Текст книги "Fusion"

Автор книги: Tessa Teevan

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

MY FINGERS TREMBLED AS I slipped into my new bikini. It was the first summer Mom allowed me to wear a two piece, and even though I was covered in all the intimate areas, I looked in the mirror and felt…sexy.

After having spent the last two months with my grandmother up north in Ohio, I was back in Navarre and getting ready to head to the beach to see all of my friends. While it had been nice to spend time with my family, I missed my friends. Most of all, I missed Jeremy, and even though we’d talked on the phone weekly, it just wasn’t the same. It was the longest we’d ever been apart, and I vowed to myself: never again. Needless to say, I was pretty eager to see him.

And slightly disappointed that I’d been home for almost an entire day and he hadn’t come by yet.

I was also eager to show the new me off. It was as if karma had overheard my last conversation with Jeremy and smiled down at me, blessing me in the most incredible fashion. Over the summer, I’d filled out in all the right places. I, Sierra Sullivan, finally had boobs. It’d only taken fifteen years. My hips were slightly wider, and I no longer looked like a string bean. The way the swimsuit clung to my curves made me nervous, but at the same time, it was empowering to look into the mirror and finally see a woman staring back at me.

I wondered if anyone else would notice.

Oh, who was I kidding? The truth was, I was wondering if—and maybe not-so-secretly hoping—Jeremy would notice.

I also feared that he’d found a girl over the summer. He hadn’t had me occupying all of his time, and even though he hadn’t mentioned anyone, Jenna had given little hints here and there that maybe he’d seen Heather Perkinson more than a time or two at parties.

Sighing, I fell back on my bed and thought about the boy who’d held my affections for as long as I could remember. Over the course of freshman year, things between us had started to change, and I had been seeing him in such a different light. I hadn’t looked at him as just my best friend. I had been looking at him as so much more. And, to be honest, it had terrified me. It’d also thrilled me. The contradictions had made my brain swim, and every so often, I’d throw out a line, hoping to get a little nibble, to see if Jeremy was the catch I was hoping he’d be.

Every time I thought he was feeling the same about me and about to act on it, he didn’t. I started to think I’d been imagining it all. That perhaps he didn’t return my feelings and maybe I was reading too much into his actions. So, when the opportunity to spend the summer in Ohio arose, I jumped at it, hoping a few months of separation would get my head back on straight.

Wishful thinking.

Being away from him for the whole summer had done little to squash my feelings. In fact, I think it had amplified them, and I had no idea what I was going to do about it. What if he didn’t feel the same? What if this whole thing was one-sided and, in the aftermath, it was too awkward to be around each other? Losing Jeremy’s friendship would kill me. Being in love with my best friend, who had no idea, was already starting to take its toll.

What if I told him and lost him? It would be unbearable. He’d always been an extension of myself. The silly “where you go, I go” mantra wasn’t actually all that silly. It was the truth. It was us. I couldn’t lose that, even if it meant hiding the way I felt.

Since that day we’d met down at the Sound, Jeremy and I had been inseparable. Best friends. The three amigos—him, Chris, and me. At least, that’s how it had been until school had started. Chris and Jenna’s childhood taunting had gone from friendly to romantic, and as soon as the two had become an official item, they’d gone off into their own little world. Jeremy and I had found ourselves as the two amigos ninety percent of the time.

He didn’t want to watch Jenna and Chris make out any more than they wanted an audience, so we became a twosome. And I was entirely fine with spending my time alone with him. In fact, I reveled in it. I stupidly thought he felt the same, but he proved otherwise. All of those moments I’d thought were near kisses were a fluke. A product of my fantasies, and now that I was mere minutes away from seeing him again, a flock of butterflies began to attack my stomach.

I had no idea when the lines between friendship and love had blurred. The summer had done nothing to help with my vision, because my heart still raced at the prospect of seeing him again. Part of me hoped my new look would entice him, but I wasn’t exactly counting on it. Hell, for all I knew, he’d found a girlfriend this summer.

The thought alone made me nauseated.

A knock sounded on my door, pulling me from my thoughts of self-pity. When I sat up, Jenna was walking into my room, and my heart dropped when she shut the door behind her. I jumped to throw my cover-up on, as I wasn’t comfortable with how much skin my bathing suit was showing.

“Hey, girl,” she called as she rummaged through her purse. It wasn’t until she looked up at me that she stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw dropping over as her eyes raked over my body. “Holy crap, Sierra! Where did those come from?” she asked in awe.

I squirmed as she leaned forward and surprised me by squeezing one of my brand-new boobs with her perfectly manicured hand. My cheeks flamed, and I pulled back, but she latched on and moved with me. Talk about humiliating.

Whoa. The wrong Banks twin was admiring my new assets.

“If I’d have known you could get those in Ohio, I’d have begged to come with you.”

I laughed at her frankness. “Late bloomer,” I told her. “I was starting to think I’d be flat-chested for the rest of my life.”

She whistled as she took in the sight of me. “Jeremy’s going to cream his pants.”

My mouth dropped open. “What?! No, Jeremy doesn’t look at me like that,” I protested. “Plus, that’s your brother. Gross.”

She waved me off and sat on the edge of my bed. Then she raised a disbelieving eyebrow at me. “You two are the blindest people I’ve ever met.”

I wrinkled my nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She let out a deep sigh. “Tell me, Sierra. Why don’t you date? Plenty of guys asked you out last year, and you turned them all down. Don’t you like anyone?”

Ever since she’d started dating Chris, she’d become the ultimate girly-girl. Sometime halfway through our freshman year, she’d decided her mission was to find me a boyfriend, no matter how hard I’d tried to tell her that I didn’t want one.

“Sierra? Hello? Did you hear me? Isn’t there anyone you like?” she repeated. “What about Danny? He’s been asking about you all summer.”

My stomach tightened. Of course I liked someone. He just didn’t know it, and I didn’t know if I could ever tell him. And it was most definitely not Danny Moyer.

“Aha,” she said, causing me to frown.

“Aha what?”

“Like I said—freaking blind. Now, come on. The boys are already waiting, and we only have a few days of summer left.”

For about the thousandth time, I checked my new cell phone, then the parking lot, and then my phone again.

“What’s your deal, Banks?” Jace asked beside me. “You’ve been anxious ever since we got here.”

Like he had any room to talk. The guy’d been jonesing for another glance at Lexi Sullivan for the entire summer, ever since he’d first caught sight of her right before Sierra had left. Even though he’d protested, he was just as eager for the Sullivan girls to be back in Navarre.

I gave a noncommittal shrug. “Nothin’, McAllister.”

He gave me a knowing smile. “I hear Sierra’s back in town,” he said, causing Chris to snicker. “Dude, why don’t you just make a move already?”

I held my sunglasses up and glowered at him. “You really want to go there right now?”

Jace’s face reddened, and he swallowed hard.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

Chris sat up and glanced between the two of us. “Okay, what the hell am I missing?”

“Nothing,” Jace replied—a little too quickly.

“McAllister has a thing for little Lexi Sullivan,” I told Chris.

Jace’s blush deepened as he threw his balled-up T-shirt at me. “Shut up, asshole. I’ve never even met the girl. Hell, I didn’t even know that was her name. Plus, she’s an incoming freshman.” He made a show of rolling his eyes, even though I knew it was just that. A show. “You know how younger girls can be. Clingy. Trust me, the only thing I’d ever want to be is friends.”

Chris’s laugh echoed around us. “Right, McAllister. Friends just like Jeremy and Sierra? We’ll see how long that lasts.” Then he let out a low whistle. “Lord have freaking mercy.”

Jace and I both turned to see what had caught his attention. It didn’t take long for the girl to enter my vision. I was shameless as my eyes raked up her body. Long, tan legs rose from the ground to meet a tight, pert little ass covered in teal bikini bottoms. Her long, blonde hair hung in waves, falling to the small of her back, where two tiny dimples begged for my fingers to touch. My mouth watered. She was gorgeous, and that was just the back view.

“Holy shit,” Jace whispered.

I echoed his sentiments.

“No, seriously, Banks. Holy shit.”

As she turned around, I realized what his “holy shit” was in reference to. My heart went on an immediate rollercoaster ride, rising and plummeting, confusing the hell out of me. As if that hadn’t been bad enough, my swim trunks suddenly felt exponentially tighter. The view from behind had done nothing to prepare me for what she’d look like when she turned to face me.

The hottie in the bikini? Not just any girl on the beach. Nope. The girl I’d just been salivating over was none other than Sierra. Yeah, my best friend, Sierra Sullivan. Holy freaking shit, was she smoking.

And I’d never wanted her more. At least, not in a physical sense.

I wanted to lie and say it wasn’t because of the boob enhancement nature had apparently blessed her with while she had been up north. That would’ve been shallow. Chauvinistic. Piggish, even. But it wasn’t that I liked her any more or any less. It was just…my body had naturally responded quicker than usual.

I still don’t think it was specifically because of her new curves. It’d been months since I’d seen her, and I’d missed the hell out of her. I would’ve had the same reaction if she hadn’t grown…those.

Either way, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I had to force myself to sit still on my towel when the urge to jump up and sprint to her was weighing heavily on me.

Just as I was about to say fuck it and go to her, she spied us across the beach, her eyes lighting up as she saw me. Jenna jogged towards us, jumping on Chris when she got close. He laughed at something she’d whispered in his ear. Sierra followed but then was stopped by Ryan Harper, who made a big show of wrapping arms around her and lifting her up off the sand. His grubby little paws came dangerously close to her ass.

I’d always hated that guy.

Now, I wanted to kill him.

“Better hurry up, Banks, or Ryan’s going to move in on your woman. And, seeing how those cans have grown, I have a feeling he won’t be the only one.” Chris wiggled his eyebrows at me.

Jenna scoffed and gave him a playful shove.

“What?! I’m just saying. Sierra definitely grew up over the summer,” he said, holding his hands out in front of his chest.

I scowled at him. “We get it, Chris.”

“Oh, you get it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Then you better hurry up and go get it before someone beats you to the punch.”

Just as I was about to rise from my spot on the towel, Sierra escaped Ryan’s hold and headed our way. Everything around me slowed down, and all sounds disappeared. All I saw was her.

Holy freaking shit.

“Holy shit!”

I’d just spotted Jeremy with a few of his friends when Ryan Harper intercepted me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in way too close for comfort. I glared at Jenna, and she gave me a sympathetic look. She wasn’t feeling too bad for me, though, because after giving him a quick hello, she scampered off, leaving me behind with the biggest horndog in our entire class. No, possibly the entire school.

“Damn, girl!” he said, bringing my attention back to him.

I struggled to not roll my eyes.

“Where’ve you been hiding all summer?”

I faked a smile, hoping that giving him a little bit of face time would get me out of there sooner. “Oh, I was in Ohio, visiting my grandma. We just got back last night.”

He whistled as his gaze roamed my body. I shifted uncomfortably, unused to that sort of examination. In this new bikini, I’d never felt more exposed.

“Well, I’d say the summer was good to you, Sierra. You’re smokin’ hot.”

A blush rose to my cheeks. “Umm, thanks, Ryan. Hope you had a good summer. I haven’t seen Jeremy since I got back and I want to go say hi.”

“Oh, Banks? I’m sure he’ll be fine. Heather’s probably here somewhere, and I’ve heard they got hot and heavy, if you know what I mean.” His innuendo was clear, and my heart sank. Then he leaned in close. “And, between us, there’s someone else who’s been waiting for you to get back.”

I frowned, hoping like hell he didn’t mean himself. “Who?”

“Moyer. Word on the street is that he’s got his eye on you.”

I was intrigued, but I wish I could’ve said I was more interested. Sure, Danny Moyer was hot as hell and, from what I’d heard on the cheerleading squad, an amazing kisser. But, after that bash party, I’d felt nothing. Other than drunk, that is. And I hadn’t spent my summer thinking about him. Actually, I hadn’t thought of him at all.

Maybe that was my problem. Maybe I was so stuck on Jeremy because I hadn’t let myself like anyone else. Maybe it was time to finally let go a little bit. Spread my wings, so to speak.

But first things first.

I gave Ryan a smile and waved off in the distance, not actually at anyone but pretending so I could get away. “I guess we’ll see what happens. But I gotta go. See you around!”

Before he could respond, I walked past him and made my way towards Jeremy’s group. The whole time, I scoured the beach for Heather. Thankfully, she was nowhere to be found.

As I approached, Jeremy shifted and squirmed. He looked away from me as my shadow covered his towel. All of a sudden, nerves attacked my senses. Since when was I nervous around Jeremy, let alone from just saying hi? And why wasn’t he looking at me?

“Gee, what a warm welcome,” I told him, teasing.

His face reddened, and Chris’s laughter broke the awkward silence that had descended on the group.

“Yeah, Banks. Get up and greet her. It’s been two months. You two haven’t been apart for more than two days before. We’re all eager for this reunion.”

He didn’t move. Hell, he didn’t even so much as glance in my direction. Apparently, Chris was wrong. We weren’t all eager.

Hot tears filled my eyes, but I was not going to let him see me cry. If things had changed that much over the summer that he couldn’t even say hi, then I wasn’t going to stay there to be humiliated in front of all of our friends. Just as I was about to move away, Jeremy grimaced and moved his hands to his swim trunks. My eyes flicked down and widened when I saw the bulge in his shorts.

Oh my God.

He was hard.

No wonder he wouldn’t look at me. Had Heather just been here? Was she coming back?

The questions kept rolling in my brain, and I knew I had to get out of there. I started to back away.

“Sierra, wait,” he called, his voice hoarse and tight, sounding almost pained.

Waves of relief poured over me when he pushed up from his beach towel. His large hand reached for mine, sparking an unexpected jolt of electricity as our fingers curled around each other’s. He pulled me away from the group, taking us far down the beach, and didn’t stop until we were hidden behind a sand dune, away from all eyes. So much for them witnessing our reunion. Not that I minded the privacy.

“Miss me?” I asked, breathless as he wrapped his arms around me. I nearly gasped when his erection pressed against my bare stomach. But I didn’t move away. I just laid my head against his muscular chest and inhaled his familiar scent, wondering how in the hell I had gone two months without this.

His hand came to my lower back, where he stroked my skin. Goose bumps rose underneath his touch, and even in the ninety-plus-degree weather, I couldn’t stop the shiver of pleasure from running down my spine. His head fell to the curve of my neck. Then he turned his head, his hot breath heating my skin.

“God, yes. You have no idea how much. Never go away again.”

My heart fluttered. I wanted to promise right then and there that I’d never leave him. To tell him that, for as long as he wanted me, I’d be his.

But I didn’t.

“I won’t,” was all I could muster.

I have no idea how long we stood there in the sand, holding each other close, nothing but the sounds of the surf and distant beachgoers filling the air around us. It was as if we were soaking each other up like all of those sunbathers were soaking up the sun. I was Jeremy Banks deficient and only being held by him could remedy that situation.

Finally, he pulled away, much to my disappointment. His eyes were hooded as his they roamed over my body. Unlike Ryan’s lecherous stare, Jeremy’s was appreciative. I didn’t feel uncomfortable. I felt beautiful.

He ran a hand through his messy hair then cleared his throat. “We should probably get back. I didn’t mean to steal you away from everyone the second you showed up. I just…I just missed my best friend. That’s all.”

I nodded and allowed him to lead me back to the blanket where everyone else was hanging out.

That’s all?

That was everything and nothing at the same time.

And it was finally time that I had to let Jeremy Banks go.

Because he was right. He’d missed his best friend. That was all.

That was all it’d ever be.

AS EXCITED AS I’D been for Sierra’s return, I had been completely unprepared for what had greeted me that day on the beach. She was still Sierra, of course—but holy hell, she blew me away. I didn’t want to be a shallow asshole, and I’d gotten hard for her many times since that day in my bedroom. This was different, however. She had curves in all the right places, and any angst she’d had the last time we had seen each other about her…small boobs…could definitely be eliminated. To say she had blossomed over the summer would be an understatement.

When I had taken in her long legs, her perky breasts, and her curvy hips, I’d wanted to wrap my arms around her and feel every inch of her bare skin pressed against mine. I’d wanted to wrap my beach towel around her, shield her from all the other eyes I just knew were staring at her, checking her out, wondering how they could get into her pants. Or, in this case, her bikini bottoms. I’d wanted to shout out a resounding, “NEVER!” but that would have given me away.

What I didn’t want was to show my boner off to everyone sitting around me. Knowing Chris—and I knew him better than anyone—he’d have pointed at it and informed the whole damn beach. So, instead, I jumped up and took Sierra away from prying eyes.

After holding her and telling her how much I’d missed her, I finally realized my erection was pressing into her stomach. Embarrassed, I jumped back and insisted we return before I did any more damage.

What I hadn’t planned on was taking her back to where Danny Moyer was already waiting for her. But, alas, he was, and once again, I was left cursing myself.

Long story short.

Danny asked her out.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.

Freaking smiled. It was closed-lipped at first, but then her lips parted and she beamed.

Freaking beamed.

I couldn’t believe he was asking her out in front of all of our friends, and I hated that he was so confident she would say yes that he’d risk humiliation.

“That’d be nice, Danny,” she said, nodding her head.

If I were a cartoon character, steam would’ve been coming out of my ears. Was that really happening right in front of me? All summer long, I’d been thinking about Sierra, running the conversation we’d have about how I felt about her in my head over and over again, yet she’d been home for only a couple of hours and already had a date?

Livid couldn’t even describe me.

“How’s Sunday? One last night out before school starts?”

As soon as I heard that, I placed a territorial arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me, giving her one of those side-hugs I’d begun to dread. “Sorry, Moyer. She’s gonna have to take a rain check. We always end the summer with a movie night. It’s tradition. Sierra’s mine on Sunday.”

I wished I could say that Sierra was mine permanently.

Sierra's nose wrinkled and her eyes went round with surprise.

I shrugged. “I didn’t think this summer would be any different, but I guess, if you want, we can just do it another time,” I offered, hating myself in the process but still backing off in case she really did want to go with him.

Danny glanced back and forth between us, waiting for a response from Sierra. She went poker-faced, and my heart skipped a beat at the thought of our tradition ending. When I dropped my eyes from hers, she answered him.

“Jeremy’s right. And I’m not one to mess with tradition. We’ve been doing it for years. If I change it up now, I’ll probably end up failing all my classes or something.”

Tradition. But what I’d heard was obligation.

Jenna was shaking her head at me, and I just turned my gaze to the ocean, trying to tune everyone else out. Sierra and Danny were making plans so I stepped away from them and sat back down on my towel, hoping my face wasn’t reflecting the way I felt.

“What’s with the face?”

So much for that hope. Someone plopped down in the sand next to me, and I nearly groaned when I saw Heather sitting there.

Don’t get me wrong. Heather Perkinson was one of the prettiest girls in our school. She was friendly and intelligent, and she didn’t have a reputation for getting around. Any guy would have been lucky to have her attention, but I didn’t want it.

And when Danny and Sierra left the group and started walking down the beach, I nearly went for what Heather had been offering all summer. Sierra clearly wasn’t interested, so why should I have kept holding out for her? It would’ve been so easy to ask Heather out, hoping that she’d be a good distraction until I could get my head on straight.

But, as soon as I had the thought, I shook it away. I wasn’t that guy. I wouldn’t play those games. I’d wait Sierra out, and as soon as she was ready, I’d tell her how I felt. Flirting with other girls in the meantime would only push her further away.

Heather’s hand landed on my arm, and that’s when Sierra turned back and looked at me. And then at the hand touching me. I could’ve sworn that her lips curved down into a frown, and her eyes darkened for a split second as she glanced back and forth between Heather and me. Just as I was about to pull my arm away from Heather, Danny leaned down and whispered something into Sierra’s ear. She nodded, and with one last small smile in my direction, she tore her gaze from me and focused all of her attention on him.

“Jer…” Jenna’s voice pulled me out of the trance I’d been in.

I glanced up to see a frown on her face.

“It’ll all work out.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so, Jenna. Not this time. You were right. I was an idiot, and I was too late.”

She started to protest, but I put on my sunglasses and smiled so no one would know how much I was dying inside at the idea of Sierra dating anyone who wasn’t me.

“So, who has the booze?”

“Are you seriously going out with Danny Moyer?” Jeremy sounded incredulous, and I tried not to take offense that he sounded so surprised that the star senior quarterback was interested in me.

Jeremy’s mom had just dropped us off at The Breeze, the closest movie theater to us. Like Jeremy had told Danny, every year, we had gone to the movies the night before school started. Since I’d made Jeremy see Can’t Hardly Wait (holy swoon, Ethan Embry!) last year, it was his turn to choose. We were going to see something called The Sixth Sense, and I had no idea what I was in for.

We’d just settled into our seats when he’d turned to me and asked about Danny. I wasn’t all that into the guy, but when he’d asked me out, I’d wanted to say yes. I didn’t regret it, nor was I particularly excited. I just had to do something to keep Jeremy off my mind.

I shrugged as I popped a Junior Mint into my mouth. “Why not? Jenna says I need to put myself out there. I’m fifteen years old and I’ve never been on a single date. Don’t you think it’s time I do that?”

He frowned. “Why? What does age have to do with anything? I’m about to turn sixteen and I’ve never been on a date, either. You don’t see me saying yes to the first girl who asks me.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. We both know he’d been asked out many times.

“Yeah, well, what about Heather? I heard you two got pretty close this summer.”

His eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to answer, but the lights went down and the screen flickered.

I guessed that was that.

I wish I could say that our hands brushed in the popcorn tub or our thighs touched as we sat next to each other. But that would be a lie. In truth, we both moved to the opposite edges of our seats. It was uncomfortable until creepy stuff started happening on the screen and I leaned over, gripping his biceps for dear life.

“You didn’t tell me this was a scary movie,” I hissed.

He grinned down at me, his eyes full of amusement. And then he did the unthinkable. He closed the distance between us and kissed my forehead.

“Don’t worry, Sierra. I’ll protect you.”

My skin tingled where his lips had been. He turned back to the screen, and the rest of the movie passed in a blur. I remained attached to his arm the entire time. Ghosts freaked the hell out of me, and I knew I would have trouble sleeping that night.

When the credits rolled and the lights came on, my fingers were white with how tight I’d been clutching him. He tried prying my hands off him, but it was no use. My grip was like a steel vise and nothing could tear me away.

“Damn, Sierra. If I’d known it would take a scary movie to get you to feel my muscles up, I’d have made you watch a Friday the 13th or The Exorcist a long time ago.”

Okay, so maybe nothing could tear me away except that. My hands unlocked and I jumped up, looking down at him accusingly.

“I was not feeling you up!” I protested.

He chuckled as we rose and made our way out of the theater.

“You know how I feel about ghosts. Add in a creepy little kid and I’m done.”

His laughter was infectious as we got into my mom’s van, and informing Mom of my fears, causing her to laugh at my torment right along with him. I crossed my arms and huffed, ignoring both of them the whole way home. I was still scowling at him when we said our goodnights.

When I climbed into my bed, all I could see were the eerie ghosts. I was thoroughly freaked out, and the last thing I wanted was a sleepless night right before the first day of school. Next year, I was going to make Jeremy watch the cheesiest love fest ever.

Tink. Tink. Tink.

I pulled the covers over my head, squeezed my eyes shut, and started saying a bunch of Hail Marys. Or, well, what I thought were Hail Marys.

Tink. Tink. Tink.

Then a louder knock sounded and I realized it was coming from my window. That could only mean one thing. At least, I hoped it did. With hopeful trepidation, I slipped out of bed, peered out my window, and found Jeremy standing there. I quickly lifted the window.

“What are you doing?” I asked in a hushed tone, hoping not to wake my parents.

He held one had behind his back and ran the other through his messy hair. “Couldn’t sleep. And I felt bad that I made you watch a scary movie late at night. So I brought this over. Thought we could watch it.”

He held up a copy of The Fox and the Hound. I tried hard not to smile, but it was no use. I already was. So, without hesitation, I pushed the window up farther and stood back so he could climb in. Then I took the movie and put it in before settling next to him on the bed. He was already comfortable in just basketball shorts and a T-shirt.

“You have to be quiet,” I warned him, nodding towards my locked door. “I’ll get in so much trouble if they find you in here this late at night.”

He scoffed. “Your parents love me.”

“My parents love you during the daylight and not in their little girl’s bed with the door locked.”

He sat up and frowned at me. “I can leave if you want…” he said, trailing off and not sounding all that thrilled at the idea.

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad you’re here. I was getting a little freaked out, so this will definitely help.”

He grinned wickedly, and I instantly knew what he was thinking.

“You’re going to whisper about seeing dead people all the time now, aren’t you?” I groaned.

“Only when you least expect it,” he teased, his fingers finding my hair. “Now, be quiet and watch the movie.”

I rolled my eyes but did just that. I had to admit it did make me feel better, and I quickly forgot all about Bruce Willis and that creepy little kid. By the end of the movie, I was feeling more weepy than scared, and that’s when a drop of moisture hit my cheek.

What the heck?

I looked up to see a wet trail running down Jeremy’s cheek. He was blinking rapidly, as if he were trying to get something out of his eye. I shifted until I was resting my arm on his chest and peering up into his eyes.

Eyes that were looking everywhere in the room except at me.

“Jeremy?” I whispered, but I got no response. “Oh my gosh. Are you…are you crying?”

He sniffled in answer. After unsuccessfully trying to muffle my giggles, I heard a low growl and found myself flipped onto my back with Jeremy hovering over me. His face was illuminated by the glow of the television, and my breath hitched as I reached up and wiped the droplets off his cheek. It was entirely too endearing to see how the movie still affected him after we’d watched it five hundred times over the last seven years.

“It’s not funny, Sierra,” he whisper-hissed. The outrage on his face melted my insides. “How could she let Tod go like that? It’s so unfair. I don’t care if he was technically a fox—he was still a domesticated animal, for Christ’s sake! He shouldn’t have been allowed in the wild by himself! There are too many predators out there, and he won’t be able to fend for himself.”