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Fortunately, we were able to descend to the bottom floor with minimal interruptions. I’m pretty sure someone farted in the enclosed box, and I glared at Ronan, who was nearest to me. He quickly pointed an accusing finger in Calax’s direction. Calax, of course, gave me a disapproving frown as ifIwas the one that had stunk up the elevator. Poor Declan, with his keen senses, looked as if he wanted to vomit as the smell assaulted his nose. He began cussing up a storm in sign language. I tried to nonchalantly hide myself in the background. They didn’t need to know that the fart was mine.
Six sets of eyes turned to stare at me with varying degrees of shock.
“You tried to blame it on me?” Ronan asked, stunned.
“Addie,” Ryder tsked. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Girls fart. Get over it.”
“All that hot air has to go somewhere,” Calax mused, and I gave him the finger. Jesus, you would think that they had never seen – smelt – a girl fart before. Of course, the only girl they had introduced me to was Elena, and I’m pretty sure there was only a stick up her ass. It made perfect sense that she had never pooped or farted or any of the above in her life.
The boys all chuckled, and I realized that I must’ve spoken my thoughts aloud. I also noticed that none of the guys contradicted my Elena theory.
Despite the brief lapse of tension, nobody spoke as we stepped out of the elevator. Calax and Ronan took point, and Declan and Ryder at my back. Asher and Tam walked on either side of me. Together, the boys formed a protective cage. Normally I would’ve reprimanded them for treating me like I was a fragile little girl (hello, I was a ball whacking maniac) but I was too highly strung to say anything. I enjoyed the heat their combined bodies emitted; I felt safe, for the first time in my life. It was an odd feeling to know that I had people fighting for me. I went from having no one, to have a someone.Sixsomeones.
I feared that they would abandon me once they realized what a mess I was. I knew the fear was irrational, a product of my depressive childhood, but it smothered me all the same.
The basement was a large assortment of rooms. The initial one we entered consisted of nothing more than supplies: a volleyball and net for the summer months, a collection of water equipment, and broken skis in need of repair. We walked through an archway and into a break room. It held a long table, a single microwave, and a time clock. I knew for a fact the resort had two break rooms. The second one, and the one most commonly used, was on the lobby floor. Further and further we walked through the maze-like basement, leaking pipes and moist walls causing the wood to become squishy. While there were no guests this deep, I spotted a few employees curled against a wall. Good. At least some people had gotten to safety.
One of the girls I recognized as Shannon, the hostess Ryder rejected, and I gave her a small wave when our eyes met.
We finally stopped at a small room with minimal shelving and no windows. With a grunt, Calax handed me a hardcover book. He must’ve grabbed it from one of the other rooms. When I stared at him with a raised eyebrow, he rolled his eyes.
“To protect your head.”
“I knew that.” I totally didn’t know that.
Calax distributed books and game board boxes to the other boys, and then gestured towards the far wall. As I watched, transfixed, the boys sat facing the peach painted wall.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked.
“Didn’t you ever have a tornado drill at your school?” Ryder questioned. “You grab something hard to cover your head, you go to a room with no windows, where no shit can fall on you, and you face the wall.”
I didn’t bother to point out that I had never been to an actual school before.
“But why the wall? That seems dumb.”
“It’s to...just shut the fuck up and sit down.”
I chuckled at Ryder’s flustered answer, but obediently sat crossed leggedbeside him.
“Use the book to cover your head,” Asher instructed. I frowned.
“What could possibly fall on my head?”
“Stop arguing,” Calax muttered, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the giant beast of a man crouched in a fetal position with Candy Land balancing on his head. He glared at me, but a tiny smirk pulled at his lips. He found it as amusing as I did.
“So,” I began conversationally. “How did your boner handling go?”
Beside me, Ryder sputtered.
“Boner handling?” he asked.
I pressed my forehead against the wall, allowing my eyes to flicker from face to face. While Ryder was on my right, Declan sat on my left. Calax was beside Declan, a crimson flush on his cheeks. I could’ve sworn these boys blushed more often than any girl I had ever met.
Granted, I had only met like five girls, and I was only on a first name basis with three of them (if you counted Elena, though she didn’t even know my name).
“Boner,” I repeated slowly, in case any of the guys were confused by the word. “You know, like when your dick-“
