Surfside Sisters(15)

“See you.” Tommy walked away.

Keely hid in the girls’ restroom when school let out. She didn’t want to talk to Isabelle. She had to think about it first. About him. She wasn’t in love with him like Isabelle, but she couldn’t not be attracted to him, that would be like preventing herself from breathing oxygen.

If she thought Sebastian was interested in her, she wouldn’t think twice about Tommy. But—no. Whatever Sebastian meant by that first email, he’d changed his mind.

It would be fun to date Tommy. It would make her the absolute coolest girl in school, even if only for a while.

It would be interesting to have sex with Tommy. Having her first time with him would certainly make the event memorable.

But why was she thinking this way? Isabelle was in love with Tommy, and Isabelle was Keely’s best friend.

Keely stuck her books in her locker, grabbed her fleece, slammed the locker door, and sauntered down the hall. She was not going to act like a groupie who’d just talked to Justin Timberlake. She was a junior in high school. She was cool. Still, it was hard not to grin.

When she was outside and two blocks away from the high school, she broke into a run toward Isabelle’s house. The Maxwell house was on Fair Street, near the Episcopal church. Over the years, it had become Keely’s second home, and she ran up the steps and across the porch and rapped quickly on the front door and opened it and ran inside.

    She crashed right into Sebastian. He was tall and blond and gorgeous in khakis and a blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“What are you doing here?” Keely asked, panting.

“I live here,” Sebastian said.

“Well, I know that. But why aren’t you at Amherst?”

“Maybe I came home to see someone.” Sebastian looked amused.

Keely’s temper flared. “Good. You’re going to stand there and make fun of me. Great big busy college man. After sending me that email…” Keely knew her face was red. She felt as if her hair was on fire.

Sebastian’s expression changed. “I’m sorry, Keely. Let me ex—”

“Oh, forget it,” she said, trying to squeeze past him. It took all her willpower not to burst into tears. “I need to see Isabelle.”

Sebastian took hold of her arm and gently moved her out to the porch. He pulled the door shut behind him.

“Please, Keely. Listen to me a moment.”

Keely’s mouth tightened. She stared down at her feet. No way she could look him in the eyes.

“I know I behaved like a jackass. Writing that email that was so…extreme, and then cooling off so fast without explanation was just stupid. I want to apologize. I think you’ll understand when you’re in college. It’s so different from living at home and being in high school. The world opens up so wide it could swallow a person. It spins you. I was spinning. What is your major going to be, what are you going to do with your life, where are you going to live, who’s going to be your friend, and the women. I mean, kid in candy store, right? I got drunk like I never have before, and I heard some professors talk about stuff that made me want to change my life, be myself and not just do what my parents want me to do. It was exciting. It was like being strapped into a roller coaster and the end is nowhere in sight. That’s how you’re going to feel when you get off this island and start college, I promise.”

    Keely raised her head and faced him defiantly. “So what you’re saying is I shouldn’t let some poor gullible chump think I like him because once I’m off this island, I won’t find him interesting anymore.”

“Right!” Sebastian said, then immediately corrected himself. “I mean, no. Not exactly that. You’ve never been any kind of gullible chump to me, Keely.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Keely said dryly. She was proud that her voice was so sarcastic.

Sebastian smiled. Keely didn’t. She was angry with him and intoxicated by him. It was all she could do to hold on to her anger like a person clutching a plank in the middle of the ocean.

“Keely, listen. I…have feelings for you. I always have. But one thing I’ve learned is that I’m young. I want to take some chances while I can. I want to find out about myself. I don’t want to be some kind of idiot when I talk to you.”

“I’m afraid you’ve already done that,” Keely said. She pulled away from him, proud of her quick response. She shoved open the door, and went into the house, longing to think of another cool thing to say, but she was too emotional, so close to tears.

Maybe she hoped Sebastian would pull her back to him. He said he had feelings for her.

But he didn’t come after her. Without another word, Keely ran up the stairs to the second floor. She stood for a moment in the doorway to Isabelle’s room, replaying the moment with Sebastian. What had just happened? What had Sebastian said? What had he meant?

She was glad she hadn’t remained in front of Sebastian, like a dog begging for some treats. She was proud of herself.

Isabelle was on the floor of her room, bent over her geometry homework. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Keely’s knees went wobbly so she sat right down in the doorway. Your brother talked to me, she wanted to say. Instead, she said, “Tommy Fitzgerald asked me to the homecoming dance.”