Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(15)

“Why are you stopping me?” she whispered in my ear.

Because I wanted to watch Trisha and see if she looked at me again. I wasn’t f**king it up this time. Playing games with someone like her was stupid. I knew better than that. I’d just been so pissed about her blowing me off and pushing me away.

“Not here,” I replied, watching Trisha cover her ribs and laugh. The laughing was hurting her. Dammit. Her eyes danced as she looked at the nerdy guy. Did she like him?

“Let’s go somewhere, then,” she said, trying to wiggle her hand free of my hold.

“Not now.”

Damn, she was getting on my nerves already.

Trisha distracted me by standing up. Several guys turned to look at her. She was oblivious, though. She continued talking to Riley, and then walked with her over to the trash cans. I moved Noah off me and headed over to her. I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to say, but I had to get her to look at me again.

Riley she stopped talking midsentence when she saw me over Trisha’s shoulder.

I had to say something to Trisha or she’d leave. “Trisha.”

Her body tensed and I hated that. I didn’t want to be the one who she tensed up around. I wanted to be the one to make her smile.

Slowly she turned around to look up at me. Those bright blue eyes I dreamed about looked guarded. “Yes?”

What now? It wouldn’t make sense for me to apologize about Noah. I had nothing to apologize for. Not really.

Hell.

“I’m going to go,” Riley said, and Trisha glanced at her.

“Wait on me.” The pleading in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.

Riley nodded and dropped her gaze to the floor.

“How are you?” I asked, needing to say something.

“Fine, thank you” was the only response I got.

I needed to get her to talk to me. But how?

“You coming to the game tonight?” Shit. Had I seriously just asked her that? As if she didn’t have bigger issues than coming to the football game.

She glanced over at Riley. “Yeah, Krit and I are going with some friends.”

So she was coming. Okay. I had to change my plans.

“Rock, you ready to go find a closet to finish what we started?” Noah wrapped her arms around mine and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear her.

And just like that, Trisha’s eyes went wide and she forced a smile that wasn’t real. This was not going well at all. Why couldn’t I stop being a guy for a f**king minute and not screw shit up?

“You better, uh . . . get back to that,” Trisha said, then turned and hurried off. Riley glared back at me, then rolled her eyes before closing in fast behind Trisha.

“Why were you talking to her? Who is she, even? Those clothes sure have seen better days. Someone needs to tell her they don’t fit anymore.” Noah’s catty tone didn’t win her any points with me.

The nerdy guys stopped in front of us, his disgusted gaze on Noah. “She’s class. Something you couldn’t possibly comprehend,” he said. Then he looked at me. “And something you’re not good enough for.”

Then he walked off.

Noah let out a high laugh. “Seriously? That dork just said that to us? About her? Puh-lease. She wishes.”

No, I wished. Fucking hard.

Shaking Noah loose, I stepped away from her. “I’ve changed my mind, Noah. Tonight’s not good for me,” I told her, then left her standing there. She’d recover soon enough. I just didn’t have time to care.

Dewayne walked up beside me and slapped me on the back. “And he’s off the horse again, folks. Trisha Corbin has got him all kinds of f**ked up.”

I didn’t respond to him. Dewayne was typically a smart-ass. He liked to say shit to fire you up. And unlike Preston and Marcus, he could take me on. I glared at him and headed for my next class.

“For what it’s worth, she didn’t take it well when she first saw you with Noah. Girl’s face went pale, and I think it hurt her. So maybe you’re onto something. Just don’t try to make her jealous. That’s not her style.”

I hated it when Dewayne was right.

Trisha

The crowd was already loud, and the game hadn’t even started. There were big paper banners that the cheerleaders had made lining the fence. The stupidest one I saw was ROCK WILL ROCK YOU! I mean, seriously? It takes the whole team. I’ve watched football before. Rock couldn’t win the entire game for them.

Krit and Green had taken off with some other friends once we got here. I told him to check in with me every thirty minutes. He’d rolled his eyes and muttered, “Whatever.”

This wasn’t something he had ever gotten to do. I knew it was a big deal to come and hang out with friends. It was a normal thing that most kids did, but we were limited. Seeing as our mother was crazy.

I searched the crowd until I saw his blond head in a group of guys I’d never seen before. They seemed older. “Who are they?” I asked Riley, concerned.

“Calm down, mama bear. They’re in his grade. That tallest one with the oddly impressive gun show for a thirteen-year-old is Dewayne Falco’s little brother, Dustin. He’s the big shit in his grade. Apparently, when Krit picks friends he goes big.”

I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of Krit hanging out with Dewayne Falco’s brother. “Maybe I should go get him,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip.