Bad Intentions (33 page)

When I swing open our door, the stale smell of mildewed towels hits me in the face. “Gross,” I whisper as I trudge deeper into our space and plop down on my twin bed. My decision is made not to contact him. If he wants me, he’s going to have to grovel for forgiveness. I close my eyes and allow sleep to carry me away.

There’s a loud thud at Ryle’s front door, and he is startled awake. Wiping the drool that had seeped out of his mouth and puddled around his chin, he slides a pair of basketball shorts on and saunters toward the door. His sleepy brain tries to remember if he should be expecting company. In case his visitor happens to be the one girl he’s desperate to see, he makes bigger strides and swings open the door.

Half expecting to see Adaley, his eyes widen at the sight of the last person he thought would be pounding on his door. Zoe’s standing in front of him, bundled up in a puffy jacket, the faux fur of her hood whipping in the breeze.

“She’s done with me, isn’t she? That’s why she sent you. To do her dirty work.” A faint smile touched with sadness twists his face.

Zoe huffs, shakes her head, and marches past him. “It’s cold out there. Shut the door,” she demands. “And stop with that crazy talk. You both are truly mastering the art of sulking.”

Like a dog, Ryle’s eyes perk up. This is great news. Not that Adaley has been upset, but it’s a good indicator that she still cares for him. “How is she?”

“Why don’t you man up and ask her yourself?” she counters, making him feel like he’s an inch tall.

“I didn’t know you guys were back. I didn’t even know if she was ever coming back,” he says, as he sinks down on the couch, grabs a pillow, and clutches it to his chest. “I’m such an idiot.”

“I’ll second that.”

Ouch. Is she always this blunt?

“Listen, if you came here to make me feel guilty, mission accomplished. I already feel like shit, so if that’s all you have to say, you know where the door is.” Leaning forward, Ryle puts his elbows on his knees, laces his fingers together and rests his forehead on them.

“I didn’t come here to be a bitch. Sorry. I’m just confused. Where did this all come from?”

Like she didn’t tell her best friend every intimate detail of their fight. “Don’t play coy, Zoe. It’s not a good look.”

“I’m only going to say this once, so you might want to pull your head out of your ass and listen up. Adaley adores you. Hell, I think she loves you. She was so hurt when she came here and found no one other than her arch nemesis with nothing on but your T-shirt. And then, you accuse her of something as asinine as doing drugs. She has a back problem, you dipshit. It’s a serious one that inhibits her from doing anything remotely athletic anymore. Can you imagine being so young and having to take prescription drugs just to get out of bed? I sure can’t. She’s strong, and I admire her for everything she’s done. Including leaving home and the only place she’s ever known, to start fresh.”

Ryle admires her too. More than he’s ever let on.

“I know I screwed up. I should have listened to her. I was so heated though, Zoe. I couldn’t see straight. It was all red. You’ve got to believe me—I would never lay a hand on Naomi or any other female while Adaley and I were together.”

Zoe carries herself with a commanding confidence as she walks over to the door and turns around slightly to face him. “She’s at our dorm taking a nap, and I honestly don’t think that she’s going to come here barging in anytime soon. You might want to try and fix this on your end before too much time passes and you don’t have the guts anymore to own up to your mistakes.”

Shifting on the couch, Ryle turns to face her once more. “Why are you trying to help me? I barely know you, and you hate me.”

“Because she’s my friend, and after what she’s gone through, she deserves to be happy. She deserves more than what you’ve done.” Zoe spins on her heels and opens the door, leaving Ryle alone with his thoughts.

How in the world am I going to fix this and make it right?

I wake up from one hell of a nap. Let’s just say, I think I’ve slept for twenty-four hours straight. It’s done me good, because as I stretch my arms over top my head and open my eyes, I see things with a new clarity that I didn’t before. My limbs ache from the drive to and from West Virginia, and I didn’t fill my script before I left home. I guess now’s as good as time as any to try to push through the pain.

I tilt my head to the side and glance at Zoe’s bed. It’s empty which is odd, because her attitude in the morning mimics Satan. I’ve learned to avoid contact with her prior to ten o’clock. I climb out of bed and head for the bathroom. I scrub like I’ve never scrubbed before, and wash away any trace of lost virginity.

After brushing my teeth, I throw on a sports bra, a tank top and a pair of sweatpants. Could I look any more homely? Oh, well. I’m comfortable, and I have nowhere important to be. I grab my laptop and pull it onto my folded legs. Logging into my school account, I groan out loud at the sight of my Black Board, which is full of the video lectures I missed, and the corresponding assignments. With nothing on my agenda for the day, I prepare to dive head first into schoolwork, when I am startled by my door swinging open.

Zoe barges through the door with a bag in hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She stands at my bedside and shouts off instructions like a prison guard. “No, no, girlfriend. Come on, get up!” She slides the computer off my lap and places a bag in front of me. “Open it and change.”

I’m curious as I peek into the bag and pull out an outfit that consists of denim jeans, a maroon hoodie, and
a North Face beanie. “Umm. Thank you? What is this for? Are we going skiing or something? In West Virginia, we have these awesome slopes made out of fake snow. Do you guys have that here?”

“Mute yourself lady.” She holds up a hand, a bright smile plastered on her freckled face. “Please just get changed and hurry. We’re in a bit of a time crunch. We didn’t know when you’d wake up from your sleep-induced coma.”

We?

I don’t dare ask who
we
are. My stomach immediately starts to cramp as anxiety washes over me. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but it’s freaking me out.”

“Stop thinking for once. Just get dressed, and you’ll see soon enough what is going on.”

I do as instructed and layer clothes on. I’m not sure why she’s dressing me like we’re going to take a tour of the North Pole, but I keep those thoughts to myself and pull the beanie on my head. “Okay. So now what?” Zoe ignores my question and tosses toiletry items back in my bag, along with fresh panties and a few pairs of socks.

“All right. Now this is the strange part.” My eyes widen as she pulls out a black silky tie from her back pocket. “I’m going to blindfold you, but don’t get any kinky ideas. I know you’re fresh on the mend from that popped cherry.”

“Your grossness never ceases to amaze me.”

“Good.” She smiles and waves me toward her.

I lift up my hair and allow her to tie the material in the back. This is insane.

“Is she ready?” I hear a male voice say.

“Tank? Is that you? What’s going on? This is nuts.” No one answers me. “Am I talking to myself?” A soft hand covers mine and leads me out of our dorm, and then outside the building. I’m thankful for the beanie as a cool breeze hits me in the face. “Burr.” I shiver. “Mother nature’s drunk.”

I hear Zoe’s infectious laugh in the distance.

“I’m going to guide you into my car okay?” Tank asks. I nod, unable to see.

As the car door shuts, I still am no closer to getting answers. I hear a second door shut and I ask, “Tank, where are we going?” For the second time in the last five minutes, I feel like I’m talking to myself. “Okay you’re starting to creep me out. Should I be worried?”

“Why, do you not feel safe with me?” Ryle’s voice cuts through the small space between us, and I’m momentarily in shock. It takes a couple minutes to regain my composure. I reach behind my head to untie the knot.

“Don’t. Please. I want this to be a surprise.” The sultry sound of his gravelly voice begs my cooperation.

I don’t know whether to rip this thing off and jump out of the moving car or sit still and let him drive us to never-ever-land. “Can you just explain what is going on? I don’t understand. Why did Zoe bring me these clothes, and why am I blindfolded?”

“Would you have willingly come with me if I’d asked you to?”

Is this a trick question? Hell no! You shattered my heart. “No,” I simply reply. To rehash things will do nothing but cause me more heartache.

“Exactly,” he says, making a point. “I enlisted Zoe and Tank’s help, and before you get all upset thinking that your friends betrayed you, just hear me out.”

I shudder at the thought of hearing what is about to come out of his lips—lips I’ve kissed until my very own were raw. Lips that I’ve wanted to dance over my body. Lips that I’ve wanted… Mark. Mark. Mark. The image of him above me panting, stirs the guilt around in my gut like a cauldron of poison.

“Ryle, I have something to tell you.”

“Don’t,” he utters breathlessly. “We have nothing but time to talk and trust me, I have a lot to say too, but I’d rather just enjoy the ride—and your presence—right now.”

W
e ride in silence for the rest of our trip. I’d like to say it’s comfortable, but it’s not. I feel extremely awkward, and I can’t help but fidget in my seat. I can’t even look out the window to pass the time. Ryle notices and takes pity on me by saying, “We’re almost there.”

“
There
as in our mystery destination?” I probe for answers.

“Yes. Just a couple more miles.”

This is honestly one of the most upsetting situations that I’ve ever been in. Not only do I feel betrayed by my friends, but I also feel stuck. I can’t even leave if I want to because I don’t know where in the hell we’re going to end up.

I feel the car come to a halt, and my heart pounds fervently in my chest. This is it. The big reveal. “Are we there?”

Ryle’s warm hand cups mine and he squeezes. It seems so natural and I would normally accept it for what it is—a comforting gesture—but right now his touch seems foreign.

“Yes. I’m going to come around and get you, okay? Don’t speak. Not yet.”

In a matter of seconds I feel a rush of fresh, cold air hit me. “Give me your hand,” he instructs. I don’t move. “Come on. Stop being stubborn. I have something for you to see.”

Reluctantly, I offer my hand, and he clasps it in his. For a second, I close my eyes behind the cloth of the necktie and allow my mind to take me to a place where only he and I exist, and where nothing that occurred in the past three days matters.