by Ruby Vincent
“But—”
Patchett clapped. “You have two hours, people. Get your things and go inside.”
The group broke apart, but I spotted Isabella stomping up to Patchett to complain some more. Shaking my head, I went over to the bus to get my bag. Everyone was crowded around, diving for their things so they could hurry inside. I stuck my head under the bus and reached for my pack when a hand crossed in front of my vision.
“I’ve got them, Val.”
I froze. Eric came in closer and grabbed a brown duffel bag.
“Right here. I’ve got the yearbooks.”
“Really? That’s perfect. Let me—”
“No.” He pulled it back when I reached for it. “It’ll look weird if you walk off with my bag,” he whispered. “This is what we do. When the trip is over and we get back to school, you’ll take this off the bus and into your car. Everyone else will be too caught up to notice.”
I frowned. “What? Why go through all of that? It’s just a yearbook.”
“Do you want to see them or not?” There was an edge to his voice that surprised me. I didn’t know why he was acting like this, but this may be my only chance to find out more about the one person I knew for sure was a Spade. I wanted that yearbook.
“Okay, Eric. I’ll wait until we get back to school.”
He nodded and then grabbed the duffel and another blue backpack. He backed out and walked off. I snagged my pack and wandered out of the fray. I hitched it onto my shoulder when a hard shove knocked me off-balance and sent it crashing to the ground.
I spun on Natalie with a snarl as she burst out laughing. “Oops. Sorry, Moon. Didn’t see you there.”
I surged forward, ready to knock her on her ass, when over her shoulder I saw Markham turn in our direction, eyes peeled on us.
Swallowing my anger, I stepped back.
“Careful, Natalie.” Darren slinked to her side. “You don’t want to touch her or she’ll go around telling the school you’re a rapist.”
“I don’t want to touch her, period.” She smirked at me as they walked off. “Be careful in the swamp, Moon. We’d hate to see something take a bite out of your ass.”
They went off laughing as Sofia came over to me. She picked my bag off the ground. “I wonder if they’re dating. They’re the perfect match made in hell.”
I shivered. “Can you imagine the children they would spawn?”
“I don’t want to imagine that.”
We got the rest of our things and found our group. Together, we headed inside the hotel. I whistled. It was even more charming in here. The Rayonner Hotel had the look of a manor house and the interior kept with the old-world feel. A grand staircase led up to the top and creaky wooden floors lay beneath our feet.
A woman stepped out from behind the counter when we entered. “Good morning, Evergreen students. Welcome to the Rayonner Hotel.”
A few of us greeted her in return.
“After your school activities are complete, I hope you will make the most of your stay by enjoying the pool, having fun in the game room, or attending the movie screenings we hold every night in the main living room. I know you’ve had a long journey so grab your roommates, take a room key, and then come back down for tea, scones, and fresh fruit in the dining room.”
We didn’t need to be told twice. I hooked an arm through Sofia’s and ran up to get our key.
“Boys on the first floor and girls on the second,” Markham called after us.
I heeded her orders and claimed key 278. The two of us climbed the stairs and found our door at the end of a long hallway. The room we stepped into was cozy. Twin beds took up the back wall, but there was a nice sitting area with a small couch, coffee table, and a television.
“This is cute,” I said as we dumped our bags on the bed. “What do you think?”
Sofia stuck her head into the bathroom. “It’ll do.”
I rolled my eyes. There was just no pleasing my high-life-living best friend.
She came out and threw herself on her bed. “Val, I wanted to talk to you about winter break.”
“Please say you’re staying over.” I walked around my bed and climbed in next to her. “I have plans with Maverick on Christmas, but still, I want you to come. It wasn’t the same without you last year.”
“I can, but not until after Christmas. Mom is planning an event to launch our newest line and she wants me there with a smile plastered on my face. Then on Christmas we’ll be having the Thomases over.” She flipped over until we were face-to-face. “I think they’re finally accepting that Zane and I are for real. It was Dad’s idea to invite them.”
“Is he in the country now?”
“Dad flies back the day we return to school. He’s going to pick me up.”
“Okay. I’m glad you guys are going to spend time together. I’ll content myself with getting you after Christmas.”
She laughed. “You and your mom totally have split custody of me. Don’t tell my parents, but I’d go with you in the divorce.” She pecked my cheek before popping up. “Alright, let’s go. I heard scones.”
We finished putting our stuff away and then went down to the dining room. Zane claimed Sofia as soon as we walked in. I put two chocolate scones on my plate when Ryder loped over.
“I got a table in the back, Moon. Join me?”
“Since you asked so nicely.”
I picked up a carton of milk and followed him to a two-seater in the corner next to the fireplace. It was the perfect spot. The table rested next to the bay window and the morning light cast its glow over us. It was also far enough away from the rest that we could talk without being overheard.
“We aren’t supposed to have partners, but stick close, Val,” he said under his breath as we took a seat. “I don’t like the looks on Darren and Natalie’s faces.”
I peeked at them through my lashes. It was true. The two of them looked way too happy about something, and I doubted it was for the days of mucking through the swamp.
“I wish I could get Ace to talk to me,” I replied. “I’ve tried to provoke them into giving something away, but they refuse to answer.”
“Provoking them isn’t the best plan. That’s how you ended up with a knot on your head.”
My hand shook as I buttered the scone. I felt tight with frustration. “Waiting and wondering isn’t any better. Especially when you think of the fact that we could be surrounded by Spades who are pretending to be on our side.”
Ryder laid his hand over my arm, stilling me. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Val. I promise.”
Despite my tumultuous thoughts, the barest smile came to my lips. “I believe that coming from you.”
“Good, because it’s true.”
Ryder moved up my arm until he slipped the knife out and replaced it with his hand. Ryder and I were on a different level than the other boys. I was intimate with them in every way, but with Ryder, it was slower. I guess I knew it would have to be different with him, but while it got to me in the beginning, now I cherished every time he held my hand, touched me because he could, or shared a secret smile with me. Sex came easy for Ryder, but opening his heart to someone didn’t.
“Let’s change the subject,” I offered. “Will I get to see you over the break?”
He nodded. “Mom isn’t interested in traveling. Her friend is going to come over with her daughters on Christmas Eve, but otherwise we’ve got no plans.”
I was trying to listen to him but his thumb was stroking the inside of my palm in a way that was incredibly distracting.
“So I was thinking of dropping by your place over the break and whisking you away for my final labor.”
I blinked. “You were? So you were just going to show up on my doorstep again.”
“Yep,” he replied, grinning. “The last time I did, I surprised you in a towel so it works for me.”
I leaned in, lowering my voice. “You don’t have to go through all of that to see me in a towel.”
&
nbsp; “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Our flirting got more outrageous from there. I know I made up my mind to go at Ryder’s pace, but by the time we finished eating and tromped outside, it took everything in me not to drag him into a closet and have my way with him.
“Alright, everyone,” Patchett said. “Are you ready for a day of learning and adventure?”
She got a few mumbles in reply but it didn’t diminish her mood. It was like she had a complete personality flip from the woman who looked like she wanted to hop on the bus and ride away from this insane class, to the woman who stood before us in massive rubber overalls. She looked completely ridiculous, and when I looked down at the bins at her feet, I realized I’d be her twin.
“The overalls only come in three sizes so pick whichever fits comfortably. The water will come up to your knees and thighs, but the algae makes it slippery so you should still be covered if you trip.”
Kai raised his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Thomas?”
“Is not going into the muck-filled alligator trap an option?”
Patchett’s laughter rang out over the assembled students. There was a healthy pink to her cheeks that told me she was loving this too much to let anything get to her. “Come on, Mr. Thomas. Where is your sense of fun? This is life and science the way it’s meant to be experienced. Out of the classroom! No textbooks! Hands-on!”
She clapped, bouncing a little on her heels. “Come, everyone. Get your waders on. Mr. Clancy will be here in five minutes to start the tour of the bayou.”
We stepped forward and picked our overalls with much less enthusiasm than her. I went to the bin labeled small, but when I pulled the overalls on, I saw it was anything but. I was swimming in the thing. There was a gap big enough between my chest and the rubber overall that I bent my head and saw right down to my knees
“Baby.” I glanced up at Jaxson’s voice. He strutted over to me, decked out in blue rubber. “How do I look?”
“Jaxson, I once thought there was nothing that didn’t look sexy on you. Now, I know I’m wrong.”
“What was that?” He shot forward.
I squealed—and squeaked—as I tried to get away, but he caught me and pulled me to his chest. “I’ll make you take that back.”
“Oooh. Do it then.”
Grinning, we leaned in for a kiss.
“Slut.” The hiss made me freeze. “Even if the mark was fake, we were right about her being a whore. No wonder she ended up pregnant at like twelve.”
Jaxson’s eyes flashed. “What the fuck did you say?”
Penelope planted herself in front of us, hands on rubber hips. “You heard me, Van Zandt. What kind of slut sleeps around with four guys and broadcasts it? And don’t get me started on you and your boys. Do you share everything?”
I held Jaxson tighter as rage lit in his eyes. Markham and Patchett were waiting for one of us to give them a reason, I wouldn’t let Penelope provoke one.
Instead, I gave her a smile that made her smirk twitch. “Penelope, grow the hell up. You need to spend less time worrying about my relationships and more time sorting out your pathetic life.”
Her mouth fell open. “You— I—”
I grabbed Jaxson’s hand and marched off before the insults started. Professor Patchett was a bit away talking to an elderly man with a weathered face and matching overalls. We walked up to join them and Ryder, Maverick, and Ezra fell in beside us.
“Hello, all. My name is Fin Clancy. You can call me Clancy.” Clancy gestured behind him. “Soon as everyone is ready, we’ll head out. We’ll start the tour by exploring the area where you’ll be working. Afterward, we’ll come back, rid ourselves of the rubbers, and then take a drive to the wildlife center to learn more about the animals that call the bayou home and see the alligators. Any questions?”
No one raised their hands so he turned and led us out. The hotel was in the perfect spot. Thick, ropey trees made up its backyard, and we passed through them to a well-worn path. Clancy kept up a steady stream of chatter as we made the mile-long journey down the path. The deeper we went, the more patches of water we saw through the branches, and the thicker the cloying moist air became. Soon I could barely hear him over the noise of hundreds of buzzing insects.
The path narrowed until we were walking two by two, and a few minutes later, we stopped.
“This is it,” Patchett said. She pointed through the trees at a bank of grass that sloped off and became all swamp. “No time to waste. Everyone, follow me.”
The class stomped out on her heels, but I hung back. Everyone kept talking about alligators and I couldn’t help but notice how impossible it was to see through that water. If one was in there, how the hell were we supposed to know before we trod on its head?
The class was ahead of me when I realized there was someone at my side. I glanced at Ryder. “You scared too?”
He chuckled. “No, but you looked like you were.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go in together.”
“If we do see a gator,” I asked as I took his hand, “will you throw yourself on it for me?”
“I’ll sacrifice myself to its jaws. It will be very heroic. They’ll write songs about me and everything.”
That got a giggle out of me that propelled me forward. Together, we walked off the bank and stepped into the murky water. The overalls did a great job at keeping me dry, but it couldn’t keep out the curious heat of the swamp.
Patchett was a few feet ahead of us so we waded closer.
“...safe here. You’ll collect your samples and identify what you find. Remember that this is an independent assignment and I will be grading you. If I suspect cheating, you will receive a zero.”
A flicker of movement drew my eye away. Turning, I lit upon a dragonfly as it zipped past my nose and landed on a gnarled root sticking up from the water.
Wow.
Delicate, see-through wings fluttered over a blue iridescent body. The critter was prettier than I thought. I slipped my hand out of Ryder’s and drifted closer for a better look. It turned as though it knew it was time to pose, and I took in its massive eyes and bulbous head.
I wish I had my camera, I thought as I edged closer. The dragonfly was holding still, and I took my chance to move in while it was interested in my attention.
Slowly, I crouched over until I was level with the root. “Hey, little guy. You are a pretty thing, aren’t—” I took a step and brought my foot down on something hard and slippery. I barely had time to let out a scream as my foot went shooting away and I pitched forward.
The last thing I saw before the brown-green water welcomed me was the dragonfly take off. The world blotted out as I sank beneath the surface. The swamp rushed into my overalls, soaking me through as I flailed.
Quickly, I got my hands under me and flipped over, popping out of the water in time to hear, “Valentina!” Through the water droplets obscuring my vision, I saw Ryder dart toward me.
“Wait!”
Time seemed to slow down as Ryder tripped over the same root as me. Our eyes widened as he came down with no way for me to escape.
Splash!
The swamp claimed me again, but this time I had a hulking mass of boy pinning me down. I was under for a few seconds before strong hands yanked me sputtering out of the water.
Chest heaving, we stared at each other in disbelief. I looked down at us, both soaked with mucky water, and said the first thing that popped out of my mouth.
“So much for a heroic rescue.”
Ryder pressed his lips together, face tightening as he tried to hold back a laugh. I didn’t bother. Seconds later, I was howling and immediately he did the same.
We laughed until our salty tears mixed with the water on our faces.
“Y-you don’t think they’ll write songs about this?” he asked.
“Not o-ones that we’d like.”
Then we fell out again, almost slipping back under the water as our bodies wracked with mirth. It took a minute for my c
huckles to slow, but my grin remained as I looked up at Ryder. He was so beautiful when he laughed. That might not have been the preferred descriptor for a boy, but beautiful was all that came to my mind whenever I saw him.
Droplets clung to thick lashes framing gorgeous silver eyes. One fell and traveled down his sculpted nose until it dropped onto his lip. I followed its path, breath catching when I landed on that smiling mouth.
“You have something.”
I jerked. “What?”
“You have some swamp on your face.”
“What? Yuck! Get it off.”
“I’ve got it.” Chuckling, he reached up and gently brushed something off my cheek. “There. You’re perfect.”
His finger lingered on my skin as our eyes connected. I don’t know who moved first—him or me, but in a blink, his lips were on mine. We clashed in a kiss that spoke to how long we had been waiting. The warm water filling my drawers did not compare to the heat that surged through my body as I threw my arms around him. Everything fell away—our surroundings, the chirping insects, our audience. Nothing existed but Ryder Shea and the crashing, soaring wave of emotions that lifted me higher and higher. I was flying. I was—
“Miss Moon! Mr. Shea!”
We tore apart with a splash to find Patchett towering over us looking less than pleased. Her girlish glee at being in her element was long gone.
“Stop that at once! Where do you think you are?!”
Cheeks flaming, I saw the entire class—including Clancy—was staring at us. Ryder and I scrambled to our feet.
She thrust out her hand, pointing to the path. “I want both of you to go inside and get cleaned up. Don’t bother coming back.”
“Okay.” I peered down at the water sloshing within my waders. “Do you mind if we take half the swamp with us?”
Ryder snorted and it set us off again, cracking up like loons.
“Leave!”
We stumbled out as fast as we could, breathless from laughter. We couldn’t have looked more ridiculous waddling down the path with the water weighing us down, and whenever either one of us said something about it, we split our sides.