Demi, Krista, and the other two run into the haunted maze with a bunch of other girls while us guys stay out front, both Trent and myself walking toward the exit the moment they disappear.
Twisting the lid off my water bottle, I take a drink and offer one to Trent, but when I glance over, finding him eyeing me curiously, it’s obvious he’s got something to say.
“What?”
He hesitates. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I don’t think what you’re doing is a good idea.”
“Yeah, why’s that?”
“Demi’s not like the girls you’ve dated, Nic. She stays out of drama, cares about school, thinks about her future.”
“You think I don’t know all that?”
“How would you, you’ve steered clear of her for years. All of a sudden you’re forced to be her partner in class, and you’ve changed your mind?”
I glare long enough for him to look away, not speaking until he forces himself to face me.
“You’re acting like you don’t know the ins and outs of why, man. You’re my best friend, or you’re supposed to be, but right now I’m gettin’ the vibe you’re against me here.”
“I’m not,” he says. “But I don’t want to see this end up in ruins either.”
“It’s been a fuckin’ day, bro. Less than twenty-four hours if you wanna be technical.”
“That’s my point.” Trent frowns. “Less than a day, and all the girls believe it, you’re touching her, and she’s letting you?” his eyes widen. “And I don’t know if you just played it right or what, but it looked like you kissed her.”
“And if I did? What’s the issue, Trent?”
He shakes his head. “I’m just saying it’s kinda soon for you two to be acting this comfortable with each other.”
“Maybe we are.”
His head pulls back. “Are what?”
“Comfortable with each other.” I toss my water bottle in the garbage. “Like you said.” The girls’ light screams have me stepping closer to the exit, knowing they’re coming out soon, but I keep my body facing his. “She’s chill. I’m chill.” I give a small shrug. “Faking it ain’t all that hard, my man.”
The girls rush out in the next second, each one in small fits of laughter, and our attention shifts to them.
Macy smiles but then lets out a small growl as she shoves Demi into me. “Spank her, Nico, she deserves it.”
Demi’s hand plants on my chest and she looks up, green eyes full of laughter. “Sorry. She’s being a hater because I pushed her through the clown part ahead of us.”
A low chuckle leaves me, but all I can focus on is the spank her part.
Demi clears her throat, smiles and turns to her friends.
“I’m hungry,” she announces. “Can we go get some food now?”
“We just ate a few hours ago!” Macy points out.
“Shellfish,” Demi argues, looking at her like she’s crazy. “I’m a normal human. I need hardcore carbs to fill me up.”
“But the swing line is low!” Krista pouts and tries to reason. “There’ll be snacks out for us when we get back.”
Demi’s shoulders fall, her head snapping my way when my arm lands across her.
“I’ll take her to get some food while you ride the swings, and we’ll meet you on the next ride.”
Krista crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes on me. “And no delaying for a quickie in the boardwalk showers?”
Demi laughs goodheartedly, reaching out to pat Krista’s arm. “No, honey. That’s only you and your man who can enjoy the filthy, sandy, shower floors.”
My head slices to Trent who rubs the back of his neck, giving a small shrug.
I laugh, looking to Krista. “Where you goin’ next?”
“Snacks, drinks, and a DJ will be set up in the conference room at the hotel at nine, so let’s do the skylight ride last, then we can head back and party?”
“Sounds good.” Demi nods, looking to me for confirmation.
I agree, and the two of us break away from the rest of the group.
We get a few feet away when she nudges me in my ribs with her elbow.
“You can take your arm off me now,” she teases.
“Nah.” I tug her closer. “Others could be watching.”
She chuckles. “Ah. Right.”
I steer her toward the food court, but she turns me the opposite way, headed straight for Dessert Row.
“I thought you were hungry?”
“I am. For some deep-fried Oreos.”
I laugh and she looks up at me, smirking.
“What?”
“Before this weekend I didn’t even know Nico Sykes knew how to laugh.” Her feet stop moving so I’m forced to stop with her. “Now here you are, smiling, laughing.” She tilts her head to the side, a coy grin on her lips. “And to top it off, you’ve only had one or two temper tantrums today.”
I glare. “I don’t have temper fucking tantrums.”
“Mood swings, tantrums, random moments of dickishness. Call it what you like,” she mocks. “But careful, fake boyfriend, or I might start to think you’re having a halfway decent time.”
“You clownin’ on me?”
She chuckles as she pulls away, so I let my arm fall, shifting to face her as we step into the line.
“Maybe I am, D.”
She squints. “Am what?”
“Not miserable.”
She eyes me a second before a small laugh leaves her and she steps up to the order window. As quick as she pays, Demi’s being handed a paper bowl full of deep-fried Oreos covered in powdered sugar.
“I’ll eat as we walk so Krista doesn’t strangle me for being gone so long.” She lifts one of her pieces up, biting into it with a soft moan. “So good.”
We look at each other, and she chuckles.
I’m sure she can see the need in my eyes, while hers only hold a playfulness I enjoy as she covers that sexy mouth of hers that’s still full.
I’d like to fill it up with something else…
“Sorry.” She fights a smile, wiping her mouth, before going in for another bite.
“Moan like that again and—”
The ringing of my phone cuts me off, and I drag it from my pocket to find my dad’s name flashing.
My feet stop moving, tension wrapping around my shoulders as I glare at the screen.
He never calls.
“You can answer that if you need to,” Demi says and I look to her. “I can walk ahead.”
No.
I hit ignore, shoving it in my pocket and fall in place beside her, the two of us heading where we know the others will be.
My dad calls three more times between the walk there and the end of the ride.
We’re back with the group and entering the hotel lobby when it rings again.
“Damn, who’s blowing you up?” Trent whispers. “Is it Josie?”
I scoff and glance around to make sure nobody is in earshot. “It’s my dad.”
“Whoa.” His eyes widen. “Why you think he’s calling?”
I frown. “I don’t know. Could be about my mom, I’m about to try and call her right now. If not that, then it’s about the fight with the fuckhead in the locker room.”
“He’s been watching you guys all day, you know,” he says, referring to Alex.
“Good. Let him think he can take her, it’ll be that much sweeter when she decides she don’t want him.”
“And if he goes in now while she still does, or if she keeps on wanting him, then what?”
I shove my phone back in my pocket, my eyes sliding across the room where Demi is. “Then I find a reason to force her to stay.”
“Blackmail?”
I look to my friend. “If I have to.”
Trent shakes his head with a sigh. “You need to be careful, Nic. For real.”
“I told you to let me worry about this.”
“I’m tryin’, my man,” he says, eyeing me a moment before changing the subject. “You goin’ to your room first or straight over to the party area?”
I look to Demi who laughs, letting go of Carley’s legs so she can slide off, ending the piggyback ride she was giving her.
“D,” I call.
She says something to the girls and heads our way, her long hair laying half over her shoulder. She bumps into Trent, smiling at him briefly when he chuckles.
I frown, pulling her attention back to me. “You goin’ to your room first?”
“Hell yeah. I can’t dance in this thing.” She pats her hips.
“Restrictive attire on the front liner?” Trent teases her.
“I know, right?” She smiles. “Blame Macy. She made me wear it.”
“She make you leave the underwear behind too?” I bite out.
Trent’s eyes go wide, as do hers, and while he clears his throat and walks away, Demi prickles.
She waits until he’s far enough away before she steps toward me. “What the hell was that?”
“Nothing.” I tip my head back. “Shouldn’t have let him in on that.”
My phone starts ringing again, and her eyes fall to my pocket a moment before coming back.
“So why did you then?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions.”
Her head tugs back and she opens her mouth to speak but pauses, bringing herself even closer instead. “I’ve never been able to figure you out,” she whispers.
I push against her chest. “You sayin’ you’ve tried, Little D?”
She tilts her chin, observing me with a feisty fire. “I might have answered that if nice Nico was standing in front of me. It’s one thing – still shitty – to be an ass when it’s just the two of us, but in front of others?” She clicks her tongue. “Better work on your attitude if keeping this charade up is important to you.”
My eyes slim. “That the key, playin’ nice?”
She shakes her head, placing her lips a breath away from mine.
“Don’t play,” she whispers. “Be. You’ve got it in you.”
“Yeah.” I place my hands on her hips lazily. “And how would you know, Pixie?”
She slides free of my grip.
“Your mask slipped today,” she tells me. “You’re not what you pretend to be.”
“And what do I pretend to be?”
“Cold and cavalier.” She eyes me as she steps back. “That’s not you, it’s your go-to defense.”
“Defense from what?”
A small smile plays at her thick lips and her features pull in thought. “I’m not sure yet, but it seems I’ll have time to find out, yeah?”
A heaviness settles over me as I look at her, and I’m not sure what to make of it.
“Wanna know something I decided today?”
I lift my chin.
Tell me.
“I’ve decided… you’re not a total asshole.”
An unexpected chuckle leaves me, and as a result, a pleased smile spreads across her face.
Demi laughs, spins on her heels and catches up with her friends. The three of them take off down the hall, but not before she jerks to a stop, so she can shout over her shoulder. “Find me on the dance floor, Neek!”
Neek, huh.
My muscles lock when the thought is echoed by the last fucking voice I want to hear.
“Neek, huh.”
I glare after her, taking my time to whirl around and face the little bitch behind me.
I step into his space and he doesn’t back away.
“I see you decided to get her ready for me after all.” His lip curls.
“Touch her while she’s mine and I’ll break your fucking fingers. Then you really won’t be catching shit, but hey, at least you’ll have a solid excuse to run home with.”
Alex shoves me, and I let him, stumbling back a few steps.
I smirk, tip my chin and point at his bitch ass. “Catch you later, Hammons. I’ll save a seat for you at breakfast, huh?”
“We’ll see about that.” His eyes harden.
My phone rings again, and a sinister smirk covers his face.
“Better get that, Sykes. Might be trouble at home.”
My jaw clenches, and I reach out, gripping him by the collar and tugging him in. “Watch yourself, Alex. If you haven’t noticed, I’m done with your bullshit. Done. You’re not untouchable, even though you think you are, so go ahead, play your fucking game, I’ll be here playing it better.” I shove off him, and he stumbles, hitting his back against the wall. “Tell your pops I said hi, motherfucker.”
I take a few backward steps before turning and heading for my room.
Fuck him.
I’ve just got the door closed and am tugging off my shirt when my phone rings again, but I ignore it and dial my mom instead.
As I figured, she sleeps through the call.
I toss it on the dresser where it’ll stay the rest of the night and run my hands down my face.
This is what he wants, me to stress the entire fucking weekend, to ruin any chill time I might have. All I wanted was a damn day to forget, but I guess that was too much to ask.
Demi said I come off cold and careless.
I’m not.
I don’t speak because my thoughts are constantly racing, my fucked-up reality sitting at the forefront of my mind at all times.
I work my ass off at sports to try and get picked up by a college team, even though I likely can’t accept any offer that may come in.
If I go, who stays here to watch after my mom?
I can’t leave her alone, my dad is already slowly killing her, and she refuses to see it, refuses to let him go even though he has a new home and wife and preferred son, a better version of me, as he loves to say.
I drop back on my mattress, staring up at the cracked ceiling.
Demi and her friend’s loud laughter floats beneath the adjoining door of our rooms and despite my shitty fucking mood, the corner of my lip tips up.
I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath and let it out.
Fuck it.
I’m taking a few more hours, shoving everything to the back of my mind, and dealing with the damage of it all later.
