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Panic trickled down my spine as I resisted his pull. I’d made the solemn vow years ago not to partake in any event that took place in water—not unless I was completely and utterly alone. Despite what everyone at school thought, my ego wasn’t as tough as I pretended. All it would take was one splash to wash off the carefully placed concealer and I’d be laid bare to all of the judgements of my fellow kids. I wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.
Still, Freddy seemed to think I was playing along by resisting. He laughed and tugged harder, pulling us closer to the pool’s edge. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”
“No, Freddy.”
“I won’t dunk you. Promise.”
“No. I said no.”
“It’s fine.”
“No! I don’t want to jump in.” I tore my arm out of his grip, panic and rage fuming in my chest. “Let me go.”
Somehow, we’d attracted the attention of the entire party. The boys had paused their game of dunk n’ football and everyone peered curiously up at Freddy and me. The flare of anger inside of me died down quickly to be replaced by a flicker of embarrassment. Maybe I’d made too big a deal out of it, but I didn’t want to get into that water. Freddy didn’t understand. How could he? He was from the land of perfection—where women were a dime a dozen with perfect skin and perfect hair. Not everyone was like that. Some of us had to work harder than others.
“Geez, sorry, Makeup Girl,” Freddy said softly. It was the first time I’d ever seen his cocky grin falter. It almost made me feel bad for him. “I was just joking around.”
I knew that. And I knew how silly I looked to everyone else. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I looked back up at him. “It’s fine. Really. I’m just not great with water.”
Freddy shrugged and gave me a lopsided grin that was sure to break hearts once his movie hit the big screens. “Oh, I see. You need a hot lifeguard around to keep you from drowning? Well I’m all yours, baby.”
I rolled my eyes. He really never stopped. “Nah, I think I’m okay with just avoiding the water completely. You should go back to your game.”
He saluted me, then stepped backwards into the water, splashing my feet. Crisis averted. I turned to hustle into the kitchen, my heart pounding loudly as I attempted to escape the dozen pairs of eyes glued to my back. That’d been a close call. Normally, I wasn’t one to make waves. I liked having fun. Parties were my thing.
If only this wasn’t a pool party.
My dad and stepmom were absent from the kitchen as I padded in bare feet across the cold tile floor. Marie had left a pitcher of purple Kool-aid on the countertop. I poured myself a glass and leaned forward on the granite, breathing deeply. It was nice to get away from the crowds—not just because of the ever-present danger of being dunked by a boy who thought he was funny. Being under Janelle’s watchful eye was completely exhausting.
The back door opened and then shut behind me and I twisted around to see Zane standing there. He wore an apologetic look, his eyes slanted down with sympathy. One glance at him and my heart had taken on the roll of a boom box in a techno club.
We meet again, fabulous abs.
“Hey, sorry about Freddy,” he said, rubbing a hand across his stomach. I knew he was doing it subconsciously, but a tiny part of me was irrationally angry at him for directing my gaze to that part of him. Look, but don’t touch, was getting a little harder every passing second. “He thinks he’s hilarious. He’s harmless, though.”
I smiled nervously at him and then glanced out the blinds at the party. Everyone seemed to still be enjoying themselves. No one even knew we were gone. At least my outburst hadn’t ruined the party.
“It’s okay,” I said, reaching for an empty cup to pour an extra glass of Kool-aid. “I didn’t mean to be a drama queen. I just don’t do water.”
“I heard that. You didn’t seem so afraid of water the other day. What’s different now?”
I smiled at the cup in my hand. Yeah, that had been a rare moment for me. I guess getting caught in that rainstorm had knocked me totally off balance. Normally, I would’ve been hiding until I could find a mirror and repair the damage. Zane had kind of mesmerized me with his straight honesty and unjudging stare.
Turning to look at him, tilted my head to one side. “Maybe I was out of my mind that day.”
His jaw muscle quirked. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah.” I was trying and failing to hold back a flirtatious smile. “Or maybe, I don’t like to make my mascara run.”
Holding out the cup to him, he came a step closer and our fingers brushed as he took it in his hand. A little dart of electricity shot down my arm. I clenched my fists tight at my side as Zane tipped his head back and took a long drink from the cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow until the cup was gone and he sighed with satisfaction.
“Thanks for that,” he said. “It was getting hot out there. And not just because of the weather.”
His eyes roved quickly over my bikini and then back up to my face with a devious smile. I couldn’t help but laugh. At least I hadn’t been the only one struggling with exposure therapy. With a playful shove of his shoulder, I tossed my hair.
“That sounds like a line coming from Freddy.”
He cringed and scratched the top of his head. “It does, doesn’t it? I swear, I’m spending too much time around that guy. We’d better wrap up this shoot soon, or I’ll be talking like him all the time.”
