Collide: A Riverbend Novel (19 page)

She walked up to me and
slapped me on the ass then walked over to Jude and put her mouth to
his as she stuck her hands down his pants.

Jude moved her away, but
not too far away. "Selena, this is Reese."

Selena smiled kindly then
pulled a joint from her pocket and lit it. She walked up to Reese
and blew the smoke right in her face.

"Did you come to join us?"
she asked as she made rings with the smoke.

"No. We were just leaving.
See you guys at school Monday," I said quickly.

Reese walked with me to the
truck. Or she started to, but Selena stopped her.

"It's more fun when there's
more of us."

I felt like I was gonna
die. Right then and there.

“Not interested,” Reese
said firmly.

Selena shrugged then jumped
on Jude's back and he carried her inside the house.

His parents weren't home.
Obviously.

We got in the truck and I
didn't know what to say.

Reese looked out the
window. She looked lost.

Do I apologize? Or what?
I'm not used to feeling guilty.

"Talk to me."

"Am I just a good time?
Like Selena?" she asked quietly.

I laughed. I couldn't help
it. We haven't even had sex yet. I was getting impatient but I'd
wait for her.

"No."

"Okay," she said as she
moved to the middle and put her head on my shoulder. She held Scott
and petted him.

My phone rang.

“Yes, Mom?”

"You didn't say Reese would
be going with you. Home! NOW!"

"Already on our
way."

Mom hung up. We pulled up
to the house and I stopped her before she could get out. "What
happened back there..." I locked my eyes on hers. It was the only
thing that would give me the push to say the next sentence. "I'm
sorry you had to see that."

She kissed me softly. "If I
was a meaner person I would have punched her when she hit your ass.
Just saying."

I had to keep my mind from
thinking about how hot it would've been to see her punch the shit
out of her. I smiled and kissed her. "I love you." Wait. What. No.
Oh holy shit. No. "Ummm..." I hurried out of the truck and into the
house.

Mom stopped me. "I made
cookies. You're favorite."

I just wanted to get up to
my room.

Mom stepped in front of me
again when I tried to step around her. "Where's Reese?"

"Letting Scott
pee."

I finally was able to get
around her and up to my room. I opened the door, cursed when it
beeped and cursed when I shut it. I hit my head against my door
over and over.

REESE

I sat in the snow as I
watched Scott play. I probably should go inside, but I didn't. I
laid back on the snow and laughed when Scott jumped on my stomach.
I petted him as he barked at me. He jumped off and went back to
playing. Havock had told me he loved me, but I knew he wasn't happy
about it. I closed my eyes and groaned. I sat up.

"Come on, Scott, we need to
go inside," I called.

Scott bounded towards me
and followed me inside. I wiped his paws then picked him up. We
headed to my room. I put him down grabbed some sweats then took a
shower. After a long hot shower I came out. I walked into my room
and saw Garrett.

"Hey," I said as I sat down
at the desk chair.

"What's up?" I asked as I
looked at him.

"Trouble in
paradise?"

I shrugged. "No clue," I
said as I started to draw.

"I heard you met
Selena."

"Actually, I had met her
before. At school," I said as I broke my pencil on accident.
"Damn," I said as I put my stuff down.

Garrett walked over and
leaned against my desk facing me. "Why him? Why not me?"

Dammit, I had hoped we were
past this. "I like you Garrett, but as a friend. My best friend. I
do care for you but not in a romantic way. Havock makes me happy
and like I want to live." I shook my head. "I don't know how to
explain it. I'm sorry Garrett." Garrett reminded me too much of my
father. He was the type that would shelter me. Which maybe wasn't a
bad thing, but I liked that Havock let me think for
myself.

“Has Havock told you what
he wanted to do after school?”

“Yeah. I heard it at dinner
the other night.”

Garret laughed coldly. "He
has enough money saved up for one plane ticket across seas, maybe
enough for two weeks at a hotel and that's not including meals. He
plans on opening a map, closing his eyes, and wherever his finger
lands that's where he's going first. Then he's going to work
wherever he can get a job to make enough money to go to the next
place his finger lands."

"And what's wrong with
that? He wants to see places."

"What if you two get
serious enough that he wants you to go with him? You'd be happy
with that life?"

"Yes." And that was the
honest truth. "I've lived in a gilded cage for ten and half years.
I hadn't even ever been shopping. But I don't think you have to
worry about us getting serious," I mumbled. If the look of sickness
on Havock's face when I love you had slipped out is any indication.
I looked down at my hands. "It doesn't matter. I should end things
now. Once dad is found I'll be back in a house." I wanted my dad
alive. I wanted him back, but I didn't want to be locked away
again.

"If he's stable you will
be. I already asked mom what would happen if he was found. She said
that it would take months, if ever, after the trauma to be well
enough to care for you."

"I want him alive. I miss
him. I want him to be okay."

"And I'm sure he
is."

I'm not so sure. I cleared
my throat. "I need to finish this," I said giving him a small
smile.

He leaned down and kissed
my forehead. "It will always be more than friends for me," he said
then left the room.

I laid back on my bed
trying to sleep. It wasn't happening. I wiped the tears that
steadily fell. Scott whined and licked my face.

I petted him. I looked at
my window when I heard a thud. I got up and walked over to it. My
feet were cold, and I hadn't put on any pants tonight. So my legs
felt like ice. I covered my mouth to keep from yelling when I saw a
face. I only calmed when I realized it was Havock. "What are you
doing?" I whispered as I opened the window.

He had grass and snow in
his hair.

"Apparently, I fell out my
window and rolled all the way to yours."

"Are you okay?" I asked as
I helped him in.

“Yeah.” He ran his hands
through his hair to get all the stuff out of it then wiped his
hands off on his jeans. I picked a piece of bush out of his hair
that he missed. I wiped some dirt off his cheek. "We're gonna have
to come up with a better plan."

I moved back and sat on my
bed. "Havock, maybe we shouldn't be together," I said as I looked
at my hands, tears filled my eyes. "Once dad's back I'll be locked
away in some house somewhere." I looked at him and smiled softly.
"And you have a world to see."

He nodded and waited to see
if I had more to say. "Are you done talking bullshit
now?"

My eyes locked on his, and
I nodded.

He came closer so our
bodies were touching and touched the side of my face. "Reese
Johnson, I fell out of my window and rolled through the wet snow
and probably some of Scott's shit to tell you that I am crazy
stupid in love with you."

I couldn't help but laugh.
Only Havock would say I love you like that. Another tear fell down
my face. "You looked sick earlier when you said it."

"Because I was scared
shitless."

I stood up and ran my hands
through his hair then kissed him with all the love I felt for him.
"I'm crazy stupid in love with you too," I whispered against his
lips.

"I'm dreading school on
Monday. How am I gonna pretend like you're just some foster kid
staying with my family?"

"I guess we just stay away
from each other," I said as I locked my eyes on him. "Now how about
we get you out of those wet clothes before you get
pneumonia."

He faked a cough. "We
better hurry," he said pitifully.

I helped him get his hoodie
and shirt off. I then kissed his chest. I looked into his eyes,
stood on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed
him. Hungrily. I wanted him. I needed him. Sometimes it felt like
being with him was how I breathed. How I stayed afloat.

He didn't stop to ask my
permission and it wasn't like I expected him to. He needed me just
as much as I needed him. We were desperate for one another. He
picked me up and my legs wrapped around his waist. He backed me
against a wall to support me while he slipped my shirt off. He
kissed my lips, my ear, my neck...anywhere there was bare skin, his
lips found it. He then moved us to the bed and laid me back,
pulling off my sweats, never once hesitating.

Scott made a noise from
next to us. I looked at Havock as he put a pillow on the floor and
put Scott on it. I cupped the back of Havock's neck. "I love
you."

"I love you
too."

I kissed him desperately
and everything else faded into touches and feelings.

~~~

I survived the lighting
ceremony although it intensified my nightmares for a few days. I
spent many nights in Havock's arms with the door open and Mr. Rick
and Mrs. Johanna's door open as well. It was getting to where I
couldn't sleep without him. Although, I'd never admit that to him.
He had a big enough head as it was. Our nights of love and passion
had remained our secrets which was good or there would be an alarm
on his window as well. I looked at the school and groaned. "I don't
want to go back in there."

"Ah, suck it up kid. It's
not so bad. Just a bunch of nobody's going nowhere," Jude said as
he finished his cigarette. His car is broke down. Again.

Havock laughed. "We call
them the Riverbend nobody's."

Jude nodded. "And we are
the Riverbend Misfits. Would've made a great band name,
dude."

"Yeah well you don't have
people bumping into you, spilling soda on you, hitting you, or
calling you names all day long, do you?" I said quietly.

"They're too scared to
because they know that the two of us would fight back. Maybe you
should fight back," Jude said matter of factly.

"Don't listen to him."
Havock laughed.

"Oh shut up. You were just
saying the other day that you wished she would grow a
backbone."

Havock laughed. "I did say
that."

I rolled my eyes at them.
"Okay, if I'm going to get beat up out here I'll go inside." I
shoved Havock's shoulder to get him to move.

"You could just crawl into
my lap."

Jude laughed and got
out.

Havock raised a brow.
"Seriously. I know of some great back roads."

I laughed and smiled. "I'd
love that, but my counselor would be calling your mom. I have a
meeting after first period."

He kissed me not caring we
were in the student parking lot where everyone was arriving for
school. "Fine. Meet me out back where I smoke after
lunch."