The Crushes Page 11

  “You guys almost ready?” Drew said, wrapping his arm around Sydney’s shoulders.

  Kelly glanced at him, then his arm on Sydney. She quickly looked away, focusing on the shoes in the bottom of her closet.

  “I’m ready,” Alexia said.

  “Me, too.” Raven got up, checking her cell phone for messages. “I’m meeting someone there anyway.”

  Sydney frowned. “Who are you meeting?”

  “Um, my neighbor.”

  “Great.” Kelly slipped into a pair of flip-flops. “Let’s go, then.”

  Parking was always brutal at city functions, especially during Fourth of July. Instead of driving the four blocks to the park and scrambling to find a parking spot, the group walked from Kelly’s house.

  The sun was beginning to set and the day’s hot temps were disappearing with it. Clouds dotted the sky like wispy paint strokes and the moon was barely a sliver.

  Alexia kept up with Raven, who was practically jogging to the park while Kelly, Todd, Sydney, and Drew hung farther back.

  “So who’s this neighbor you’re meeting?” Alexia asked more out of curiosity than anything.

  “Just someone who recently moved into the neighborhood. My mom asked me to show him around.”

  Alexia quirked an eyebrow. “Him?”

  Raven pursed her lips and gave Alexia an exasperated look. “He’s cool. Just a friend.”

  Two blocks from the park, cars packed the curbs along every side street. People walked in groups toward the city center, their hands and arms overloaded with coolers and picnic baskets and folded lawn chairs.

  Alexia was going to bring lawn chairs, but she wasn’t sure what Ben’s plans were. She decided to show up empty-handed, since Ben was all about spur-of-the-moment adventures. Maybe he’d want to leave the main city park and drive out to the state park, then hike the Sky Trail so they could watch the fireworks from a hill. Or maybe he’d borrow his parents’ boat and take it out on Garver Lake.

  When the group reached the park, they wound through the lawn chairs and blankets spread out on the grass. Children ran around the playground, screaming and laughing, the parents following closely behind.

  The air smelled like barbecue and hot dogs and spent fireworks.

  “So where are we going exactly?” Sydney asked, catching up to Raven and Alexia.

  Kelly came up, too, leaving Drew and Todd behind.

  “I told Blake I’d meet him near the fountain,” Raven said.

  “I’ll call Adam and tell him to meet me there.” Kelly pulled out her cell. “Hey,” she said when Adam picked up, “are you here right now?” She nodded, then, “Okay, meet me at the fountain.”

  Alexia gave Kelly’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re so lucky.”

  “Why?” Kelly frowned.

  “I bet every girl here is checking Adam out at this very minute.”

  “Yeah,” Kelly said distantly, shooting a glance over her shoulder, away from the fountain where Adam would have been.

  What was her deal anyway? She had the hottest guy on this coast, but she was barely excited about meeting him. Was the Crush Code failing her? Maybe Adam wasn’t responding to the Code like Alexia had hoped? Maybe the Crush Code was missing a few rules.

  “There’s Blake,” Raven said, pointing at a short guy standing next to a really big guy.

  “Which one’s Blake?” Sydney asked.

  “The one with the black hat on.”

  Blake looked about their age, maybe a year older. Along with the black hat, he had on white board shoes and loose-fitting jeans. There was a black bracelet around his wrist.

  Sydney slowed, eyeing the really big guy. “What about him?”

  “Oh,” Raven said, “that’s Blake’s bo—uh, uncle.”

  Raven introduced everyone. Blake and his uncle, Mil-D, shook everyone’s hand.

  “It’s cool to meet you all,” Blake said, sticking close to Mil-D’s side.

  “Kel?” Adam came up behind Kelly, running his fingers over the small of her back.

  She turned and gave him a friendly smile. “Hey.”

  “You look nice tonight.” Adam bent down to kiss Kelly’s cheek, which made Drew scowl and look away.

  What was up with that? Kelly wondered.

  “I have something to show you,” Adam said to Kelly, then turned to the group. “Can I steal her? If you guys don’t mind?”

  “Go ahead,” Alexia said. To Kelly she whispered, “Good luck.”

  The two sauntered off, everyone watching them leave. Alexia wished she and Ben were like that again, a new couple just getting to know each other, no pressure about sex.

  “Drew?” Sydney grabbed his hand, and he blinked.

  “Huh?”

  “Let’s go find something to drink.”

  “All right,” he said.

  They left, too, leaving Alexia and Raven with Blake, Mil-D, and Todd. The latter two got into a conversation about video games. Blake and Raven were in their own conversation about skateboarding.

  Raven was smiling, batting her eyelashes as she looked up at Blake. How she could see him beneath the brim of that hat, Alexia didn’t know. When Blake disappeared in search of a bottle of water, Alexia pulled Raven aside.

  “I don’t know if you even realize you’re doing it, but you’re kind of flirting with Blake,” Alexia said. “What about Horace?”

  Raven’s smile quickly faded into a scowl. “I am not flirting with him. We’re just friends.”

  “Well, it doesn’t seem like you’re just friends.”

  Raven set her hands on her hips, straightened her shoulders. Big, silver hoop earrings swung from her ears. “You know what, Alexia? You can butt out of my business any time now.” With that, she stalked off, leaving Alexia alone by the fountain, the roar of the water sounding suddenly too loud in her ears.

  Was she being too nosy? She just wanted Raven to remember Horace and think of how he’d feel if he saw Raven right now. Could Raven even see Raven right now? Because no matter what she said, she was flirting with Blake, and Blake could barely keep his eyes off her.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Rule 14: Make him notice you! Get his attention! Draw him into you!

  Rule 26: Do not feel you have to tell your friends who you are crushing on!

  Rule 30: Do not tell anyone that you have a crush on someone unless you know you can trust them not to tell your crush!

  Excitement floated on the air like the fire sparks, but Sydney just couldn’t catch it. Rule 14 of the Crush Code said, Make him notice you! Get his attention! But Sydney didn’t feel like being here, let alone smiling and flirting and pretending everything was okay. She just wanted to be home right now, curled in bed, reading a book with a bowl of popcorn by her side.

  And more importantly, she wanted to be alone. It wasn’t anything against Drew or her friends. She just needed some Sydney time while she tried to sort some things out. Maybe she’d get that time tomorrow, go out somewhere with her camera.

  “Need anything?” Drew said, holding her hand tightly as if he were afraid that he’d lose her if he let go.

  “Actually,”—she plopped down on one of the swings, abandoned by the little kids now that darkness had settled in—“could you see if you could find an elephant ear? I smell them, but I don’t see them.”

  Drew nodded, raked his fingers over her back. “I thought I saw someone selling them by the back entrance. I’ll head over there.”

  “Thanks.”

  He disappeared into the crowd and Sydney clutched the swing, resting her head against one of the chains and closing her eyes. The noise of the park was nearly deafening. Conversation mixed with the sound of fireworks screeching and popping. Kids screamed, parents hollered. A headache blossomed at the base of her skull. She groaned.

  Within minutes, Drew returned, a large elephant ear in his hand. “Found one,” he said, handing it over.

  “Thanks.” She took a bite. It was warm and soft and sweet. Her bad mood almost l
essened. At least food would never let her down.

  “Is there anything else?” Drew asked, sitting in the swing next to her.

  She wanted her camera, but she wouldn’t ask Drew to run home and get that. She should have thought to bring it herself.

  “Can we just sit and watch?”

  More children screeched as a fountain sprung a cascade of golden sparks into the semidarkness. A few dogs barked at the sound and light.

  “Sure,” Drew answered, toeing at the wood chips spread out in the sand.

  And that’s how they spent the rest of the night, sitting there in silence until the fireworks ended.

  Kelly leaned back on her elbows on the blanket Adam had spread out for them. It was fleece, blue, at least a queen-size. He’d also packed a cooler of Pepsi and water with some brownies on the side. He was so darn perfect that Kelly could have married him that very second if it hadn’t been for the whole lack-of-chemistry thing.

  “You good?” Adam asked, leaning back on his side.

  Kelly nodded. “You did great.”

  “Really? Because you seem…I don’t know…somewhere else.”

  Kelly finally looked at him. The cotton material of his T-shirt strained against his biceps, hugged his toned chest. His shirt crept up just a little bit so that Kelly could see a sliver of his extremely hard stomach and the waistband of his Calvin Klein boxers.

  She really was somewhere else mentally, but she could have kicked herself for it.

  She wanted to be there, focused on nothing but Adam.

  But all she could think about was Drew.

  Why had he made that face when Adam said she looked good tonight? Drew had commented earlier that he thought Adam seemed like a good guy, yet that expression had said something else.

  Did he think Adam was playing Kelly? Was Adam playing Kelly?

  Kelly scoffed at herself. Technically, one might say Kelly was playing Adam. She had admitted to herself and to Drew that she wasn’t feeling Adam. Now she was just leading him on.

  Someone tall and dark-haired swung slowly on a swing just twenty feet from where Kelly sat. A red burst of fireworks lit his face, and Kelly’s stomach tingled.

  Drew.

  Next to Kelly, Adam sighed. She tore her eyes away from Drew.

  “What?” she said.

  Adam sat up. “You are somewhere else, aren’t you?” He nodded in Drew’s direction.

  “Oh…” It was a good thing darkness had begun to set in. Kelly’s face felt hot as embers. “Drew…he’s just a friend.”

  “Kelly.” Adam turned to her. “I like to pretend I’m a writer, remember?” He grinned. “If I didn’t know people or the way they look when they’re angry, annoyed…in love…then I shouldn’t be a writer.” He gave her a playful nudge. “I know that look.”

  She started to shake her head but instead looked at the blanket, ran her fingers over the soft material. It would be so easy to stay here, to stay with Adam and force herself to like him.

  That would be the easy route.

  But she didn’t want to.

  What she wanted to do was get up and run over to Drew and then…

  Well, she didn’t really know what she’d do after that. And what about Sydney? And Adam?

  It was all wrong.

  “I came here with you,” she said to Adam. “And I like hanging out with you.”

  As a friend, she thought.

  More fireworks boomed in the sky, lighting Adam’s face now that the darkness was thicker. He grabbed her, pulling her closer. Her heart panicked in her chest. Was he trying to kiss her now?

  He whispered in her ear.

  “There’s this poem,” he said, “that my grandmother used to quote all the time. ‘Love is the wild that runs through the forests.’ She used to say, ‘You see the wild, Adam, you run after it. Don’t let it get away.’” He pulled back, looking Kelly straight on.

  A purple firework blossomed in the darkness. Kelly looked up, seeing Drew off in the distance. He leaned against the swing chain, watching the fireworks half-heartedly.

  “He’s my best friend’s boyfriend,” Kelly heard herself say. “I just can’t.”

  Drew caught her staring then. He straightened, lifted a few fingers in an almost imperceptible wave.

  It was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

  She couldn’t. Ever.

  She looked away. “I’ll stay here with you,” she said to Adam, deciding that the safest route was here with him.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Rule 7: Be adventurous and daring! See life as an adventure!

  Rule 18: Respect yourself! Demand that your crush respects you as well!

  Rule 19: Do not allow your crush to pressure you to do something you do not want to do! Do only things that you and only you want to do and are comfortable with!

  Alexia’s cell phone rang in her bag. She fished it out and smiled when she saw it was Ben. She broke away from Raven and Blake. “Hey,” she answered.

  “Hey. Where are you?”

  “I’m by the fountain. Are you here?”

  Alexia waited for a response, but when none came, she thought maybe the line had disconnected. “Ben?” Still nothing.

  Fireworks popped behind Alexia. Several kids ran past her screaming and laughing. She plugged her other ear. “Ben, are you there?”

  “Raa!” Someone poked her in the ribs. She screeched and whirled around.

  “Got you,” Ben said.

  “Oh my god, you!” She put her phone away and reached out to swat him, but he grabbed her wrist, twirled her around and dipped her.

  “Ben!” Alexia laughed while she held onto his arms with white knuckles. “Bring me back up!”

  He did, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a long kiss.

  “I’m so frickin’ happy I’m here with you and not out on the boat with my parents.” He sighed, scratching his overgrown hair. It curled at the nape of his neck and around his ears. It probably drove his parents nuts and that was probably one of the reasons he kept it long.

  “So the barbecue didn’t go so well?” Alexia asked.

  “As well as the French Revolution. But I did finally get my graduation present, which sort of made up for the debacle that was a family gathering.”

  “What did you get?”

  “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the park, dodging more fireworks, weaving around blankets and lawn chairs until they reached the street.

  “Where are we going? We’re going to miss the fireworks!”

  They walked a block and then turned right into the parking lot behind Wendell Bakery. Ben pulled Alexia over to a forest green Jeep Wrangler and stopped.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked, looking around. “Where—”

  It finally dawned on her. She looked at the Jeep again and then at Ben. His pearl-white teeth shone bright in a big smile.

  “You got a new Jeep?”

  “Yeah. This is my graduation present.”

  “Oh my god, Ben! This is awesome.” Alexia ran her fingers over the slick, shiny hood. She made a circle around the whole vehicle. The roof was off, as were the doors.

  “Want to go for a ride?” Ben jangled the keys in his hand and waggled his eyebrows.

  “But the fireworks?”

  “If we hurry up, we can head over to the state park and catch the end of the show.”

  Alexia raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  Ben downshifted as they turned into the state park. The wind ruffled Alexia’s hair, and she pulled it to the side out of her face.

  “This is awesome,” she said, imagining them spending the rest of the summer cruising around Birch Falls in the new Jeep. It would be perfect.

  “I know,” Ben said. “I love it. Best thing I ever got.”

  They found a parking spot and got out. The fireworks boomed off in the distance, their sparks lighting the sky red. There were no other cars here, which meant they had the entire p
ark to themselves.

  “We should go up to the Sky Trail,” Ben said, grabbing Alexia’s hand, threading his fingers through hers. “Oh, wait. I brought a blanket.” He pulled it out of the Jeep and they headed up the stairs that would take them to the top of the Sky Trail.

  By the time they reached the top, Alexia was out of breath, but the fireworks were blazing through the sky and she wanted to see at least some of them. They hurried along the dirt trail to the far side of the hill near Garver Lake.

  Finding a good break in the trees, they laid the blanket out and sat.

  A purple and then orange firework went off in the distance. Ben lay back, putting his hands behind his head. Alexia lay next to him, curling into the crook of his arm.

  “It’s beautiful,” Alexia breathed. They might have been some five miles away from the city park, but the fireworks were still spectacular, the color brighter than ever. And Alexia liked the quiet.

  She sat up, looked Ben in the eyes.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi.” She leaned over, kissing him gently. Everything felt perfect, and she wanted to share it with Ben.

  He sat up and Alexia leaned back on the blanket. Ben ran his fingers through her hair, then along the nape of her neck. She shivered, pulling him down closer as he ran his tongue softly over her lips.

  Every nerve in Alexia’s body came alive. Her stomach knotted in excited butterflies, and she couldn’t seem to think straight.

  The kiss went from soft and innocent to urgent and intense. Alexia could feel Ben’s heart drumming against her chest.

  “We should stop,” Ben said against her lips.

  Yes. Yes, we should stop, she thought, but she didn’t want to.

  Ben pulled his hand down to touch the bare skin peeking out from beneath Alexia’s tank top. His fingers were warm, smooth on her skin. Alexia breathed in sharply.

  Stop, Alexia thought again, but then Ben’s hand crept farther up her shirt and all she could think was, Keep going. Keep going. His fingers caressed her ribs and then went beneath her bra.