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I braid my hair and dab on a light layer of lip gloss before heading back downstairs. Tessa is waiting for me by the door.
“Boys are in the car,” she tells me. Apparently, the marina is a bit of a drive.
“Okay.” I pat my pocket to make sure I have my phone and then follow her outside.
The sedan idling in the driveway has aGlenmont Footballbumper sticker just above theArlington Universityone. I don’t need to ask whose car we’re taking. I slide into the backseat, swallowing the comments that want to come out.
One escapes too soon.
“Nice bumper sticker.”
Liam’s green eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, and for a second, it’s like I can’t breathe. “You’re right. TheAlleghany has something to cheer forone is much classier.”
I have no retort at hand. He’s right. It was for a fundraiser.
A Caamp song plays for the rest of the short ride to the marina where Tyler’s family keeps their boat. I have to bite my tongue to ask who chose the music. My mom’s family is from Ohio, which is how I know the band. None of my friends had ever heard of them. But I say nothing.
If it was Liam who chose, I’ll feel conflicted. If it wasn’t him, I’ll be disappointed.
We’re the last to arrive at the boat. It’s big—larger than I was expecting. The same group from the beach earlier is climbing aboard as we walk down the dock. Tyler, Gus, Colin, Layla, and…Audrey.
Tyler gives me a quick smile of greeting and then is busy jumping between the boat and the dock, doing whatever needs to be done to set sail. He flirted with me at the beach earlier, and I’m conflicted over how I feel about him. I didn’t come here looking for a weekend fling. Plus, there’s Liam. Which shouldn’t be a factor but feels like one.
Parker and Tessa climb right on board after everyone else, leaving me staring at the gap between the deck of the boat and the wooden boards of the dock.
Liam is the only one still on the dock with me. I watch as he easily bridges the gap and boards the boat, watching how he grabs the rope railing and swings his leg over. I take a deep breath and pull the sleeves of my sweatshirt down so I can grip the soft material.
I’m unprepared for the hand he offers. “Come on.”
“I don’t need your help.”
Liam rolls his eyes, but his hand remains, waiting. A silent offer. I grasp it, enjoying how his fingers weave with mine as I push off from the dock and my foot lands on the boat.
He doesn’t let go, even once I’m past the railing. I follow his gaze down to my sweatshirt.
“Lake as in Glenmont Lake?”
I roll my eyes. “You mean Alleghany Lake?”
“Hasn’t Alleghany won enough?”
Liam drops my hand and walks toward the rest of the group before I can respond. I follow, joining everyone else as we congregate toward the center of the boat.
A few minutes later, we start to drift away from the marina. There’s a strong breeze, and it propels us away from shore quickly. Small waves buttress each side of the sailboat, rocking us back and forth as we head out toward deeper water.
Tyler, Gus, and Colin hurry across the boat’s deck in practiced movements, tying and untying ropes as they shift equipment around. I stay out of their way, walking over to one side of the boat and looking out at the water. It’s different—being a part of it rather than just seeing the ocean in the distance or wading in from the shore. The wooden dock we departed from is rapidly disappearing, leaving nothing but sparkling water surrounding us in every direction.
The sound of laughter drifts from the other side of the boat. It feels isolating—being around a group of people who obviously know each other well. The trip to the beach earlier was filled with inside jokes. Aside from Tessa, the only person here who doesn’t feel like a stranger is…Liam.
Implied hatred breeds a lot of familiarity, it turns out.
The two brief conversations—in the Fayetteville police station and outsideDaily Grind—we had before arriving here were nothing noteworthy. Barely cordial.
But I know a lot about Liam Stevens. More than I realized.
I know that, toward the end of eighth grade, he got a concussion during gym class. It was before Wes moved to town. All of Alleghany was bracing for a dominant Glenmont in the fall and wondered if Liam Stevens would be playing.
I know his birthday because Wes has talked about Maeve’s.
