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My Chuck Taylors stop right in the middle of a tire tread in the sand. I look up and over, fixing my face as if I am confused as to where the sound came from. Who knows if the charade works, but Ash waves at me from the bleachers with his good hand.
“Working hard?” he says.
“Yeah,” I say.
“No, she’s not,” Shelby says, grabbing my elbow and pulling me toward the guys. In her haste to force me against my better judgement, the box falls from my grip and crashes to the dirt.
I curse and Shelby apologizes, but it all goes by in a blur because now I’m watching Ash and he’s watching me. His eyes squint a little from the sun, and the roar of dirt bikes practicing on the track drown out whatever he just said to me. But none of it matters because he is so cute and I miss him so much and in this very moment, the rest of the world doesn’t exist.
Until Lincoln appears at my side, leaping off the third bleacher row in one swift step. “Let me get that for you,” he says, taking the box and tossing it over his shoulder. “Where is it going?”
“The score tower,” I say, pulling my eyes away from Ash. “Thank you.”
“So what’s been up?” Ash says.
Though Lincoln is holding the box, he makes no attempt to take it to the score tower.
“Nothing new,” I say, stuck in this vortex of wanting to run away and stay and talk at the same time. I am keenly aware that Lincoln is standing too close and watching me too intently. “Unlike you, apparently.”
Ash chuckles and looks at his arm all wrapped up in a blue cast with a blue sling. “Yeah this sucks.”
That’s not the new thing in your life that I was talking about.
“It’s boring as hell sitting around doing nothing,” he says, apparently not content to let the damn conversation end already.
“That’s why I dragged him here today,” Shelby says. “He needs to get out and get some sun.”
“I’m taking Hana to Mike’s party tonight,” Lincoln says. The subtle bragging in his tone doesn’t escape me but Ash doesn’t flinch. Lincoln gives him one of those guy head-nods. “You should come by. Say hi to the old racing crew.”
“Yeah, maybe I will.” Ash nods back to him and then looks at his phone. A knot forms in my stomach when he smiles at whatever is on the phone and then puts it to his ear. “Hello?”
I turn around. When Lincoln and I are almost to the tower, I give him a look. “So we’re going to the party, huh? I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
He bumps into me as we walk. “We don’t have to go. We could just chill at my place.”
I cross my arms, thinking of the girl in Ash’s photographs. I give him a playful smile. “We can go.”
“Cool,” he says, letting me go up the staircase first. “I like hanging out with you.”
It feels like a lie but I say it anyway. “I like hanging out with you, too.”
Chapter 15
Having woken up at five in the morning to then spend all day at work, I’m having a hard time holding back the yawns as I get dressed for the party. Lincoln had said he’d pick me up at eight-thirty, and by eight forty-five I wonder if he’s running late, or if he fell asleep before he left the house.
I throw my hair into a ponytail and dab on some lip gloss. I wouldn’t even mind if Lincoln calls me to cancel, though something tells me he won’t. He texts me five minutes later, and I head downstairs to meet him outside. Dad and Molly are cuddled together on the couch watching a movie.
“Don’t wait up,” I tell them as I make my way to the door. “Not sure when we’ll be back.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Dad calls out, digging his hand into the popcorn bowl.
“Have fun!” Molly says.
We’ve only been out a few times, but Lincoln normally gets out and opens my door for me. This time I make it all the way to the passenger side of his truck and there’s no sign of him yet. His windows are so tinted I can’t see inside, so I pull open the door.
“Hey, beautiful.” Lincoln is sitting in the driver’s side, his head leaned back on the headrest, his gaze lost somewhere on the roof of the truck.
“You okay?” I ask as I toss my purse into the seat and climb inside.
