Wait (The Fast Series) (7 page)

“I got in a fight with my roommate,” I answer, still focused on his touch. Shoot, I shouldn’t have said that, now he’s going to think I’m some brut.

“A fight-fight?” His face is somewhere between shocked and entertained. “About what?”

“I was mad she made her brother kiss me.” I leave out the part about being mad I didn’t get to kiss him and the other nasty remarks Cassie said to me.

“Over a kiss? You weren’t kidding. You certainly do take those things very seriously. Was it your first fight?”

“Physical fight, yes, but I’ve fought with friends before over similar things. I got in a big fight last year over kissing a guy.”

Why am I telling him this? This is the stuff I hate about myself and am trying to change. Trying, but not succeeding, my fight with Cassie proved that.

“What happened?”

“Last year, I liked a guy, he was going out with my friend and I kissed him at a party.” Maybe it’s time to get this off my chest.

“Josh?” he asks.

“Yes. We started hanging out, he wanted me to do stuff I wasn’t ready to do. I was honest with him and everything about wanting to wait, but I don’t think he took me very seriously. He dumped me when I wouldn’t put out and went back to my friend. He was the asshole, but I hated
her
for it. I spread rumors about her. He spread rumors about me. He’d come back to me with a bunch of sweet lines, I’d believe it all, and then get hurt all over again. He was out for one thing only. It was a rough year. Me and my friend have made up since, we worked it all out and believe it or not, I now consider her my very best friend.”

“What’s your friend’s name?”

“Ashley.”

He thinks about it for a second. “I’m glad you guys worked it out.”

“Me too, but I have to admit I’m scared about something like that happening again. I’m scared I’m going to meet another guy who’s like Josh.” Like you, I think, but don’t need to say it. I know it’s obvious to him what I’m implying.

“Ashley was with Josh too?”

“Yeah, Ashley was with a lot of people, but then she met Patrick and it was total love. She’s been through a lot. Her dad left when she was younger, her mom is a recovering alcoholic and she hit some low places but was able to rise from it all. I think she’s the strongest, most confident person I know. And now she’s living her dream life.”

“Sounds like this Ashley is pretty amazing,” Tucker says, sounding impressed. “What’s her last name?”

“Simons. Do you know her?”
Oh God, please don’t know her
.

“Ashley Simons.” He repeats and shrugs shaking his head. “No.”

The waitress places a carafe of coffee on the table with two mugs and takes our order. We need a new subject.

“So, tell me about my new school, you said it’s your second year right?”

Tucker tells me about school and his cousins who live in Pennsylvania, not too far from where I live. I eat one whole chocolate chip pancake before he even eats half of his waffle. He does most of the talking. I like the things he’s talking about. I’m attracted to him, that’s for sure. But it’s more than that. Being around him is… fun. For some reason he makes me feel comfortable. I mean obviously, look at all the things I just opened up and told him about. I don’t know what it is about him, but I want to spend more time with him.

The waitress hands Tucker the check which he walks over to the register and pays. Thank goodness, I have absolutely no money on me. Once he’s back at the table we take out our phones. Tucker stays at the table but I excuse myself and step outside to call my parents. Peeking back in through the window I can see him typing away on his phone. Without knowing about his past, he seems perfect. Can I really trust a guy like this again?

Josh never took me anywhere. We certainly never went to breakfast. I’m positive he never would have walked me all the way back to my cabin and then not tried anything. Tucker could be different. His hazel eyes look up and meet mine through the window. My pulse immediately quickens. If he isn’t different, I think it’s already too late. I’m in big trouble.

Cassie

Half the day is gone, wasted to a hangover. I can’t believe I drank like that last night. Steamy flashbacks in front of the fire keep flashing before my eyes.
Ugh, what did I do?

I scrub the grit from my teeth, and my quick shower is more of a rinse. I fill my empty stomach with more peanut butter crackers, but I need an actual meal.

With all the energy I can muster I throw on some clothes and go in search of Sawyer’s cabin. He has a car, maybe we can go out. Find somewhere to eat before we’re stuck at the camp all week. The beauty of it is I’ll get to see Mark too. My fling and my fake brother sharing a cabin works out kind of good for me, it’ll give me an excuse to see Mark. See if he’s still mad at me.

Their cabin doesn’t have as many steps, lucky bastards. I start my way to the door when it flings open and out walks Courtney, the redhead with the reputation. She sashays down the few steps with a lazy grin and bedhead.

“Good morning, afternoon, whatever it is,” Courtney greets me, with no shame or embarrassment.

The girl just walked out of the cabin of the guy I made out with all last night wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday and acts as if it’s no big deal. Sawyer and I may be just a fling, but there have to be some boundaries. Two girls in one night is not acceptable. I run past Courtney up the stairs and barge in without knocking.

“Sawyer,” I yell, hand perched on my hip.

“He’s not here,” Mark yawns, sitting up in his bed surprised to see me there. He’s bare from the waist up, assuming he has anything on underneath the blanket. This is new. I check out his bare chest for the first time. It shouldn’t surprise me to see how defined his upper body is. He’s athletic. I know his arms are cut, and his legs are practically solid muscle. So, it shouldn’t surprise me the rest of him matches. I reach up and wipe my forehead. This cabin is even hotter than mine.

The other bed is empty, Sawyer isn’t even here. I start to relax. Wait, I tense back up, so that means … I look back at Mark’s exposed chest. Courtney was here with him, not Sawyer. This fact does nothing to make me feel any better. I feel worse. It’s coming back to me, the two of them talking last night and Sawyer’s comment about Mark playing his cards right.

Last week he was trying to kiss me, now he’s hooking up with someone the first weekend we’re here. I thought I was prepared to see Mark with someone else. Maybe I’m not.

“Do you know where Sawyer is?” I ask.

He pulls the blanket up to his neck and lies back down. “No,” he says closing his eyes.

I don’t want to him to go back to sleep. Instead of asking if he’s still mad at me, I try pretending like everything is normal. “I’m hungry, want to go get something to eat?”

“No.” He doesn’t even open his eyes.

“But, I don’t want to go by myself.” I try sounding friendly, it comes out whiny. “Get up.”

“If you don’t want to go by yourself then you shouldn’t have been such a bitch to your roommate or you should go look for your fire buddy.”

Fire buddy? All I did was kiss someone.
Sort of
. Not like him who had done -
who knows what
. We do everything together and now, one hook-up with some slutty redhead and I’m given the boot. “Nice friendship,” I spit at him, turning to leave.

“I’m not your friend, I’m your brother. Remember?” He lifts his head up and the look he gives me chills my insides.

Outside frustrated tears pour from my eyes and I wipe them away furiously. He is still angry at me. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. This isn’t right. Two days here and everything changes. Yesterday he yelled at me and said I gave him nothing. Does he really think I give him nothing? I can’t leave with it like this between us. Turning around I run back to his cabin and walk in.

“Mark, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.” He doesn’t sit up, keeps his face covered with his pillow. “I’m gonna try and be a better friend. I mean it. I don’t know what I’d ever do if I lost you. You’re going away soon, we can’t waste time fighting.”

Mark groans underneath the pillow. Slowly he sits up, dropping the pillow giving me a guilty look. “No, we can’t fight. I’m sorry. Last night was weird. Things are different here and we probably just have to get used to this place.”

He’s right. Our weird arguments are just because we’re not used to camp yet. Plus hooking up with other people, even though we talked about it, it’s still kind of strange.

I need food. All of this stress is most likely because of low blood sugar. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat?” I almost jump into his bed but then remember he isn’t dressed.

“No, I’m exhausted. I was up most of the night,” he says, causing me to frown thinking about the reason he’s so tired. We look at each other and I feel my skin flush. Mark’s face shows he’s as embarrassed as I feel by this whole situation. I don’t want to talk anymore.

“Bye,” I say, waving before getting the hell out of his cabin. Hopefully things don’t stay this awkward between us the entire summer.

I’m ready to pass out from starvation. I decide to go check out the staff kitchen, see what kind of goodies it’s stocked with. The place is jammed. Looks like everyone else had the same idea. A group of the girls, including Tessa and Courtney, are gathered around a large metal table.

“Cassie, come over, sit with us.” Courtney stands up from her seat and waves me over to join the group.

I schlep over begrudgingly and sit, not making eye contact with the girl who made Mark
tired
. Shouldn’t she be home sleeping, not to mention showering?

“We were just talking about your brother,” Courtney supplies after I’ve joined the group. She pushes a plate of sandwiches over to me. I grab one and tear into it, not even sure what kind it is. Ham, turkey, doesn’t matter.

“Yes, he’s the newest addition to the hut club.” One of the girls laughs.

“Stop Jena,” Courtney gasps. “That’s his sister. She doesn’t want to hear stuff like that about her brother.”

I stop chewing. Mark went to the hut? What I saw this morning at his cabin, Courtney leaving, they had sex? Already? No, I don’t want to hear this. The food hasn’t even reached my stomach and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

“Yeah, change the subject,” Tessa jumps in.

“Well, here’s something,” Courtney glances around the room and lowers her voice. “Guess who got rejected when they invited someone to go down to the hut with them?”

Everyone’s attention focuses on Courtney, ready for the juicy gossip. I listen through a fog of confused anger.

“Last night, Brianne asked Tucker to meet there and he said no. She was mortified, she confronted him and he gave her some bullshit excuse that he was interested in someone and told her he wouldn’t be going down there this summer. Pfft, yeah right, like we believe that,” she snorts. Her lips twist up in a devious smile. “Someone else needs to try and ask him. I want to see if he says the same thing or if he was just brushing off Brianne.”

“You know I’ll do it.” Jena, a thick, busty girl with dark hair, raises her hand to volunteer.

“Yes, we all know you would…you’ve done it before. We need someone new, who wasn’t here last year.” Courtney looks over at Tessa. “I saw you talking to him last night, why don’t you do it and tell us what he says.”

I stand up before Tessa gives an answer. “I’ll do it. Just tell me when.” Courtney will probably tell Mark. He can hear about me going to the hut and see how it feels. If he even cares.

“Really? That’s awesome. You can do it tonight.” Courtney claps her hands. “And then you can report back to us tomorrow at lunch. If by some chance he gives you the same story, see what you can find out.”

The talk at the table roars with excitement, ideas about what to wear, and what to say are being shouted in my direction. Jena is the most vocal speaking from first-hand experience and shares way too much information on some of Tucker’s intimate likes and dislikes.

I wonder what I’m supposed to do if he actually takes me up on the offer. What will Sawyer do if he finds out I propositioned Tucker? Hopefully Tucker will turn me down, if he doesn’t I’ll surely be turning him down. I can just explain the situation to Sawyer if he finds out. What about Mark? I’m sure Courtney will tell Mark, but of course she’ll also tell him it’s not for real. I wish hearing about him going to the hut wasn’t for real.

“Did you hear what I said?” Courtney’s looking directly at me.

“No, I’m sorry, can you repeat it?” I say biting down on my bottom lip while thinking,
Isn’t it time you go home and shower you dirty slut?

Courtney goes on to repeat whatever nonsense she thinks I need to hear. I look around the table and notice Tessa is no longer there. The first night, Tessa and Tucker, I forgot about that.
Great
, just what me and her need, more tension between us.

Tessa

I’m able to slip away from the table unnoticed during all the commotion, but not before hearing Jena advise Cassie not to wear underwear. “Make sure you let him know you’re not,” she advised further.

Dirty detailed stories are nothing new to me. In high school I heard them all the time. But I have to assume most people add details here and there on occasion to spice up these stories. There’s no way all of that stuff can be true. You don’t ever really know what goes on behind closed doors unless you’re there. That’s what I always told myself when I heard stories about Josh and that’s what I’m telling myself again now.

I’m surprised Cassie volunteered, one because of Sawyer, and two because of her brother. Both guys might be really pissed at her for pulling a stunt like this. What will Cassie do if Tucker takes her up on her offer? I’m not overly worried. Cassie made it clear she wasn’t attracted to Tucker on the first night. But, still, you never know. Ashley had never been attracted to Josh and she hooked up with him over and over. Last year at a party at Josh’s house he took Ashley up to his room right in front of me. It was devastating to see. I cried for days afterwards. Tonight, I’m going to stay in and not risk witnessing the same thing.