AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I try not to gasp out loud. I knew Sawyer would be here, but I can’t help my reaction to seeing him again. When the weight of his gaze settles upon me, I can barely catch my breath. Those butterflies that I’ve never felt for Brad are suddenly rampant in my stomach. I suck a deep breath in. Bad boys aren’t my thing, but I guess even I have a small weakness for those brown eyes. I shake my head to clear it. From what Sam told me the other day, Sawyer is the definition of a bad guy. He’s definitely not someone my mom would have encouraged me to like.
“The girls said something about Brad’s dad paying Sawyer to look after the cabin this weekend?” I nudge Dax a little and try to get him to sober up enough to tell me more. Even though I know I shouldn’t, I want more information about Sawyer.
Dax sighs loudly. “Yeah, poor guy is stuck being his uncle’s lackey because of what his dad did. It’s fucked up if you ask me. His dad should have had to pay for his crimes, not Sawyer. This whole town is fucked up so…” He sways against me again. “Anyway, like I said, we’re all fucked up.”
I lean away a bit when he sniffs me. “You smell good, Ronnie. You smell like berries. It’s awesome.”
I put my arm around Dax to help hold him up. Aw, he’s such a sweet talker when he’s high as a kite.
“Thanks, Dax. You smell great too.” I mean, besides the pot and alcohol, he does. It’s hard to smell anything else in this house now.
“Lily always smells the best. Like sunshine and…” His eyes lose their focus. A corner of his mouth quirks up in a smile. “Lilies. She smells like lilies. What a kick in the balls, ugh? My best friend smells like sunshine and lilies, just like her name. Do you know Lily, Ronnie? She’s the best, the absolute best.” His last words are slurred and he leans on me a bit more. Obviously, our class clown gets melancholy with a little booze.
“Yeah, yeah I got you big guy. Maybe we should sit you down.” I gaze around helplessly for a piece of furniture that I can drop Dax into. He’s a football player and way too much for me to carry.
“Whoa, I got him. Come on, big guy, let’s get you into your bed.” I look over to see Sawyer taking Dax’s other arm and he grins over Dax’s head at me. “I think you’re a little too heavy for Red here to handle on her own.”
I’ve been called a lot of nicknames over the years, and yes, most revolved around my hair. A lot of the names have been not so nice. Don’t even get me started on the whole Carrot Top debacle from elementary school. I find I like Red, at least coming from Sawyer. In fact, the name warms me to my core.
“Aw, man. You’re the best. Did you know you’re the absolute best? We need to hang out more, and not just to…” Sawyer almost drops Dax and I grunt under the sudden shift in weight.
“Yeah, yeah, Dax sorry buddy. We’ll definitely hang out sometime.” He pulls Dax up again and we huff our way through the door of one of the empty bedrooms.
We barely make it through the door with Dax before he suddenly gets a second wind. He runs to the bed at full speed and jumps on it like Superman. “Whoooee!” He lands on the bedspread, face first and lays there. He sticks his jean clad butt straight up in the air and his hands splay out over the bed. I tilt my head. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown person lay like that.
“Is he asleep or about to launch himself into outer space?” Sawyer whispers to me after Dax doesn’t get back up.
“I think he’s asleep.” I whisper back, and can’t help but giggle when Dax emits a loud snore.
I glance over at Sawyer, and he lets out a booming laugh. For a moment, we both look at each other and are united in laughter. It’s nice to have a connection with someone after feeling like such an outsider since I arrived here. It feels good. I clutch my stomach and let the warmth of shared laughter wash over me.
Sawyer suddenly frowns and straightens. It’s like a switch turns off when he realizes we’re sharing a moment. He turns his back to me and walks to the door. There’s absolutely no humor in his voice when he speaks again. “I guess he’ll be okay. I’ve never seen him pass out quite this early.”
I follow behind him. I sneak a quick look back at Dax, splayed across the bed like a little boy. “I think he’ll be alright. He seemed a little sad. Maybe he just needed to get it out and rest.” I close the door behind me and stand in front of Sawyer with my arms crossed. I look everywhere but directly at him. If I look him in the eye, I’ll turn into a clumsy idiot incapable of speaking in full sentences.
“I guess I better get back to work. The wood around here won’t chop itself, and I wouldn’t want anyone here to break a nail.” Sawyer’s deep voice is full of bitterness.
“I can help if you need it. I don’t mind helping.” Sadly, it’s true. I would rather hang out with someone I don’t know at all then have to deal with this group of people. Especially this group on drugs.
“I would hate for you to break a sweat, Red. I got it handled.” I can’t help but feel my hackles rise. There’s no need to be rude.
He starts walking away. I can’t help but tag behind him. “I’m capable of a lot more than you think I am. I’m not some kind of spoiled princess.” He stops suddenly and I almost bump into him.
The sigh he releases is deep and annoyed. He turns around and stares down at me. “I’m not sure why you’re following me, but I do have work to do. I’m not here to party like the rest of you.” He glances around at the party-goers and his disgust is palpable.
I shrug. “I don’t like partying. I somehow took a wrong turn and ended up in a low budget teen movie about the dangers of drugs. I really, really don’t think I’m meant to be here.”
Sawyer snorts. “Of course you are, princess. You can cozy up to one of these rich pricks and maybe they’ll give you the happily-ever-after that you’re so fond of reading about.” He leans close and I can feel his breath against my face. “In the real world, it’s also known as divorce number one.” His voice holds more venom than I expect and I rear back.
“What exactly do you have against me? You were pretty sarcastic the first time we met, but now you just sound like a jerk.” I gesture towards the drunk partygoers. “These people are bad enough, but at least they don’t have an angry, bitter vibe going on. You act like the world is against you.”
From what Sam told me about Sawyer’s past, maybe he has a reason to feel that way, but it still frustrates me. What have I ever done to him? I can understand a bit of a bad attitude, but I don’t understand trying to make others feel bad just because you do.
His eyes stare directly into mine. I could drown in those puppy dog brown eyes of his, even if they’re currently filled with anger and disgust.
“Princess, you have no idea how much I’m holding in to just be civil to everyone here. I get that you have the whole Pollyanna thing going on, but it’s better to break your heart now than later. Nothing in life is like a romance novel.” He sneers down at me and I blink rapidly to quell tears that are suddenly rising.
“I happen to know from firsthand experience that life has it’s bad spots. It’s okay to believe that there’s good in life too. You can have both, you know. Just because I believe in choosing happiness doesn’t mean that I’m an idiot.” I know I sound naïve, but I have to believe in something good, or all of the bad will take over and crush me.
