I sat in Tyson’s car, watching him round the hood and pull open the driver’s door. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as I watched him get in and start the engine. It felt surreal. Was I really in his car, and were we really going some place together?

As he pulled out of his parking spot, the realization sank in. It was true. I was going to spend the afternoon with Tyson. My dad was going to kill me.

And just as I thought of him, my dad appeared a hundred feet off, on the sidewalk. I yelped and ducked down.

Tyson laughed and glanced at me. “You okay?”

I jerked my thumb toward the sidewalk. “My dad?”

His gaze made its way out my window, and his expression turned worried. “Yeah. Stay down,” he said.

After a minute of driving, I peeked up at him again. “Is the coast clear?”

He nodded. “Yep. You can sit up.”

I straightened, pushing some loose hair from my face. I glanced sheepishly over at him. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “Nope. You saved me from getting kicked off the team, so I should be thanking you.” An uneasy expression settled on his features, and I wondered for a moment what that was about.

I thought about asking him, but then I realized that we didn’t have that kind of relationship. So I just smiled, hoping he’d feel supported, and then turned my attention to my phone.

I still hadn’t told my dad that I wouldn’t be riding home with him today. Nerves built up in my stomach as I found his number and hit the message icon.

Me: Doing homework with Bec. Be home after dinner.

I hit send and then found Rebecca’s number. I told her she was my alibi, and she responded with a smiley face.

Right after her message came in, my dad texted.

Dad: Sounds good. Have fun and I’ll save you a plate of food in the microwave.

I blew out my breath as I tucked my phone into my backpack. Good, he bought it. I was in the clear. A weight felt as if it had been lifted from my chest. And then a little tug of guilt pulled at the back of my mind. I hated that I was lying to my dad. He was just trying to protect me, even if he was doing it in a ridiculous way.

“You okay?” Tyson asked. I felt his gaze on me, so I turned and smiled over at him.

“Yeah. Just letting my dad know I won’t be home for dinner.”

“Wow, we’re going to study for that long?”

Embarrassment burned my skin. “I—um—” I had no idea what to say to that.

He laughed. “Relax, Tiny. Trust me, I need all the help I can get.”

“Why?” Just as I asked the question, regret filled my chest. Why was I being nosy? He definitely didn’t want to tell some junior his business.

Thankfully, he shrugged. “I figured that I’m graduating this year. Maybe it’s time I started to give a crap.” He twisted his hand on the steering wheel. “So, where are we headed?”

“Mason’s Park.”

He nodded as he flipped on his blinker and took a left. “Ooo, a park. Nice.”

I tucked a loose curl behind my ear. “There’s actually a tree house there.”

“Tree house?” he asked. I watched as the corner of his lips tilted up.

Man, he had the best smile. It was confident and self-assured. Everything I was lacking. “Is that okay?”

He shrugged. “Sure. Who doesn’t love a tree house?” he asked as he pulled into the parking lot of Mason’s Park.

We gathered our things, and I led him through the woods to a small opening. It may have been illegal, but five summers back, Dad and I had spent the entire summer building this tree house. The city didn’t seem to mind because they’d kept it up.

“Nice,” he said.

I grabbed one of the slats we’d used to build a ladder up the trunk and pulled myself up. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Once we were both in the tree house, I realized this might not have been the smartest idea. Sure it was fun when I was a kid, but I’d grown since I last came here. And Tyson was even bigger. When we sat down, we took up the entire floor.

“It’s cozy,” Tyson said, stretching out his legs.

I could feel my cheeks burn. I wanted to say it was because of the heat that still clung to the evening air, but I was embarrassed. What kind of person has to hide their tutoring sessions?

Me. Only me.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ll come up with a better place next time.”

Tyson laughed. It was soulful and free. It wasn’t cocky, like he was trying to impress someone—it was genuine. And I liked it.

“No worries. I’ll pick the place next time.”

So there was going to be a next time. My heart rate quickened at the thought. He wasn’t scared of my dad or my complete lack of spatial reasoning.

“You want a next time?” I asked.

He glanced over at me, and I could see the humor in his expression. “Sure, Tiny. Why not?”

I pulled my notebook and textbook from my backpack. “Well, maybe we should get this session over with before you hire me as your full-on tutor. I may lead you down the wrong path.”

He laughed harder this time, and I stared at him. What had I said?

“Oh, Tiny. I don’t think you could lead me down the wrong path.”

Realization hit me. “I didn’t—I mean, that’s not what I meant.”

He reached out and patted my shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll keep myself alert the whole time. Gotta stay away from the likes of you.”

I studied him. Was it wrong that I felt a little offended that he thought I was this saint? I could break rules. I was doing that right now by being out with him.

“Hey, I’m pretty convincing,” I said. “I’ve been known to corrupt people.”

His laughter died down to a smirk. “Really. Who?”

I pursed my lips as I thought. There had to be someone I’d convinced to do something bad. “Ronnie. In the third grade. I convinced him to steal cookies from the lunch lady for me.” I shot him a smug expression. “And he did.”

He placed his hand on his heart, like a woman in one of those old Western movies. “Well, Destiny Davis, I didn’t realize you were such a deviant. Whatever are we going to do with you?”

I laughed as I shook my head. Was it wrong that I was enjoying this so much? In the tree house, there was no dad or Tammy, it was just Tyson and I. It was nice.

“We should probably get busy if I am going to help you at all,” I said, reaching over and grabbing my textbook.

Tyson grew quiet as he nodded and did the same.

The next hour flew by. It was nice to have chemistry to talk about. It was simple and straightforward. There were no hidden meanings or unspoken words. It was straight up numbers and facts. It was just what I needed to keep my mind from wandering into uncharted territory.

Our study session was interrupted when Tyson’s phone went off. He shifted and pulled it out of his back pocket.

I tried not to stare at him as he studied his screen. Who had called him? Was it Tammy or another cheerleader? I made a mental note to ask Rebecca who he hung out with on the cheer team.

From the corner of my eye I saw his expression grow stony as he swiped his finger on the screen. Something wasn’t right. After sending a quick response, he shoved his phone into his pocket and started to gather his things. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but wasn’t sure if it was my place.

I decided to ask anyway. “Everything okay?” I started putting things into my backpack. Our study session must be over.

He paused and glanced over at me. My breath caught in my throat as I took in his gaze. He was upset. A desire to comfort him rushed through me. But I figured that physical contact would probably not be the best idea, so I gave him an encouraging smile and turned my attention to my backpack.

“Family issues,” he said. His voice was low and full of frustration.

“I hear that,” I said, the words tumbling from my mouth. I hear that? What was the matter with me? I cleared my throat and tried again. “Sorry. Anything I can do to help?”

He straightened and jumped from the tree house. I watched as he landed on his feet, as if jumping from seven feet up was an everyday occurrence.

I contemplated following suit but wasn’t sure how I would explain a broken leg to my dad, so I took the ladder instead. Halfway down, I missed the rung and my foot slipped. I clung to the piece of wood in front of me, praying that I didn’t look like a complete idiot.

Before I fell to my death, two hands wrapped around my waist. My heart pounded in my ears when I realized that Tyson was holding on to me.

“You okay?” he asked. His voice was inches from my ear. I could feel his warmth cascade over me.

“Yep. Mm hmm,” I said. I reveled in the feeling of him so close to me.

He helped guide me the rest of the way down. Once I was on the ground, I pulled away, breaking our contact. Even though it was warm outside, my skin felt cool in the absence of his touch.

“Thanks,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Sure. Anytime.” He shrugged, like rescuing a girl as she climbed down a ladder was nothing. And I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

We walked in silence to his car. Just as I climbed in and buckled my seatbelt, his phone went off again. He pulled it out. He cursed under his breath as he read the message. Sighing, he rolled his shoulders and glanced over at me.

“Do you mind if we make a pit stop before I bring you to Rebecca’s house?” He glanced over at me, but I noticed a hint of hesitation in it. As if he were embarrassed by what he was asking me. What did Tyson Blake have to be embarrassed about?

I nodded. “Sure.”

Ten minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of Freddy’s Tavern. I snuck a look over at him. His face was red, and his jaw clenched as he kept his gaze forward. I wanted to ask what we were doing here, but I didn’t.

He hesitated, his fingers on the door handle. “I need to get my mom. Mind waiting here?”

“Of course.” I wanted to tell him that I didn’t judge him. That I knew what it was like to have less than perfect parents. But I doubted that he wanted to hear that right now. So I settled on an encouraging smile.

He studied me for a second before he nodded and pulled open the door. I watched as he disappeared into the tavern. I leaned against the seat and let out my breath as I stared at the building in front of me.

What was happening? It felt good that Tyson felt he could share this part of his life with me. From his playboy persona at school, I doubted that many people got to see this side of him. And yet, he was letting me in.

I was going to ignore the lingering thought that he had to bring me along. That I would have been stranded at Mason Park, where I would've had to call my dad and explain to him why I was there and not at Rebecca’s.

Nope. I was definitely here because he felt safe around me.

The door of the tavern opened and Tyson appeared. He pushed open the door with his back and in his arms he carried a small woman. She had jet-black hair and was leaning her head against his shoulder. His jaw was clenched, but not from the weight of the woman. It looked as if he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Without thinking, I opened my door and got out. I had an overwhelming desire to help.

“She okay?” I asked, taking note of her pale complexion.

Tyson nodded.

I pulled the back door open, and he set her inside. After he buckled her up, he slammed the door shut and scrubbed his face. He tilted his gaze to the sky as he blew out his breath.

“I don’t know why she keeps doing this,” he said. His voice was low and coated in emotion.

Not knowing what to do, I stood there with my arms wrapped around my chest. I worried that if I didn’t keep my hands occupied, I might try to reach out and hug him or something.

What was I supposed to say? Any answer to his frustration seemed ridiculous and forced. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He dropped his gaze to meet mine. He studied me with an intensity that made me feel vulnerable—exposed. Then he nodded. “Let’s get you back.”

He walked to the driver’s door and pulled it open.

I nodded, but doubted that he saw it. Once I was seated with my seatbelt on, he peeled out.

Tyson’s mom was quiet the entire ride to Rebecca’s. I glanced back at her to make sure she was still alive. She let out a few weak moans, and I saw her chest rise and fall—so I felt confident that she wasn’t dead.

When Tyson pulled into Rebecca’s driveway, he stared straight ahead with his hands clenching the steering wheel. I studied him, desperately wanting to say something to comfort him, to bring back that carefree laughter we shared in the tree house.

“Please, don’t say anything,” he said. His gaze dropped to his lap.

I reached out and rested my hand on his. Warmth raced from my fingertips and exploded up my arm. But I kept my hand there. “I promise.”

He met my gaze and held it. I wondered if he could read my mind. Did he see just what he was doing to me? Did I want him to know?

“Thanks, Tiny. I knew I could depend on you. You’re the best kind of friend.”

Friend.

I was Tyson’s friend.

My heart pounded with relief. I’d graduated from crazy junior girl with an over-protective dad to someone he could talk to.

Unsure of what to do, I nodded, grabbed the strap of my backpack, and pushed open the door. After I shut the door behind me, Tyson raised a few fingers in a sort of half wave, half salute and then pulled out of the driveway.

I stood there alone. Trying to digest what had just happened. One thing was for sure, I wasn’t ever going to be the same again.