An annoying buzz woke me up. Groaning, I rolled over and shut it off. MMA practice. Right. I rolled onto my back and took a deep breath. Another Ally dream. That was the third this week. And they always ended at the best damn part. I laid there, taking deep breaths until my body grew soft again. Normally I’d just take care of it, but I was dreading going downstairs today. How much of an ass was Dad going to be?

When my hard on was finally gone, I got up and went to my dresser. I got dressed on autopilot and headed downstairs.

When I stepped into the kitchen, I came up short. Dad was at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. And surprisingly, Jessica was there too, in her pink Hello Kitty pjs, standing at the stove and trying to make eggs.

I moved into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal. No way was I sticking around long enough to cook anything. I eyed Jessica’s cooking. “The heat is too high. You want medium high.”

She said nothing as she turned down the burner.

I stood against the sink and looked out the window, watching the sun rise.

“You have training this morning?” Dad asked. I let out a breath. So much for a quiet breakfast.

“Yeah, MMA.” I was almost done with breakfast anyway.

“Good cardio, but no fighting. You don’t want to break something or damage your arm,” he informed me absently.

“Sparring is part of it,” I said before I could think.

“Well, knock that shit off. You’re going to get injured and blow your ride,” he said.

I put my bowl in the sink and closed my eyes. I hadn’t realized how tired I was of his bullshit. How tired I was of pretending to be someone I wasn’t. It finally hit me full on. What I wanted, what I didn’t. I couldn’t do this the rest of my life. I could barely do it the rest of his visit.

“No, I won’t,” I said, my heart pounding. “I’m not playing football in college.” Tension filled the room.

His chair scraped against the tile. “What are you talking about? Of course you are.”

I turned around and met his eyes. He was leaning against the kitchen island. “I don’t want to play football for the rest of my life.” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to ease the tension there. Just accept it. Please. It was a futile hope, but a hope all the same.

His eyes flashed. “It’s not about what you want. It’s about money,” he reminded me. “It’s about the scholarship to get you through school, and then the money you’ll make in the pros. If you’re good enough, you’ll be set for life by the time you're twenty-four.” He shook his head. “Football is your future. You’re not going to get into college any other way.”

Anger flashed through me. “I have a three-point-nine GPA. Of course, you would know that if you ever asked about my grades instead of about my football stats.”

He shook his head. “Listen here. You are going to get a scholarship. You’ll play football in college and move on to the pros.”

I met his eyes and shook my head. “No. I’m not.” Accept it, Dad, please.

His jaw clenched, his eyes grew hard. “Then don’t expect me to pay for it.” What? That’s all he had to say?

“I’ll get a student loan,” I told him.

He scoffed. “You need someone to co-sign, and I’m not doing it. I’m not going to help you set yourself up for failure.”

It was like a blow to the stomach. Failure… rage coursed through me. “Fine. You know, if you cared half as much about Jessica’s grades as you do about me playing football, then she'd have a better GPA.” I was sick of it. Sick of the way he treated Jessica, sick of the way he treated both of us. I was done. I walked away from him and out of the kitchen. Snagging my keys on the way, I left the house. Anger burned in my gut all the way to the gym.

I was gasping as I rolled off of Maddie’s back and dropped to the mat. I had managed to put her in a hold that made her tap out. Again.

“Damn, Lexie,” Maddie said. “You’re kicking my ass too much.”

“Think of it as me getting even for all the times you’ve pinned me,” I countered. She chuckled. I got to my feet and reached down to help her to hers. She was shaking her head as we reached Dave.

“Maddie, you did well. You pushed her into her usual weak areas and kept her there.” He turned to me. “Lexie, you’re improving on your grappling, but Maddie shouldn’t have been able to get her hands on you. Work on your cardio.” He turned back to Maddie. “Give us a minute.” She smiled and headed off to the showers. Dave gestured for me to follow.

He led me over to the room Isaac was training in. Isaac was tearing into a punching bag. His face was hard, his jaw clenched.

“Do you know what’s wrong with Isaac?” he asked.

“No…” I said. I watched him beat into the bag. “Nothing I can think of.”

Dave sighed. “What about Asher?”

I turned to where he was looking. Asher was laying into his sparring partner. His partner was holding his own, but Asher was going all out.

“His dad is in town,” I offered.

“Shit,” he snapped. “I’m taking him off sparring until that ass leaves.” Dave moved toward the ring Asher was sparring in.

I headed back to the main gym room and towards the lockers, unwrapping my hands as I went.

“Hey, Beautiful, are you done?” Ethan asked, breathless as he met me in the center of the large room.

“Yeah, how about you?” I asked as we headed toward the front and the lockers.

“Oh yeah. I’m done,” he grumbled. I eyed him; he was walking with a slight limp.

“Snoopy, is your back hurting?” I asked, in a low voice. Ethan didn’t exactly like to advertise the slipped disks in his back.

“Yeah. My massage therapist is off at a family reunion this week,” he muttered. “Think you could give me a hand, or two?”

I smiled. “Sure, but you need to put sunblock on me again.”

He instantly perked up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I think I’m getting the better end of the deal.”

I was laughing when we reached the lockers. After I opened my locker, I pulled out my bag and headed for the women’s showers.

Today we were going out to the quarry to swim. The guys thought it would be better than going to my house. Less Tara at least. I took a quick shower before pulling on my two-piece suit. Then I slipped my street clothes over that. Feeling tired already, I washed my face with cold water, hoping it would wake me up.

I slipped on my sandals, threw my hair up into a bun, slapped some sunscreen on my face, and called it good.

When I came back out, the boys were all in their board shorts and had their bags slung over their shoulders. Everyone headed outside.

“So, where is the quarry?” I asked them as we stepped out into the blaring heat. Ugh, yuck. It was like running into a wall of burning air.

“I’ll go with ya,” Ethan offered. He held the car keys out to Isaac. Isaac shot him a look, his face hard.

“Sure. I’ll take the car,” he muttered on his way to their sedan.

“Asher and I will be a bit,” Miles announced.

“We’ll be there after we pick up lunch,” Asher explained as they headed for his truck.

“Can you pick me up an iced coffee?” I called to Asher and Miles. Asher waved his hand without turning around to let me know he heard.

I turned back to the others. “Well, I’ve got a blanket in the back, so we don’t need to sit on the ground,” I told them.

“Oh, a blanket?” Ethan wiggled his eyebrows. Heat washed through me at the soft, smoky sound of his voice.

I shot him a look. He chuckled. Everyone loaded up.

I followed Zeke’s Jeep until we pulled into a gravel lot full of cars.

“Looks like the quarry is busy today,” Ethan said with a smile.

We climbed out. I grabbed my small bag of stuff and pulled out the folded blanket. Ethan led me to a path through the trees where Zeke was waiting. We were only a few feet along when Zeke grabbed my arm in a hard grip and kept me on the inside of the path. I didn’t understand why until I looked to the right, past him. We were at the very top of a cliff over the quarry. It was at least forty feet down to the deep, water-filled pit. Shit. There was no way I was jumping from this high. Ethan led us down the path and steps that had been carved out of the rock. Being careful, we eventually reached the bottom of the quarry. Zeke didn’t let go until I was off the last step.

People from school were everywhere. Music was playing from somewhere. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to find a good spot in the shade for the blanket. Ethan helped me spread it out under the branches of a tree. I sat down, opened my canvas tote, and pulled out my sunblock. Ethan took off his shirt as I rubbed the lotion into my skin. He smiled and sat behind me. I squirted some into my hand before handing it to him. Zeke laid down and covered his eyes with his large forearm. He looked like he was going to take a nap.

“Don’t forget to put some on you,” I reminded him as I started on my legs. Ethan pulled the back of my shirt up and started rubbing it onto my back and shoulders.

“So, how high are you jumping from today?” Ethan asked.

“She can go to the second level, that’s it,” Zeke snapped. I shot him a look, but his eyes were still covered.

“What’s the second level?” I asked Ethan.

He reached around me and pointed at an outcropping of rocks about ten feet up from the water. “The first level is ten feet. The second, twenty. The third is thirty. The fourth is from the very top.” He went back rubbing in lotion.

“Don’t even think about going above—”

Zeke stopped himself. I looked over my shoulder to watch him clench his jaw. He dropped his arm off his eyes and looked at me. “It’s dangerous over twenty feet. Don’t go higher than the second level… please?”

I eyed him. He was asking? Zeke never asked, he just ordered. “Okay,” I answered. What was going on? Zeke let out a deep breath and covered his eyes again. I slipped my sandals off and rubbed sunblock into my feet. When I was done, Ethan moved in front of me and handed me the lotion.

I sat back on my knees and began to rub the lotion into his muscular shoulders and back. My fingers glided along his toned lines. Needing a distraction, I sang under my breath. It wasn’t until my voice cracked that I realized what I was doing. I stopped instantly, my mood dimming.

“Keep singing,” Ethan told me, “you were doing great.”

“Not here,” I muttered. When I was done putting sunblock on his back I tapped his shoulder. “Lie down.”

“Oh, Beautiful,” he said eagerly as he laid down next to me, “this is going to feel so good.”

Smiling, I turned and put more lotion in my hands. Then I began working on his back. His muscles were tight and knotted as usual. I focused on broad strokes that loosened up most of his muscles.

It wasn’t long until Isaac came down the cliffside and joined us. He pulled off his shirt when he reached us. Oh, mother… definition and muscles. That described Isaac perfectly. I fought not to drool as he moved behind me to sit against the trunk of the tree.

When I started on the small knots, Ethan started groaning into the blanket. I smirked and ignored it as much as I could.

After a while, the guys had had enough.

“Will you shut the fuck up?” Isaac snapped. My eyes jumped to him. His jaw was clenched, his mouth a hard line as he glared at his brother.

“Can’t, she has magic hands,” Ethan mumbled.

“Lexie, just push a lot harder,” Zeke told me. I snorted as I continued to work out the last of the knots. When I was done, Miles and Asher were coming down the stairs with several grocery bags.

Ethan sat up, stretched, and then leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Thank you, Beautiful.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered as I worked my thumb into the muscle between my thumb and forefinger. I gasped as I hit a knot.

“Red?” Isaac asked.

“I’m fine, the muscles in my hands are just tight,” I muttered.

“Why?” Asher asked as they reached the blanket. Miles and Asher sat down and began handing out drinks. I took my coffee happily and popped it open.

“She worked out the knots in my back.” Ethan moved over to sit in front of me. He held his hands out. “Gimme. Time to pay for my massage.” He began to gently rub the muscles in my right hand as I drank my coffee.

Asher began passing sandwiches out. Miles started with the chips. By the time Ethan moved on to my left, everyone else was eating lunch and talking.

“So, who’s here?” Asher asked before biting into a sandwich.

“Uh, the usual crowd,” Ethan answered.

“Is there any news about a bonfire down here yet?” Asher asked.

“We haven’t talked to anyone yet,” Isaac told them. “We’ve been here waiting for you, and Ethan made annoying noises. That’s about it.”

I looked over my shoulder at Isaac. His shoulders were stiff, his brow was drawn down as he ate his sandwich.

“Cookie Monster, are you okay?” I asked gently.

His eyes snapped up to mine. They softened slightly. “Yeah, it’s just hot.” I was smiling at him when Ethan pressed too hard.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” I hissed as I jerked my hand away.

“If you can’t fucking do it without hurting her, don’t fucking do it at all,” Zeke snapped.

“You want to try?” Ethan shot back over his shoulder. “It’s not exactly easy, ya know. She’s got these freaking little hard knots in a muscle that’s sensitive.” Wow. Everyone was crabby. Was it just the heat?

I sighed and picked up my sandwich.

“Beautiful, I’m not done with your hands,” Ethan reminded me.

I shook my head as I pulled my legs out from under me. “Everyone is in a shitty mood today. And I’m a little tired of hearing everyone snap at each other.” I started opening the white butcher paper.

The silence stretched as Miles looked at each of the guys. I took a bite of my turkey sandwich.

Isaac sighed. “Sorry.”

“Me too,” Ethan added.

“The heat is just getting to everyone,” Miles offered.

“Then go dunk your butts then come back and eat. ’Cause your grumpy asses are killing my good mood,” I told them. Isaac chuckled and got up. Ethan followed. I sent Zeke a look. He cursed and got up to jump in the water.

I chuckled as they came back. Isaac and Ethan came back with smiles. Zeke came back and squeezed the water out of his shirt over my head.

“You shit!” I laughed as I wiped the water off the back of my neck. He chuckled as he went back to his spot.

Lunch was more fun after that. It wasn’t too long before Miles and Asher were taking off their shirts to head into the water. Feeling more awake, I got to my feet then took off my shorts, folded them, and put them by my bag.

When I stood up Zeke’s face was pained. “Maybe you should keep your shirt on.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

He ran his hand through his hair. “There’s not as much shade here as at your house. You’re going to burn like hell.”

Uh-huh. I didn’t buy that for a second. “If I start to burn, then I’ll put it back on,” I promised.

“Fine,” he bit out before he started for the water. I smiled to myself as I pulled off my shirt and dropped it onto my shorts. I did, however, grab my towel and follow behind Zeke. Someone whistled. Oh, great.

“Hey, it’s Casper!” a girl shouted. I flipped the bird toward the voice. Another whistle had Zeke stopping in his tracks and waiting for me. It was the last whistle of my walk to the water. Guys actually turned away from me when Zeke was next to me.

When we reached the water, the guys were laughing their asses off.

“What are you laughing at?” I demanded.

Asher shook his head. “It’s not you, Ally, it’s all the guys looking away from Zeke’s glare.”

I looked up at Zeke. Sure enough, he was glaring at some guy I recognized from my Math class. I shook my head, climbed onto a flat rock a few feet over the water, and cannon balled right into the middle of the boys. I came up and smiled at them. Zeke dove in and splashed everyone.

The guys started jumping into the water from the first level. I simply enjoyed floating and relaxing in the cool water. The guys took turns holding my hand so I didn’t float off. Isaac spun me around in circles until I was laughing and begging him to stop.

It was an hour later when I was sitting on a rock ledge in the water, watching the guys jump and considering giving it a shot myself, when Eric swam up.

“Hey, Lexie,” he said with a smile. His shaggy brown hair was slicked back from his face. His skin was tan from the sun. He was a good-looking guy, just not enough to counter his personality.

“Hey, how’s your summer going?’ I asked with a smile.

“Not bad,” he said. “How about yours?” He lifted himself out of the water to sit next to me on the ledge. I fought not to tense up. The guys were right in front of me, and it was daylight. Chill out, Lexie. I focused on something else.

“Going good so far.” I turned away to watch Isaac jump off the second level.

“Do you have any plans tonight?” he asked casually.

“Yeah, I’m hanging out with the guys at the farmer’s market,” I told him. He cringed a bit. I fought back a smile. He really didn’t like Zeke.

“There are some rumors going around.” Eric’s voice caught my attention. I turned back to him. “Are you dating Blackthorn?”

I wish. I rolled my eyes. I’d love to date Zeke, or Miles, or Asher, or Ethan, or… hell, even Isaac was popping up on my radar lately. I had it bad and didn’t know what to do. “Those aren’t new rumors. They’re old. Why do you ask?”

“There’s just a rumor going around that Zeke broke up you and that guy from Dulcet” he said.

I shot him a look. “And where did you hear that?”

He shrugged. “From several people.”

I shook my head as I looked back out at the guys. Asher turned our way. I winked at him, letting him know I was fine. “Dylan - that guy from Dulcet - dumped me because he saw me have a seizure and ran like a bitch.” I turned back to him. “Zeke didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“He seems pretty protective of you,” he pointed out.

“He’s protective of all his friends,” I countered.

Eric chuckled. “I don’t see him getting pissed about girls whistling at Westfell.”

I smiled at the image. “Nah, but I’m smaller and cuter than they are.”

Eric snorted. Asher chuckled. I met Asher’s eyes and shrugged. “Tell me I’m wrong!”

Asher shook his head. “I agree completely, Ally.”

I chuckled.

Eric looked out at Asher, who was about eleven feet from us. “He can hear you?”

I smiled up at him. “Asher has excellent hearing.”

Eric’s face turned red. “I’ll… I’ll see ya around.”

“Later.” I held back my laughter until Eric was out of earshot. Then I couldn’t seem to stop. Eventually I did, when I needed to catch my breath.

I was relaxing in the water when my coffee wore off. I blinked hard as my energy level dropped. Shit… I was trying to decide if I was going to get out or stay in when Zeke swam over.

“You’re burning, Lexie,” he told me as he stood up. I looked down at my shoulders. He was right, I was starting to turn pink.

“Damn it.” I swam to the edge, found my feet, and climbed out of the water. I picked up my towel, wrapped it around my waist as I headed back to our blanket.

“Oh look, it’s the slut banging my brother,” Jessica’s voice came from the crowd. I turned as I started to squeeze the extra water out of my hair. Jessica was taller than me. She had a pretty face with the same sandy-blond hair as Asher. She was looking amazing in a blue two-piece and gold sandals.

“Oh, it’s you,” I said, my voice about as lively as I felt. I turned back around and kept walking to our blanket. Jessica followed.

“When are you going to get it through your thick skull that he is just using you?” Jessica asked snidely.

I picked up my sunblock and began rubbing it into my shoulders. “You really don’t think much of your brother, do you?”

Her eyes grew wide, as if I had slapped her. “My brother is amazing,” she snapped.

I tilted my head to the side. “And I’m trash, right? At least according to you.”

She huffed and looked down her nose at me. “Yeah, you are.”

“And you believe I’m banging your brother,” I stated as I changed arms. “So, either your brother is an idiot because I’m so obviously trash and yet he’s banging me, or your brother is awesome and therefore thinks well enough about me to have a relationship with me.” She blinked at me. “It can’t be both, so which is it?”

Jessica stared at me as she tried to think her way out of the puzzle I set for her. I pulled on my slouchy white boyfriend shirt as I waited for an answer. When she still said nothing, I began to add another layer of sunblock to my face.

“Which is it, Jess?” Asher’s voice had us both turning. Asher stood at the end of the blanket.

“She’s using you,” Jess stated.

He shook his head, his eyes hard. “Jess, I’m sick of this.”

“I’m trying to protect you,” Jessica insisted.

“Bullshit,” he stated. “You’ve always loved tearing into anyone I liked. And I’m not allowed to say shit about Jason.”

She straightened her shoulders. “Jason isn’t using me to get back at you.”

“Oh, please,” I muttered as I picked up my towel again and began soaking up water from my hair.

“Jason is an asshole,” Asher told her. I went still. This was new… but he wasn’t done yet. “I don’t like him, but I say nothing, because you do. I respect your choices when I can. For once, can you just respect mine?”

“You’re making a mistake,” Jess told him. “She doesn’t care about any of you.”

“And you do?” he snapped, his voice angry and sharp. I flinched. I’d never heard that voice from Asher before. And from the look on Jessica’s face, she hadn’t either. “I can go days without seeing you, Jess. The guys haven’t heard from you in over a year.” Her face was blank as he continued. “Ally’s my friend. Deal with it.” Jessica huffed and stormed off.

Asher turned back to me. “I’m sorry about her. The things she says…”

I shook my head. “It’s not your fault. If she really thinks I’m trying to get back at her for something… Then, I guess, in her twisted way, she is trying to protect you.”

Asher eyed me. “You alright?”

I gave him a tired smile. “Yeah, I’m just… I think I’m going to take a quick nap.”

He raised an eyebrow. “A nap?”

“Yeah, that workout this morning wiped me out,” I lied.

“Okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just… stay out of the sun.”

I sat down in a nice shady spot and smiled. “Way ahead of ya.” I folded up my towel and laid sideways across the blanket.

“You need anything, give a shout,” he told me.

“Don’t worry, I will,” I told him as I folded my hands behind my head and looked at the sky through the leaves. Asher hesitated before heading back to the others. My mind went straight back to the scan results.

That was odd. Ally hasn’t taken a nap in the afternoon since… well, since we got Hades for her. I looked over my shoulder at her stretching out on the blanket in the shade. She has been drinking coffee in the afternoon lately, too. I turned back around and headed for the guys. Maybe one of them knew what was going on.

I went to the large rock near them and sat down. “Hey, does anyone know why Ally is so tired?”

Everyone gave me their attention immediately.

“What do you mean?” Miles asked.

I gestured towards the blanket. “She’s taking a nap right now.”

“What?” Ethan asked, not believing it.

“That’s strange,” Miles admitted.

“She’s just taking a fucking nap,” Isaac snapped as he swam towards the edge of the water.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

Isaac pulled himself out of the water and snatched his towel from the pile. “I didn’t sleep worth shit last night, so I’m taking a fucking nap too. Or do I fucking have to ask for permission?” Isaac shot over his shoulder as he started to dry his hair. Everyone chuckled as he left.

Miles continued watching as he walked away. "He's not sleeping again?"

Ethan sighed. "No, I don't think so."

"He didn't get wasted at the party,” Zeke pointed out.

"That's true," Asher added. "Besides, there isn't much we can do if he's not willing to talk."

"We should try and keep an eye on him,” Miles announced.

The guys nodded in agreement. Putting it out of my mind, I got to my feet and dove into the water.

I was running around in circles in my head when a shadow fell over me. I opened my eyes and smiled. Isaac was still dripping wet from the water, his wet hair slicked back off his face.

“Heard you’re taking a nap,” he said.

“Yeah,” I muttered.

He grinned. “Sit up.”

I didn’t ask why, I just sat up. Isaac sat down behind me and stretched out.

“Now you can use me as a pillow,” he said as he bent an arm under his head and closed his eyes.

My heart warmed. “You don’t have to do this you know.”

He opened one eye. “I didn’t sleep worth shit last night. You’re doing me a favor.” He reached over and tugged on my sleeve a little. “Come on. Nap time.”

I smiled and put my towel where my neck was going to go before I lay down. My head was resting on his hard, but still comfy, stomach. His hand found mine where it was resting on my upper stomach. His fingers played with mine as I looked up at the sky again.

“Comfy?”

“Uh-huh,” he muttered.

“Why couldn’t you sleep?” I asked, my voice quiet.

“Bad dreams,” he hedged. “What about you?”

“Same,” I lied. Warmth slid through me as he continued to stroke my fingers with his.

“Hell, we could have napped at my house,” he pointed out, his voice growing slurred.

“Good point.” My own body was starting to relax now. Isaac grew quiet.

I went back into my own head. Okay, I wasn’t doing as well as I thought. But I wasn’t that bad. I still had time. What the hell was I going to do with it?

“Isaac?”

“Hmm?” He was more than half asleep.

“Hypothetically, if you were dying, what would you want to do?” I asked in a whisper.

“Crash at your place,” he mumbled, his words barely audible. His fingers tightened on mine making my heart skip. “We’d hang… out… every… day…” He drifted off.

It was a sweet answer. His fingers stopped playing with mine as he fell asleep. He was right, though. Spending time with the people I loved and making sure they knew they were loved felt right to me. His deep, even breathing helped me relax. I slowly slipped under.

Pins and needles in my hand and up my forearm woke me up. I shifted. There was a grunt. I opened my eyes to find myself lying with my head on someone’s shoulder and my back against their side. I took a deep breath and smelled limes. Smiling, I relaxed against him. The hand on my belly moved a little.

“You awake?” Isaac whispered.

“Uh-huh,” I mumbled. The fingers on my stomach started rubbing back and forth slowly.

“Do you want to wake up?” His face pressed into the back of my hair.

“I’m debating,” I grumbled.

He chuckled. “Whatever you want.”

“How long have you been awake?” I asked as I started to rub the sleep from my eyes.

“A while,” he muttered as his face moved from my hair.

“Then why didn’t you get up?” I asked as I tilted my head backward to look up at him.

He grinned. “You were out cold. I figured you needed the sleep.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Cookie Monster.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Are you getting up now?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I want to jump off a level.”

He smiled as he pulled away so I could get up.

Isaac and I headed back to the others. When we reached the water, I looked up at him. “Want to jump off the first level?” I asked. He grinned.

“Hell yeah.” Isaac led me up the steps to the first level. “Make sure to jump out so you don’t hit the rocks right below you,” he warned. I winked at him, then ran and jumped. I tucked my knees to my chest and hit the water. I came up laughing. I swam over to the guys, still laughing.

“Nice splash,” Asher told me as he wiped water off his face.

“What’s so funny?” Miles asked.

I stopped long enough to wipe the tears from my eyes. “My ass hit the water first. I’ve got the wedgie from hell.” Miles turned bright red while the others burst out laughing. I was starting to calm down when Isaac jumped in and came up near us.

“What’s so funny?” he asked. That set us off again, leaving Miles to explain.

“Um, Lexie has a situation,” Miles hedged.

Isaac’s eyes snapped to me. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head as I quickly pulled my suit out of my crack.

“What’d I miss?” Isaac asked again. Everyone but Miles and Zeke started laughing again.

“I hit ass first and got a wedgie,” I admitted.

Zeke shook his head at me. “You don’t get to jump anymore unless you’re doing a pencil jump.”

I saluted him. “Yes, sir. Only the one wedgie for me, sir,” I said in a gruff voice. The guys were still laughing as they got out and headed for the jumping ledges. Except for Ethan. He sat on a small ledge still in the water. I swam over and lifted myself onto the ledge next to him.

“You’re not jumping?” I asked, watching as the guys climbed the stairs.

“I can’t,” he muttered. “If you have a healthy spine, you can jump from ten feet with no problem, even twenty. With my back, I can’t even do ten.”

I wrapped my arm around his and squeezed. He smiled down at me before we went back to watching the guys jumping from the second level.

After a while, everyone was getting tired. Isaac got out and held his hand down to me. “Want to jump off the second level?”

I smiled, took his hand, and followed him up the path. We moved to the second level.

“Okay, Red,” Isaac said as he walked out on to the ledge with me. “You’re going to do a pencil jump or it’ll hurt. Lock your legs together, point your toes and keep your arms straight down at your sides. When you hit, you want to make a point not to take a breath. After you hit, spread your arms and legs to stop you from going too deep. Got it?”

“Yep.” I looked down at the water. “How much is this going to hurt?”

“Your feet might sting a bit.” He shrugged.

I smiled, my heart pounding. “This should be fun.” I jumped, locked my legs straight, and kept my arms at my sides. I hit the water. I cringed. My feet stung as if I had hit cement. I swam to the surface and cursed.

The guys whooped. I swam toward them, hoping the stinging would stop soon.

“Enjoy that?” Ethan asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I just wish it didn’t make my feet sting.” I pulled myself out of the water and onto the ledge.

“You didn’t point your toes enough,” Miles informed me.

“Next time I’ll try that,” I said as I looked up to watch Isaac jump.

My heart dropped.

Isaac was climbing past the third level. “Guys. Isaac.”

Everyone turned and looked up.

“Shit,” Asher bit out before he took off for the path. Zeke was barely a heartbeat behind him.

“Isaac, don’t even think about it!” Zeke bellowed as he rushed up the steps. I got to my feet and stepped out of the water as everyone else was yelling. It didn’t even slow Isaac down.

Fear filled my heart, sharp and stabbing.

“He’s not going to…” I muttered as Isaac moved to the edge at the very top. “Oh, God.” Asher was only halfway up. Everyone in the quarry was watching, talking about how no one had ever jumped off the top without hurting themselves. “How dangerous is that level?”

“If you don’t land right? Bad,” Ethan said, his voice tight. I reached over and took his hand. His fingers tightened on mine.

“Brother, don’t!” Ethan shouted.

Isaac backed up to get a running jump.

“Isaac! Stop!” I shouted.

He paused, but it was only for a couple of heartbeats before he ran for the edge and jumped. He seemed to fly for forever, but it was still not long enough. He moved into the pencil position just before he hit the water, hard.

I covered my mouth as my body shook, my stomach knotted. “Oh God, no.”

Miles dove in and swam for Isaac’s entry point.

Fear tore through me. I couldn’t lose Isaac. We couldn’t lose him. Life without Isaac flashed before my eyes; no more blue hair, no more pranks, no more of that smile, no more limes… never another touch...

Tears filled my eyes as the seconds stretched into what seemed like hours.

Miles reached Isaac’s entry point just as Isaac came up.

He whooped and raised his arms.

He was fine.

The pain in my chest eased. Relief swamped me. I took several deep breaths. Ethan sat down on a rock and took deep, shuddering breaths.

I was just glad he was alive. But when he got out of the water smiling that shit-eating grin, I got pissed.

“What the fuck, Isaac?” I shouted. His eyebrows went up, his smile fading as he stepped closer.

“It was fun,” he offered.

My eyes met his. “You promised me,” I reminded him. His smile disappeared completely. “You fucking promised me! No more crazy stunts!” Anger washed through me, making me shake.

“That wasn’t—”

“You could have died,” I growled, tears falling down my face. “You promised me. And then you go and…” I shook my head. I couldn’t even deal right now. I thought I had lost him. For those seconds he was under the water, I had thought he was dead. I turned and walked back to the blanket, stuffed my things into my bag, and began pulling on my sandals.

“Red—”

My eyes snapped to his. “Don’t Red me!” I grabbed my bag. “You know how much your stunts scare me! And you fucking did it anyway!”

“It was a challenge!” he shot back.

“The third level would have been a challenge!” I pointed at the cliff. “That was a fucking stupid risk!” I strode past him with tears streaming down my face and climbed the path, passing Asher and Zeke as they came down.

“Ally?” I didn’t stop.

"Watch your footing," Zeke warned as I passed him.

“Lexie!” Isaac shouted. I ignored him, my throat tightening. I climbed into the Blazer and gunned it out of the gravel lot. I went home fuming and crying.

Isaac surfaced.

My knees gave out. I dropped to my towel as I tried to breathe again.

That son of a bitch! My hands shook as I watched Isaac swim to the shore. Why the hell does he keep doing this shit? I pressed a shaking hand against my face as I tried to get control of myself again.

“Damn, I hoped the fucker would break something,” Jason said. Jason’s friends agreed and started talking about what should have happened as they sat down. I shot him a look.

A girl’s voice was shouting. I looked around and found Lexie shouting at Isaac about his stupid stunt. For once, I agreed with her. My eyes went to Ethan and his hunched over form as he tried to get his breath back. He looked like he was going to be sick. Didn’t Isaac realize how much he scared him with this stuff? My heart ached as Lexie shouted at Isaac again and stormed up the stairs, leaving the guys behind. At least someone finally told him to knock it off.

“And there goes the bitch,” Jason announced. The guys laughed.

“At least she was nice to look at,” Hale offered. I rolled my eyes.

“I wouldn’t mind hitting that,” Brendon added. They continued talking about Lexie’s body as I watched Isaac walk off into the trees. Someone needed to talk to him. Asher was right… I hadn’t been around the guys for a long time. Maybe…

“Hey, who are you looking at?” Jason snapped.

I turned back to him. “I was just thinking someone should talk to Isaac.”

He scowled. “Why do you fucking care?”

“How can you say that?” I snapped. “Isaac’s family.”

Jason’s eyes flashed to me. His hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist. “Oh, you want to screw him, right?” His fingers tightened on my wrist painfully. I tried to pull back, but his grip was too hard. “Don’t you?” he snapped.

“Ew. He’s family,” I reminded him.

“Bullshit.” His grip tightened.

Lexie stormed out of view at the top of the cliff. Isaac cursed and walked off into the trees. Well, that was horrible. I looked at the others.

“Who do we go after, Isaac or Ally?” Asher asked.

I thought about it. “Let Lexie go, she probably needs some time to calm down.” I turned to look the way Isaac went. “Ethan? Do you want to talk to Isaac?”

“Fuck no,” Ethan growled. I turned. He was still sitting on a rock, his face pale, taking deep breaths. “That asshole just scared the shit out of me.”

“I’ll talk to Isaac,” I decided.

The guys agreed, so I headed after Isaac.

“This shit needs to stop,” Zeke snapped.

“Let Miles deal with it,” Asher said.

I stepped into the tree line and followed the path that Isaac seemed to have taken. Isaac wasn’t one to break a promise, so what happened today? I walked for several minutes before I heard him.

“Stupid, worthless piece of shit,” Isaac growled. Wood snapped. “You can’t even fucking keep a promise. It’s not that hard! But no, you can’t even fucking remember. You just had to make her cry.”

I stepped into the clearing. Isaac was snapping down branches and throwing them into the woods. His face was red, his mouth hard, as he continued cursing at himself.

I had to be the calm one. Asher didn’t want to do it, Ethan couldn’t do it, and Zeke wanted to hit him. I had to be the calm one. “Isaac.”

He shot a look at me over his shoulder before picking up a fallen branch and bashing it against a tree trunk. I moved a bit closer and waited until he broke the branch and threw it through the trees.

“Leave me alone,” he bit out.

“I came to listen,” I reminded him. I always came to listen. It was the only way to get him to talk about what was bothering him.

“Yeah, well.” He grunted as he smashed another branch before he turned back to me. “I don’t feel like talking.”

“Alright,” I said carefully. “Then I’ll just be here.” I sat down on a log and watched Isaac work his anger out. It took time and patience.

When he was finally done, he turned around, out of breath and sweating. He spotted me, shook his head, and turned away. “I fucking made her cry,” he muttered.

“Yes, you did,” I said carefully. “You scared her pretty badly.”

He shook his head again. “I wasn’t thinking about the promise I made her.”

“What were you thinking about?” I asked gently.

Isaac shook his head and looked at the ground. “You know what. Don’t worry about it, I’ll fucking fix it,” he snapped before he moved down another path and out of sight. Knowing Isaac, I didn’t follow. It was different than our usual talks, and that bothered me. I walked back to the quarry, running scenarios through my mind.

I was in my room, lying on my bed with Hades, when the door downstairs opened. I ignored it and continued scratching his ears as his head lay on my stomach. Footsteps moved up the stairs. Figuring it was probably Tara, I continued to sulk in my misery.

There was a knock on my door. “Ally, it’s me.” Asher’s voice broke my intense staring contest with the ceiling.

“It’s open,” I called.

He opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes ran over me, making me aware that my shorts were riding up my legs.

His eyes met mine. “Hey, you coming to the market?”

I looked back up at the ceiling. “I don’t know,” I admitted. That had been the plan, but Isaac’s stunt this afternoon had just knocked me sideways.

Asher sat on the futon beside me. “Come on, Ally, Ethan can’t really go on without you talking him through his pre-show freak out.”

I snorted. “Yeah he can. Remember Winter Formal?”

He huffed. “Yeah, and he said he kept missing notes.”

I smiled.

“Why does he do this?” I asked, knowing he didn’t have an answer.

“I don’t know. But maybe you should ask him,” he suggested.

“Me?” I asked doubtfully. Why would he listen to me?

He nodded. “Yeah, you. Miles didn’t get anywhere talking to him after you left. But you might.”

I thought about it.

“Besides, if he resists, you could always cry and he’d break like a cheap broom,” Asher added. I chuckled as he smiled down at me. “So, are you coming or am I hanging out here all night?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m coming, let me get my shoes on.” I scooted to the edge of the bed.

“Are we bringing Hades?” he asked as he got to his feet.

I slipped my sandals on. “Yeah, my poor baby was home all day.” Hades made a soft bark.

Asher chuckled as he headed out the bedroom door with Hades following. I locked my door and headed down the stairs. Asher already had him on the leash.

“Where are you two off to?” Rory asked from the kitchen.

“Farmer’s market,” I answered. “Ethan’s playing tonight.”

“Good, I’ve got a list. Well, Asher gave me a list.” Rory went to the fridge.

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you cooking this week?” I asked, getting a bit scared. Rory could barely boil water, and that was being generous. Asher chuckled.

“Asher’s teaching me a few dishes.” Rory grabbed a list off the fridge and brought it over.

“Is that… safe?” I teased.

Rory shot me a playful glare as he pulled his wallet out. “Ha ha ha.” He handed me several bills. “Just get the groceries.”

I grinned and took the money. We were about to walk out the door when Rory stopped me. “Wait, you’re taking Hades?”

I turned back from the door. “Yeah?”

“Check the cement outside before you do,” he told me as he went to the couch.

“What?” I raised an eyebrow.

He gestured to the driveway. “It’s in the high nineties outside; cement gets hot. Go put your hand on the driveway for five seconds.”

Okay… I gave Hades’ leash to Asher and then went outside and did as he asked. At the count of four I was yanking my hand off the cement. My skin was pink and painful as I went back in. “I had to take my hand off.”

Rory nodded. “Then it’s too hot for Hades to go walking around on asphalt.”

I didn’t like it, but he had a point. The cement was too hot for my baby. I bent down, took off his leash, and rubbed his ears. “I’m sorry, baby. You can’t go with us.” He gave me puppy-dog eyes. He really knew how to play me. “I’ll take you for a walk tonight after it cools off. And I’ll bring you a treat or something from the market.” Hades licked my cheek before he moved to the couch where he promptly started pushing Rory over. He didn’t seem too broken up about it. I put the leash on the hook and left with Asher.

The farmer’s market was held in the town square, which was a large park of grass and trees. The small stage was set up, along with the games for little kids. The four blocks around the square were closed off. Booths and stalls were already bustling in the late afternoon heat. At least the trees gave some shade. Asher parked several blocks away and we walked in. I was eyeing the list when I realized how much there was.

“Damn, I didn’t bring a bag for all this,” I muttered as I put the list away.

“There is usually someone who is selling canvas bags for cheap,” Asher told me. Well, that solved that. We turned the corner and saw the crowd. I paused. The market was busy - very busy. I was missing Hades when Asher took my hand.

“Ally?” he said gently. I looked up at him. “If it’s too crowded we can wait till it thins out.”

I looked back at the crowd and chewed the corner of my bottom lip. The crowd was rather large. Almost as large as the party the other night, and I had handled that alright. Come on, Lexie. Grow a pair. You got this.

I gave Asher a smile. “It’s okay, I can handle this. I hope.” He squeezed my hand and waited until I started walking. We moved into the crowd. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. You got this, you got this.

Asher found the stall for the bags and suggested I buy three. Apparently we were getting a lot of veggies this week. With bags in hand, Asher walked with me to pick out produce.

Asher was picking out strawberry baskets when I spotted Laura. The girl was shy as hell. It had taken her months to say a word to me. Her brown hair was down and in her sweet face, as usual. Even in this heat she was wearing sleeves almost to her wrists.

“Hey, Laura,” I said with a smile. “How’s your dog?”

Laura’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. “Oh, Lexie. I - I didn’t see you.” Her eyes darted to Asher. They grew wider then shot back to me. “His cast is off, and the vet says he should be fine.”

Yep, Laura was still super shy. “That’s great. Why don’t we take them out to the dog park someday soon?” I suggested.

She swallowed hard. “Um… yeah. That’d be fun. Call me and we’ll set it up,” she said quickly. Before I could answer, she disappeared into the crowd.

“She’s still really shy with you,” Asher said.

“Yeah.” I tucked a flyaway hair behind my ear. “I’m trying to be her friend, but… it’s like she doesn’t want one.” I looked up at him. “Am I not catching a hint or something?”

Asher thought about it. “No, I don’t think so.” He looked at another basket of strawberries. “She didn’t seem too comfortable with me here. Maybe that was it?”

I sighed. “Maybe…” We went back to shopping.

It was fun, even with the sun beating down on us. We walked from stall to stall, holding hands as if we… as if we were a couple. I pushed the thought away. It’s not going to happen; he doesn’t think of you that way. But what if he did…?

I still couldn’t. Zeke had kissed me months ago. Even though we still hadn’t talked about it, or kissed since, it had still happened. And until I knew one way or another, I shouldn’t even think about Asher. Right? I didn’t know. Feeling this way for all of them was confusing.

“Ally, are you okay? You just turned pale, even for you,” Asher asked.

I met his eyes, guilt eating at me. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He looked like he didn’t believe me. “Uh, Sylvie’s stall is next on the list. Do you want to see Isaac?”

I sighed and thought about it. “No, not yet. But Sylvie does have a lot of the veggies we need.”

Asher smiled. “Give me the list and the empty bags. I’ll get the rest of the list.”

“You’re sure?” I asked. My voice had grown raspy. “I can suck it up.”

He shook his head. “Come on, let’s get some water and find the others.”

Asher kept my hand as he headed towards one of the stands. We both bought waters before we headed for the grass area. We spotted Miles and Zeke sitting in the shade, under a tree in the corner of the lot.

“I can go from here,” I croaked. I opened my water and took a quick drink.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind walking you,” he said, his brow drawing down.

I grinned. “I can make fifteen feet.”

“Just making sure,” he told me before heading back into the crowd. I headed over to the guys.

“Hey.” I set my bag down, took a drink of my water, and then lay on the grass and enjoyed the shade. The ground sucked the heat from me, cooling me off.

“So, what’s happening?” I asked as I closed my eyes.

“I was thinking about going and looking at some of the non-food related stalls.” Miles turned to me. “Lexie, would you like to go?”

I smiled. “That’s Miles for ‘I want to check and make sure you’re alright.’” I announced.

His cheeks tinged pink. “Maybe.”

“Hey, sweetness!” Jake’s voice had me half sitting up.

“Hey!” I smiled. Jake was smiling down at me. Derrick was next to him with his usual grin plastered to his face.

“I heard you caught Dylan with his pants down at the party the other night,” Jake announced as they sat down.

“Literally.” I snorted. “But yeah, you should have seen his face,” I told him. “He looked like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar.” Derrick and Jake chuckled.

“What happened?” Miles asked.

I lay back down and tilted my head back so I could see Miles. “When I took that walk with Isaac, Dylan came out of the bushes zipping his zipper.”

“So? He was taking a leak,” Zeke pointed out.

I chuckled as I turned my head to look at him with a smile. “I thought that too, until some chick told him to wait because she couldn’t find her underwear.” Jake, Derrick and I burst out laughing. Zeke shook his head while Miles stayed silent.

“Yeah, you’ll never believe who the chick was,” Derrick told me.

I snorted. “I don’t care—”

“It was Cece,” Jake announced.

My jaw dropped. “Cece? Isaac’s ex-girlfriend Cece?” I asked, just to be clear.

They both nodded as they chuckled.

I shook my head. “Wow. I did not see that happening. No wonder he turned white.” I shook my head and changed the subject. “Miles was about to take me around the non-food stalls, wanna go?”

“Sure,” Derrick said as he got to his feet and reached down with both hands. I smiled as he pulled me to my feet.

I picked up my water bottle. “Zeke, can I leave my bags here?”

He lay down in the shade and covered his eyes with his forearm. “Yeah. It’s too fucking hot to move.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be wearing head to toe black in the summer,” I countered.

He lifted his arm and shot me a look. I smiled before walking off with Miles and the others.

We walked from stall to stall, checking out everything from sun hats to jewelry. I made sure to pick up a fancy dog treat for Hades. Derrick was asking a salesgirl questions while I checked out another rack of sunglasses.

Derrick picked up a pair of glasses and put them on.

The salesgirl giggled. "I call those the Terminator glasses."

Derrick grinned. "I'll be back,” he said in his best Schwarzenegger impression. I snickered at the corny joke. Jake turned away from the rack of hats and eyed Derrick.

“Are you upset about Dylan?” Miles asked quietly.

I smiled and looked up at him. His ears were pink, his blank face in place. “Not really. I was surprised. You don’t exactly expect to turn a corner and see your ex zipping their pants up.”

“No, I don’t suppose you do,” he said as we followed Jake and Derrick through the crowd. “But you’re alright?”

“I’m more upset about Isaac,” I admitted, watching as Derrick shot Jake a frustrated look.

“I thought you would be,” he said. “When did he promise to stop pulling stunts like today?” Jake shot Derrick an angry look.

“In April,” I said. “I told him that his stunts scared me.”

“And he agreed,” he said, as if it made sense to him.

“Yeah, he promised.” Derrick and Jake were talking; it didn’t look like it was going well. What was going on with them?

“It’s not like him to break a promise,” Miles said.

“I know. I just kind of lost it,” I admitted. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

“That’s a good idea,” Miles said. Derrick stopped walking and turned to Jake, gesturing angrily at him. “Oh, perhaps we should—”

“Let’s stay back a bit.” I stepped up to a jewelry stall. Miles moved to my side as I looked at necklaces. There were a few I liked. Then my eyes found a rose gold angel wing necklace.

“Did you find something?” he asked softly.

I shrugged. “I gave my angel wing necklace to Riley. It worked better with her complexion.”

He started tapping a staccato rhythm on the table. “The one Dylan gave you?”

I nodded. “I realized how the silver washed me out.” I looked up at him. “So, I’m keeping my eyes out for a replacement.”

“Did you find one?” he asked.

I glanced to make sure the saleswoman was out of earshot. “Nah, these are too big and bulky. I’d be getting them caught on everything.” I smiled up at him. “Your birthday is coming up, are we still having dinner at the twins’?”

His ears turned pink. “Um, yeah, but there’s no reason to make a big deal—”

“It’s your eighteenth birthday,” I told him. “We’re gonna make it a big deal.”

He grinned as his ears turned red.

There was shouting in the crowd. I looked down the way. Derrick held his hands up, his face frustrated he turned and walked away. Jake looked down at the ground. “Miles, I think I need to talk to Jake.”

Miles looked the same direction I was. “I’ll head back to the others.”

I gave him a warm smile. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” He turned and moved into the crowd while I made my way to Jake.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked when I reached him. Jake shook his head, his jaw locked. I took his hand and started moving him through the crowd, out of the market and across the street. When we had some privacy, I looked up at him. “What just happened?”

Jake shook his head. “Derrick fucking did it again."

"Huh?" What did I miss?

He ran his hand through his hair. “He’s fucking flirting with everything that moves!”

My eyebrows shot up. “What? When?”

Jake shot me an angry look. “He was flirting with that salesgirl!” He leaned back against the wall and tilted his head back to rest against it.

I thought back over Derrick’s conversation with the salesgirl at the last stall. There had been no flirting. “Um, Jake?”

“What?” he asked, his eyes closed.

“He wasn’t flirting,” I told him gently.

He lifted his head and looked down at me. “Yeah, he was. They were all giggly.”

“Jake, honey, I was standing right there,” I reminded him. “She made a joke about the sunglasses he was looking at, and he made a Terminator impression. That was it.”

His brow drew down as he frowned. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Why do you think he’s flirting?”

He sighed. “He’s… he’s bi, Lexie.”

“And?”

He turned back to me. “What if… what if I can’t keep him?”

“Keep him? Is he an animal?” I asked. He snorted. “Jake, Derrick is crazy for you.”

“For now,” he countered. “That doesn’t mean some bimbo with big knockers isn’t going to come along and steal him.”

“Let me get this straight… He might break up with you one day, so you’re sabotaging your relationship now,” I said bluntly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” he snapped.

"I am," I told him, "but I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass."

His eyes narrowed on mine as he scowled at me. "What? So, I'm the bad guy?"

“No, you're not. But he wasn't flirting,” I countered.

"Yeah, he was!" he all but shouted as he clenched his fists.

"He made a joke,” I shot back. "Don't you think you might be overreacting?"

He walked up and down the sidewalk taking deep breaths.

“I’m going to tell you the truth. That’s why you love me,” I reminded him. “And kinda hate me right now."

“Maybe," he said through gritted teeth as he turned and paced back towards me. "You might have a point."

“Have you talked to him about this?” I tried to calm him down.

“We’ve been talking about it for a month.” He sighed as he came to stand next to me again.

“Talking, or fighting?” I asked.

He cursed and closed his eyes. “Fighting.”

“You’re being insecure and jealous”—I wrapped my arm around him—“and you’re pushing him away.”

“How’d you get so smart?” he grumbled.

I smiled. “We recognize our own.”

He smiled. “I should go find him.”

“Only if you want to keep your boyfriend,” I told him. He cursed.

We walked back across the street. Jake walked me back to the lawn and then left to find Derrick. When I reached the guys, the lawn was starting to fill up.

“I thought you were with Jake?” Asher asked.

“Jake and Derrick had a fight. He went to go find him,” I explained as my phone vibrated in my bra. I pulled my phone out and checked it.

Ethan: Kinda need you.

I smiled as I typed in my response.

Alexis: I’ll head over now. Where r u?

Ethan: West side of the lawn next to the van.

Alexis: Coming.

I looked in the direction he said he was. I could see the van from here. “I’ve got to head over to Ethan. I’ll be right back.”

“You want someone to go with you?” Zeke asked. I thought about it. It wasn’t even five hundred feet.

“Nah, I should be good,” I told him. “If something happens, I’ll scream.”

Zeke shot me a look. “Not funny, Lexie.”

I met his eyes, my grin fading. “I know.”

Asher got to his feet. “I need to make a trip to the food trucks anyway.”

He started walking me to the van. “Thanks, Asher,” I muttered.

“No problem, Ally girl,” he said.

I smiled up at him. “So, what food truck are you hitting?”

“I was thinking the Greek food truck. They have great food,” he said.

“Sweet, can you get me something yummy?”

He grinned down at me. “Sure. Have you ever tried Greek food?”

“Nope.”

“What are you wanting? Light or rich?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to say something, only to hear a noise from a nearby doorway. We turned. Ryan, Ethan’s drummer, was kissing a girl in the recessed doorway of the church. A girl with lilac hair. Oh my God. We went to walk by, but they split apart. Ryan’s face turned red, Riley’s turned pink.

I just grinned. “Carry on.” Then we walked a bit faster. We were ten feet away before we started laughing.

“Was that Riley?” Asher asked between laughs.

“Yeah, it was.” I shook my head. “That girl has some explaining to do.”

“You didn’t know?”

“I knew she liked someone, but not who! And she’s gonna get so much shit for it,” I snickered.

We reached the van. Ethan was pacing back and forth in front of Oliver and Brooklyn.

“Ethan, calm down. You’ll be great,” Brooklyn said, trying to calm him down.

“Brooklyn, not now,” he snapped.

“You want anything for after your set?” Asher asked Ethan.

Ethan’s eyes found me. “Sure. I don’t care what.”

“One order of ‘I don’t care what’ coming up,” Asher announced before heading back.

I gave Ethan a small smile, took his hand, and made him follow me to the front of the van. “Ethan. You know you guys are amazing.”

He shook his head. “It’s an entirely new set, and you haven’t heard it.” His fingers twirled his silver rings.

I reached up, held his face, and made him look at me. “Ethan. What did you think when you left the garage last night?”

His eyes unfocused as his hands moved to my arms. “Good. I thought we were ready for tonight.”

“Then you’re ready,” I reassured him. “You are a perfectionist when it comes to practice, Snoopy. You don’t let anyone leave until you have it down. You got this.”

He sighed and rested his forehead on mine, his eyes closed. “You’re right.”

I took a deep breath, enjoying his spicy cologne. “I know I am.”

He chuckled softly, lifted his head and pulled me close. He hugged me tight. I smiled as I hugged him back.

“Are your wrists okay?” he whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

“Yeah, the burns are small and should be gone in a couple days,” I whispered back, resting my chin on his shoulder. He squeezed me tighter.

“Have you talked to Isaac?” His voice was thick. I squeezed tighter.

“No, but I will,” I promised.

He nodded, his breath caressing my ear. “Thank you, Lexie.”

“You’re welcome,” I whispered back.

“Ryan’s back. It’s time.” Brooklyn’s voice was relieved. I opened my eyes to find her watching me, as if I was going to attack her or something. I pulled back from Ethan. He took several deep breaths before nodding to me. He walked around the van. I followed.

“Come on, guys.” Ethan moved to make a circle with the others. Ryan was trying not to look at me. I bit back a grin as I leaned against the van and waited. They put their hands in a circle before throwing them up, shouting, “Under Fire!” My heart ached a bit.

Ethan came back and took my hand. “Come on, Beautiful. We’ve got a show.” I gave him the smile he needed and walked with them to the stage. As the others walked on, Ethan squeezed my hand and sent me a smile.

“Go kick some ass, Snoopy,” I said, trying not to be upset that I wasn’t going on with him. I let go and started making my way through the seated crowd. The guys were still under the tree, including Isaac. Everyone was talking when I stepped around them and sat in the back of the group with my back against the tree trunk.

Asher passed Miles a small bag. Miles passed it to me.

“Thanks,” I said as Ethan went to the microphone.

“Alright, what a turn out,” Ethan said, his smooth, smoky voice rolling over the crowd. “Now, let’s have a good time.” He played the first few notes of ‘Unbreakable’ by Fireflight. It was a good song. Then Brooklyn started singing. She was good, damn good. She stayed in key and hit the right notes. And the girl had range. She was a perfect fit for the band.

“Lexie, eat,” Zeke ordered over his shoulder. How did he know? I pulled out the thick cardboard container and opened it. It was a sandwich wrapped in flatbread. Inside were grilled onions, peppers, tomatoes, and some meat I couldn’t identify, along with an interesting looking white sauce. It smelled delicious and I trusted Asher, so I took a bite. My eyes almost rolled into the back of my head. Ohhh. It was so fucking good.

I finished my bite before asking. “Ash, what is this? ’Cause I need it at home every day.”

Asher chuckled. “It’s a gyro. Flatbread, meat, some veggies, and Tzatziki sauce.”

“It’s fucking delicious,” I said with my hand in front of my full mouth. The guys chuckled. I finished my sandwich quickly; the sauce was surprisingly light and perfect in this weather. I leaned back against the tree and listened to the band.

The sun set and it grew dark. I thought I was doing pretty well, until Brooklyn moved to stand next to Ethan. The first notes of ‘Burn with Me’ by Amaranthe played. It was a good song, but it was a duet.

Ethan sang the first verse. Then Brooklyn jumped in. My heart took a hit. My eyes burned. I couldn’t sit here. I got up and quietly walked around the tree and back through the closing market. Vendors were packing up. I walked to one of the closing food trucks, grabbed some tissues, turned around and went still. Isaac was standing there, his amber eyes meeting mine. He didn’t say a word. He just stepped closer, pulled me into his arms, and hugged me. I took a deep, shaking breath and wrapped my arms around his waist. He didn’t move, not until the song was over.

“I wish I could give you back your singing voice,” he whispered against my forehead. Tears fell down my cheeks.

“You beat the shit out of him,” I whispered back. “Tell me again what you did.”

“Broken knee, broken arm, broken ribs, kicked him in the face several times, and stomped on his sack a few more.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Isaac.” I pulled back and wiped my face. “I’m still a little mad at you.”

“So am I,” he admitted quietly.

I looked up and met his eyes again. “Why do you do those stunts?”

Behind his eyes he struggled until he looked down at the ground. “There’s this part of me, sometimes, that needs to see how close I can get.”

“To what?” I asked softly.

He lifted his head. “You know what.” He turned and walked several feet away.

Death. He wanted to see how close he could get to dying? My chest burned as I moved to stand in front of him. “What were you thinking up there today?”

He sighed and looked away. “That if I get close enough, maybe it will go away.”

“Isaac, do you know what it was like when you were underwater today?” I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks. “I thought you were dead. An overreaction, probably, but it’s where my mind went.” I looked down at the ground. I couldn’t look at him and tell him. “I saw the world without you, and it…” I took a deep breath, my lungs growing tight as I met his eyes. “There were no more pranks, no more jokes, no more hugs, no more you. And I don’t know if I could…” I took a deep breath and looked away. I had to try to make him understand. They couldn’t lose both of us. “Isaac. You have people who love you. Hell, I love you. I don’t want to lose you. Or see you get hurt.” He shook his head as if to deny it. “Cookie Monster, what if it was me?” His gaze snapped to mine. “What if I was the one on that ledge today, and you were the one who had to watch?”

He looked away. “I don’t want to think about that.”

“Because it hurts,” I told him before I reached up and placed my hand over the center of his chest. “Because it feels like you can’t breathe. That your heart is going to shatter and never be put back together.”

He reached up and held my hand against his hard chest before he met my eyes.

“That’s what you do to us every time you pull a stunt like that.” I didn’t know how else to make him understand. “We love you. We can’t lose you.”

He swallowed hard and pulled me against him again. I admit, I held on to him as hard as I could. I looked up at him and met his eyes. He wiped the tears from my cheeks again before bending down and resting his forehead against mine.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed. I reached up and held his face in my hands. We held each other for several minutes, just like that. Then the band started playing ‘I’m Yours’ by The Script.

“Dance with me, Red,” he whispered. I smiled and slid my hands down his neck and over his shoulders. He lifted his head. I stepped closer and rested my head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek against my hair and started slowly dancing with me. I breathed in limes, and peace slipped through me. I knew there was more he wasn’t telling me, but he had let me in a little. With the music, and his arms around me as he danced with me in the dark, it was enough. I stayed against him, not caring that it was hot or that we were both sweating. All that mattered was that he was here, dancing with me, breathing and alive. And that’s all I needed tonight.

Zeke pulled up to Rory’s house. He’d been quiet most of the night. Then again, I didn’t mind. After talking with Isaac I was pretty tired. He put the Jeep in park. I stared at the house. Tara’s car was in the driveway. Joy.

“Lexie?”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I focused on the now. “Nothing, um, that talk with Isaac just wiped me out.” I looked back at the house. “And I still have to walk Hades.” I took off my seatbelt.

“You’re going to walk Hades now?” he asked. “At ten-thirty at night?”

I shrugged. “He’s been in the house or in the backyard all day. He needs a walk.” I opened the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He shut off the Jeep and took off his seatbelt. “I’m walking with you,” he grumbled.

“Zeke.” I turned back to find him already getting out of the car.

“Don’t even start,” he growled. I sighed and got out of the car. Zeke was already heading for the door. He unlocked it before I reached him. Hades ran out between his legs and jumped on me.

“Hi, baby,” I cooed at the dog as I scratched his ears. He dropped back to all four feet and rushed to Zeke.

Zeke knelt down and got a lick to the cheek. “Not the face, Hades,” he grumbled. The dog just wagged his tail happily as Zeke put his leash on him. He moved to his feet, closed the door, and handed me the leash.

We started down the side of the road in comfortable silence. Zeke stayed on the street side. The heat was finally easing up. The crickets were chirping

We were two blocks away when I looked up at him. His face was hard, his eyes unfocused on the road.

“You okay, Tough Guy?” I asked, my voice quiet in the night.

He looked down at me, his face softening a little. “Just thinking.” His voice was the soft one he used with me once in a while. I loved that voice.

“About what?” When he didn’t say anything, I took a guess. “You have homework from your doc, right?” Zeke’s shrink often gave him ‘homework’, which was usually him talking to me about something.

He nodded before turning back to look down the block.

I looked down at Hades. “Are you ready to talk about it?”

“Do we have to talk?” His voice was almost a whisper.

I met his eyes again. They were tired, and quite frankly, so was I. “No,” I said. “Having you around is enough.”

The corner of his lips twitched.

We continued walking with Hades on my right and Zeke on my left. It was a nice, relaxing walk in comfortable silence. No issues, no talking, just being together. That long walk gave me peace and helped me feel better.

I never knew silence could be like that. Reviving. Renewing.

I rolled over again and punched the pillow into shape. Lexie kept filling my mind; her eyes, her touch, the smell of rosemary. Cursing, I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes. The feel of her dancing with me. Yeah, dancing with her wasn’t new, but this… this time it was different. This time she was pressed against me, her skin under my fingertips. This time I wanted to kiss her. I tried to imagine how that would go. Looking down at her emerald eyes, holding her pretty face, and pressing my lips to hers. Only to be slapped and shoved away. I blinked, shook my head and tried again, only she slapped me again and called me a loser this time.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Even in my fantasies I couldn’t kiss her! What did I expect?

She doesn’t love you.

The words vibrated in my mind, shredding my heart. No shit. But she said she did…

That doesn’t mean she’s in love with you. There’s no way. You’re a bug under her shoe. She didn’t even come by the stand - she sent Asher. She can’t stand looking at you.

I was right. Deep down I knew I was. Lexie was loving; she loved and cared about everyone. That didn’t make me special. Hell, I killed Sophie. As soon as she realized it, she’d be gone. I’m nothing, and I mean nothing to her.

Unable to lay here anymore, I threw the covers off me and got up. I pulled on my clothes from today. Rosemary drifted off my clothes. My cock hardened against my zipper. God damn it. I shoved my feet into my shoes and left the house. I needed to walk, maybe even run. Anything to get my head to stop.