Chapter Five
Gordon
I bypassed Lennon’s oversize kitchen and headed straight for the back patio next to the pool. His place was massive to the nth degree, and a prick of heat twisted my gut. Lennon’s parents could afford to send him to whichever college he chose, and yet the dude was skipping school altogether to go on tour with his band.
His dream.
Right. Hard to hate the guy when he was only doing what any of us would do—what I’d do if someone handed me my dream on a silver platter. And it wasn’t like he didn’t work his ass off for it, he totally did. He practiced as much as I studied. We just looked completely different doing it.
I leaned against the wooden exterior of his house, my eyes roaming over the partygoers who had hit the pool early. The vast expanse of lake property that the house sat on swallowed up most of the sound, so it wasn’t nearly as loud as inside the house. Nice.
I kept trying to come up with the perfect apology, one that would erase all the well-deserved hate I’m sure Zoey harbored for me this very second, but for the first time in my life, I was coming up blank. As much as I knew I was in the wrong, I was still hurt she’d lied to me. And to what end? Anger threatened to burn my good intentions to ash, so I took a calming breath and tried to come up with the right words.
Usually I could whip up a speech in seconds flat without even breaking a sweat. This was entirely different. I’d never been so out of my element before because I’d never snapped like that before. But the weight of today had broken me.
Now, with the prospect of convincing Mr. Handler to keep the shop as is, I hoped I could keep the positive change going by finding Zoey.
I’d searched the house the moment I arrived, even checking the totally unashamed make out room with no luck. Her Snapchat had said she’d be here, so I’d have to wait.
My muscles twitched at the thought. I’d been to plenty of parties, but I never stayed long. There was always too much studying to do, or too much work at the shop. And now, well, I had the internship to worry about. Though, knowing that I was up against Zoey made me feel like I’d already lost.
A group of half-naked students in swimwear burst out laughing across the infinity pool where the lounge chairs rested. I craned my neck to see what they were huddled around.
Poor bastard.
Dustin—a varsity baseball player—lay sprawled out over one of the chairs, a blue solo cup in his hand. His mouth was wide open, a steady stream of drool trickling down his neck. People were placing objects on his bare chest to see how many they could balance without waking him up: empty cups, a cap from graduation, dirty plastic forks, beer cans. The pile was impressively high, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. Of course, he’d likely started the party after lunch, as many of the seniors had, but he still should’ve known better than to drink so much he passed out before the sun had fully set. A few girls had their cell phones out, snapping pictures that they no doubt tagged him in on every social media board he had.
I straightened, shaking my head as I turned back into the house, unable to watch. It was innocent fun to them, but for someone like me? That could ruin me. Major companies like A&J would stalk Zoey’s and my sites before deciding who to hire. One slip up like poor Dustin out there and it would be an easy decision for A&J to choose Zoey over me.
I wouldn’t be that stupid. I couldn’t afford that luxury, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to have at least one drink. After the day I’d had, I felt I’d more than earned a sliver of careful and calculated fun.
Back inside, I braved the crowded kitchen for a cold beer, almost tripping over Hendrix—Lennon’s all black German Shepherd—in his sprint toward the back door. Dog had to go when he had to go, I guess. I laughed, knowing that wouldn’t be the last I’d see of the mischievous creature who was as sharp as a fox and as stealthy as a ghost.
One time he’d gotten a hold of my winter gloves and hidden them. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if I hadn’t shoved my keys inside them beforehand—the ring that held the master key to the shop. I had launched into a panic that someone had stolen them on purpose and was breaking into the shop as I looked around Lennon’s place like a crazed maniac. Luckily, Lennon had a way of communicating with Hendrix, a secret language I’d never understand, and he’d gotten him to give up the goods. I wasn’t the first victim of Hendrix’s games, and wouldn’t be the last, but there was no way in hell I was letting him get me tonight.
I patted the keys in my back pocket, assuring myself. Thinking about the restaurant only made me remember my one-shot meeting tomorrow morning, and I gulped down half the beer in my hand. I’d make sure this would be my only beer tonight. There was no escaping the events of the day, but I was damn sure trying. I finished the contents of the bottle, tossed it, and headed down the hallway. I stopped in front of Lennon’s game room where an epic Xbox battle occurred, only to freeze when a pop of blond hair caught the corner of my eye.
Zoey. She’d just walked in the front door.
I turned my back toward her so fast I bumped into the wall. I rolled my eyes, discreetly glancing over my shoulder. My stomach dropped at the sight of her—fresh faced and gorgeous in a pair of tight silver leggings and oversize top, her long hair hanging over her shoulders in waves. The girl never ceased to take my breath away whenever she walked into a room—which was often with our history. Debates, volunteer projects, study hall. Our paths crossed constantly, and while I could appreciate how damn beautiful she was, it didn’t mean I was excited to see her. Normally, it meant a battle. Tonight, it meant I had to get on my knees and beg her forgiveness. She deserved a heartfelt apology, and if I didn’t at least try…I’d live out the rest of my life regretting how I’d forced my own problems on her. It wasn’t fair, and it just wasn’t my style. But I was secretly hoping she’d offer up her own apology, too.
My cell vibrated in my pocket, and I fished it out.
Jay: You’re the best! Thanks for thinking of the little guy!
I furrowed my brow at my cousin’s text. Had he just woken up from an all-day nap? Then it hit me. He hadn’t thanked me for breakfast.
Me: No worries, man.
I pocketed my phone, shaking my head. Jay had always been a jokester, but sometimes I didn’t have a clue where his head was at. I wondered what he was doing tonight, since Lennon had made this party for grads only plus friends of his sister’s from college. As an underclassman, I’m sure Jay had cooked up something to help ease the sting of missing the party of the year.
Wish I was here for that fact alone, and not to admit what an idiot I’d been this morning or to fish for answers from her. It shouldn’t matter to me why she did it, but something ached in my chest—right alongside all the other hurts that had happened today. Something that wouldn’t settle until I knew Zoey and I could find common ground again. Before, we’d battled and fought and constantly had been in each other’s space…but it was an amicable sort of life. After what she’d done to me and me to her? Shit. We’d really turned ourselves into enemies, and for some reason, that twisted me up worse than when I’d lost to her on any given occasion.
The thought made me turn around, and I spotted Zoey as she bounced up the stairs just off the entryway. I took a deep breath to prepare myself.
Now all I had to do was grow a pair and go upstairs to talk to her. Maybe on the way I’d find the words I needed to make one wrong thing right today.