Cloud Walking (A Find You in the Dark novella) (2 page)

     So why do I put up with it?  Why do I keep going back for more?  Well, it's hard to break it off when you're led around so easily by your dick.  Kylie was hot and she knew it.  When we had first started dating last year, I was really into her.  I thought she was really nice and sweet and she seemed to make an effort to get along with my friends.

     Then we started having sex.  I had been a virgin.  So once I got a taste of that, it was like a drug.  And Kylie knew it.  Then she changed.  She became a controlling, possessive witch.  And there were days when I wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.  Then there were the days that I couldn't stay away. 

     I knew Maggie and Rachel got sick of my relationship drama.  And I didn't blame them. 
I
was sick of it.  The guys on the soccer team gave me a good amount of shit about it.  But I was stuck in an endless cycle of being stepped on and in turn stepping on everyone else.  I needed to grow a pair but it seemed a long time coming.

     And here I was about to stomp all over my best friend's feelings because I couldn't man up and say no to the girl I was sleeping with.  I gave guys a bad name.  And that made me a world-class asshole.  I liked to play the oblivious idiot, but that didn't mean I was one.  I guess it was easier to pretend you had no idea when you were hurting someone, then to address it head on.

     “Rachel!” I yelled again.  I knew she heard me.  I could tell by the way her shoulders tensed up.  Wow.  She was mad at me again.  I could tell.  I let out a breath as they slowed down so I could catch up with them.  I couldn't help but check out Rachel as I got closer.

     She really was pretty.  Long brown hair and pretty dark eyes.  She was short but she worked it anyway.  Today she was wearing a tight fitting black skirt that stopped mid-thigh.  My eyes flitted down her body and I realized that at some point, I had stopped seeing her as just my best friend, but as a girl.  And a damn fine girl at that.   But I sent that thought deep into the recesses of my head.  No sense in dwelling on it.

     Maggie looked amused when I finally reached them.  I loved Maggie.  She was the closest thing I had to a sister.  She never put up with any of my bull and I totally respected her for that. 

     “Yo, Danny boy,” Maggie said as I fell into step beside them. 

     “Hey girls.   Where are you off to in such a hurry?” I asked, looking down at Rachel, who had not as  yet acknowledged my presence.  I couldn't help but frown.  She was pissed about something.  It felt like she was always mad at me anymore.  And I hated it.  Nothing sucked more than those gorgeous brown eyes looking at you as though you were crud on the bottom of her shoe. 

     “We were just heading to my house to hang out for a bit.  You wanna come?”  Maggie asked me and I didn't miss the glare Rachel shot her way.  Okay, clearly I was not wanted. 

     But because I was feeling a bit antagonistic and because maybe I couldn't miss an opportunity to drive Rachel crazy I gave them both my biggest shit-eating grin.  “Sure, I'd love to come,” I announced as if it were the best idea I had ever heard.

     Yep, that was Rachel groaning under her breath.  So, I slung my arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.  “Will you paint my nails, Rach?  My cuticles are a mess,” I taunted, brushing her hair off her shoulder.  And maybe my fingers lingered a bit over the curls that I somehow never noticed were really soft.  And was that a new shampoo she was using?  I tried to surreptitiously sniff Rachel's hair.  I always loved the way she smelled. 

     Okay, enough of that train of thought.

     Rachel smiled a bit and I figured she was on her way to forgiving me.  Because even though she was so easily mad at me, she usually got over it just as quickly.  That was the beauty of our dynamic.  She found my charm irresistible and I wasn't afraid to use it when necessary.

     She held up my hand, her petite fingers curling around mine as she inspected my nails.  Huh.  I liked the way she held my hand.  Were those little shocks of electricity where our skin touched?  Nah.  I was imagining things.

     “Yeah, a manicure is definitely needed.  You really need to stop chewing on your nails.  It's disgusting.”  Rachel dropped my hand and I off-handedly noted that it made me a little sad to lose the contact.  I dropped my arm from her shoulder and examined my fingers. 

     “They're not that bad,” I complained.  Rachel only laughed and I was relieved that we had drifted into our normal banter. 

     I watched as Maggie pulled up short, her eyes following some dude in a green army jacket.  It was that new kid, Clay Reed.  Maggie had jumped to his defense last week after Paul Delawder tried to use him as a new punching bag.  They had apparently talked a few times and now she was fixated on him in a way that was completely out of character for her.

     It was really annoying. Mostly because Maggie wasn't the type of girl to go on and on about some guy she liked.  I didn't like the minute changes I was seeing in  her.  Or maybe I just never saw this side of her before.   Whatever it was, it was just plain weird.

     Plus this guy, Clay, seemed like a fucking nut.  What person comes to a new school and refuses to talk to anyone?  I understood people could be shy.  But he kind of freaked me out.  He had this intense, angry vibe that bugged me.   But obviously, Maggie didn't get the same vibe from him that I did, because whenever she saw him,
this
is what happened.

     I put my hand in the center of her back and gave her a push.  She stumbled forward and glared at me over her shoulder.  “Watch it,” she growled.  I waved her forward.

    “Well if you wouldn't take up the whole sidewalk while you drooled over the new guy, I wouldn't have to,” I pointed out.  She gave me the middle finger but kept on walking.  Though I noticed her glancing his way a few more times until he finally got into his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

     When we finally reached our respective vehicles, we stopped.  “So, you coming?” Maggie asked, throwing her bag into the ugliest car I had ever seen. 

     “Is this piece of crap still running?  Wait...is that duct tape holding the side mirror on?  You've got to be kidding me!” I teased, smirking at her.

     Maggie muttered something under her breath that definitely sounded like
fucking ass face
.  I never missed an opportunity to mess with her about the junk heap she drove.  Probably because she had been ridiculously stubborn when she bought it.  I had told her it was a pile of garbage and wouldn't last six months.  Her dad had encouraged her to shop around.  But she had refused, saying she knew a good deal when she saw it.  And what had happened? 

     Oh yeah, it had fallen apart. 

     And I was never one to pass up on an “I told you so” moment.

     I flicked the mirror with my finger and laughed as it wobbled.  I can't believe she actually drove around in that thing.  Rachel nudged me with her elbow and shot me a look that said,
shut the hell up
.  I rolled my eyes.  Rachel was the natural mediator in our group.  Even if lately, it was she and I that could use the mediating.

    “If you're going to be a dick, you can move along, Danny,” Maggie growled, crossing her arms over her chest.  I pulled on her rigid arm until she relaxed. 

     “I'll keep my dickishness to a minimum.  Promise.”  I held my hands up in mock surrender.  The girls each gave me an exasperated sigh but it was followed by smiles.  I loved these chicks.  They kept me in line.  And I didn't know what I'd do without them.  There were many times when I felt like they were the only things keeping me together.

     Particularly after my parents had gotten a divorce two years ago and my mom started shacking up with her boss.  That had been a brutal period in my life.  Rachel and Maggie had made sure I was okay in the way only they could.  It was a nice feeling to know you were loved like that.

     “Okay, we'll see you at Maggie's in five,” Rachel said, moving around to her car.  I watched her walk away, a cute grin on her face.  Shit.  How was I going to disappoint her?  Then as if on cue, my phone beeped in my pocket.

     I pulled it out and saw it was a text from Kylie.

     My parents are gone until tonight.  Wanna come over ;-)

     My groin tightened in anticipation.  I looked up at my friends.  Rachel was talking to Maggie and she looked all smiley and happy.  I was already planning to blow her off tomorrow.  I couldn't go uber asshole and do it two days in a row.  So even though my dick would complain about it later, I declined the invite, telling Kylie I'd call her in the morning.

     And what does she text back? 
Fine.  Logan wanted to come over anyway. 
I could practically feel the bitchiness from here.

     I grit my teeth.  Logan Helsley was Kylie's fallback guy.  The guy she used to make me jealous.     Kylie was seriously immature when she didn't get her way.  I recognized the manipulation for what it was.  And for once, I wasn't having it.  So I ignored the text and stuffed my phone in my pocket.  If she wanted to play that game, she could have at it.  I was going to purposefully sideline myself from the game. 

     Getting into my truck, I watched Rachel climb into her Volkswagen Bug.  The skirt hiked up her thigh and I couldn't stop myself from watching the way her leg muscle flexed as she swung inside the car.  She tossed her hair over her shoulder and I was finding it strangely hard to breathe. 

     Rubbing my hands over my face, I tried to stop the buzzing in my head.  Pulling out of the car lot and following my friends, I wondered what the hell I was doing with Kylie at all. 

Chapter Three    

~Rachel~

     Daniel was trying to steal M&Ms from the bowl I was holding and I was making a show of holding them away from him.  He growled and lunged for them again as I slowly dropped a few in my mouth.  “You are a serious tease, Rachel Bradfield.”  He sighed, choosing to steal one of Maggie's chips instead.

     I rolled my eyes and gave him a handful of chocolate, which he took with a big smile on his face.  I always gave into Daniel Lowe.  He knew it.  I knew it.  One day it would be my undoing.

     Maggie was downloading a bunch of new music onto her computer, while I was painting my toenails.  Daniel was lying on Maggie's bed, flipping through a magazine.  It was the perfect Friday afternoon.  There was nowhere in the world I'd rather be than with the two people in this room.  If I could freeze time in this exact moment, I would.  Because sooner or later, things would change.  Daniel would go back to being the pretentious, self-serving butt that he'd become as of late and Maggie would start obsessing over the new kid again.  And I would be good ol' Rachel.  The girl no one looked at twice but everyone felt they could walk over.  It was my role in life.  Whether I wanted it to be or not.

     I could taste the momentum shift in our tiny group.  And I hated it.  But for now, it was like it always had been.  The three of us, comfortable together.

     “So, Rach,” Daniel said suddenly, sitting up on the bed.  Maggie looked up at him from the computer screen, her brows knitted together.  I didn't like the expression on either of their faces.  So I knew I was about to be blown off. 

     I arched my eyebrow in Danny's direction, but otherwise didn't say anything.  Daniel cleared his throat and I could tell he was struggling with something he needed to say.  So much for the lack of discomfort.  I watched our easy good time float right out the window.

     “About the movie tomorrow.  Can we rain check?” he asked, not meeting my eyes.  Normally, I would let him off the hook without a second thought.  Of course, he could rain check.  I had never been able to say no to him.  It was like a disease where my mouth and mind were unable to formulate any thoughts but those that would make his life easier. 

     But what about
me
and
my
feelings?  Lately, I had started to feel bitter and annoyed that that didn't seem to matter.  So instead of me shrugging it off, I looked at Daniel, my eyes burning holes through the top of his head.