?”

  Damn it. Why was he so interested all of a sudden? It didn’t make any difference to how she felt, but it was making her uncomfortable. “I’ll have to think it over.”

  “Fair enough.” He stood, smiling down at her. “How about coffee tomorrow? Say, ten? I know we usually take a few runs in the morning at Snowmass, but maybe the two of us could sneak away for an hour?”

  Looking up at him, his face arranged in a confident smile, it seemed like he knew she would say yes. Zoey felt herself being worked into a corner. If she said no, he’d probably be pissy with her the rest of the trip, and she didn’t want to ruin everyone else’s Christmas by shutting him down. “We’ll see if I can go out tomorrow.”

  “You need to get better. Can’t miss Christmas Eve dinner at our place.” He touched her shoulder. The feel of his fingers sent sparks down her spine…and she was pretty sure they weren’t the good kind. “Stay put. I’ll show myself out.”

  As soon as the front door closed behind him, Zoey collapsed against the chair. She’d have to meet him tomorrow, even if she didn’t want to. He was her friend, and awkwardness would spread if he wasn’t speaking to her. She rested her head in her hands. This trip was supposed to be so simple, and now it was a colossal mess. Unfortunately, she knew it could get worse.

  Wait, was something burning? “Oh, shit.”

  She hopped up from the chair, just as the smoke detector in the kitchen started to shriek.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Parker

  Parker rolled over with a groan. He’d slept in again, and his body didn’t forgive him for it. His knees had taken a beating during the competition and his joints were stiff and aching. He felt like an old man, hobbling to the shower. An
other reason to ignore the promoter’s card. For some people, the constant pain was worth it, but he didn’t want to fall apart way before his time.

  The house was empty when he wandered downstairs for breakfast, and his parents’ car was gone. Luke’s Jeep, though, was still in the driveway.

  So, where was he?

  Suspicious, Parker munched on a blueberry Pop-Tart and looked for him in the garage, the game room, and Luke’s bedroom. His brother wasn’t home. Had he gotten a ride up to Snowmass? That didn’t make sense. Luke never left the Jeep behind.

  Parker picked up his phone to check if anyone had texted, and someone had. It just wasn’t Luke.

  Z: Hey. You up yet?

  Z: Hellooooo?

  Z: If you don’t fear the plague, want to come over? I want to see you.

  The last line of the text shot through him like an adrenaline shot. She wanted to see him? In their entire time as friends, she’d never quite phrased it that way.

  He bolted down the stairs, heart on fire. He had no idea what this meant, but his brain was making up a lot of scenarios, all of them better than he should probably expect. He couldn’t help it. Did she remember their conversation from last night? He hadn’t been able to go to sleep right off. At first, it was stress, worrying about how she was feeling. Later, it was the memory of her breath whispering against his neck when she smelled his cologne. Was this it? Had she decided on him?

  He checked his phone again before flinging open the front door. The text was nearly an hour old. If she wanted to see him, he needed to hurry, so she wouldn’t think he was ignoring her.

  When he ran outside, though, Luke was strolling down Zoey’s sidewalk, whistling.

  Luke turned and saw him on the driveway. “Hey. I wondered when you’d get up. Want to go up to Snowmass? Zoey’s on house arrest.”

  Parker met him on the lawn in between the houses. The snow was ankle high, and the cold seeped into edge of his jeans. “What were you doing over there?”

  Okay, so he meant to ask that casually, but it came out as an accusatory growl. Had Zoey texted Luke, too? Telling him that she wanted to see him?