Unbreakable (Accidental Crush #3)

by Adrienne Torrisi

  I have never been more grateful for school, as this is the only time I get to see him. After the night of the fight, people at school now know the truth, so it’s made things a little easier. Regardless, we are still cautious because both of our parents know a lot of the teachers and word could easily get back to them.

  I have no idea what Ryan said to RTS and Casey, and he has no idea I know. Whatever it was, it convinced them to keep our secret, and I love him for it. He must have some major dirt on them both, but I figure what I don’t know can’t hurt me.

  As I approach the truck, knowing this is the last time we will be alone for a while, my heart reacts by slamming against my chest. This has become our routine: Mark hands off his keys in the morning, Todd and I have lunch to ourselves without any parental concerns, and the rest is history.

  “Well, hello there,” I say as my eyes land on his. He gives me his crooked smile, and I swear I’m going to drop right here on the pavement of the SL.

  “It took you long enough,” he says with raised eyebrows.

  “Well, I’m here now.” I step closer to him and wind my finger through the belt loop of his jeans.

  “I love seeing you in my jacket,” he says as his lips meet mine, and he runs his hand over the letters on his letterman jacket.

  “Me, too.” I step up on my tiptoes to return his kiss. His lips still feel like home, every time.

  “Let’s go.” He opens the passenger side door for me.

  We almost always go to our field, and we try to park in a more inconspicuous place than the first time. I don’t know if Mark’s mom has seen the truck since, but thankfully, she hasn’t stopped again. Today, though, Todd drives right past the field. I have no idea where we are going, and we have to be back for classes soon.

  Todd notices me tense up as we pass our field, so he places his hand on my knee and gives me a quick, reassuring smile. “Relax.”

  “But we both need to be back soon.” I glance at our field in the side mirror as it gets smaller and smaller in the distance.

  “Why?” he asks with a chuckle.

  “Because we are already in enough trouble. And if we get caught together … I don’t even want to think about it, actually.”

  “What can they really do? They already made us break up, and we see how well that worked.” He squeezes my knee on those words.

  “So we’re not going back?” I ask, half scared and half excited to hear his answer.

  “No, we’re going back.” He laughs then shakes his head. “I mean, I have some money saved, but not enough to live on.” His eyes slide over to lock with mine. “But I would love to do that if we could, you know—just you and me, together.” He entwines his fingers with mine while his other hand grips the steering wheel. I know I have said this before, but seeing Todd driving a truck is almost as good as seeing him play the guitar.

  We drive like this for a while until he unlocks his fingers from mine to turn the truck onto a dirt road I have never seen before.

  I glance up at him with questioning panic, but then, as I take him in, all of my nerves melt away. I trust him with my life, even if he is taking me on a deserted, dirt road.

  The truck’s tires retaliate against the unpaved road, and we bounce up and down on the leather bench seat. We both start to laugh as we’re enveloped by a dirt cloud spilling around the truck from the dust being kicked up by the tires. With wide, open fields on either side of us, you can’t see a house or person anywhere. I have grown up here my entire life and never knew this road existed.

  Everything is so crowded where we live. There are so many people. Here, though, it’s like we are in the middle of nowhere, yet it’s so close.

  We drive through a small group of trees, and then, right in front of us, the trees open up to a small lake. It’s gorgeous, reminding me of a painting or a postcard it’s so pristine. The sunlight is bouncing off the water’s surface, creating what looks like golden, diamond droplets.

  “Wow,” is the only word I can come up with.

  He turns his lips up into a smile that is almost as beautiful as this place.

  “Where are we?” I ask.

  “Well, we call it the opening,” he tells me as we get out of the truck and walk toward the water’s edge. “A few guys discovered it years ago, and each year, they pass it on to a select group of seniors. That’s how we keep it a secret. Only a handful of people know about it. That’s also how we stay off the cop’s radar when we have parties here. Technically, I’m breaking every rule there is by bringing you here.”

  “I love it.” I smile up at him. “And I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Oh, I know you won’t.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me in closer to him. “Hang on. Stay right there.” He runs back to the truck, jumps into the driver’s seat, and turns it around so the truck bed is now facing the small, glistening lake.

  “Come on,” he calls out once he’s settled in the back of the truck.

  Blankets are laid out already, making me wonder if Mark keeps it like this all the time. Then I think of what that means and what Mark might be doing back here with God knows who, and I quickly push that thought out of my head as I climb up into the truck bed.

  Todd is lying back and resting on his elbows. I love every single thing about him: the way his shirt falls onto his chest and outlines his lean muscular body; the way his perfectly messy hair hangs low, almost in his eyes yet never masking their beauty; how peaceful and relaxed he is in this moment; and the smile in his eyes whenever they land on me.

  He pats the blankets next to him. “Come here.” Then he hands me a homemade PB&J in a sandwich baggie. “Your usual.”

  “This place is incredible.” I lean in to kiss him. “I feel bad; I don’t ever have any special places to share with you.”

  His eyes study me for a second before he leans his forehead down so it rests against mine. “Any time I’m with you is special,” he says as he cradles my face in his hands while his thumbs gently stroke my cheeks. “I brought you here today because I have something to tell you.”

  “That’s never good,” I joke and smile up at him.

  The smile he gives me sets whatever part of my gut that started to twist at ease. “Did Shane say anything?”

  “Huh?” Okay, now I’m confused. Shane? Does he know about Shane and Johnny?

  “I thought maybe he might have said something. Joe’s Pizza invited the Sour Lollipops to perform there on Friday nights, and now that the football season is almost over, we can do it. It’s like two hundred fifty a gig.” He leans closer to me. “So that can go directly into our runaway fund.” His smile lands on my lips.

  “I like it,” I say, returning his kiss, cherishing the feeling of his lips against mine. They are so soft. Losing the joking tone, I run a hand down his chest. “That’s really incredible. I’m so proud of you guys.”

  “There’s something else.” His tone turns more serious, and my hand freezes.

  When our eyes lock, his smile is gone. I know this look.

  “What?” I try to control my pounding heart, but it’s not listening to my head.

  He runs his finger down my jeans as if he’s tracing every fiber. “I’m not telling anyone else this. Not anyone.” His finger continues to trace invisible pictures on my thigh, his eyes focused on only that. I wish he would look up so I can read his expression. “This summer, I mentioned to the Penn coach that I was interested in music and theater as possible majors, and he made a phone call to the head of the theater department.”

  My heart starts to slow to a steady rhythm because this is so much better than the scenarios that were running through my head.

  “I didn’t tell Ry or Bri, but I met with him over the summer, and he kept in touch with me. He invited me to audition, so I sent in a video and”—he pauses and I realize I’m holding my breath—“I got invited to do an in-person audition, Ash, for both their music and theater program.” The excitement in his voice is clear, and it’s so wonderful to
hear it erases any anger I have that he kept this a secret for so long.

  “That’s incredible. Does the football coach know?”

  His smile drops just slightly. “He does. He said it will be tough, but you don’t really focus on your major until junior year, and he said players have done it before.”

  “Really? See? And you were worried.”

  He sits up a little straighter, his hand never leaving my leg. I can tell he’s happy, and I see the relief in his body language. I can’t help feeling the same way. As much as I don’t want him to go, I want him to get everything he wants even more.

  “I still can’t believe I made it to the next round. I sang a song with my guitar for the video audition and figured it would never work, because it wasn’t from a musical or anything. I know this sounds lame, but I pretended I was singing it to you.” On that, his eyes meet mine. I can’t wait any longer.

  I slide my body so I’m now sitting on his lap with my legs wrapped around him. I push my fingers through his hair and show him just how much I care about him through my kiss.

  “Not. Lame,” I say through breaks between our kisses.

  His hands slide down my back. There is so much passion, longing, and urgency in our kisses. I wish we could do this openly, but having to hide has made the time we are together even more special. Here, surrounded by such beauty, is so much better than making out by the lockers in the hallway at school.

  “I have to tell my parents.”

  “Yeah, you need to. How do you think your dad will take it if you get in?” I ask while he runs his hands through my hair. There is something about his fingertips running over my scalp that I can’t get enough of.

  “I don’t know,” he says between kisses, “but we’ll find out, I guess.”

  “What about baseball?”

  “I can’t do both. I’d have to choose. Professor Murray said you have to be in either the fall or spring show, so if you can’t be in the fall show, it’s okay, but then you have to be in the spring play.”

  “Oh. Are you okay with that?”

  “I think I am. I mean, you have to do what you love, right?” I know he’s repeating my words, but he says them as second nature as his kisses trail down my neck.

  In this moment, I feel in my bones he’s going to be fine. Telling his dad might be hard, and giving up baseball may be even harder, but he’s following his heart, and that’s all that really matters.

  “I love you,” he whispers, “and I have something for you.” He pulls back and smiles.

  My lips are raw in the best way. I know my hair is a mess, but I couldn’t care less. Todd’s hair is sticking up, and I try not to giggle at how carried away we just got. Then he turns around, and my heart stops when I see what he’s holding. There in his hand is his class ring with what looks like ten pounds of athletic tape wrapped around the bottom of it.

  “I want you to have it.” He holds it out to me.

  I can’t do anything; I just sit there motionless. I don’t think I could move if I tried.

  “Is this a good shock or a bad shock?” he asks, trying to hide his smile.

  I just look at him and then the ring, his eyes, the ring, eyes, ring, and I nod my head.

  “Good, then?”

  I still can’t say anything, so I smile as he grabs my hand, prying it open, and places the ring on my middle finger. With all of the tape wrapped around the band, it actually fits perfectly.

  I shake my head in disbelief. “Thank you.”

  “It looks good on you. Since we won’t be together for a few weeks, I wanted to give you something that reminded you how much I love you every time you look at it.” He gives me the warmest smile. “It looks almost as good as my jacket.” He pulls the jacket down so my arms slide out of it.

  Before I know it, we both are undressing each other, and then we lie in Mark’s truck bed, surrounded by wool blankets underneath us and beautiful fall trees above us. Everything is crisp: the air, the sound of the fall leaves rustling, the wind lapping against the water’s surface. I hear it all, relishing in being wrapped in Todd’s arms.

  He’s leaving soon. Too soon.

  “Guess we’re going to be late for class.” He smiles down at me, making no effort to move.

  “Guess so.”

  “Let’s see”—he puts his hand out, palm up—“class?” Then he puts his other hand out as if he’s weighing something. “Or stay here?” Both of his hands go up and down, but “stay here” rises above the rest. “Oh, looks like stay here wins.”

  I wrap the arm resting on his bare chest tighter around him and lean into him, nuzzling my face into the crook between his chin and shoulder. It’s like it was created especially for me. I love to breath in his scent, and it’s the perfect place to do that.

  “Well, since we’re staying, let’s go swimming.”

  “What? We need to get Mark’s truck back eventually, and you have practice. Coach won’t let you practice if you miss school.”

  “Oh, but I didn’t miss. I was in homeroom, and so were you, remember? Come on.” His fingers intertwine with mine, and we both look down at the new foreign object now on my hand instead of his. The smile that forms on his lips will stay with me forever.

  He raises his eyebrows. “It’s right where it should be,” he says, running his thumb over his ring.

  “I love you.” I kiss him, biting his lower lip as I pull back.

  Before I know it, the cool water is rushing around us. Luckily it’s not freezing since it’s been warmer than usual this year. There is some movement to the water, and now that we are in it, it’s not a lake; it’s more like a larger opening attached to a stream. It has a steady flow to it. Nothing scary, just creating some motion to the water as it splashes around us.

  “Do you think we are allowed to actually swim in here?”

  “Why not? We both know what we’re doing.” He pulls me closer. “You are on the swim team.” He gets even closer. “And I’m pretty sure I already saved your life once in the water.” He smiles and kisses me, pulling us both down so we are under the water, still kissing.

  When we both break the surface again, my heart skips a beat at the beauty of his crystal blue gaze. I push the hair hanging in his eyes back to get it out of his face. He does the same for me, and our eyes lock. It feels like he can see right into my soul, unlike anyone else in this world. Then his eyes shift to my arms and his hands slide over them.

  “Cold?”

  “I’m good,” I answer, getting closer to him. “Just keep me warm.” I snuggle into him and lose all track of time.

  We feel the sun beating on our faces as we float in the water, the coolness of the water kissing our skin as it moves around us. It’s just us, as it should be.

  “How long do you think we’ve been in here?” he finally asks.

  “No idea. But I don’t want it to end.”

  “Me, either.” He kisses my head. “But I do need to get back for practice.” He locks his fingers with mine, and his eyes focus on his ring now on my hand. His smile makes my heart soar. Then he kisses me as deeply as I need him to, because this will be one of our last kisses for a while, and we both know it.

  He pulls me toward land, and we both run for Mark’s truck as our skin retaliates against the cool air. We wrap ourselves in the wool blankets, since now that we are out of the water, we are both shivering.

  Todd reaches for his phone to check the time. “Crap. We’ve gotta go. Practice starts in fifteen minutes.”

  “I guess we officially missed the rest of school,” I say with a smile as I quickly pull my jeans back on. “How are you going to explain being wet when you get to practice?”

  “I’ll figure something out.” He smiles as he pulls his shirt over his head.

  “Luckily, if my mom asks, I can blame swim practice. She doesn’t need to know where I went swimming.” I give him a mischievous smile as we both jump back into Mark’s truck.

  We can’t help laughing at how drenche
d we both are, but I don’t care what happens. I won’t ever trade these last three hours.

  “I have twenty texts from Francis, asking if his truck is okay.” Todd laughs.

  “Glad he cares so much about us.”

  Todd’s fingers intertwine with mine as he starts to drive. I can’t stop looking at his ring.

  “Thanks for this,” I say, lifting both our hands

  He looks over and gives me his crooked smile. “You’re welcome.”

  God, I love him.

  Chapter 16: The Trip

  TODD

  We’re finally at Mt. Craymore. The boys and I have waited for this trip since we knew it existed freshman year, and thankfully, my parents didn’t try to kill this like they’ve killed everything else good in my life. I couldn’t wait to get away from everything. The only person I’m going to miss is Ashley.

  I’m ready for college, but it all still feels so far away and so up in the air. The audition at Penn went well, I think. I have never been more nervous in my life. Playing at a packed pep rally is nothing compared to playing in an auditorium with only three people who don’t even crack a smile as they stare you down and jot notes in their little notebooks.

  I did get an official verbal offer from Penn State, but nothing is truly official until signing day, so either one of us can still technically back out. Boston College is really interested, too. I try not to tell Ash too much because:

  1.) Nothing is official

  2.) I know, even though she tries to hide it, it really upsets her.

  So much in my life feels like it’s undecided; everything except making it to state. That one is, unfortunately, decided.

  I still replay that damn kick in my head every day. I’m not sure I will ever truly get over it. This trip is going to make up for all of that, though. This is our last trip together with all the guys before we go away to different schools.