High Tide (9781481413824) (6 page)

“Did you see Alyce?” I demanded breathlessly. “Did you see who she's with?”

Leslie tucked her dark hair behind her ears and sighed. The light faded in her eyes. “Yes.” She sighed. “I saw.”

I ground my teeth together as my blood pounded harder than ever.

Leslie sighed again. “Listen, I know exactly how you feel—”

I didn't wait for her to finish. “Got to go,” I muttered, charging past her down the sidewalk.

“Sean, wait!” Leslie called.

I ignored her and kept going. I had only one thing on my mind.

Find the guy.

Punch his lights out.

Teach him a lesson he'll never forget.

The crowd had thinned out and I could see better now.

But Alyce was still nowhere in sight.

I kept trotting along the sidewalk, watching both sides of the street.

Find him! I thought. Get him! Pound him!

“Whoa! Careful, man!” a boy cried out as I crashed into him. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen.

I grabbed the front of the guy's shirt and stuck my face into his. “Why don't
you
be careful, jerk?”

The boy's eyes widened. “Sure,” he agreed in a voice that cracked. “Hey, whatever you say. Sorry.”

“No, you're not,” I growled. “You don't know what sorry is, so I'm going to teach you!”

Clamping my hand on the back of his neck, I shoved him into a shadowy alley lined with metal trash cans. He landed on his knees with a gasp.

I yanked him to his feet, spun him around, and punched him in the face.

Blood spurted from his nose. He rocked back on his feet, then staggered into one of the trash cans. Before he hit the ground, I dragged him up again.

“Are you sorry yet?” I hissed through my teeth. “Huh?”

The blood poured over his lips and dripped from his chin. He tried to speak, but I didn't give him the chance.

I punched him in the stomach, and as he bent double, I leapt on him, rolling him to the ground.

And then I was all over him. Pounding his ribs and back. Sinking my fist into his stomach again.

“Are you sorry yet?” I kept asking. “Are you sorry?”

“Sean!”

A girl's voice behind me.

“Sean!” Leslie. “Sean, stop!”

She yanked at the back of my shirt. I shook her off, but she grabbed hold again.

“Stop! Stop!”

Leslie threw her arm around my neck and yanked my head back. “Stop it!
Stop!”
she shrieked in my ear. “You're going to
kill
him!”

C
razy.

I went totally crazy last night.

Sitting in the lifeguard chair the next morning, I kept trying to concentrate on my job. Checking the beach. Watching the swimmers and the water-skiers.

But I kept flashing on the poor kid from last night. The blood gushing from his nose. The way he curled his arms around his head to protect himself. The look of pure terror in his eyes.

I was out of control. Totally nuts! That kid must have known what I was going to do. He saw it in my face. I was going to kill him.

Admit it, Sean, I thought. If Leslie hadn't been there, that kid would be lying in the alley this morning. Beaten to a pulp.

Shifting restlessly in the chair, I remembered
Leslie's arm locked around my neck. And her frantic voice shrieking in my ear.

At first I didn't even hear her words. And I tried to throw her off.

But she held on. Held on and screamed until finally I realized what I was doing. And I stopped.

Leslie finally let go of my neck and stared at me, a stunned expression on her face.

“Don't look so scared,” I told her. “It's over. Really. I'm through.”

“What happened?” she asked in a shaky voice. “Why were you hitting him? What did he do?”

I shook my head. I couldn't explain it. “Let's just get out of here.”

Together we helped the kid to his feet. As we walked out of the alley, I slipped him fifty bucks so he'd keep his mouth shut.

I'm lucky he took it, I thought. He could have made major trouble if he wanted to.

Sighing, I shifted in the chair again. I might not be so lucky next time, I told myself. I have to control these rages! I don't want to ruin my life because of Alyce.

But the second I thought of Alyce—and her date—I felt that spark of anger inside me again.

That guy—my so-called friend—had to be taught a lesson! I couldn't let him off the hook.

He was trying to steal my girl. And he had to pay!

The spark of anger flared. Pounding my fist on the chair arm, I leapt to my feet. I couldn't sit still, not with the image of Alyce and the guy stuck in my mind. Laughing together. Holding hands!

I had to do something—anything—or I'd go nuts again.

With a groan I gripped the platform railing and stared out at the ocean.

The water looked like iron. Gray and hard. Rough, choppy waves crested and broke, tossing swimmers onto the shore like rag dolls.

High tide, I realized suddenly. Get the red flags posted before somebody gets killed.

Grabbing three red warning flags from the barrel on top of the lifeguard stand, I clambered down the ladder and ran to the edge of the water. I jabbed one flag into the sand, then walked several yards along the shore.

As I stuck a second flag into the sand, a girl glanced up from her beach towel. “What's that for?” she asked, squinting against the sun.

“It's a warning flag,” I explained. “The tide's high right now, see?” I pointed at the waterline. “And the ocean's really rough.”

She nodded. “Is everybody supposed to get out?”

“Nope. But you go in at your own risk,” I told her. “When the tide's this high, the current can get very dangerous. It's incredibly strong. It'll pull you under so fast, you won't even know what hit you.”

The girl gave a little shudder. “I think I'll just stay here, where it's safe, and work on my tan.”

“Smart move.” I worked the flag deeper into the sand so it wouldn't blow over, then started down the beach to post the third one.

About fifty yards up ahead, two girls stood at the shoreline, talking to a guy with brown hair and a Logan Beach duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

Adam Malfitano.

I stopped suddenly, watching him. He looks so
relaxed, I thought. Like he has nothing on his mind. Nothing to worry about.

How can he act like that?

The spark of anger flared again.

One of the girls leaned close to Adam. She must have said something funny, because he threw back his head and laughed.

As he did, he spotted me.

He didn't wave. He didn't even nod.

Instead, he quickly glanced down at the sand. Then he shuffled around a couple of steps so his back was to me, and went on chatting with the girls.

He's avoiding my stare, I thought.

He can't look me in the eye.

Is he really as cool and relaxed as he seems?

Or is it an act?

The anger burned, and I stabbed the flag into the sand so hard, I almost broke the pole.

Does Adam know how angry I am? I wondered.

Does he know how dangerous I can be when I'm feeling like this?

“T
his is so incredible, Adam!” Joy Bailey exclaimed. “I mean, Raina and I were actually talking about you just the other day!”

“We really were,” Raina Foster agreed. “And then we run into you our very first morning here. It's totally weird, isn't it?”

“Yeah, definitely.” I grinned, then glanced over my shoulder.

I watched Sean stab the warning flag into the sand. Then he straightened up and stared at me.

The scowl on Sean's face made me shudder.

He looks really wired, I thought. As if he wants to pick a fight.

As I turned back to Joy and Raina, I spotted Ian jogging toward us. Trust Ian to show up when there are pretty girls around, I thought with a smile.

“Hey, Ian,” I said as he joined us. “What are you doing here?”

“It's my lunch break,” he explained. “I decided to grab a hot dog and then hang out at the beach until it's time to go back to work.”

He smiled at Joy and Raina, then turned back to me. “Aren't you going to introduce me?”

“Sure.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Ian Schultz, meet Joy Bailey and Raina Foster. The three of us went to Shadyside High together. We haven't seen one another since we graduated though.”

“Can you believe it?” Joy asked. She has short, curly brown hair and a bouncy personality. “Our first day at Logan Beach, and it's like a reunion!”

Ian laughed and nudged me in the side. “Lucky you,” he murmured.

I gave him a little shove. “Ian's my roommate,” I explained to Joy and Raina.

Raina smiled at him. She's tall, with blond hair and a great figure. “Are you a lifeguard too?” she asked.

Ian shook his head. “I work at a boat-rental place down the beach.”

“Ooh, I love boats!” Joy exclaimed. “Maybe we'll rent one while we're here.”

Ian immediately began talking about the different kinds of boats they could rent and what it cost. While they chatted, I glanced around again.

Sean was halfway back to the lifeguard station. But as I watched, he stopped and turned around.

And stared at me again. Even from this distance, I could see that his hands were clenched into fists. And I could practically see the glare in his eyes.

I swallowed hard, remembering the story he told me about the kid he beat up in high school. Beat him almost to death because he'd sneaked out with Sean's girlfriend.

I still couldn't believe it. I mean, okay, so Sean had a temper. But did he really try to kill somebody in a blind rage? Or was he just trying to scare me to make sure I wouldn't mess with Alyce?

I can't be sure, I decided. Sean is a friend. But still, I'd better be careful. Don't get him steamed.

I turned back to the others. “You guys look great,” I told Raina and Joy. “What's up with you? What have you been up to since high school?”

“Going to college,” Raina told me. “We're roommates at Duke.”

Joy nodded. “Right, and we both have summer jobs waiting for us back in Shadyside. But they don't start for another week,” she added with a grin. “So the two of us decided to have some fun.”

“You definitely came to the right place,” Ian told her. “The beach here is awesome.”

“I still can't believe you're here too, Adam!” Joy exclaimed. “Did I tell you we were talking about you?”

Ian nudged me again. “Lucky you,” he repeated.

I laughed. Joy always was a flirt, I remembered. “Yeah, you told me,” I said to her. “What lies were you telling about me?”

Joy giggled.

Raina rolled her eyes. “Joy said she thought you were the biggest hunk in Shadyside High.”

“Adam—a hunk?” Ian cried. “No way!”

“It's true,” Joy told him. “And then he went and broke my heart,” she added, pretending to pout.

“Me?” I raised my eyebrows. “I don't believe it. How did I break your heart?”

“By dumping me to go out with Raina,” Joy declared.

“Excuse me?” Raina cried. “I didn't know Adam was seeing you before he asked me out!”

“Wait a sec!” I held up my hands. “I didn't dump you, Joy. We had exactly two dates, and then you fell madly in love with what's-his-name—Gary Brandt.”

“Oh, him.” Joy sighed. “He
was
awfully cute. But I wasn't in love with him. And I was
totally
devastated when you started going out with Raina,” she added dramatically.

Raina rolled her eyes again. “Adam and I went to one movie together,” she told Joy. “Right, Adam?”

“Right,” I agreed. “And then we graduated and I got a job lifeguarding here before I went to college.” I paused.