Chapter 7

“If I hear ‘I don’t date Cliffton girls’ one more time, I will punch you in your whole face.” Allie rolled her eyes. She was walking to physics with Vince, which had become their habit after lunch.

“Can you reach that high?” He grinned down at her.

“Har, har, funny guy. I was not hinting for a date.”

“I know. And trust me, you’re about as much of a ‘Cliffton girl’ as I am.”

“So, come to the party at North Shore Beach this weekend. It’ll be fun.”

“Well, I guess we could try the friend thing. I don’t think I’ve ever been ‘just friends’ with a girl, but I suppose I could give it a shot.”

“I’m honored.” She sneered.

“I’ll come to the party.” He took an unnecessary step closer. “But something tells me ‘just friends’ is never going to work.”

* * *

“Come on, let us plan a big party?” Sasha begged as they wandered down the beach early Saturday evening. Allie saw familiar faces everywhere: people from town, neighbors, and kids from school. Tiny bonfires dotted the sand in the growing darkness, and there was a festive atmosphere of anticipation for the live music and fireworks to come later in the evening. It was all so neighborly and such a foreign concept to her.

“Seriously, guys, I know like ten people, so keep it small if you expect me to show up.”

“Sure.” Chloe’s promise was not convincing.

“Hey, Allie!” Vince called. “I knew you were a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.” He nodded appreciatively at her casual, non-Cliffton attire.

“You actually came!”

“Promised, didn’t I?” He fell in step with her as Chloe and Sasha melted into the crowd.

“Come on, there’s a volleyball match about to start.” He grabbed her hand. It felt nice—comfortable and exciting at the same time but safe. With Vince, everything was exactly as it appeared.

“I played volleyball at my school in New Zealand,” she said as they took their seats near the pit. She inched a little closer when she felt his hand at her back.

“You’ve moved a lot. Should I be worried?”

“It seems we’re staying here for good.” She rested her hand on his knee. “Maybe I’ll play for Cliffton this spring.”

“How is it that one who travels so low to the ground can play sports with tall people?”

“I’m stronger and faster than I look.”

“Well, you and Sasha play like you’ve been partners for years. It cracks me up when you two sneak the ball down the court and the other team hardly notices.”

“You’ve been to my games?”

“Every one I can.” His hand closed over hers.

They slid so easily into their comfortable banter and silly flirtation, Allie knew “just friends” was doomed.

“Let’s eat. I’m starving,” she said when the game ended.

He absently slipped his hand into hers as they made their way over to the vendor booths. Allie was starving so they grabbed a couple of hot dogs and chips and went to sit at the picnic tables.

“You have mustard on your face.” He laughed when she swiped at the spot and missed.

“Here, I got it.” He wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Their eyes met briefly, and he looked away, as if he just realized their whole evening had been a date, which was exactly what he hadn’t intended it to be.

“Don’t freak out,” she whispered playfully.

“I should go check in with my friends.”

“Aw, you freaked out,” she teased.

“Did not.”

“Did too. See you a bit later?”

“Of course.” He smiled as he left in search of his friends.

“So, how’d it go?” Sasha asked before Allie had taken a step.

“Seriously? Where did you come from?”

“You’re sitting here, where they keep the food, and you didn’t expect to see me?”

“Good point.” Sasha was always hungry.

“Come on, music’s about to start.”

The band was taking the stage just as they found their seats. Allie did a double take when she saw Aidan join them on stage.

“Is he seriously about to sing?” She cringed.

“Don’t worry, he’s actually good,” Quinn said.

Allie cheered with the crowd. He was amazing, and he’d chosen one of her favorites. A perfectly tortured lyric with an angry rhythm that totally suited him.

“How did I not know he could do this?”

“He’s shy,” Quinn said.

“Yeah, I’ll buy that for a dollar,” she said dryly as she watched him trade the guitar for his violin.

She expected him to play a classical piece but was blown away when he played along with the rock band instead.

“So, how’s it going with Vince?” Sasha asked when Aidan left the stage after his last set.

“Pretty good. The friend thing isn’t working, but he seems determined not to get involved.”

“Where is he anyway?”

“Uhh, I just saw him with some hot blond,” Graham said. “Ow, Chloe, that hurt!” he growled, rubbing his arm where she hit him.

“It’s all right, Chlo, we’re not really together.” But Allie felt like the one who just got punched.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Sasha insisted.

“You’re probably right.” She left her friends to search the crowd. It didn’t take long to find him with the strikingly beautiful college girl attached to his hip. Tattooed, with silvery blond hair, her arms snaked around Vince’s neck. Allie watched in dismay when she kissed him, running her fingers through his hair in a very familiar gesture. She turned away, refusing to let a stupid boy ruin her night.

“Allie,” Vince called, but she kept walking.

“Lex, wait!” Aidan called after her.

“Enough with the Lex crap.” She turned on her heel, swinging a punch before she could register what she was doing.

SMACK! Her fist slammed into his hand. She gaped at him, surprised by her uncharacteristic violence as much as his quick reaction.

“How did you—why did I—” she sputtered.

“Relax.” He maneuvered them through the crowd and onto the dance floor. “I’m going to make a crazy prediction and say that’s not going to be the last time you take a swing at me.”

“But—”

“Just breathe. Vince is an absolute idiot. Forget about him and your pathetic attempt at throwing a punch. Dance with me?”

“Pathetic?”

“Dreadful.” His tone was insulting. “I’ll have to teach you how to do that properly.”

“Cheers to that. Next time, I’ll be sure to hit your face,” she muttered.

“Sure.” He twirled her around. “That’ll never happen.” He was a fantastic dancer, and they moved together so easily, as if they’d been partners for years.

“You play guitar and violin—which was totally awesome by the way—and you dance, and you’re smart. It’s kind of annoying.”

“You forgot tortured, broody and ridiculously handsome,” he added.

“And arrogant.” She rolled her eyes. “But thanks, Aidan. I needed this,” she said as they headed back to the bonfire.

“I don’t dance, but how about a walk?” Vince waited for her at the edge of the dance floor.

“Sure.” She accepted his hand with a smile. “See you for another dance later?” She turned to Aidan.

“Of course, Lex, just come find me.” He winked and sauntered away.

“Listen, what you saw back there was so not what it seemed,” Vince said earnestly.

“You don’t have to explain.”

“But I want to.” They walked along the beach until the crowd was far behind them.

“Ella was someone I went out with a few times back over the summer, and I guess she thought we could pick up where we left off. I got rid of her two seconds after you left. She was never my type. Besides, lately, I prefer redheads.”

“You seriously have to stop that crap if we’re just going to be friends.”

“I know. I can’t help it. The flirt in me rears his ugly head when I’m with you.”

“Well, get it under control because it’s confusing. If you just want to be friends, I’m cool with that, but this back and forth has to stop.”

“You know, I totally expected to find tears and drama when I came looking for you,” he said. “When I found you with McBrien, I thought you were trying to make me jealous. Then, I realized you were just having fun with your friend and weren’t giving me a second thought.”

“I wasn’t going to let it ruin my night.” She shrugged.

“That kind of maturity is rare, Allie, and insanely attractive.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but is that whole ‘I don’t date Cliffton girls’ crap really code for ‘I don’t date high school girls?’” Allie stopped walking and turned toward him.

“You see right through me, don’t you?” he said. “Yes, I normally date older girls, but I have my reasons. The last few years have been really rough, Allie. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and my dad was always working. I took mom in for her chemo. That’s how I met my last girlfriend, Vanessa. Really, she was my only girlfriend. She had her treatments at the same time as Mom, and we became friends. She was twenty, and I was only fifteen, but we just clicked, and it got really serious, really fast.

“When my mom died, Vanessa was my rock, but then she took a turn for the worse, and she died too. Not even a year ago.” He struggled to get the words out.

“Oh my God, Vin, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“Thanks.” He snaked his arm around her as they continued walking down the beach. “Sometimes, I feel so much older than most of our friends. Since I lost mom and Vanessa, I’ve only thought about getting out of here. I promised myself I wouldn’t let anything tie me to this city. But then, you showed up and you’re all different, with your pretty red hair and your uncanny ability to see right through my crap. I’m still kind of a mess, and I’m afraid I’ll just hurt you. Part of me thinks it would be better if we didn’t even try to be friends, but the other part of me wants to say ‘screw it’ and kiss you.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve been a great friend, and there’s definitely something between us, but I just don’t think I’m ready. I feel so much guilt. Although Vanessa would have thought you were awesome.” He smiled. “I need to take this slow and see what happens.”

“Of course, Vin. I know it’s not the same, but I understand the guilt. When I left Sydney, it was spur of the moment, and I had to say goodbye to my boyfriend in a rush. He didn’t understand and wanted me to call when I got settled, but I still haven’t. I kinda thought it might be better for him if I didn’t, and I feel really bad about that, and even worse for liking you.”

“Slow works for both of us then?”

“Definitely.”

“We should head back. I’ve got work early tomorrow,” he said reluctantly.

“I know that wasn’t easy for you,” Allie said as they walked, “but thank you for sharing with me.”

“It’s easy to talk to you. You get me in a way no one else does. It’s like you just took one look at me and understood exactly who I am.”

“I’ve been told I’m very perceptive.” She smiled as he pulled her closer.

“So, my little redheaded freak, I hear your birthday is on Halloween. Can I be your date?”

“News travels fast,” she muttered. “Is that a date-date or a friend-date?”

“How about an exclusive-friend-date? Neither of us dates anyone until we see where this goes.”

“Friends, huh?” She sighed dramatically, luxuriating in the very non-friend-like way he had his hand on her hip.

“Maybe friends with certain … benefits?” he amended.

“No. We should do this right.” She took an exaggerated step back.

“So, I can’t kiss you at all? That won’t last a week.” He pulled her to a halt.

“Seriously, in the interest of taking it slow, we probably shouldn’t.”

“All right, but that rule starts tomorrow.” They continued walking, skirting the crowd as they headed to his car along the path through the woods.

“Time to say goodnight.” He wrapped his arms around her, backing her up against the car. “If this is going to have to last a while, we better make it good.” His breath was warm against her throat as his teeth grazed her sensitive flesh. Allie’s pulse raced as he pulled her closer, and she greeted his kiss eagerly, sliding her fingers through his hair. He held her tightly, his lips moving slowly with hers.

“You’re one fiery little redhead.” He finally backed away, leaving her to stand on shaky legs.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised, leaning in for one last kiss. “Yeah, that rule’s never going to last.” He ducked into his car with a smirk.

* * *

“Fireworks are starting soon, let’s find a good seat,” Aidan said.

She found him waiting for her along the trail back to the beach and felt a surge of annoyance.

“You do know the guy’s a tool, right?” he sighed in resignation.

“I think I see him a little differently than you do.”

“He doesn’t deserve you, but if you like him, I suppose I can tolerate him. But if he hurts you, I hurt him. Got it?”

“Thanks, Aidan.” She’d take that as a sign of progress.

“Hey guys!” Kayla called. “Come share our fire for the show.”

“Sure.” Aidan pasted on his fake smile as they joined their friends around the driftwood fire.

As the night sky burst into bright colors, they fell silent, watching the brilliant sparks trailing down to the water.

“Just don’t move too fast, Lex,” he murmured, the light reflecting strangely in his eyes. “You’ve got a lot on your plate with so many new things.”

“I’ll be careful. I don’t want to rush into anything either.”

“Watch out!” someone shouted as a loud screech pierced the night. Allie watched the bottle rocket sail over them, landing in the dry willow branches above. They were sitting under a grove of kindling, and the rocket was about to explode.

“No!” Kayla cried when the trees erupted in flames.

Scalding hot embers rained down around them in an eerie silence. Allie smelled her hair singing just before the excruciating pain hit her. Her jacket melted from the sudden intensity of the heat, and she screamed in agony. Her skin bubbled and burned, melding with the oozing fabric of her jacket. She was so paralyzed with shock, she couldn’t move.

“No, Lex!” Aidan worked frantically to strip her jacket off, but it came away with chunks of her skin and some of his. She shrieked as her arms went numb, and she choked on the gritty smoke filling her lungs.

Cries of alarm went up all around, but they were trapped when their driftwood fire suddenly raged, merging with the fire overhead. In mere seconds, they found themselves caged inside a blazing inferno. It was unnatural the way the fire spread so quickly—burning hotter and brighter than it should, as if there was an accelerant.

“Rein it in, Aidan!” She heard Quinn’s booming voice beyond the wall of flames.

A loud crack sounded, and before Allie could register what was happening, Kayla pushed her to the ground just as large flaming branches crashed on top of her.

Kayla was pinned under the debris, screaming as her body burned.

“No!” Aidan cried, leaping into action, beating, cursing, and pleading with the flames in a futile attempt to help his friend. Allie watched in horror as Kayla grew quiet, the fire consuming everything around her. Except her body.

Aidan worked feverishly, grabbing the smoldering branches with his bare hands, panting and sweating from the effort. He gagged on the stench of his own burning flesh.

“Get out of here!” He shoved the heavier limbs aside as if they were mere twigs.

Allie crawled across the hot sand, the tiny grains ripping into her wounds like shards of glass.

“Is she alive?” She choked on the thick black smoke. He finally freed Kayla and reached for her still form.

“I told you to run. Go!”

Holding Kayla with one arm, he reached to pull Allie to her feet with the other. She looked up just in time to see the fire in front of them snuff out, creating a convenient path to safety.

“What the—?”

“Run. Now!” Aidan shoved her.

When she stumbled through the smoke, Quinn swept her up like a feather and carried her far from the flames.

“Kayla’s hurt; we have to help her!” Pain lanced through Allie’s arms, but she was running on pure adrenaline, her mind hardly registering her own injuries.

“She’ll be fine with Aidan. Just try to breathe, Allie.”

“Kayla needs to get to the hospital now. If she wakes up, she could go into shock,” Aidan said urgently.

“Paramedics will meet her at the docks at Gordon Park, but we have to get her over there now,” Quinn said. “Graham’s flagging in a speedboat now.”

Aidan carefully placed Kayla on the grass and leaned over her with a grimace. He clutched her hand with his badly burned ones.

“Aidan, you’re hurt,” Allie cried.

“I’m fine!”

“Stop, you can’t do this here,” Sasha sobbed.

“It’s Kayla!” He grasped her limp hand.

Allie watched helplessly as her friend drifted into consciousness, crying out in pain, her breath growing shallow.

As Aidan held Kayla’s hand tightly, Allie noticed how the charred skin around his fingers, flaked off, revealing healthy pink skin beneath.

“I’m so sorry. I-I can’t help you.” All the color drained from Aidan’s face when she passed out again.

Allie crawled to his side and gave in to the strange impulse to wrap her throbbing arms around him. She felt him shudder, and her vision grew blurry as a wave of lethargy hit her. His trembling subsided, and the color returned to his face.

“Allie, you’re amazing.”

“What was that?” She felt lightheaded.

“That was not me, but if you’ve never been patient a day in your life, now’s a good time to try.” He reached to wipe the trickle of blood from his nose.

“Please stop, you’re not strong enough!” Sasha begged.

Her words made no sense, but Aidan was turning a sickly shade of gray, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He reached for Allie, still clutching Kayla’s hand with his perfectly healed one.

“This isn’t your fault,” Sasha insisted.

“Right. Everyone here knows this is my fault!”

Allie felt completely disoriented as the world tilted, and the ground rushed up to smack her in the face.