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Chapter Thirteen
Dangerous? Fucking Understatement.
I sat on the bench at the skatepark the next day, my leg jiggle having very little to do with the number of smokes I’d burnt down in the past hour.
After coming to only semi-spoken agreement that we were basically friends with benefits, we’d spent the rest of Sunday in her room listening to the rain and watching far too many Rom-Coms. There was no pressure for things to get unnecessarily physical. Things weren’t weird between us. If anything, they’d felt more natural. She’d laugh and rest half her body on mine, or she’d been very careful not to even nudge me as she was rearranging on the bed. We’d touched and kissed but kept it mostly PG. Piper had even cooked me dinner and found some of her precious John’s non-romantic comedy movies, as though that made up for all the Rom-Coms. I hadn’t cared what we did or watched, I’d just wanted to be with her. I’d told Mum where I was if she needed anything, and had thankfully avoided seeing her when I went home to change that morning. I hated to think what she’d say, because she wasn’t a stupid woman. She’d have realised I’d spent two nights in a row at the Barlows’ place with no parents in residence, and she undoubtedly guessed that sex had been a real possibility.
I would have probably still been at Piper’s house, but Hadley was back in town from her week away now, and she and Piper were having the day together. Which was great for Piper. I assumed. But what the fuck was she saying? Were they talking about me? Were theynottalking about me? Did I want them to be?
Or did my anxiety have more to do with me jonesing for my next hit of her?
My hands felt restless and empty.
Empty without her in them.
No number of smokes could fill the void. I suspected no number of drinks would either, and I didn’t really feel like putting that one to the test and risk missing out on seeing her that night. We’d actually made plans. Proper ‘be at mine at seven?’ plans. And Officer Daniels did not feature in them.
I checked the time on my phone, but it was still hours before she’d said to be at hers.
My leg jiggled faster.
“What in the ever-loving fuck is going on with your leg?” Rio huffed as he took a drag on his smoke.
“I’d have said withdrawal, but I’ve never seen him go through a pack so fast,” Steve laughed, and I flicked my current butt at him. He laughed harder as he dodged it.
Rio’s eyebrow rose at me, and I frowned at him. He might have known what I’d been doing with my nights the last few days, but I knew he wasn’t going to be telling Steve or Jake. Our code was very brief, but it was one of the only laws we never broke.
“You at least coming to Jimbo’s tonight?” Jake asked me.
“Nah,” I said, my eyes scanning the park as though I was going to see Piper at any moment.
“Maddy still sick?” Steve asked.
She was, but that wasn’t what kept me from Jimbo’s that night. I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Chicken noodle soup,” Jake said, throwing Steve’s Zippo at him. “Granny swears by it. She basically hooks us up to IVs of the stuff anytime someone so much as sneezes.”
“Kate must love that,” Steve chuckled.
Jake’s sister, Kate, had the worst allergies to so many things. Hayfever. Animals. Strong floral perfumes. She must fucking hate chicken noodle soup by now.
“Pipe time!” Steve cried suddenly, and he and Jake dipped into the bowl towards the pipe.
The year before, a kid had had a bad fall on it and legit ripped his balls. They’d only been able to save one. I’d barely looked at the pipe twice since. It made me too fucking queasy. But Jake and Steve were convinced they were going to master it. They didn’t exactly put in any serious practice or attempts, but it kept them – and me and Rio – entertained.
“Hi,” some chick said to me, all suggestion as she leant on the bench behind Rio.
I shook my head once. With a huff, she walked away, swaying her hips like I was paying her the least bit of attention or gave any shits that she was getting away.
“And just what the fuck was that?” Rio asked.
I shook my head at him just the once as well.
“Yeah nah. You can’t pull that shit with me,” he pressed.
“Leave it,” I warned him.
“Why are you here, anyway? I thought you were off playing happy families?”
