"Hey—" His shout was drowned out when I turned the hose on and aimed it at him. Before Nate could jump out of the way, I turned and got him too. As I looked for Mason, I was shoved to the ground and the hose was pulled out of my hands.
I looked up and he stood over me with the hose pointed towards the lawn. A wicked look was in his eyes and I opened my mouth to try and stop him, but the front door opened at that moment.
"Sam?"
I groaned and rolled to my feet.
Mason turned the water off and threw the hose back to the corner.
"Hi, guys…" She faltered as she frowned at me. "Sam, what are you doing on the ground?" Her eyes skirted from me to Mason.
I stood and brushed off my running shorts. "Nothing. I think I ran too much, tripped."
"Oh." Her eyes never left Mason.
He narrowed his and the same closed down look came over him.
I sighed on the inside. "Mom, I'm going inside."
"Wait, honey." She turned to Logan. "Since everyone's here, tomorrow is Saturday. I was wondering if we could have our dinner tomorrow night."
"What?" Logan dropped a bag from his fingers.
"The one we were supposed to have last Sunday was canceled since you guys wanted to go camping so I thought…" She threw her hands in the air with a bright smile. "How about tomorrow night?"
"I'm sure we'll be at a party tomorrow night."
"Oh." Her bright smile faded and she glanced at me.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I wanted so badly…
"How about you and me, Sam? What do you think? We can have a mother/daughter dinner like we used to."
I tried not to let her desperation get me, but I found myself crumbling.
Then Mason asked, "Doesn't your school's football team have their annual dinner tomorrow night?"
My head snapped up. My football team. My father. My not-father. And the old rage flared inside of me again.
My mom's eyes closed and she turned away.
I didn't care. I snapped, "I'm good without that, mom. I wouldn't want us to be fake and not talk about things."
"What?"
"Like how you hit me. Twice." My eyes were cold. Everything in me was cold again and I remembered the feeling of that first slap.
"Honey, I…" She stepped towards me with an extended hand.
Logan cleared his throat and gave us both a forced polite smile. "Don't mind us. We'll be showering and going back out. See ya."
All three of them grabbed the rest of their bags and walked inside. When the door shut behind them, I flinched in reaction. But I hadn't started to calm my nerves before my mother stepped close.
"Samantha," she spoke in a soft voice. "We should talk about that night. We haven't really…did David ask you to go to their annual dinner?"
I wanted to snap so badly. She said it as if it were a personal attack to her, that the man who had raised me all my life might have the balls to invite me to a dinner? As if he had no right since he wasn't my biological father.
Anger was pumping through me.
"Sam?" She said it so quietly. She had turned into a timid mouse and my mother watched me with wide eyes, a begging question in her depths.
"What?" I growled.
"Are you going to that dinner with David? I know it's for the families too."
I sighed and turned away. "I don't know, mom. Maybe."
When I started to walk inside, she called after me, "It'd be okay, you know. I'd understand. I wouldn't want him to be alone…"
And the door shut on her words when I stepped inside. I let it slam harder than normal. When I hurried upstairs and to my room, Mason's door was kicked open and he appeared. He was shirtless and in jeans. His hair was wet and he held a toothbrush in his mouth, but he watched me approach.
I whistled under my breath. "You shower quick."
He grinned over a mouthful of toothpaste and disappeared inside. A second later, he came back out and wiped his mouth with a towel. Then he grinned, sans his toothpaste, and leaned against his doorway. When he crossed his arms, his muscles bulged out, but it wasn't a show. That was him.
I fought the urge not to flinch under his steady gaze. "What?"
"Come out with us tonight."
"I don't think so."
Logan's door opened down the hall and he stepped out, but he didn't say a word. He waited.
"Why not? It'd be fun."
I wavered. "Where are you going?"
He lifted an easy shoulder. "Probably just some bonfire, nothing big."
And I hoped that meant there'd be no Lydia, Jessica, or even Adam. The week had been tolerable, but I felt the weight of all of them. Lydia wanted to be my best friend again and Jessica seemed torn. After Logan's humiliation, she had stayed away, but I still caught the few friendly grins she'd sent my way. Becky loved it. She was eating all the attention up, including how Adam still seemed pissed. She enjoyed being the go-between with him and me.
"Hey," Mason prompted me again.
I frowned as I tried to remember what Becky had said they were doing tonight. It was probably a party. It always seemed to be a party. "Don't you guys have a football game tonight?"
"Not for us."
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged again and scratched at his chin. "We skipped all week. No way can coach put us in."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"He won't kick us off." He frowned. "Why do you care about that?"
His question threw me backwards a step. Why did I? I shrugged and slid my hands into the back pockets of my running shorts. I was trying to look cool. My sweat had dried, but my nose twitched at the smell of it as it hung in the air.
"Look," I started. "I'm not up for another party. Besides, I think that Tate girl is out for my head."
Mason shot up from the doorway and the wall slammed over his face again. "Tate?"
Logan's eyes clasped shut behind him and his head went down. His shoulders dropped.
I sucked in my breath and my eyes widened. "Uh…I mean…"
"You met Tate?"
I nodded.
"At the last party?"
I nodded again.
"Why'd she be pissed with you?"
I looked up and he stood over me with the hose pointed towards the lawn. A wicked look was in his eyes and I opened my mouth to try and stop him, but the front door opened at that moment.
"Sam?"
I groaned and rolled to my feet.
Mason turned the water off and threw the hose back to the corner.
"Hi, guys…" She faltered as she frowned at me. "Sam, what are you doing on the ground?" Her eyes skirted from me to Mason.
I stood and brushed off my running shorts. "Nothing. I think I ran too much, tripped."
"Oh." Her eyes never left Mason.
He narrowed his and the same closed down look came over him.
I sighed on the inside. "Mom, I'm going inside."
"Wait, honey." She turned to Logan. "Since everyone's here, tomorrow is Saturday. I was wondering if we could have our dinner tomorrow night."
"What?" Logan dropped a bag from his fingers.
"The one we were supposed to have last Sunday was canceled since you guys wanted to go camping so I thought…" She threw her hands in the air with a bright smile. "How about tomorrow night?"
"I'm sure we'll be at a party tomorrow night."
"Oh." Her bright smile faded and she glanced at me.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I wanted so badly…
"How about you and me, Sam? What do you think? We can have a mother/daughter dinner like we used to."
I tried not to let her desperation get me, but I found myself crumbling.
Then Mason asked, "Doesn't your school's football team have their annual dinner tomorrow night?"
My head snapped up. My football team. My father. My not-father. And the old rage flared inside of me again.
My mom's eyes closed and she turned away.
I didn't care. I snapped, "I'm good without that, mom. I wouldn't want us to be fake and not talk about things."
"What?"
"Like how you hit me. Twice." My eyes were cold. Everything in me was cold again and I remembered the feeling of that first slap.
"Honey, I…" She stepped towards me with an extended hand.
Logan cleared his throat and gave us both a forced polite smile. "Don't mind us. We'll be showering and going back out. See ya."
All three of them grabbed the rest of their bags and walked inside. When the door shut behind them, I flinched in reaction. But I hadn't started to calm my nerves before my mother stepped close.
"Samantha," she spoke in a soft voice. "We should talk about that night. We haven't really…did David ask you to go to their annual dinner?"
I wanted to snap so badly. She said it as if it were a personal attack to her, that the man who had raised me all my life might have the balls to invite me to a dinner? As if he had no right since he wasn't my biological father.
Anger was pumping through me.
"Sam?" She said it so quietly. She had turned into a timid mouse and my mother watched me with wide eyes, a begging question in her depths.
"What?" I growled.
"Are you going to that dinner with David? I know it's for the families too."
I sighed and turned away. "I don't know, mom. Maybe."
When I started to walk inside, she called after me, "It'd be okay, you know. I'd understand. I wouldn't want him to be alone…"
And the door shut on her words when I stepped inside. I let it slam harder than normal. When I hurried upstairs and to my room, Mason's door was kicked open and he appeared. He was shirtless and in jeans. His hair was wet and he held a toothbrush in his mouth, but he watched me approach.
I whistled under my breath. "You shower quick."
He grinned over a mouthful of toothpaste and disappeared inside. A second later, he came back out and wiped his mouth with a towel. Then he grinned, sans his toothpaste, and leaned against his doorway. When he crossed his arms, his muscles bulged out, but it wasn't a show. That was him.
I fought the urge not to flinch under his steady gaze. "What?"
"Come out with us tonight."
"I don't think so."
Logan's door opened down the hall and he stepped out, but he didn't say a word. He waited.
"Why not? It'd be fun."
I wavered. "Where are you going?"
He lifted an easy shoulder. "Probably just some bonfire, nothing big."
And I hoped that meant there'd be no Lydia, Jessica, or even Adam. The week had been tolerable, but I felt the weight of all of them. Lydia wanted to be my best friend again and Jessica seemed torn. After Logan's humiliation, she had stayed away, but I still caught the few friendly grins she'd sent my way. Becky loved it. She was eating all the attention up, including how Adam still seemed pissed. She enjoyed being the go-between with him and me.
"Hey," Mason prompted me again.
I frowned as I tried to remember what Becky had said they were doing tonight. It was probably a party. It always seemed to be a party. "Don't you guys have a football game tonight?"
"Not for us."
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged again and scratched at his chin. "We skipped all week. No way can coach put us in."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"He won't kick us off." He frowned. "Why do you care about that?"
His question threw me backwards a step. Why did I? I shrugged and slid my hands into the back pockets of my running shorts. I was trying to look cool. My sweat had dried, but my nose twitched at the smell of it as it hung in the air.
"Look," I started. "I'm not up for another party. Besides, I think that Tate girl is out for my head."
Mason shot up from the doorway and the wall slammed over his face again. "Tate?"
Logan's eyes clasped shut behind him and his head went down. His shoulders dropped.
I sucked in my breath and my eyes widened. "Uh…I mean…"
"You met Tate?"
I nodded.
"At the last party?"
I nodded again.
"Why'd she be pissed with you?"
