“Lexie.”

“Hmm?”

“Lexie, wake up.”

Rory’s voice brought me out of my comfy sleep. I opened my eyes to find Rory standing in my bedroom doorway. He was grinning down at me.

“The boys are downstairs, they're going hiking. Something about scouting out new rock climbing spots.”

I rubbed my eyes and stretched on my side. That sounded pretty fun to me.

“Tell them I’ll be down in like, ten minutes.”

I put my feet on the floor and ran my hands through my hair. It was a mess; I had forgotten to put it back in a braid last night. Rory shut the door as he left. I went to my closet and found a pair of old blue jeans and an old faded, black Aerosmith shirt. I pulled on an old pair of boots and grabbed a hoodie. I was heading down the stairs trying to pull my hair back when the laughing started.

“Damn, Red, you’ve got serious bed hair.” Isaac’s voice was cheerful this morning, and loud. It was too early for this.

I stuck my tongue out at him as I finally tied my hair back. I looked over at Zeke, Ethan, and Miles. Oh yeah, Asher was working this morning. Everyone was wearing old faded clothes for the hike.

“Before we go anywhere you need to feed me,” I warned them grumpily.

“We’re picking up coffee and breakfast on the way.” Ethan was practically bouncing on his toes. I was pretty sure he already had his coffee this morning. I shrugged, and we headed for the door.

“Hold on!” Rory shouted. We all turned and watched Rory walk out of the kitchen. “What path are you hiking? How far are you going? And when will you be back?”

Zeke answered all Rory’s questions, then we were all piled into the back of Zeke’s old ‘97 black Jeep Cherokee. Soon I was happily downing my breakfast sandwich.

“So, why didn’t I get any warning about this morning?” I asked before taking a deep drink of my coffee.

“I thought someone had already told you,” Miles admitted before biting into his sandwich.

“I told Ethan to do it.” Isaac said.

“You did not. You said you were going to tell her,” Ethan shot back. Isaac gave Ethan a shove which knocked him into me. I saved my coffee, barely. Ethan shoved him back.

“No fighting with her right next to you!” Zeke barked at them over his shoulder.

The twins stopped instantly. Isaac leaned around Ethan and looked at me.

“Sorry, Red,” Isaac offered.

I glared at him.

“You’re lucky you didn’t kill my coffee,” I told him in a menacing voice. The guys chuckled.

Soon we were pulling off the road to a marked trail ahead. When I climbed out, some of the guys were already opening the back of the Jeep. Zeke pulled out a big pack and pulled it on; he clipped the straps across his chest. The straps didn’t look comfortable, they were a little tight against his chest.

“Shit, I’m going to need a new pack this summer,” Zeke grumbled as Ethan pulled on his own pack.

“Good, then I can have your old one,” Isaac chimed in.

I just shook my head at them.

It wasn’t long before we were walking along the trail. The woods were beautiful, full of reds, oranges, and yellows. There was even some green here and there from the pines. I wish I had thought to bring my sketchbook. Then again, the guys probably wouldn’t have stopped long enough to let me draw, anyway.

“I’m going to have to come back out here with my sketchbook,” I announced. My fingers were actually twitching to use my pastels.

“Not alone,” Zeke called back from the front of our line.

I rolled my eyes.

Over the next couple hours, the guys told me about their rock climbing trips over the years. Isaac told me a story about Ethan losing his grip, dropping and swinging right into the rock face. That set Ethan off on a story about Zeke grabbing a weak ledge, the ledge crumbled, and he dropped eight feet to the ground. Zeke only admitted that it hurt. The boys explained how rock climbing worked, what kind of stone you want to find, and what happens if you make a bad decision. You drop, and if you had a bad anchor or belay, you die. This did not deter me a bit in wanting to try it. Eventually, we reached a rock face that ran a few hundred feet up to the top.

“Wow, that’s high,” I said lamely.

“That’s kinda the point.” Zeke chuckled before turning to the other guys. They began talking about possible routes, and hand holds; whether there were any cracks for hand holds.

The more they talked, the more I started to see the rock face the way they did. It was a challenge. I decided then and there that I was rock climbing with them this summer--well, if they were still around.

At some point, Isaac stepped away from the guys as Zeke was pointing out an overhang on the left that Asher might want to try climbing. Isaac began climbing up the wall without any gear. He was about eight feet up when I started to get worried. If an eight-foot fall hurt Zeke, then it’d hurt Isaac, too.

“Um, guys? Isaac’s climbing.” I actually pointed at Isaac’s back.

Everyone looked up and cursed. Well, except Miles. Miles never cursed.

“Isaac, get your ass back down here!” Zeke barked, his voice hard, his face pissed.

Isaac waved a hand dismissively at us. He climbed another few feet, my heart started racing.

“Isaac! You have no gear on! Get your ass down!” Ethan shouted, his face stormy.

“It’s an easy climb!” Isaac called down to us. He moved to the left towards the overhang.

“Don’t even think about it, Isaac!” Miles shouted, his voice turning cold. Miles, mild and sweet Miles, was getting angry too.

“I’m going after him,” Zeke growled. The guys stepped in front of him.

“You can’t get him down without gear, Zeke,” Miles said, his voice so cold it sent shivers down my spine. “It’s not like you can carry him down.”

Isaac had reached the overhang; he was looking for a handhold when I got an idea.

“I’ll get him,” I told them quietly, my eyes still on Isaac. I knew they were looking at me. They probably thought I was crazy.

“You're not touching that wall, Lexie,” Zeke growled.

I smiled wickedly.

“It’ll only take a few feet,” I reassured him before I stepped closer to the wall. “Hey, Isaac. I’m coming up!” I shouted. The boys went still behind me.

“No, you’re not, Red!” Isaac shouted from above, his head now turned toward me. I stepped up to the wall and looked for a handhold.

“You said it’s an easy climb!” I shouted back innocently. “If that’s true, then I can probably do it.” I found a hold and grabbed it, my fingertips scraping against the stone. I put my foot on another ledge, and boosted myself up. I looked for more holds.

“Someone fucking stop her!” Isaac shouted, his voice demanding. I found another hold and another spot for my foot and lifted myself up.

“I’m not going to piss off Beautiful,” Ethan answered Isaac, realizing what I was doing. I moved up another hold.

“Zeke!” Isaac shouted. I couldn’t tell, but I think he was coming closer.

“I’ve learned that Lexie is stubborn. If she wants to hurt herself that’s on her,” Zeke declared his voice, indifferent. I smiled to myself.

“Miles, damn it!” Isaac shouted. I looked up to watch him making his way back along the route he’d taken.

“I don’t go around grabbing girls, especially without permission,” Miles shot back.

I smiled at the wall as I hoisted myself up a little more. I didn’t know how high I was, but I trusted that if I were getting past the guys’ reach, they would grab me off the wall. I found another handhold and pulled myself up.

“Lexie.” Ethan coughed. He was telling me not to go any higher.

I nodded my head, so they knew I heard. I was pretending to look for another handhold when Isaac’s cursing got louder. I looked up to find him making his way down the rock face.

“Don’t you dare move an inch, Red,” Isaac growled as he found hand holds that brought him down beside me.

“But I thought it was an easy climb?” I asked, pretending to be confused. His face was furious as he reached a hand out to my back.

“It’s not!” he snapped, looking down at where I was on the wall. He seemed to realize I wasn’t that far off the ground because he started climbing down again. “Don’t you fucking move.”

I kept still as I watched Isaac climb down the last 6 feet or so. He dropped to the ground and looked up at me. His hands wrapped around to my hips, his fingers biting into my skin.

“Come down a bit so I can get you,” he ordered his voice boiling. Oh boy, Isaac was pissed.

I reached down with my left foot and started feeling along till I found that foothold I used before. Finally finding it, I moved my foot and hand at the same time, hitting both holds right. I looked for the next foot and hand holds, then moved onto those. Isaac’s hands slid up to my waist before he pulled me off the wall and against his chest. I was dangling for a moment before he put me down on my feet.

He turned me roughly towards him and got in my face.

“Don’t you ever fucking do that again.” He growled, pointing at me. “You don’t have any gear on; you’ve never even had a lesson!” He took a breath then growled at me again. “You understand?!”

I swallowed hard at the anger on his face; I nodded.

Satisfied that he got the answer he wanted, he turned on the guys. “What the hell were you guys thinking? You just let her start climbing?!”

All the guys shrugged.

“Lexie is going to do what Lexie is going to do,” Zeke explained calmly, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, we can’t stop her if she wants to do something,” Ethan added, looking innocent.

Miles just shook his head.

“Next time stop her!” Isaac shouted, though the volume of his voice was starting to lower as he calmed down. Isaac reached back and wrapped a hand around my arm. “Come on, Red. You’re staying next to me so I can keep an eye on you,” he grumbled, giving me a tug as he began walking back down the trail.

When Isaac’s back was turned, Zeke gave me a thumbs up, Ethan grinned at me, and Miles started laughing quietly. I winked at them as I followed Isaac, trying my best not to smile.

One of the guys gave me a bottle of water as we headed back down the trail. We were maybe halfway back when that chill ran down my neck. Really? Fucking really? I’m out in the fucking woods and of course there’s going to be a ghost. I sighed as I looked around for it. I spotted her watching us on the trail. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes. She was wearing a bloody, flannel shirt and slashed jeans. She was screaming at us.

“Come on! Can’t one of you find me?” she was crying as she pushed her bloody hair out of her face. Any annoyance I had disappeared as I watched her.

Shit.

“Hey guys, I’ve got to...you know, find a tree,” I announced, my eyes on the ghost. The twins chuckled. Everyone stopped walking.

“Go a hundred feet off trail,” Zeke informed me as he took off his pack.

“How does a girl do that in the woods, by the way?” Ethan asked curiously.

I laughed as the other boys groaned.

“I’m not going to explain it to you.” I shot over my shoulder as I headed off trail.

I made eye contact with the woman and tilted my head that she should follow me. Her eyes grew wide before she followed. My head started throbbing. My body felt torn up across my chest, my head felt crushed. I don’t know how she died, but it wasn’t easy. I walked until the others were out of earshot before turning to her.

“Who are you?”

The relief on her face was so great that my own head spun. Shit, she was way too close. My head started throbbing.

“My name’s Karen Malone; I just want someone to find my body,” she told me in a rush before continuing. “A bear got me a couple weeks ago, I think, and no one has found me. Please help me?”

I was afraid of that. I had the guys with me now; I couldn’t go body hunting. Could I?

“How far away is your body?” I asked, debating.

“Not even half a mile, I’m maybe 150 feet off the trail,” she assured me.

Fuck. I was going to do this. I knew I was.

“You're going to have to show me.” And I was going to have to come up with some reason to get the guys in her direction.

“I will. It’s just a right at the next trail split, then a little further.”

“Okay, let’s go. I’ll think of something to tell the guys.” I mumbled heading back toward the trail.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me,” she said.

“Oh, I do, that’s why I’m doing it,” I whispered, sighing before stepping out onto the trail.

Everyone got up, and we started walking again. Karen stayed next to me the whole time. She told me about her life. She had been a university student, here on a little weekend vacation when she somehow got between a bear and its cub. The bear didn’t like that. Then she told me about her family. She was an only child; her parents were still alive and would be devastated if she wasn't found. She just wanted them to know what happened to her. I nodded along, trying to keep up with the guy’s conversation and Karen's chatter. My head was throbbing; Karen's memories started slipping in.

It was an hour before we reached the trail split.

“Here! We need to go right,” Karen announced anxiously. My mind raced to find some reason to go down the other trail, anything besides, ‘hey, there’s a dead body this way that we need to find’. Otherwise, this girl's soul won’t move on. I finally just settled on curiosity.

“Hey, what’s this way?” I asked, stepping down the right side of the split. The boys stopped. Zeke pulled out the map and checked the trail.

“That connects to a longer trail around the mountain.”

I looked over my shoulder at the guys.

“Let’s check it out,” I offered lightly. Come on guys, this ghost is killing me. “We won’t go too far.”

All the boys shrugged, and we headed down the trail. Yay for being the only girl in a group of boys! When you wanted to check something out, they were willing to go with you. We started walking again, the boys talking back and forth. I couldn’t focus on their conversation now, my head was throbbing in time with my pulse, and there was that pressure in my face. I had tissues out and against my nose before the others noticed. Come on Karen, where's your body. This fucking hurts.

It was fifteen minutes later when Karen ran ahead of me and pointed off into the trees.

“I’m just off the trail here.” Her voice was desperate. Shit. I waited until I was next to Karen to stop.

“Sorry guys, I need to go again,” I announced, hating to use the excuse.

The guys groaned.

“Hey,” I said to them, “I got that tiny girl bladder. It’s not my fault.”

A couple of them chuckled as I followed Karen off the trail. My stomach was starting to churn; blood was still coming out my nose. I still followed Karen. The smell hit me first, rotting, sweet and thick on my tongue. I had another ten feet to go to reach Karen. As I got closer the smell got worse, I tried not to think about what I was smelling. When I reached Karen’s body, I braced myself and looked down. She was destroyed. Her body was bloated, black liquid seeping from what was left of her abdomen. Her face was utterly ravaged; her skull was exposed, her jaw broken. Karen came too close. Her memories of being mauled poured over me. Her pain, her fear, the feeling of her death. I was going to be sick.

“Thank you,” she said to me as I turned and started puking.

The boys must have heard me because my name was being called. I couldn’t answer as I threw up again. I felt Karen move on. Yay, great for her. I was too focused on breathing between puking to care. Hands grabbed me; someone pushed and held my hair back from my face.

“We’ve got you, Beautiful.” Ethan’s voice was to my right. An arm wrapped around my waist and forced me to move away from the body. They thought that was what was making me sick. Oh, if only. But it was nice of them to try.

It wasn’t long until I finally stopped puking. When I stood up straight, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The twin’s hands steadied me, till it passed. I wiped a shaking hand across my mouth. Isaac handed me my dropped water bottle, and I started washing my mouth out. I was on my third rinse when someone mentioned calling the police.

“Call Rory,” I managed to say, my voice shaking. I reached into my back pocket and held out my phone. Someone took it from me. My head was killing me too much to care who right now.

“I’ll call him. Get her back on the trail,” Zeke ordered as he swiped his finger across my phone. Ethan and Isaac each had a death grip on one of my hands as they walked me back to the trail. They let go when we were out of the brush.

“Red, your nose is bleeding,” Isaac told me. I pulled more tissues from my pocket and pressed them against my nose. My headache was starting to ease up when Zeke and Miles came back down to the trail.

“Rory wants to meet us at the trail head,” Zeke said as they reached us. Everyone got to their feet. Miles' eyes went to the tissues in my hand, he frowned. I just turned away and headed down the trail after Isaac. I really didn’t want to answer questions right now.

An hour later, I was sitting in the front seat of Rory’s truck, a blanket around my shoulders. I didn’t understand why I needed a blanket, but Miles had been insistent. He muttered something about shock before walking away from me. There was an ambulance; someone from the forestry service had shown up along with several other cops. Rory was standing at the door, blocking my view of everything happening at the trail head.

“Lexie, what the hell happened?” Rory asked, his eyes narrowing on my face.

“A dead girl found me,” I admitted quietly. Rory cursed. “She begged me to find her body so her parents would know what happened to her.”

Rory shook his head at me, his brow drawing down.

“Lexie, your heart's too big for your own good,” he said. “You said no ghosts for the weekend, now here we are with a dead body.”

“I was in the woods hiking with the guys,” I pointed out. “How was I supposed to know there would be a soul out here?”

Rory sighed, frowning again. “What did you tell the boys?” he asked.

I smirked up at him. “I said I was curious about a trail, and we walked down it for a bit. Then I said I had to pee.” I shrugged. “Karen Malone led me right to her body.”

Rory nodded.

“Uh-huh. Now, why did you start puking?”

I wrinkled my nose at him. He was way too observant.

“She was standing too close; her death memories kind of filled my head,” I admitted.

Rory sighed and stepped back so I could get out of the truck. Apparently, he got the information he wanted. “Zeke’s going to take you guys home. I want you resting for the rest of the day.”

“Can I still go watch Ethan’s band play?” I asked, my voice close to pleading. Rory snorted.

“Yes, you can.” Rory waved Zeke over. “Take her home and make sure she gets some rest even if you have to sit on her.”

Damn it, Zeke would actually make me rest. Zeke smirked at me, he was enjoying this entirely too much. I glared at Rory who just smiled down at me; he knew exactly what he just did. Zeke reached out, took my arm, and tugged me towards the others at his Jeep. That was low, Rory, real low.

Zeke didn’t sit on me, but the twins might as well have. Isaac and Ethan snuggled up next to me on the couch and wouldn’t let me get up until they had to leave. Isaac wanted to get some things done before heading out to the club tonight and Ethan had to go set up. Miles was quiet all afternoon, typing away on his cell phone with a frown on his face until he headed home soon after the twins. Zeke refused to leave until Rory was back. When Rory walked in with a pizza in his hand, his eyes found me on the couch and Zeke in one of the armchairs. I glared at Rory. He burst out laughing. Zeke headed home to take a shower and change before we headed out to the club.

I ate dinner quickly, then headed upstairs. I took a shower and went into my bedroom to get ready. I turned on my computer and started listening to my favorite going-out songs as I got ready. I walked to the closet and threw it open. What to wear? I smirked at myself. I pulled on a pair of black boot-cut jeans, a black scoop-neck shirt, and my trusty black combat boots. It was going to be hot in the club so I might as well dress for it. I was doing my makeup when there was a knock on the door.

“Come on in.” I focused on my eyeliner and didn’t look behind me.

“I heard you're going out tonight with your friends.” Tara’s voice stunned me.

I finished with making my eyeliner darker than usual before turning around and answering.

“Yeah, Ethan’s band is playing tonight.” I watched Tara as she looked around my room. There wasn’t much to see; I didn’t have any pictures or posters to put up. Tara seemed to want to ask me something, but she was stalling. When she stayed silent, I started on my eye shadow, giving myself smoky eyes for the night. I finished one eye and was doing the other when I got tired of waiting for Tara to ask her questions. “What do you want to ask, Tara?”

She gave a soft sigh. “I was just wondering where you and your friends were going,” Tara asked, without making it sound like a question.

I shrugged. “I don’t know; they’re driving tonight,” I said. I didn’t want Tara to show up and ruin Asher’s time tonight. But I also didn’t want to tell her I didn’t want her to go. I was putting on my mascara when Tara spoke again.

“Lexie, I like Asher. I think we could be good together if we had a chance to get to know each other.” Tara’s voice was honest and vulnerable. It was weird.

I sighed as I finished with my lashes and turned around.

“Honey, Asher’s not looking for a girlfriend right now,” I tried to explain gently. “He’s having trouble with his sister; he’s always busy with work and football.” I wanted to get her to understand. “He doesn’t have time for a girlfriend right now.”

Tara was looking at the floor for a while. I felt bad having to tell her, but I didn't know what else to do. I checked the time. I needed to hurry; the guys would be here in a few minutes.

I was pulling out my deep red lipstick when Tara caught my attention again.

“But he has time to go out with you?” She snapped bitterly.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “A friend that is a girl is not a girlfriend, Tara,” I told her patiently. “I require a lot less time and effort.” I snorted. “Besides, I think the guys sometimes forget I’m a girl.” I put on my lipstick; it was a good deep red, with a bit of dark to it. Combined with my hair and skin, it looked great.

There was a knock on the front door. I turned to find Tara still in my room. Hell, I had to give her something. “If you want my advice with Asher…ease back until at least football ends. Don’t flirt with him. Just, try to get to know him as a friend.”

“Lexie, the boys are here!” Rory called up the stairs. Tara had a strange expression on her face like I had said something offensive. Ah hell, I give up. I put my wallet in my back pocket and my cell phone in my inside jacket pocket. I gestured for Tara to leave my room before me. She stopped outside in the hall.

“I’ve never been friends with a guy before,” she said, sounding confused.

Shit.

“Guys are fun, I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow if you like. But right now I have to go,” I told her, gently closing the door behind me. She looked thoughtful as she nodded and disappeared into her room. I let out a breath. That was weird.

I hurried downstairs and found Isaac, Miles, and Zeke waiting. Isaac was wearing blue jeans, a black and white shirt with some graphic I couldn’t make out. Along with his trusted blue hoodie. Miles was wearing his usual jeans and a black shirt with an extremely complex equation written across his chest in white, along with his green hoodie. Zeke just looked like Zeke--black jeans, black shirt, motorcycle boots. Though his hair was still wet from his shower.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Did you even change your clothes?” I asked doubtfully. He lips twitched as he looked down at his outfit.

“Yeah, these are clean,” he simply said.

I couldn’t help but grin.

I looked at Rory to find him frowning at me.

“What’s my curfew?” I asked, wondering what the frown was for. Rory sighed.

“Midnight.” Rory looked at the boys. “Keep an eye on her for me.”

The guys nodded. I rolled my eyes.

Then we were out the door and in Zeke’s Jeep. I could have gone around to the other side, but I wanted to play with Asher, who was waiting in the car. So I opened his door and climbed over him to the other side. Isaac followed me. While Asher just laughed as I crawled over him, he groaned under Isaac’s weight.

“Hell, Isaac, how much do you weigh?” Asher groaned. Isaac sat up in the middle.

“165 and it’s all muscle, baby.” Isaac chuckled.

“That’s right, sweetie, you own it,” I told him, my voice proud. The boys laughed.

As we headed out to Dulcet, I told Asher about Tara asking about where we were going. I also told him I advised her to back off, at least until after football. He said he was getting me a present. I asked for rock climbing lessons. His eyes lit up as he agreed.

The radio was starting to go to static so instead of interrupting Zeke and Miles conversation I slipped off my seat belt, wedged myself between the front seats, and played with the knobs until I found one that worked. It wasn’t until I was sliding back that I realized I had just shoved my breasts practically into Miles' face. I winced as I sat up.

“Sorry Miles.”

“I’ll live.” He assured me.

I burst out giggling as the others looked at me questioningly. I only shrugged and refused to answer.

Soon enough we were at Vegabond. We climbed out and got in line. The club was a big warehouse-like building, not as big as the clubs in the city but it looked like it would work for a town this size. I followed Zeke after I paid my cover. I was surprised the club was so packed. I quickly snagged Zeke's belt so I wouldn't get lost in the crowd. He reached behind him, took my hand in his and pulled me with him through the crowd. A hand snagged my other wrist. I looked behind me to find Isaac holding my other wrist.

Zeke somehow managed to find five spots at the bar. I believe glaring was involved on his part. I hopped onto my bar stool and ordered a soda. It was warm in here, so I took off my jacket and slipped it under my butt. I watched Isaac disappear into the crowd. Asher leaned over to me.

“I heard about today,” he said, his ocean eyes met mine. “Good thinking getting Isaac to come down.”

My face warmed under his gaze.

“I’m just glad it worked,” I told him before turning to pay for my soda. I turned back and took a sip.

The band walking out onto the stage cut off all other conversation. Ethan was in his usual all black, only tonight he wore a black tank top. It must be hot under the lights. My stomach was in knots for him. I bit the corner of my lip, nervous. The band got into position, and Ethan took the microphone.

“He’s nervous,” Asher commented.

I nodded and leaned over to him.

“Yeah, but once they hear him sing, the crowd will go crazy,” I said. Asher nodded.

Then they started to play. The crowd cheered; they recognized this song. I watched the girls around me as Ethan began to sing. Jaws dropped, toes curled, and absolute devotion was created. It was everything I thought it would be. I all but jumped up and down on my stool in happiness. Zeke looked down at me like I had lost my mind. I crooked a finger at him. He leaned down so I could talk into his ear over the music.

“Look at the girls’ faces.”

Zeke straightened and looked around. Zeke smirked. He saw it too. They were into the second song when everyone started swaying on the dance floor. Zeke got my attention and gestured for me to stay here. I rolled my eyes at him. He shook his head and walked into the crowd. Everyone was dancing in the middle of the club, and I was tired of sitting still. Ethan’s voice was rolling through the bar, and it made me want to move. I tapped Asher's shoulder; he leaned down to hear me.

“You’re dancing with me,” I told him flat out, no question about it. I wanted to dance, and Asher was stuck with me. He smiled down at me before we headed out into the crowd as a fast, hard beat started up.

I danced with Asher, moving with the music. Though I made sure not to get too close, after all, I wasn’t dating the guy. The dance floor was crowded, and soon enough, Asher saw someone he wanted to talk to. He leaned down and told me he was leaving. I nodded and kept dancing. I looked back over to the guys and found only Zeke and Miles still standing there. I caught Zeke’s eye. I crooked a finger at him; asking him to come dance with me. He shook his head and mouthed the word no. I looked over at Miles and crooked a finger at him. He also shook his head as he gave me a warm smile. I shrugged and went back to dancing surrounded by people.

A hand moved around my waist, a body pressed against my back. I pulled the arm off and turned around. Wow. He was cute. A head taller than me, he had broad shoulders and great eyes. I dropped his arm and raised an eyebrow at him. He gave me a smile; it made me smile back. So, I danced with the guy, not the way he wanted me to. I didn't even know him. We danced until the band needed a break. He smiled down at me and held out his hand.

“I’m Markus. I go to Dulcet High School here.”

I shook his hand and smiled.

“I’m Alexis, I go to Spring Mountain.”

“I’ve never seen you here before,” he said in the quiet of the club.

“I just moved to town this week,” I admitted.

He nodded, then he pulled out a flask and took a drink. That was ballsy, drinking in the only bar around that would let in underage kids. He was going to get himself kicked out. He held it out to me, offering me some. I shook my head. He put the cap back on and put it back in his pocket.

I looked over to see Zeke talking to a tall girl with purple hair, and Miles was on a couch talking to a couple guys I recognized from school. I had no clue where Isaac or Asher had gone. Club music blasted through the speakers. Markus gestured, asking me to dance. I nodded. I wanted to dance, and he seemed okay. Though I didn’t like the drinking here.

We danced to the club music, jumping with the crowd. Then a slow song came on. Markus had taken another hit from his flask when he reached out and pulled me closer. What the hell, why not? No one else was going to dance with me. I kept my body from pressing against his as we danced. Thankfully, the band came out, and they started up again. I stepped back away from Markus, turned and watched Ethan start to sing again. Damn that boy was good.

I was swaying to the music when Markus pressed his body up against me again, his arm going around my waist, again. Okay, he’s not getting it. I pulled his arm off and turned around again. I shook my head. He gave me a nasty look and waved at me dismissively before going deeper into the crowd.

At least he got the message. I headed off the dance floor back to where my jacket was and waited to order a bottle of water.

“Hey, Red.” Isaac popped up beside me making me jump. He ran his eyes over me. His question clear on his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I gestured over my shoulder at the dance floor. “I just got rid of some touchy guy on the dance floor. For a second, I thought you were him.”

Isaac frowned and turned, resting his back against the bar. I ordered water from the bartender. When I finished paying, I turned to see Isaac watching the dance floor. I nudged his shoulder.

“Which one?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t worry about it. I already took care of it.” I opened my water bottle and turned around to stand next to him. “Where have you been?”

Isaac grinned, his gaze still on the dance floor.

“I saw a girl I know from school; she’s always had a boyfriend, though.” He gestured toward a table near the door to the bar. I saw a couple blonde girls and didn’t know which one he was talking about. “I heard a rumor this week that she was single now, so I’m taking a shot.”

“Next slow song Ethan does get her on the dance floor,” I offered. “Ethan’s voice will do most of the work for you.”

Isaac’s face spread into a wicked grin.

“You’re a genius, Red.” Isaac turned to the bartender and ordered a couple sodas. “Now we need to find you someone.”

“Got any friends that we don’t hang out with?” I asked, only half kidding. I missed having a boyfriend, someone who made my heart race and my stomach flutter. Isaac seemed to be actually considering it.

He winced. “Nah, no one good enough for you, Red.” Isaac paid the bartender and picked up the sodas.

“Aw, thanks, Cookie Monster.” I smiled over at him.

He winked at me before heading off towards the booth with the blondes. I sat down on my jacket and watched Ethan perform. Any sign of nerves seemed to have vanished once they started playing. My phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out and checked it.

Asher: Where are you?

Alexis: At the bar. Where you all left me.

I smirked as I hit send, the guys really had kind of ditched me, but I couldn’t blame them. There were girls here that they could hit on, and I wasn’t one of them. My phone vibrated again.

Asher: I’m sending a friend your way, I’m sitting with a bunch of couples, and he’s the odd guy out.

Alexis: Are you trying to hook me up?

Asher: Not really, all the girly giggling is irritating him. So, I told him to find you. The least girly girl I know.

There were only a couple seconds before my phone vibrated again.

Asher: And if you two hit it off, would that be so bad? Let me know what you think when he gets there.

I shook my head and smiled at my phone. Asher, what am I going to do with you?

“Sorry, are you Lexie?” A husky male voice rolled over my ears from my right. I looked up and had to stop my mouth from dropping. He was so freaking cute. His strong chin accented his angled jaw. Coupled with high cheekbones it gave him a boyish charm that made my heart race. His brown hair was a little long on top and kind of sticking up all over the place. He was wearing a gray Henley long-sleeve shirt with a couple buttons undone. The guy had muscle, not like Zeke, but it was there. I vaguely realized this because I was still looking at those dark blue eyes. Damn.

It was only a couple heartbeats before I pulled myself together and answered him.

“That’s me.” I gave him my best smile. “And you’re Asher’s friend?”

He nodded and pulled a sleeve further up his forearm.

“Yeah, I’m Dylan.” His husky voice was like fog and chocolate in my ears. It was so unfair. I gestured for him take the stool to my right.

“Have a seat. Just give me a second, Asher wanted me to text him when you got here.”

He sat down and ordered a soda while I texted Asher back.

Alexis: He’s here. You are the best friend ever!

I quickly put my phone away and started talking to Dylan.

“So, you're the other odd man out tonight, huh?” I offered, trying to get him talking.

He chuckled, as he paid for his soda.

“I guess so.” He looked down at me his gaze measuring. “Though I don’t remember seeing you around before.”

“I moved here this week.” I shrugged turning a bit on my stool, so I didn’t have to keep turning my neck. “So, how do you know Asher? And if you have any embarrassing stories from his childhood, don’t hold back on the details.”

He burst out laughing; it was a good laugh. One you’d hear and look around for whoever it belonged to.

“We’ve played football together since we were kids. Well, till my family moved over here.” He was still smiling as he turned on his stool toward me. “I do have some stories, but he has just as much on me, so stories are a no-go.”

I gave an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m never going to hear anything good,” I grumbled.

He chuckled.

“So, what do you do for fun around here?” I asked.

He thought about it for a couple heartbeats. “Outdoor stuff, really; hiking, skiing, climbing. We’re a very outdoorsy area.” His eyes ran over my face. “You are going need to invest in sunscreen this summer.”

I laughed. “Are you kidding? I’m going to be buying it by the case.” I told him matter-of-factly. “Or maybe the flat, which do you think will get me the better price?”

He had a great smile.

“Probably the flat, but then you have to store it all,” he pointed out before taking a drink.

“Ah, good point. The case it is.”

He smiled again and started talking. We talked about his surfing trips to Hawaii with his family. Music, school; we even talked about my artwork. Everything I learned about him I liked. We had talked for a good hour before he gestured to the dance floor.

“Want to dance?” he asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. It was so fucking cute.

“Sure, let’s go.”

I hopped off the stool as he stood up. He was a head taller than me. Perfect height for dancing. He took my hand, which of course immediately started tingling, and led me through the crowd to a spot on the dance floor. We just got there when the band changed into a slow song. We both started laughing.

I gestured back at the bar. “Want an out?” I offered, still laughing.

He smiled down at me and shook his head. He used my hand to pull me closer. One of his hands went to my lower back while mine disappeared into his.

“I think we’ll survive.” He bent his head down a little so I could hear him better, his chin brushing the back of my jaw. “Besides, with our luck, when we got back to the bar, it’d change back.”

“Then if we came back out, it’d go back to a slow one.” I snickered. He chuckled in my ear. My heart was racing, my back and hand tingling from his touch.

He sighed. “Yeah, better to just ride it out.”

I smiled and tried not to get too close to him. I didn’t want to scare him off. We had a few heartbeats of silence; I wanted to keep him talking. I couldn’t seem to get enough of that voice.

“So, what is it about surfing that you like?”

“Hmm.” His voice was low in my ear.

Oh, shit. My stomach did that low flip as goose bumps ran over my arms and down my back. I hoped he didn’t notice.

“It’s quiet, peaceful. When you're out there, it’s just you and your board looking for the next wave.” His voice poured into my ear.

I bit my bottom lip. That was not fair.

“Yeah, just you, your board and the sharks that want to eat you,” I pointed out, trying to distract myself.

He chuckled in my ear making me smile.

“Sharks don’t really want to eat you,” he said. I could hear his smile in his voice. “When there is an attack it’s usually because the shark thought the surfer was a seal.” His chest brushed against mine. Did he step closer? Yes. Yes, he did. I couldn’t stop smiling as I kept my gaze on his chest. “You should try surfing sometime, it’s fun.”

“Nu-uh, I have this rule. Don’t go where I’m not at the top of the food chain,” I told him seriously.

He chuckled in my ear. He moved our hands to rest on his chest. I bit my lip again, my stomach doing a different kind of hard flip low in my belly. Okay, yeah. I missed having a boyfriend.

“Sweetie, you're so small you're not at the top of the food chain now,” he said.

I burst out laughing; my face grew warm.

“A bunch of us go out the coast in the summer,” he continued, “it’s all arranged by the town. There are chaperones, separate hotel rooms for girls and guys. You should come.” He was talking like we were going to still see each other in the summer. I wasn’t going to count on that, but it wouldn’t be so bad if he were right.

“Promise I’ll come back?” I asked, completely serious. He chuckled.

“Yes.”

“With all my limbs attached?”

He kept laughing.

“Yes, with all your limbs attached.” He assured me, still laughing.

“What about toes? We haven’t talked about toes?”

He laughed even harder, pulling me against him more. He rested his forehead on my shoulder as he continued to crack up.

“It’s a legitimate concern of mine; I like my fingers and toes.” I continued, smiling.

I noticed Asher out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see him on the dance floor with a leggy brunette. When his eyes met mine, he smirked at me. I winked across the dance floor at him. When Dylan lifted his head, his face was pink from laughing. His deep blue eyes met mine.

“I promise I will personally guard your limbs, your fingers, and your little toes.” He assured me sweetly. I felt myself melt a bit, okay more than a bit.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” I agreed.

The slow song stopped. I stepped back and let go. A faster song started. Dylan leaned down to my ear again.

“I need to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.”

I nodded. “I’m getting water, do you want one?” I felt him nod against my cheek.

We split up on the dance floor, he headed to the restroom. Apparently, the restroom was in the back-right corner of the same wall as the bar. I walked to the bar with a big stupid grin on my face. Dylan was pretty damn cute; he was nice and had a damn good voice. I reminded myself not to get too excited about it. Nothing would probably come from it.

The bar was busy, so it took a bit to get two bottles of water. I had put my wallet away and was picking up the water bottles when a hand ran from my back down to my ass. I dropped the bottles, took the hand off of me and spun around. Markus was crowding close to me. I threw his arm at him; he didn’t seem to notice.

“Hey baby, miss me yet?” His voice was slurred his eyes running over me. Ew, just ew.

“Back the fuck off,” I told him clearly, my voice hard.

“Don’t be like that.” He put one arm on each side of me, resting on the bar, his whiskey breath in my face making my stomach roll. “I’ll treat you better than that other guy ever could.”

That’s it. I was done.

“Back the fuck off!” I repeated myself louder this time as I shoved him away from me. He moved back a step. He really was much bigger than me, after all. I only wanted him to back up.

His face twisted. “Fucking cock teasing bitch,” he spat out.

His hands shot out, hitting me in the middle of my chest hard. I fell backward, my back slammed into the edge of the bar. Agony ripped through me as I dropped hard on my right side and hip. My eyes watered from the fire running through my back. I gasped for air. My body shaking from the hit to my spine. A big black blur hit Markus across the face; he went down hard. Zeke was on him again in a heartbeat. I was trying to relearn to breathe as Zeke pounded his fist into Markus repeatedly. I couldn’t move, not yet. My back was still trying to kill me. I kept taking deep breaths trying to get through the pain. Zeke kept wailing on Markus.

“You think you could put your hands on her? You fucking piece of shit!” Zeke was shouting, among other things.

By the time I could move, Miles was kneeling next to me, his face worried. His eyes running over me, looking for any sign of injury. I waved him off and sat up. Miles helped pull me to my feet. It fucking hurt. I watched Zeke still hitting Markus.

Before I could start worrying, Asher and Isaac bolted out of the crowd and grabbed Zeke’s arms. They pulled him away from Markus. Zeke struck out with a boot nailing Markus in the gut before he was out of range.

Miles picked up Zeke’s jacket and handed me mine. He gently wrapped an arm around my back, his hand was warm against my ribs. I was still trying to process what had just happened. Zeke had just beaten Markus to a bloody pulp. Yeah, the guy hurt me. And yeah, I kind of liked that he was now unconscious on the floor. But I didn’t like that Zeke was still fighting Asher and Isaac as they pulled him through the stunned crowd. That was starting to scare me. This wasn’t the controlled Zeke that I knew.

Miles gently helped get me moving through the crowd, my back still throbbing; it hurt to just breathe from it. But we needed to go now. So I moved, following in the wake of the other guys. We stepped outside into the quiet of the parking lot. Zeke was still cursing, he wanted to go back in there and finish the guy off.

“Are you okay?” Miles asked, probably not for the first time, his emerald eyes ran over my face again. “What happened?”

“That guy grabbed my ass and blocked me against the bar,” I explained, watching the guys pin Zeke against the Jeep, his arms behind his back. They weren’t hurting him; it looked like they were only holding him until he calmed down. “I told him to back off, and he didn’t, so I pushed him,” I admitted as we started walking towards the Jeep. “He shoved me back, my back hit the bar. I hit the floor.”

Miles frowned as he watched how carefully I was walking. I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk normally. It fucking hurt.

“Do you want me to take a look?” Miles asked, his voice warm and silky again.

“No, no, I’ll be fine. He just knocked the wind out of me.” I really didn’t want any of them to see my back, especially right now. We needed Zeke to calm down, not go on a killing spree.

By the time we reached the Jeep, the pain had mostly faded from my back, and I was walking normally again. Isaac and Asher were taking turns trying to calm Zeke down. Zeke was still cursing and talking about ripping that guy's head off.

“Ally, are you alright?” Asher asked, still pinning Zeke to the Jeep.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I answered, distracted as I watched them hold Zeke calmly. I bit the corner of my bottom lip.

“Someone want to tell us what the hell happened?” Isaac shot over his shoulder, his face red as he struggled to hold Zeke in place.

Miles repeated what I told him. This just had Zeke straining against the others again.

Isaac looked over at Asher. “How’d you know someone hurt her?” Isaac grunted.

Zeke gave a jerk, the boys were forced to adjust their grip and slam him against the Jeep. It rocked with the force of they put behind it.

“Nothing else gets Zeke this pissed off,” Asher hissed, using his body weight against Zeke’s shoulder. Asher looked at me over his shoulder and tilted his head towards the Jeep. “Go ahead and get in the Jeep, this might take a while,” he managed to say between clenched teeth.

“Jeep’s locked.” Isaac groaned. The boys cursed, well, except for Miles. Asher gave Isaac a look. Isaac immediately began shaking his head.

“Nuh-uh, no way,” Isaac declared. “I’m not looking for keys near his junk with him this pissed off.”

“Miles?” Asher called over his shoulder.

“I’m with Isaac on this one. I think we should wait until he calms down,” Miles admitted.

I rolled my eyes and handed Miles my jacket.

“I’ll do it,” I announced, stepping closer to Zeke.

“He usually keeps them in his right pocket,” Miles said. I stepped up behind Zeke and touched his back lightly. He jerked hard against the guys.

“It’s Lexie!” They all snapped at him. Zeke seemed to hear them and stopped jerking.

“Zeke, it’s just me,” I told him calmly. His head turned trying to see me over his shoulder, but he couldn’t, I was too short with Isaac’s shoulder in the way. I ran my hand over his back so he could feel where I was. I stepped closer biting my lower lip again. Please don’t hit me. Please don’t hit me. “I’m just looking for the keys to the Jeep. The guys want to get me out of the cold.”

He seemed to hear me because he stopped fighting the boys. Feeling more confident that he knew I was there, I stepped closer, slipping in a bit between Isaac and Zeke. I ran my hand along the hard line of Zeke’s waist to his right front pocket. I reached into his pocket and felt around for the keys. During my fumbling, I felt something else besides keys, but I was trying to ignore that. My fingers snagged the key chain and pulled the keys out. Zeke was completely still, his forehead on the roof of the Jeep. He was taking deep, even breaths and slowly letting them out.

Miles walked me to the other side of the car; my eyes never left Zeke.

“Get in the car, Lexie,” Miles told me gently, his voice firm. “He’s going to need a few minutes.”

I slid into the back seat. Miles got into the front, started the car and started the heater for me. Then he was out again shutting the door behind him. The guys were talking to Zeke, telling him repeatedly that I was fine. That I just had the wind knocked out of me. I winced at my lie. My hands were still shaking from hitting the bar, but there was no way I could tell them that. Not with Zeke this angry.

It was a while before Zeke was allowed to step back from the Jeep. I bit the corner of my lip as he began pacing in the parking lot. The guys watched him silently. Eventually, everyone got into the Jeep. Miles took the driver seat; Zeke took the front. Asher and Isaac slipped in back with me. Zeke’s eyes ran over me once before he looked out the windshield, his jaw clenching.

This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have danced with someone I didn’t know. I should have stayed next to one of them all night after dancing with that asshole on the dance floor.

The ride back to Spring Mountain was tense and quiet. Zeke’s gaze never left the road the whole way back. Shit. He knew it was my fault, my chest tightened till it was getting hard to breathe.

When the guys dropped me off Asher reminded me about my lesson with him in the morning as I was getting out. The boys said goodnight, Zeke didn’t say a word to me. My stomach was in knots as I walked up to the front door. The guys waited until I was inside before driving off.

Well, I royally fucked that up.