Teen Hyde (High School Horror Story #2)(8)

He wiped his forehead off on the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Sports directory.” He grinned and tapped his pointer finger to his temple. “Smart, huh?”

“Oh, right.” I’d forgotten about the directory, which gave the names and contact information of all Hollow Pines athletes. It helped to coordinate pep rallies, signs of support, and general attendance at events. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

“Don’t worry. I’m not, like, a stalker or anything.”

I rolled my eyes and bounced him the ball. “I didn’t think you were. You’re Liam Buckley.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He dribbled the ball to the hoop and this time shot a layup. It swooshed through the ragged net. He caught it on the other side and tossed it to me.

I hadn’t played basketball since I was a kid, but my dad always told me that I’d stolen all the athletic genes in the family. Maybe that was true, since it looked like Honor was destined to be more of a drama geek. I dribbled the ball out to the three-point line. “Only that I hardly think you need to be stalking girls. They seem to flock quite willingly.”

He stood underneath the net, waiting. “Yeah, well, you’re Cassidy Hyde,” he said with a shrug.

I scoffed. “So?”

“So, everyone knows who you are, too.”

“I guess.” I positioned the ball between my palms, bent my knees, and used my right hand to guide the ball as I hurled it toward the hoop. It bounced off the backboard and I squeezed my fist tight instinctively. “Darn,” I muttered under my breath while Liam chased after the stray ball.

“Looks like someone’s competitive.” He returned with his easy lope. “So, are you glad I didn’t let you chop off all your hair?”

I stared down at the ground. “I wasn’t planning to chop it all off,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure what I’d been intending to do. The darkness that I’d felt in that moment was impossible to touch from where I currently stood. Still, I knew it was hovering nearby waiting to consume me and that was exactly why I was here. With Liam.

Liam’s eyebrows shot up. A half smile played at his lips. He bounced the basketball through his legs, switching up his stride, left and right. “Okay…,” he said. “But you have to admit, it helped.”

I took a deep breath. The park was deserted except for the two of us. “Yes, but … I have questions.” As though to prove that the old Cassidy was clawing to return to life, I had come armed with all my best type A questions for Liam.

He stopped bouncing the ball. “I’m an open book. Come on.” He set the ball down and walked off the court to a swing set nearby.

I chose the swing next to his and let my feet lift from the ground, grateful now that I had his full attention. “Right … well, first, did, um, did anything happen between us?”

Based on his text message, I was pretty sure the answer was no, and I was abundantly glad that he couldn’t see the color spike in my cheeks when I asked. Nothing said “easy” like a girl who couldn’t remember whether she’d been easy or not.

His chuckle was soft and low in the dark. “Like did we hook up? No. Nothing like that. Just danced. But now you’re making me wish that maybe I’d made a move.”

“No!” I snapped back too fast. The silence that followed was awkward. I listened to the creak of the swings’ chains. “I mean, sorry, but I’m glad we didn’t. I didn’t think so, but I … was just testing. You know, for any side effects of … well…”

“Of Sunshine?” He completed the thought for me.

“Exactly.” I looked over. Liam’s back formed a C curve as he hunched in the swing’s seat, too small for his lanky frame.

“I … wasn’t sure how I got home last night. Has that happened to you when you’ve used it?”

He shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. And I’ve already taken it, like, a dozen times. Healthy as an ox.” He thumped his chest.

I furrowed my brow. I guessed that was a relief. “So, are there any side effects I should know about? I ran a search on it, but I couldn’t find anything.”

He pushed off the ground and tucked his knees to float through the arc. “It’s new. Designer. Totally the shit. My older brother got it at his college. Just that warm, gooey feeling, like everything is happy and perfect and fun. You know what I’m talking about.” He reached over and nudged me.

I knew exactly what he was talking about. “Is it … addictive?”

“Christ, Hyde. You think I’d give you heroin or something? Haven’t you ever taken a party drug before?”

I let the soles of my shoes drag along the dirt below. “No. Is that strange?”

“Oh, sorry, I just figured you had or whatever. I mean, I guess I’ve always heard you were a bit of a wild child.”

Wild child. Easy. What had I done to earn these descriptions? “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” I said flatly.

He shrugged. I wondered what it would take to get a rise out of Liam Buckley. He seemed so annoyingly self-assured and relaxed.

“Look, I’m an athlete, too, but as long as you don’t go overboard, you should be fine.”

I pressed my lips together. Right. Everything in moderation. At least until the old Cassidy was back and here to stay. I’d been miserable for long enough. What I needed was a jump start. That was all.