Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(28)

“Talk to Kip?” Gi asked. “What’s he going to tell you?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

After all, Kip was the one who acted nice in the garden before the other two showed themselves.

“You think Kip is the nice one?” Iris asked.

“I didn’t say he was nice. But out of the three so far…”

“Then you should go talk to him,” Iris said.

“What do I do, just find his house and ring the doorbell?” I asked with a weak laugh.

“No,” Gi said.

“Go to the ditch,” Iris said.

“Iris!” Gi yelled. “No.”

“What’s the ditch?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Gi said.

“She should know about it,” Iris said. “I mean, if she’s here to stay for a while, she should know as much as possible, right?”

“Don’t hide things from me,” I said, looking at Gi. “I need to know as much as possible here.”

Gi shook her head. “If you go up there, don’t go alone.”

“I’d love to go to the ditch,” Iris said. “I haven’t been there in a long time.”

“What is the ditch?” I asked again.

Iris put her hand to mine. “It’s probably better to see it than try to explain it.”





Iris picked me up just after dark.

Gi sat shotgun and I didn’t mind the backseat.

Especially since Iris drove a damn bus.

It was the biggest SUV I ever saw and she said her parents insisted on her driving it to be extra safe.

As we drove through Bay Falls, the rich beach town soon became darker and more secluded. There were no longer signs of the beach either. The roads twisted and turned and were just as dark as the night sky.

When Iris finally turned off the road, I sighed with relief.

I felt like we were an hour away even though the drive was probably ten minutes tops.

“I hate this place,” Gi said.

“Oh, shut up,” Iris said. “You’re a baby.”

“Can someone tell me something about this?” I asked.

Gi whipped her head around. “They come up here to fight and bet money.”

“What?” I asked.

“Here we are,” Iris said.

The SUV stopped and she turned it off.

“This isn’t close at all,” Gi said.

“This isn’t a public event,” Iris said.

“What?” Gi asked.

“I heard a little rumor about tonight. Private. But we can still spy.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

Iris looked in the rearview mirror at me. “We’re not supposed to be here tonight.”

“Understand why I’m sort of pissed?” Gi asked.

“This is crazy,” I said. “They have a secret place to fight each other?”

“Well, Kip does most of the fighting,” Iris said.

My mind flashed the images of Pres at the beach.

You sure about that, Iris?

“Just keep quiet,” Gi said. “See what they’re doing.”

“Then you can go talk to Kip,” Iris said. “Show him you’ve been watching him as much as they’re watching you.”

“So fuck with the guys I’m told not to fuck with,” I said. “Do you really not like me that much?”

Iris shrugged her shoulders.

Gi reached back at me. “We can leave. I’ll tell you everything about this place. We can come up here when there’s a night we’re allowed to be here. For a fight. Throw some money around for fun. Okay? Because if they see you… or me…”

“Is it really that dangerous?” I asked.

“Yes,” Iris said.

“Then you two stay. If I’m not back in ten minutes then leave me.”

“Sounds good,” Iris said.

“Hey, bitch,” Gi snapped. “Cut it.” She looked at me. “Keep your phone on silent. I’ll text you.”

I nodded and climbed out of the SUV.

I half expected Iris to take off and leave me.

Fucking bitch.

But Gi probably wouldn’t let her.

I walked through the woods and had no clue where I was going.

It was just crunching step after crunching step.

Until I finally heard a voice.

And I saw a flicker of light.

That flicker of light was fire.

There was an opening in the trees and it was like nothing I had ever seen before. A clearing made up of a wide circle with tiki torches burning all around the edge. And the middle of the circle was down in the ground a little. Kind of… like a ditch.

And there he was.

Kip.

He was alone.

I waited to see if the other two were going to show up.

Kip stood there in a sleeveless shirt. His biceps were cut and rounded and defined. His long arms and big hands were tan from the sun. He definitely had that wild surfer bad boy look to him. So much more than Barr and Pres.

A smile crept across my face.

I could get to him. Just talk and find out the truth.

I reached for a tree and took another step forward.

That’s when I heard the sound of someone say, “Please… Kip…”