by Jordan Ford
I slam the passenger door shut and Shane leans down to get in my face. “This place is invitation only, bitch. You don’t bring pretty boy here again, got that?”
Turning with an ice-cold look, I silently tell him I understand before glancing back at Axel. He’s not impressed, and I wonder if they’re going to make me pay for breaking the rules.
29
Biting Words & Screeching Tires
AIDAN
I race down the narrow road, my beat-up car complaining at me until we reach the smooth seal of the main road. Flooring it, I speed back to Ryder Bay, my anger manifesting itself in the way I grip the wheel and negotiate the curves a little too fast.
Harley hasn’t said anything, and I’m too pissed off to talk.
My insides are raging.
How dare those fuckwits mess with my car. How dare they order us out of the water like they own that freaking cove. How dare they touch Harley!
I could have killed that guy for putting his hands on her.
And that asshole that scratched up my car. I saw him reaching, his big paws going to grab her.
Something about him is so familiar. I can’t think why, but I know I’ve seen him somewhere else.
My eyes bulge as it suddenly comes to me.
The party last night.
Skylar’s hookup.
Anger spurts through me again, hot and fierce. “This is bullshit! I’m reporting that asshole.”
“No, you’re not,” Harley snaps. “You don’t take on Axel or his crew.”
“Why the hell not? I have every right to. That jackass messed up my car. How am I going to explain it to my parents, huh?”
Harley scoffs like I’m stupid. “You’re going to tell them that your car was parked in some random parking lot and when you returned, someone had vandalized it.”
“No way!” I slap the wheel. “I’m going straight to Officer Malloy and—”
“No!” She grabs my bicep, digging her fingers into the muscle. “Don’t you get it? So he arrests Ripper for messing with your precious car. Do you think it ends there? Axel’s crew will pay you back and make your life a living hell for messing with one of their own.”
I shake her off me and keep my eyes on the road.
Shit, she’s probably right.
Dammit!
“Why the hell do you even hang out with those assholes?”
“Because they’re surfers.” She huffs. “It’s not like we’re buddies or anything. I just see them around. They tolerate me because I know what I’m doing.”
I clench my jaw, my head shaking as I softly tell her, “I don’t want you seeing them again.”
“Excuse me? You did not just say that.”
I throw her a hot glare, which she can’t see because of my shades. It’ll look too dumb if I whip them off now, so I just clench my jaw instead.
“You can’t tell me who I can hang out with,” Harley snaps. “You’re not my father.”
“No, I’m your friend. A friend who cares about your well-being.”
“I don’t need you to care about my well-being, all right? What the hell?” She shuffles in her seat, then stabs her finger at me. “And I didn’t need you to save me, Prince Charming. I told you to stay quiet and let me handle it. If you’d just shut up and did what I said, your car would probably be fine.”
“He manhandled you,” I argue. “You needed help.”
“No I didn’t. I was fine on my own.”
I growl in my throat, anger spewing hot lava into my mouth. “You are so frustratingly independent! It’s okay for people to help you, Harley!”
“What is your problem?” she bites back.
“I was trying to help you! And all you can do is sit here yelling at me like getting kicked out of the water and having my car vandalized is my fault!”
“It is your fault! You should have shut up and hung back!”
“What? And just let that guy hurt you?” My voice pitches high with disbelief. “You are one messed-up chick, you know that? You’re gonna die an old, lonely hag because you push people away all the time!” I’m too riled up to even hear what I’m saying, but when she goes quiet, I glance at her face and suddenly realize I crossed a line.
Her lips are pinched tight, her expression flashing with a vulnerability that makes my chest constrict.
Shit. I did that.
With a sharp sigh, I try to make it right. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Shut up! Screw you!” She crosses her arms and thumps back in her seat, angling her body away from me.
I clench my jaw, irritated that she won’t even let me apologize.
This whole afternoon is now messed up AF, and I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to turn that around.
“Whatever.” My mumbled response is lame but it’s all I have. At least it’ll close off the argument.
We drive the rest of the way in silence.
I glance over a couple of times to see if Harley’s crying. Savannah would be a wreck after an argument like this, but not Harley Quinn. She’s a statue of poise and control, her jaw set as she stares out the window, refusing to look at me.
By the time we reach her street, I’ve simmered down enough to maybe try for a second take on making things right, but as I pull into her driveway, she jumps out of the car and barks, “Just stay put. I can get the boards myself. I don’t need your help. I don’t need you at all!”
She’s really driving the stake home, unloading my car while I just sit behind the wheel like a douche. Even if I wanted to smooth things over, I have no idea how, especially when she’s this riled up.
It’s kind of unfair. I did the right thing standing up for her and she’s punishing me for it.
Screw this.
I don’t have time for this bullshit.
As soon as she’s walking to her carport with the longboard, I reverse out of her driveway, my tires squealing when I accelerate down the road.
Hanging out with Harley is a stupid idea.
All we seem to do is fight.
I close my eyes for a second, reminding myself that it’s not true. We were having an amazing afternoon until those surfers showed up to ruin everything.
I’m still pissed, but what if Harley’s right? Will taking on that guy Ripper have really bad consequences? What if they try to hurt Harley to get back at me?
Shit, falling for this surfer chick is a really bad idea.
Wait? What?
I slam on the brakes and angle my car towards the side of the road. Gripping the wheel, I stare straight ahead and try to figure out what the hell I just thought.
“I’m falling for her now?” I whisper, kind of surprised that I’m not hearing a resounding no or any kind of defense forming in the rear of my brain. “When the hell did that happen?”
When we arrived at the cove, I was just getting used to the idea that maybe I liked her as more than just a friend, but now I’m full-on falling?
My phone dings and I reach for it, my heart twisting with confusion when I spot the message on the screen.
Savannah: Thanks for walking me home last night. I would have texted earlier but I didn’t know what to say. Things feel weird between us, but I want to make them right again. Call me when you’re ready to talk.
With a groan, I rest my forehead against the steering wheel and drop the phone back into the cupholder it was sitting in.
30
Over the Falls
HARLEY
It’s Monday morning and I feel like death.
Sleeping last night was impossible. Sunday afternoon just kept rolling around and around in my head, like some gif that I couldn’t delete from my screen.
Laughter kept turning to anger—sharp, snappy words that hurt and stung.
Snappy words that I can’t seem to forget.
Why do I even waste my time with Aidan?
All we do is fight.
As I skate into school, I spot Jed sitting outside at our usual table
. Flicking my board up, I tuck it under my arm and shuffle over to him. I can pass my locker on the way to homeroom. Right now, I need to unload some serious angst.
Jed’s listening to music while reading a Spiderman graphic novel and fails to notice me until I plunk down opposite him and slap my bag onto the table.
With a little jump, he looks up, then slowly pulls his headphones off. Strains of “Let You Love Me” hit the air and I wrinkle my nose. For some reason, that song has always bugged me.
Jed doesn’t say anything as he looks at me and I soon let out a huff and ask, “Am I frustratingly independent?”
“OTD.” He nods, completely unfazed by the fact that he just replied Oh Totally, Dude to my question.
I let out an indignant scoff and spread my arms wide. “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? I never rely on anybody or bother them with my problems. That’s not a weakness. It’s a strength!”
Jed tips his head, his bottom lip pulling into a thoughtful pout before he softly replies, “Yeah, I guess you could see it that way. Kind of a lonely strength, though.”
I roll my eyes and pull the bag towards me, hugging it like a teddy bear. “Don’t you start. Next thing you’ll tell me is I’m going to die an old, lonely hag.”
“Why would you die an old, lonely hag?” His eyebrows dip together.
“Because I push people away all the time. Apparently.” I spit out the last word.
The corner of Jed’s mouth rises on the left and I see his teeth are starting to show. Hopefully my irritated glare will stop the smile from fully forming.
He snickers and wipes a hand over his mouth before giving me a serious look. “What happened?”
I grit my teeth, my nostrils flaring.
“Just tell me in bullet points.” He raises his index finger. “One. You…”
“Went surfing with Aidan,” I grit out.
“Two…” He holds up his next finger, and I let out a sharp huff before rattling off what happened. I keep it short and succinct, trying to justify where I was coming from and really selling my side of the story. I manage to repeat word for word what Aidan said about me, because I’ve freaking memorized the insults.
“Yowch.” Jed cringes when I get to the end. “Sounds like a big rip.”
“It was a big rip,” I mutter.
“SMH.” Jed shakes his head and I glare at him. Does he always have to make a joke of everything?
Pressing his hands together, he rests his fingers against his mouth like he’s some therapist about to give me advice, or a pastor who’s about to pray for my soul.
I fist the material of my bag and nearly tell him to shut up, but he starts talking before I can.
“You know you do it because you’re scared, right?”
“What?”
“Push people away.” My throat gets thick and I’m tempted to stand and split, but then Jed reaches out and gently brushes his fingers across my forearm. “It’s understandable. All the people in your life that you should have been able to rely on have let you down. So now you just rely on yourself. That way no one can hurt you.”
“Thanks, Dr. Phil,” I mutter, shifting my arm out from under his touch. This conversation is getting way too uncomfortable for my liking.
“It’s okay to ask for help. To accept someone’s help. That doesn’t make you a lesser person.”
I roll my shoulders, irritated that my BMF is not taking my side.
“What you need to understand is that there are people in this world you can count on.” He points to himself. “People who aren’t going to let you down, because they love you. They’d fight fire for you. Go over the falls for you. You feel me?”
“I know you’re okay.” I blink, wondering why my eyes are suddenly stinging.
“Yeah, well I’m not the only safe bet. There might be other people in your world who would do the same thing.” He covers his mouth and mumbles, “Like HRB.”
I jerk up straight and give him a quizzical frown. “HRB?”
“Hot rich boy.” He shrugs. “Although I feel like I can come up with something better. Now that I know he stood up for you against Axel, maybe we can work on something a little more manly, less demeaning.”
It’s impossible to fight my grin. “I like HRB, although it’s a little too complimentary.”
He shakes his head at me. “Anything has got to be better than your lame WRSR.”
I snicker as Jed snaps his fingers and points at me. “What about GWFF?” Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to figure it out, but he gets impatient and tells me before I can. “Guy worth fighting for.”
I snap my eyes open and give him a withering glare.
He laughs. “Okay, so we’ll stick with HRB. It’s not bad, right?”
I shrug. “It’s okay.”
“It’s damn brilliant, woman.” Jed slaps the table and then grins at me, his smile morphing to meaningful as he rests his arms on the table and leans forward. “Now he may be hot and rich—two traits I don’t hold in very high esteem—but I think he cares about you, HQ. He stood up to defend you yesterday. That’s pretty damn awesome.”
I can’t reply as I start to see things from a different angle.
I guess it was kind of sweet that he didn’t want Axel hurting me. Not every guy in the world would step up like that. Some guys just walk away, leaving the wounds to heal on their own.
My swallow is thick and audible.
Getting up from the table, Jed shuffles around to sit beside me, slinging his arm over my shoulder and pulling me close. “Relying on yourself is all good, but there’s still one person out there who could hurt you.”
I give him a quizzical frown.
“Yourself.” His smile is kind of sad and way too honest.
I look away from him, not wanting to think about the fact that he might be right.
“Have some faith, and let him in, girl. Trust me, you don’t want to live the rest of this life alone.” He kisses the side of my forehead. “You’re one of the bravest, strongest chicks I know, so take that risk and jump over the damn falls. You won’t regret it.”
31
A Brain-Hurting Tennis Match
AIDAN
It’s been three days since my fight with Harley and I still haven’t texted her.
I’m not sure if I should.
Every time I pull out my phone, it feels like I’m about to unlock Pandora’s box. Do I really want to jump back into the fray with her?
She was pretty pissed off when we left things, and if I’m honest, so was I.
All I did was try to defend her and I didn’t even get a thank-you. I shouldn’t have suggested she’d die an old hag, but I had some other valid points. How are we supposed to be friends…or…?
I squeeze my eyes shut, still unsettled by the fact that I kind of want more than just friendship with the surfer girl. I’ve been blindsided by that revelation.
Shit, it would complicate everything.
Skylar would have my head, Savannah would be gutted, and my parents…
My parents.
Dad freaked over the car. I fed him the story Harley told me to, feeling sick as I lied but knowing on a gut level that it was the right thing to do. All I can hope is that Ripper will get bitch-slapped by karma one day. Bitch-slapped hard.
I hitch my bag up on my shoulder, ambling to my locker. The tennis match argument in my head has been going for days: Text her. Don’t text her. Text her. Don’t text her.
It’s infuriating.
Swiveling around two girls, I raise my head and see Jonah hustling towards me. I welcome the distraction and slow to a stop when he reaches me.
“Did you hear about the lovebirds?” He grins like a crocodile.
“Huh?”
“Sky and Craig have just had the biggest bust-up.”
“When?”
“About twenty minutes ago. They went into the drama room for some privacy, but their shouting was so loud you could hear it all the way down the corridor.”
>
Great. Skylar will be unbearable after this.
I control the urge to roll my eyes and give Jonah a pointed look. “Well, what happened?”
“I wasn’t there for the start, but Noelle told me that Craig was hoping for a little private get-together.”
My eyebrows dip into a sharp V.
“Oh come on, man.” Jonah lightly slaps my chest with the back of his hand. “You know they’ve done the dirty at school before.”
I swallow and make a face, kind of grossed out by the imagery.
“Anyway, Noelle thinks Craig was wanting some and Skylar wasn’t into it. Then this argument started, and he was accusing her of being a cheating skank and that she owed him.”
I close my eyes, my shoulders slumping.
I’m gonna kill Craig.
“I arrived in time to hear Skylar shouting, ‘You’ll never touch me again.’” Then she stormed out of the room, nearly crashing right into me. I grabbed her so she wouldn’t fall over, but she just screeched and shoved me off her.” Jonah shook his head. “Man, I’ve never seen her so out of control before. What is up with her lately? She went completely cray at the party, and this week it’s like she’s been possessed.”
Although I’m proud of Sky for putting Craig in his place, Jonah’s right. She’s been acting differently this week—quiet one minute, savage the next. It’s got me worried.
“Has she said anything to you?” Jonah quizzes me, acting more like a gossip queen than a Warrior.
“No,” I murmur, shaking my head. “But I better go find her and see if she’s okay.”
Jonah nods. “Craig’s feral, so you might want to avoid him.”
I scoff and shake my head again. I’m tempted to tell Jonah that Craig is getting exactly what he deserves and I’m proud of my cousin for standing up to him.
But I don’t say anything as I walk away. Jonah’s the kind of guy that will pass that information straight back to Craig, and I don’t need the fallout.