I kicked off at a higher speed and soared past it.
The trees were a blur as I raced past them and I kept going. When my chest felt like it couldn't expand anymore and my arms had started to feel like cement, I slowed my pace. I lifted my head and breathed in the air.
I could feel the elevation in my lungs, but it only made me slow a bit more.
After what seemed like another hour, I turned and started back. When I returned to the lake, I stopped and bent over. I caught my breath, but I couldn't stop looking at the lake. Something calmed and excited me at the same time. I wanted to be a part of it and I felt crazy admitting that to myself, but I did.
And then, as I turned and headed to the mansion, I realized I wasn't scared. Maybe I ran it out of me; maybe I ran away from it enough. I wasn't sure, but a contented feeling settled over me. And then I slowed to a walk the closer I got to the mansion. I could hear bass music blaring through the woods. It might've been a mile away when I started to hear laughter.
There was a slight clearing from the hill where I was and I stopped. My feet were rooted in place.
I could see a large pool behind the mansion. It was filled with people with others streaming around it. There looked to be a hot tub and sauna as well. A few tables were kept separate behind a barrier of plants with a steel grill beside a large bar structure. I heard laughter as a few guys shoved some girls into the pool. They squealed as they were soaked.
A breeze swept around me and goose bumps covered me. I was completely drenched in sweat, but I didn't care. That had been the best run of my life. I was already anticipating my next one.
When I got back to the house and walked through the garage, there were people everywhere. I walked through, drenched in sweat, and a few girls gave me the snub. They looked me over, their lips curled up, and they turned away. I couldn't hold back a grin as this happened. I might not have wanted to buy into being protected by Mason or Logan, but I knew these girls didn't know who I was. And I sighed as I realized that. These girls were being real. They weren't being fake towards me. They weren't kissing my ass because who might've been my new stepbrothers.
More than a few guys didn't look away. My shirt and pants stuck to me like a second skin. It wasn't until I ducked into the kitchen and heard Nate's laugh when he saw me that I realized how foolish I might've looked. He saw me, his mouth opened, and he bent over in laughter.
"Shut up." I frowned at him.
He shook his head, still laughing. "Not at you, not at you…" More laughter and he clapped a hand to his knee a few times. "Look at you." He held a hand up. "You look like you went swimming and I know it's because you went running. Most girls want to look their hottest and you're…I'm sorry to say, but you go the opposite way. I like it. I really do. I admire it."
"Shut up." I frowned at him. "Where's my room?"
He pointed upstairs, still laughing, and choked out, "Fourth floor, second door on your right."
Fourth floor. I couldn't believe there was a fourth floor. And then I remembered the Kade mansion, which wasn't that small compared to this beast of a home, and decided to keep my mouth closed. When I was rounding the first set of stairs, I ran into Adam. He was going downstairs dressed in his swimming trunks and a glass of something in his hand.
He drew back and grinned. "Hey."
"Hey." I eyed the plastic cup. "What are we drinking?"
He grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Something to get me in the party mood. Where'd you go? You took off right away and Logan said you had something to do. No one questioned him, we didn't feel we could, but…where'd you go?"
I shrugged. "I went running."
He frowned. "You run?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." He skimmed me up and down.
I fidgeted under the weight of his gaze, now self-conscious. "So, anyway…you and Becky are on this floor?"
"Yeah." He drew upright. "We're in a back corner."
"And Tanya? Becky said she was coming?"
He looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…I think her and Tate will share a room in the basement. I think those are the only rooms left."
I nodded. "Does Logan know Tate is coming?"
He met my gaze for a second and just for a second the real Adam was there, the one who meant it when he promised me the world. He spoke in regret, "No…"
I shook my head. "Do you know what you're doing? Logan is going to flip when he knows she's here."
"From what I hear Logan isn't the problem." His jaw clenched and he looked away.
There it was. The unspeakable name, one of the many reasons Adam and I no longer trusted each other and as I confessed that, I wondered when that had happened—when I lost my trust in him and when he did with me? Well, I could guess when he'd lost his with me.
I took a breath and braved the front. I named the name that was between us. "Mason will know you invited her. Mason hates her."
He swung his gaze to me and I saw the pained look in them.
I fought myself from cringing in sympathy.
He wrung out, "Do you even know why he hates her so much? And what does that have to do with you?"
"Do you?"
"No." He shook his head. "But I don't have to deal with it. I care less who he likes or who he doesn't—"
"Are you kidding me?" I folded my arms over my chest and cut in. My chest was starting to rise, up and down, up and down. My heart was starting to race again. "You don't care? About me? You don't care about me? Because you know I'm connected to them. I'm connected to them in a way that few are. They're going to be my family, Adam. I can't ignore that. And I think you want me to do that, but I can't."
"Sam, she isn't your issue. She has nothing to do with you!"
"She already has!" I yelled back at him and pushed him away.
He fell back, surprised, but he quieted.
I closed my eyes and turned away. What had I said? I couldn't believe I'd let that slip.
"Don't torture yourself. You were honest just now. You were honest with me, maybe the first time." He took a breath and touched the back of my elbow. His voice was soft. "You were saying that Tate's already had something to do with you? What did you mean by that? I'd like to know. I care about you."
The trees were a blur as I raced past them and I kept going. When my chest felt like it couldn't expand anymore and my arms had started to feel like cement, I slowed my pace. I lifted my head and breathed in the air.
I could feel the elevation in my lungs, but it only made me slow a bit more.
After what seemed like another hour, I turned and started back. When I returned to the lake, I stopped and bent over. I caught my breath, but I couldn't stop looking at the lake. Something calmed and excited me at the same time. I wanted to be a part of it and I felt crazy admitting that to myself, but I did.
And then, as I turned and headed to the mansion, I realized I wasn't scared. Maybe I ran it out of me; maybe I ran away from it enough. I wasn't sure, but a contented feeling settled over me. And then I slowed to a walk the closer I got to the mansion. I could hear bass music blaring through the woods. It might've been a mile away when I started to hear laughter.
There was a slight clearing from the hill where I was and I stopped. My feet were rooted in place.
I could see a large pool behind the mansion. It was filled with people with others streaming around it. There looked to be a hot tub and sauna as well. A few tables were kept separate behind a barrier of plants with a steel grill beside a large bar structure. I heard laughter as a few guys shoved some girls into the pool. They squealed as they were soaked.
A breeze swept around me and goose bumps covered me. I was completely drenched in sweat, but I didn't care. That had been the best run of my life. I was already anticipating my next one.
When I got back to the house and walked through the garage, there were people everywhere. I walked through, drenched in sweat, and a few girls gave me the snub. They looked me over, their lips curled up, and they turned away. I couldn't hold back a grin as this happened. I might not have wanted to buy into being protected by Mason or Logan, but I knew these girls didn't know who I was. And I sighed as I realized that. These girls were being real. They weren't being fake towards me. They weren't kissing my ass because who might've been my new stepbrothers.
More than a few guys didn't look away. My shirt and pants stuck to me like a second skin. It wasn't until I ducked into the kitchen and heard Nate's laugh when he saw me that I realized how foolish I might've looked. He saw me, his mouth opened, and he bent over in laughter.
"Shut up." I frowned at him.
He shook his head, still laughing. "Not at you, not at you…" More laughter and he clapped a hand to his knee a few times. "Look at you." He held a hand up. "You look like you went swimming and I know it's because you went running. Most girls want to look their hottest and you're…I'm sorry to say, but you go the opposite way. I like it. I really do. I admire it."
"Shut up." I frowned at him. "Where's my room?"
He pointed upstairs, still laughing, and choked out, "Fourth floor, second door on your right."
Fourth floor. I couldn't believe there was a fourth floor. And then I remembered the Kade mansion, which wasn't that small compared to this beast of a home, and decided to keep my mouth closed. When I was rounding the first set of stairs, I ran into Adam. He was going downstairs dressed in his swimming trunks and a glass of something in his hand.
He drew back and grinned. "Hey."
"Hey." I eyed the plastic cup. "What are we drinking?"
He grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Something to get me in the party mood. Where'd you go? You took off right away and Logan said you had something to do. No one questioned him, we didn't feel we could, but…where'd you go?"
I shrugged. "I went running."
He frowned. "You run?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." He skimmed me up and down.
I fidgeted under the weight of his gaze, now self-conscious. "So, anyway…you and Becky are on this floor?"
"Yeah." He drew upright. "We're in a back corner."
"And Tanya? Becky said she was coming?"
He looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…I think her and Tate will share a room in the basement. I think those are the only rooms left."
I nodded. "Does Logan know Tate is coming?"
He met my gaze for a second and just for a second the real Adam was there, the one who meant it when he promised me the world. He spoke in regret, "No…"
I shook my head. "Do you know what you're doing? Logan is going to flip when he knows she's here."
"From what I hear Logan isn't the problem." His jaw clenched and he looked away.
There it was. The unspeakable name, one of the many reasons Adam and I no longer trusted each other and as I confessed that, I wondered when that had happened—when I lost my trust in him and when he did with me? Well, I could guess when he'd lost his with me.
I took a breath and braved the front. I named the name that was between us. "Mason will know you invited her. Mason hates her."
He swung his gaze to me and I saw the pained look in them.
I fought myself from cringing in sympathy.
He wrung out, "Do you even know why he hates her so much? And what does that have to do with you?"
"Do you?"
"No." He shook his head. "But I don't have to deal with it. I care less who he likes or who he doesn't—"
"Are you kidding me?" I folded my arms over my chest and cut in. My chest was starting to rise, up and down, up and down. My heart was starting to race again. "You don't care? About me? You don't care about me? Because you know I'm connected to them. I'm connected to them in a way that few are. They're going to be my family, Adam. I can't ignore that. And I think you want me to do that, but I can't."
"Sam, she isn't your issue. She has nothing to do with you!"
"She already has!" I yelled back at him and pushed him away.
He fell back, surprised, but he quieted.
I closed my eyes and turned away. What had I said? I couldn't believe I'd let that slip.
"Don't torture yourself. You were honest just now. You were honest with me, maybe the first time." He took a breath and touched the back of my elbow. His voice was soft. "You were saying that Tate's already had something to do with you? What did you mean by that? I'd like to know. I care about you."
