Fallen Crest High (Fallen Crest High #1)(46)

I kept going.

What else could I do?

I put on some more speed and soon I was sprinting. One block left.

The car's headlights engulfed me and my shadow sprang out in front of me. It seemed to be laughing at me, dancing vigorously. My heart was already pounding, but cold sweat formed on my forehead. It spread throughout my body and my teeth were soon chattering.

I stopped.

Half a block from my house.

I turned and stared at the car. It had stopped, now in front of me. Then I heard the window slide down and someone leaned out.

I yelled, "What do you want?"

There was laughter from inside.

My hands balled into fists and I started to jerk forward.

Mason's voice slid over me. "You're an idiot."

My breath spat from me before I could stop it. I grimaced when it landed on my leg, but I couldn't stop from laughing in relief. "I'm an idiot? You're the idiots."

Logan popped his head from the passenger side. "We could've been mass ra**sts, dude."

"Dude?" I shot him a look and walked to Mason's window on trembling legs. "I'm not your dude."

Logan eased back in and smirked at me. "Not yet."

Nate chuckled from the backseat as he watched the exchange.

"Hop in." Mason nodded to the back.

I gave him a silly grin, though I didn't care how silly it might've looked. "I'm a half block away. I think I can manage it."

He shrugged and flashed me a grin back. "Up to you." And then he sped off. My eyes widened as I spotted the puddle, but it was too late. He drove through it and I was drenched a second later.

"Ugh," I groaned and held my arms out.

Logan's hyena laugh sounded out until they turned into the driveway.

Then I gritted my teeth and sprang forward. When I sprinted around the corner, they had started to climb out and I spotted the hose their gardener left out by the house. Logan had set a few bags on the ground when he turned, but it was too late.

"Hey—" His shout was drowned out when I turned the hose on and aimed it at him. Before Nate could jump out of the way, I turned and got him too. As I looked for Mason, I was shoved to the ground and the hose was pulled out of my hands.

I looked up and he stood over me with the hose pointed towards the lawn. A wicked look was in his eyes and I opened my mouth to try and stop him, but the front door opened at that moment.

"Sam?"

I groaned and rolled to my feet.

Mason turned the water off and threw the hose back to the corner.

"Hi, guys…" She faltered as she frowned at me. "Sam, what are you doing on the ground?" Her eyes skirted from me to Mason.

I stood and brushed off my running shorts. "Nothing. I think I ran too much, tripped."

"Oh." Her eyes never left Mason.

He narrowed his and the same closed down look came over him.

I sighed on the inside. "Mom, I'm going inside."

"Wait, honey." She turned to Logan. "Since everyone's here, tomorrow is Saturday. I was wondering if we could have our dinner tomorrow night."

"What?" Logan dropped a bag from his fingers.

"The one we were supposed to have last Sunday was canceled since you guys wanted to go camping so I thought…" She threw her hands in the air with a bright smile. "How about tomorrow night?"

"I'm sure we'll be at a party tomorrow night."

"Oh." Her bright smile faded and she glanced at me.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I wanted so badly…

"How about you and me, Sam? What do you think? We can have a mother/daughter dinner like we used to."

I tried not to let her desperation get me, but I found myself crumbling.

Then Mason asked, "Doesn't your school's football team have their annual dinner tomorrow night?"

My head snapped up. My football team. My father. My not-father. And the old rage flared inside of me again.

My mom's eyes closed and she turned away.

I didn't care. I snapped, "I'm good without that, mom. I wouldn't want us to be fake and not talk about things."

"What?"

"Like how you hit me. Twice." My eyes were cold. Everything in me was cold again and I remembered the feeling of that first slap.

"Honey, I…" She stepped towards me with an extended hand.

Logan cleared his throat and gave us both a forced polite smile. "Don't mind us. We'll be showering and going back out. See ya."

All three of them grabbed the rest of their bags and walked inside. When the door shut behind them, I flinched in reaction. But I hadn't started to calm my nerves before my mother stepped close.

"Samantha," she spoke in a soft voice. "We should talk about that night. We haven't really…did David ask you to go to their annual dinner?"

I wanted to snap so badly. She said it as if it were a personal attack to her, that the man who had raised me all my life might have the balls to invite me to a dinner? As if he had no right since he wasn't my biological father.

Anger was pumping through me.

"Sam?" She said it so quietly. She had turned into a timid mouse and my mother watched me with wide eyes, a begging question in her depths.