“Well damn,” I said. “That sounds like a novel waiting to be written.”
Nero and Lars laughed.
“I wanted to see if you talked to BFH yet?” Nero asked.
“No. Haven’t ventured out of this town. Why? Are they connected to Ryland?”
“Bro, I think everything is connected,” Nero said. “There’s shit that leaks from every town. I’m sure you know that.”
“Yeah,” I said. “BFH… with their double school bullshit. Their own fights. The Rulz.”
“Yeah, but listen,” Lars said. “One of them used to run with a really rough crew. BC. I think it’s all somehow tied together.”
“How?” I asked.
“Not sure what your brother was really into,” Nero said, “but it was more than just the stolen parts thing with Wes’s old man. Some of those crews get into really bad stuff.”
“Drugs and shit,” Lars said.
My jaw tensed up. “Fuck.”
“Yeah,” Nero said. “I have no proof. But I’m just… I don’t know, bro. Be careful. You want to overturn some stones to see what’s there. I respect that. He was your brother. That’s family. But I’d hate to see you turn over a stone and have a snake waiting to attack. You know?”
I made a fist and hit the table.
I stood up.
Julia froze from behind the counter and looked at me.
I smiled and winked.
She rolled her eyes and walked away.
“Massive balls, man,” Lars whispered.
I looked at Nero. “That’s good to know. Now let me tell you something.”
“What?” Nero asked.
“I’m not afraid of snakes…”
* * *
I walked to the side of the road again and stood there, shaking my head at the spot where my brother died. Of course, this wasn’t the spot where his death began. That was back at the house. Not even in his bedroom either. It was just outside one of the guest bathrooms. That’s where he had been shot. That entire area of the house had been scrubbed clean and I was told to stay the fuck away.
I didn’t stay the fuck away and there was really nothing to find there.
Just like the side of the road.
There was nothing to find there either.
Just a ton of questions. The answers floating up in the sky like the stars.
No matter what, I’d get what I came for.
Then I’d leave.
And if that meant leaving a broken heart here or there in the meantime, so be it.
Noelle was home, listening to music, writing in her journal. There wasn’t any good Tech parties happening, and that was really the only time Noelle gave a damn about getting out and about.
Which didn’t concern me.
I wasn’t going to fall in love with her. She wasn’t going to fall in love with me. We were messing around because it was easy to get some vulnerable hearts that way.
I lit a cigarette and walked to my car.
I found my cellphone on the driver’s seat lit up, the soft glow of a missed call from a number I didn’t know.
That was followed by a text message.
Bro. It’s Paxton. Call me ASAP. About Nova.
I tossed the fresh cigarette away and called Paxton.
“What is it?” I asked when he answered.
“She’s at a party. Drunk. She’s acting weird, bro. I’m afraid something’s going to happen.”
“What party? Where?”
Paxton spouted off an address and gave me directions.
“Hey,” I said. “Is she alone?”
“Looks it.”
“Find out for sure. Either way, you stay close. But not too close. Okay? If she gets freaked out she’ll leave. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“I got it, bro.”
“Thanks,” I said and ended the call.
I took off down the dark and quiet road, the expensive car living up to its giant price tag.
I was going way too fast for the curves in the road but the car was made for it. Luckily there weren’t any other cars on the road because I had to cross the yellow line more than once to keep the car under control as I sped toward the beach house.
It was on the south side of town.
Definitely not a normal HCH party area.
So what the fuck was Nova doing there? And why the fuck wasn’t her boyfriend with her?
Anger flooded my body as I pulled up to the house.
There weren’t many vehicles around but that didn’t mean shit for how many people could have been inside.
I kicked open the front door like I was the cops busting up the party.
“What the fuck, asshole?” some popped-top collar motherfucker yelled at me. “My parents are going to-”
I threw a right fist and knocked him down to the ground.
Everyone who saw let out a gasp. A few yelled.
“Where is she?” I called out.
I barreled through the house and saw Paxton in the kitchen. He was leaning against the fridge, arms crossed.
“You make an entrance, huh?” he asked.
“Where the fuck is she?” I asked.
“Bathroom,” he said. He nodded. “She went in there a few minutes ago.”
I ran to the door but Paxton cut me off.
“Bro… before you break another door…”
He twisted the doorknob and the door opened.
I went into the bathroom and saw Nova sitting on the edge of a white, claw leg tub. Her hands in her hair as she looked down, swaying left to right.
“Hey, babe,” I said.
She slowly lifted her head.
She laughed.
“You?”
“Me,” I said. I stepped toward her and crouched down. “What are you doing here?”
“Forgetting you,” she said. “Pfftt… you’re already out of my head.”
“Yeah, I bet I am,” I said. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“No? Where’s Conor?”
“Studying for a test,” she said and snorted. “Nerd.”
I grinned. “Ah, fuck, babe… I love when you’re drunk.”
“Fuck off, Elijah,” she said. “I fucking hate you. You fucking hurt me.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah. I did. But now I’m going to save you. We have to get out of here. You can’t be here right now.”
“I’m fine right here,” she slurred. “I’m going to sleep it off. Right here.”
“In the bathroom?”
“This is my bedroom, asshole,” she said.
“Nova. You’re in the bathroom of a beach house.”
“I am?” she asked. She looked around. “Oh. Shit. I am. How did I get here?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Come here. Stand up.”
I pulled Nova to her feet. She started to sway. My hands grabbed her waist. She giggled and grabbed my face.
“I dumped every guy for you,” she said.
“They weren’t worth your time, babe.”
“Yes they were. They all were. You fucking jerk.”
I swung my arms down and lifted Nova up.
I put her over my shoulder and she started to laugh.
I left the bathroom and Paxton stood there, eyes wide.
“I don’t give a fuck what anyone says,” I said to him. “I’m taking her home.”
“I got your back, bro,” Paxton said.
I stuck my fist out and Paxton hit it.
We nodded at each other.
I walked through the house the way I came.
With all eyes watching as I carried a drunk girl out the front door.
Nobody said a word to me.
I got Nova to my car and got her into the front seat.
I pulled the seatbelt across her body and she started to swing at me.
“Don’t touch me,” she said. “You can’t touch me.”
“I’m putting a fucking seatbelt on you, babe,” I said
.
“Yeah. Right.”
I leaned forward and clicked the seatbelt.
I felt Nova’s breath on my neck.
I smelled the vodka on her breath.
My body tightened. Ached. Fucking craved her.
I hurried to get around the car to my seat and I got the hell out of there.
As I drove her back into town to get her home, I looked at her, making sure she was okay. And I hoped to everything she wouldn’t get sick in my car. That would have been a hell of a mess to clean up.
Sad part though… I would clean it up. In a heartbeat.
My mind raced, picturing Conor sitting on his bed with superhero posters still on his walls, worrying about the chemical symbol for hydrogen or some bullshit. And yet his girlfriend (or whatever Nova was to him) was at a random party getting wasted because her heart was unstable. She was hurting.
“Fucking blind,” I growled.
“You can’t take me home,” she said.
“What?”
“You can’t fucking take me home.”
“Nova…”
“I said no!” she screamed as loud as she could.
She reached across the car and grabbed the steering wheel.
A second later we were off the road.
* * *
I cut the wheel to the left and felt the ass of the car swivel to the right. The tires tore through dirt and gravel. I could hear the sound of the little rocks pinging against the expensive exterior of the car. But that was the least of my concerns as I wanted to make sure the damn car didn’t end up wrapped around a tree.
I gritted my teeth and stayed in silence as I saved the car. The obvious question of what the fuck were you thinking? would be asked soon enough.
The car bounced and I straightened the wheel.
I slammed on the gas pedal and I wasn’t sure how, but it felt like the car jumped to get back on the road. The tires grabbed the smooth pavement and I was then headed across the road to the other side of the off-road.
“Fuck,” I growled.
“Elijah, don’t let me die,” Nova said.
“Nobody is dying, babe,” I said.
Which I wasn’t sure of yet.
I cut the wheel to right and the car did what it was designed to do. That monster of a price tag wasn’t just for show or to swing a big dick in front of people. It was for this moment. The ass of the car quickly moved to the left. I cut the wheel to the left. And the crazy good handling of the car put me not only back on the road but facing forward.
I eased into my designated lane and started to drive as though nothing happened.
I looked to my right and Nova had taken off her seatbelt and put her feet up on the seat. She was hugging her legs, her chin resting on her chin.
My mouth moved, wanting to scream at her.
Instead, I drove.
But not very far.
The first side road I found, I took it.
Turning right and going down an even darker road.
There was a small clearing on the side of the road. Man-made gravel. Made to be a pull off spot or something.
So I pulled over.
“What the fuck was that about?” I finally got to ask Nova.
She laughed.
Goddamn her, she started to laugh at me.
Hugging her knees.
Bouncing in the seat.
I reminded myself she was drunk and probably had no idea what she had just done. Or where she was. Or what she was actually doing. Meaning I just had to get her home to sleep everything off.
Forget about the night.
Or not.
I reached for her arm and shook her. “Nova, answer me. Now.”
She turned her head. Laughter changed to tears. “I told you already. You weren’t going to listen. Just like him.”
“Him? Who is him?”
“Conor.”
My lip curled. “In my car, we don’t use that name. Ever. Got it?”
“Oh, we don’t?” Nova asked. “Why don’t you tell me about Noelle then? Huh? You fucking the girl that has wanted Wes all her life?”
“Does it matter who I fuck?” I asked.
“To me it does,” Nova said.
“And you get to go fuck the nerd,” I said. “He’ll graduate with honors and be on the fast track for a four year ivy league school degree. Then another four years of something else. Lawyer? Maybe. Or maybe longer and he’ll be a doctor. Then you’ll get your mansion in the hills, babe.”
“Fuck you, Elijah,” Nova spat. “You think that’s what I want?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
“You never knew at all,” she said. “You were just… fun. Pretend fun.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
Nova reached across with her right hand. Using her middle finger, she touched my nose. “Burn, motherfucker. Burn.”
I lifted my head and kissed her middle finger.
“No,” I said. “Not even close, babe. You got wasted without your boyfriend. And now you don’t want to go home, huh? What’s going on with you?”
“You,” she said. “Duh.”
“It’s not me…”
“You ruined my friendships,” she said. She rested her cheek on her knees. “You ruined everything, Elijah. They were good friends to me. And you did what you did with that gun. After everything that happened here… you’re a loser. You’re a jerk head. A jerk head loser.”
“Anything else you want to call me?” I asked.
“I’ve got all night,” she said as her eyes fluttered.
She was dead tired.
She wasn’t going to last another ten minutes.
“I could have left you there, babe,” I said. “You’re lucky I got you when I did.”
“So lucky,” she said. “So fucking… ut-oh…”
“What?” I asked.
“Elijah…”
“Shit,” I whispered.
I got out of the car and ran around to her side.
I opened the door and pulled her out just in time.
Nova bent forward, hands on her knees, and let out a groan.
I hurried to grab her hair as she got sick.
I stood there and let her do her thing.
Honestly, I was surprised it took this long.
When she was done, she stood up and turned and threw her arms around me.
I let her hair go and hugged her back.
I swallowed hard, feeling things that went back too many summers to count.
She smelled like shampoo, vodka, and vomit.
And she was still more beautiful than any other girl I had ever met in my life.
I walked her back to the car and got her into the front seat again.
I put the seat back so she could get comfortable.
“Please,” she whispered. “No… home… not tonight…”
I used the pointer finger of my left hand to move the hair out of her face.
I walked around the car to get into my seat. I reached into the back and grabbed a bag I kept forever packed.
Using an old t-shirt, I wiped her mouth and her chin.
Then I grabbed an old shitty hoodie and covered her up.
“No… home…” she whispered again.
She turned sideways and was tucked in tight.
Curled up.
Falling asleep in the front seat of my car.
“Hey, babe,” I whispered. I touched her cheek. Her eyes opened. Those wicked pretty blue eyes. “You’re not going home tonight. You’re staying with me. You’re going to be okay. I’ll… I’ll take care of you.”
Nova turned her head and kissed my hand.
She shut her eyes for good then.
I swallowed down more emotion than I knew I was capable of having.
Fuck.
I loved her.
But more importantly…
What the fuck has you so scared to go home, babe?
Chapter 11
Nova
The only th
ing that could make this worse was if I woke up naked in Elijah’s car.
Bad enough I was confused for a few seconds, and when I lifted my head it throbbed in some serious pain.
Then I smelled Elijah.
And I realized one of his hoodies was on me.
My eyes saw him with his seat back, hands behind his head, still sleeping.
I bit my bottom lip and turned my head and pressed my nose into the soft cloth of his hoodie.
I took a few deep breaths.
The smell was the only thing that chased away the headache.
Of course, the pain stolen from my head went to my heart.
I couldn’t remember much about last night, but it was obvious Elijah came to get me.
Which meant…
Conor.
Conor?
No.
There was no Conor last night.
He didn’t go to the party.
He stayed home.
I called him a pussy.
I laughed.
He didn’t.
But we ended the call… on good terms…
Right?
I shifted in the seat and felt achy and really hungry.
Elijah’s eyes popped open and he looked right at me.
“Morning, babe,” he said.
“Hey,” I said.
“How’d you sleep?”
“I guess okay.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Not a bad ride to sleep in.”
“Why… why are we here?”
Elijah turned his head and body.
We were facing each other.
But each in our own seat.
“You don’t remember last night?” he asked, his breath laced with the morning.
“Not much,” I whispered. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Elijah said. “My buddy Paxton called me. You were getting a little drunk and he was worried.”
“Worried?”
“I showed up and you were in a bathroom thinking it was your bedroom. I carried your ass out of the party.”
“Carried me?”
“After I knocked out the guy who owned the house.”
“What?”
Elijah chuckled.
That sleepy, sexy, bad boy chuckle.
I felt a warm tingling trickle down my body. Right to my inner thighs.
I squeezed my legs shut as though I could make it stop.
It only made it worse.
“It’s okay, babe,” he said. “You almost crashed my car too. But that’s a whole other story. We ended up here. You didn’t want to go home.”
HIDDEN CREEK AGAIN: a hidden creek high novel Page 11