New Girl (31 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I SPENT THE NEXT FEW WEEKS MOSTLY ALONE
. I went to classes. I painted. I called my parents and told them the bare minimum of what was going on. I pulled away from Max and everyone else I knew. Blake still sat down with me every time she saw that I was alone in the dining hall or wherever, but at this point all I was doing was counting down the days until graduation. The one final social thing I had left to do was go to Blake’s birthday party. I’d promised her I would, and had decided that just
maybe
it would cheer me up.

Blake’s mom had paid for a school bus to take us from Manderley to Eastgate. Blake was wearing a dress and a flashing crown that blinked the number eighteen. She was standing by the door to the bus with Cam, getting hugs, birthday wishes and sometimes presents from everyone passing by her.

“Happy birthday, Blake—I’m sorry I didn’t have time to get you a present or anything.”

“Are you kidding? I don’t expect anything from anyone! I’m just glad you came. Is… Do you know if Max is coming?”

I was growing a bit practiced at answering questions like this. “I haven’t talked to him.”

She looked pityingly at me.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I want to have fun tonight.”

I might as well. What did I have to lose? Next year I’d have another fresh start. I’d be back with my friends at FSU. Or I’d have a fresh start at BU.

I took a seat on the bus, and a few minutes later I heard Blake squeal outside, and looked out to see Johnny picking her up and wishing her happy birthday. “You’re finally a grown-up like the rest of us.” He laughed. Their voices were muffled, but they were right beneath my window.

“Oh, I’ve been more grown-up than you guys for years.”

“That’s probably true. We’ll have fun tonight.” He kissed her on the cheek, and then pounded fists with Cam. The three guys with him said happy birthday and got on the bus.

I brushed the hair from my eyes and looked fixedly out the window. I couldn’t help but glance back just in time for Johnny to notice me. He cocked his head with concern, and I felt grateful he was there.

“You doin’ okay?” he asked when he got to my seat. He let his friends go ahead of him and take their seats.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Johnny, dude, come see what that chick from back home just texted me.” Ricky was snickering in the back and calling him.

“Do you want me to sit up here?”

“No, no, of course not. Go. I’ll see you in, like, a block.”

“Okay. I’ll be your chaperone tonight, ’kay?” He winked and went back.

Blake finally got on the bus and said we were ready to go. “Now I know it’s not much of a surprise probably, but my brother, Wes, bought me all the alcohol we could possibly need for tonight.”

There was a collective cheer on the bus. I looked out the window. Max definitely was nowhere in sight.

Cam stood up. “But hey, everyone remember to be respectful to the hotel rooms. This is Blake’s present to all of
us
for
her
birthday, so let’s not make her regret it. Okay?”

I envied their relationship. They were both so good to each other, and always seemed happy. Cam was even willing to play bad cop, doling out the warning.

Someone started singing “Happy Birthday,” and then everyone joined in. I couldn’t help but smile.

I would have fun tonight. I had to. Plus, what did I have to lose?

Three hours in, all thoughts of Becca and the mystery surrounding her were gone from my mind and everyone else’s. Maybe it was the change in scenery and routine that did it. Perhaps I felt it less immediately because Max wasn’t there. Instead of being at dark, cold Manderley with its cobwebs and secrets in every corner, we were in a fresh and clean hotel room. There were soft, comfy beds, clean, white walls and a phone to connect us to someone who could bring us towels or pillows if we wanted them. I didn’t know who’d been in this room before, and whoever it was, they hadn’t left behind their suitcase or a lot of questions for me to wonder about.

It was one of those nights that had few activities but was fully occupying for every moment. I chatted with people, played card games and finally felt like myself. I was confident and happy. I also watched what I drank, because I knew I never,
ever
wanted to feel like I had earlier in the year.

We were playing Kings, a simple game in which everyone sits around in a circle, each person taking their turn pulling a card from a facedown circle and obeying the rule connected to each card. After drawing the card, we placed it in the space under the tab of a beer. Whoever makes the tab pop loses and has to chug the beer.

Blake pulled a seven and, as the rule goes, put a hand in the air toward the rhyming “heaven.” Cam was the last one to do it, so he took a sip of his drink.

“Oh,
Cam,
you should have known! I’m your
girlfriend,
aren’t you supposed to know what I’m thinking?” She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“I did, sweetie, I just wanted to take one for the team.”

“Ha!” Blake scrunched up her nose and kissed him.

Johnny was next. He pulled one. “Poorly shuffled. I got an eight.”

“Pick a date!” one of the guys Johnny had arrived with, said. Tony? I didn’t remember his name. And right now I didn’t care.

Johnny looked at me and grinned. “You.”

“Me?”
I asked, laying a hand over my heart in mock honor. I knew he was just doing it to make me feel better and more included.

He nodded.

“Well, I’m touched. After all, being your drinking date means I have to drink every time you do. Considering how bad you are at this game, we’ll both be wasted.”

Everyone laughed, and the girl next to him took her turn.

Johnny, probably intentionally, lost almost every round for the rest of the game. I glared at him, unable to wipe the smile from my face. In the end, Blake lost when she popped the tab. Cam drank the beer for her.

When he finished, he pulled his phone from his pocket and then looked at me.

“Max is on the way. He’s taking a cab.”

My heart lurched.

“Wha— Really?” That was uncharacteristically spontaneous of him.

“He said he needs to talk to you.”

Everyone looked at me, and there was a flip in my stomach. What could he need to say now?

Fifteen minutes later, he walked in and directly to me. He laid a hand on my cheek and kissed me. In front of everyone. He’d never done that before.

I could feel the eyes on us. At first no one noticed, but then the conversations died down one by one. I almost laughed as I realized they all wondered what was happening. Had this been going on, had they been
right
about Max and the new girl?

I reveled in the beauty of showing them all that I was worthy of more than just gossip and drawn conclusions. I was worthy of my own storyline. I wasn’t just an unreal character in their lives; I was someone who had secrets. I was someone Max wanted to kiss. And that was something none of them could say.

My stomach did a few more flips, and when he pulled away, I didn’t know what to say.

“Let’s go outside.”

We walked out of the loud room and into the far quieter hallway. We moved away from the muffled sounds coming from our room, down the stairs and then outside. The cool air felt good on my flushed cheeks.

“I think this is the first time I’ve been glad it wasn’t hot outside.”

“Yeah, it feels good.” He took a swig from a Pepsi he’d swiped on the way out. “You look…good. You look good tonight.”

“Thank you. You, too,” I said, trying to find the wall behind me. I turned to see that there wasn’t one. “How cold do you think that pool is?”

“Freezing.”

I walked toward it, my gait one of slight figure eights. “Dare me to jump in?”

“Absolutely not.” He looked past me. “I dare you to jump in there though.”

I followed his gaze. There was a hot tub behind a clump of trees. I turned back to him, smiling, and bit my lip. I kicked off my shoes and ran to it. It would feel good to be submerged in water again.

I heard him following me. I kicked off my jeans and pulled off my shirt, feeling confident and glad I’d worn a black bra and underwear.

He laughed. “You’re really getting in?”

“Pfft. Of course. I never reject a dare.” I took a tentative step in. “Ooh!”

“Hot?”

“Ohmygod,” I said, breathing methodically. “Well, wait, you’re going to have to get in, too.”

Max looked back at the hotel and then raised an eyebrow. “Okay, you got it.” He set down his can and took off his shirt.

I looked at his stomach and chest, and felt the surge of desire I always did with him. He was strong. He was…not like most of the guys I’d known in high school—he looked like a movie star
playing
a high school student. I tore my eyes away as he lowered his jeans, exposing muscular legs. I glanced at them, and he caught me.

“Hey,” he said, “no guy looks cool in only his boxers.”

“Sure.” I tried to play it off like that had been what I was thinking.

“This is hot as hell.” He sucked air in through his teeth as he got in.

“You’ll get used to it.” I dipped my hair in the water and slicked it back and out of my face.

He smiled at me. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”

Before even feeling flattered, I thought immediately of Becca. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help it. I knew he didn’t think I was all that she was. What words had he used to describe her, I wondered?

But I just smiled back. “Don’t I have mascara all under my eyes?”

“A little.”

I wiped with my fingertips. “Did I get it all?”

“Not even.” He came over to me, still smiling. “Here.”

He took his thumb to my skin. This might have been the closest we’d been in months. And I felt the same wave I’d felt the first time he’d kissed me and told me he liked me. I wanted him.

He moved his hand down, and then his thumb was on my cheek and his fingers were in my hair.