Unbreakable (Accidental Crush #3) (17 page)

“I’m not getting into this with you right now, Ryan, but I hope you’re right. You’re lucky I’m going to look past this and not tell your mom what happened here tonight. I was young once, you know.” He glances around the field again, taking it all in. He gives a head nod to Johnny who walks by us, covered in mud, but other than that, he looks unscathed.

“Hi, Mr. Taylor!” Johnny belts out as if they are casually running into each other at the mall. As soon as he passes my dad, he mouths, “
What the fuck
?” to me with wide eyes.

I only shrug.
Good question.

TODD

I need to find Ashley to get her home before her dad.

I catch a glimpse of Blythe’s red hair first. She’s sitting on the hood of Brian’s car.

My heart is racing, but as soon as my eyes land on Ashley, I feel it slow to a steady rhythm, and I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

“Ashley!” I yell out to her. The smile on her face is incredible when her eyes meet mine. She jumps off the hood of Brian’s car and starts running toward me.

“I was so worried about you,” she says breathlessly as she kisses me, pressing her body into mine. I run my hands down her back. I know I’m getting mud all over her, but neither of us really cares. I want her close, always.

“I was worried about you, too,” I tell her, sliding my hands from her jawline to her neck. Then I remember why I needed to find her, and I pull back. “You need to go. Your dad is here.”

“What?” Her eyebrows scrunch together as I see her trying to process it. “Here?” Then her confusion is replaced with concern as her fingers gently glide over my eyebrow. “You’re bleeding.”

I’m not surprised. Adrenaline is soaring through me, so I feel no pain, but I will tomorrow. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want her to worry, and she needs to go now. No delays.

I give her my best no-cares-in-the-world smile. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You need to get home before your dad.” I intertwine my fingers with hers and start to pull her toward my car.

“Whooaaa. Where are you going?” Blythe cuts in front of us as she places a hand on my chest.

“Ashley’s dad is here, and I need to get her home before he gets there.”

“Hold on, lover boy. Do you really think it’s a good idea for
you
to bring her home?”

I stop for a second. I didn’t think about that, but she’s right.

Ash starts to frantically look around. “Well, have you seen Casey?” I see the regret on her face as the question leaves her lips.

“Stop. I’ll take you,” Blythe says, her southern drawl breaking through. She’s on edge; it’s always thicker when she’s angry or nervous. “I’ve got Brian’s keys. Todd, I’ll meet you guys back here or text me where to meet you if you leave before I get back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Great. Let’s go, Ash.” She grabs Ashley’s hand and then turns back and gives me a sweet smile. “Oh, and Todd, don’t call me ma’am again.”

“Yes, sir.” I salute her with a smile.

“You’re hilarious,” she shouts as she slides into the driver’s side of Brian’s car.

I want to be in that car, and I hate that I can’t. When I tap the hood as they backup, Blythe stops, and I stick my head through the passenger’s side window to give Ashley one last kiss.

“I love you.” I whisper then I give Blythe a smile and mouth, “
Thank you
.”

“Love you, too,” Blythe says with a wink.

“Take care of that eye,” Ashley shouts back as I stand there, watching their taillights disappear into the distance.

“Um … Where’s my car?” I hear Brian’s voice from behind me.

“Blythe needed to give Ash a ride home. Hope that’s okay,” I tell him, turning to find all of the guys on our team walking toward the parking lot. “So it’s done?”

“Done. We killed those rich pricks!” Brian shouts back louder than necessary since he’s now right in front of me.

“Hey, you wish, Johnson!” I hear someone yell from across the parking lot.

“You want to go again?” Mark shouts back, stepping forward.

His actions are met with silence, so I guess that answers that.

“Where’s Ryan?” I ask, noticing he’s the only one still not here.

Brian nods his head in the direction of the field. “With his dad.” Then his eyes get wide, and his eyebrows rise with silent questioning.

I shake my head with disbelief, but internally, I’m relieved that his dad is still here so Ash will make it home before he does. Hopefully her mom is asleep. It’s doubtful, but I can hope.

Then my eyes land on Casey walking toward the parking lot with Ryan and Mr. Taylor, and my heart starts to race.

I glare at him, but Ryan intercepts my look and gives me the tiniest of headshakes, telling me Casey is cool and didn’t say anything. With that small gesture from Ryan, I know Casey is sticking to our story, at least for now. I don’t know what Ryan said or did to keep Casey in line, but whatever it is, I’m incredibly grateful.

Chapter 15: Something New

ASHLEY

“Can we talk?”

I hear the question I have been dreading. I try to avoid his gaze, just as I’ve been doing at practice all week. There is very little evidence of the fight left on Casey’s face from the night of our date, except a few healing bruises are a reminder.

“Ashley.” I feel his hand on my shoulder, and my heart sinks because I know I can’t avoid him any longer. “Please.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I nod my head.
Here goes nothing.

He leads the way to our usual meeting place that we shared this summer. Our team is using the indoor pool now, but our lockers are still in the break house. The familiar orange shag rug feels like an old friend as we sit cross-leg and fall right back into our regular routine. I focus on the rug’s loops while I pull at them, anything to avoid Casey’s green eyes.

“So you’ve been avoiding me,” he says with a warm smile that says so much more than his words.

Although I can’t help returning his smile, there wasn’t really a question, so I don’t say anything.

“I get it, Ashley. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for everything these past few months.”

My eyes instantly lock with his. This is not where I thought this conversation was going to go.

“I just—I’ve never been told no before, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I knew if you gave me the chance, I could change your mind.” As his hand reaches out and touches my knee, my gut reaction is to pull away, but the touch is so caring and gentle; it’s different. Casey is different. “And then, when I thought you guys broke up, I knew that was my chance.” He shakes his head, his gaze shifting to the carpet for a second and then quickly meeting mine again. “I kind of lost sight of you and your feelings, and it just became a game I needed to win. I couldn’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t accept it. I mean, you know I have some parental issues.” He smiles, and it fills his entire face. “I guess my issues are worse than I thought.”

A small chuckle escapes his lips. “I needed to get what
I
wanted, and I lost sight of what you wanted. I’m sorry for that. In turn, I’m afraid I’ve destroyed a good friendship. Have I?” This is the first question he asked; the first time he left a pause for my response.

I see the pain in his eyes along with genuine concern, and my heart fills with regret. Not for anything I did, but for how Casey had to grow up. As much as I hate my parents right now, I can’t imagine a life with them absent.

I reach for his hand, feeling the need to touch him. “Casey, you didn’t lose me as a friend, but you never had me as a girlfriend. There was never a chance. I mean, last summer, I thought maybe there could be, but I told you then my heart belongs to someone else, and nothing will really ever change that, not you, not my parents, not Ryan.”

Casey’s eyes shift at the mention of my brother’s name, and he smiles.

“What?”

“Well, Ryan is actually the person who made that pretty clear for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“In addition to his fist connecting with my face, he kind of knocked some sense into me between punches.”

“How?” I try to hide my shock. My brother has never been a supporter of my relationship with his best friend, at least not openly.

“Let’s just say he’s a good brother, a better one than I am; that’s for sure.”

I lean in closer, needing to touch him again, but as a friend, to comfort him. I know he still carries a lot of pain for what happened to his sister. I also know I can’t fix that.

“That’s not true, Casey, and you know it.” I wish he could hear my words.

His smile meets mine. “Thanks, Ashley Taylor, for everything. Sorry I was a little crazy these past few months. I guess it runs in my family.”

At that, we both laugh, and I know we’ll be fine. It will never be the same between us, but that’s a good thing.

***

Meet me at Francis’s truck in the SL.

I can’t help laughing out loud. The Francis thing never gets old.

It’s Todd’s last day of school before he leaves for winter break. It’s been three weeks since the fight at the field—aka, my date with Casey.

Things with Casey have been good since our talk. He finally seems to understand Todd isn’t going anywhere. Maybe he believes in true love after all, even if it’s not with him.

I am also officially grounded forever. My parents are still suspicious since RTS called my house and told them they could find me with Todd the night of the fight. My dad never told me he went to the field, but Ryan told me everything, or at least, I thought he did. I’m not so sure now after my conversation with Casey. Either way, my parents still think Todd and I are broken up, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be allowed back out of the house until I’m thirty.

Thanks for that, Rebecca!

Todd is leaving tomorrow to meet with the Penn State and Boston College coaches. Both schools have given him verbal offers, and Penn State offered him a position with the baseball team, too. His family is celebrating Christmas in Boston, and then he’s heading straight up to Mt. Craymore for the senior ski trip. I’m sad he’s leaving, but it’s not like I would get to see him over break anyway, since I’m on lockdown.

I have never been more grateful for school, as this is the only time I get to see him. After the night of the fight, people at school now know the truth, so it’s made things a little easier. Regardless, we are still cautious because both of our parents know a lot of the teachers and word could easily get back to them.

I have no idea what Ryan said to RTS and Casey, and he has no idea I know. Whatever it was, it convinced them to keep our secret, and I love him for it. He must have some major dirt on them both, but I figure what I don’t know can’t hurt me.

As I approach the truck, knowing this is the last time we will be alone for a while, my heart reacts by slamming against my chest. This has become our routine: Mark hands off his keys in the morning, Todd and I have lunch to ourselves without any parental concerns, and the rest is history.

“Well, hello there,” I say as my eyes land on his. He gives me his crooked smile, and I swear I’m going to drop right here on the pavement of the SL.

“It took you long enough,” he says with raised eyebrows.

“Well, I’m here now.” I step closer to him and wind my finger through the belt loop of his jeans.

“I love seeing you in my jacket,” he says as his lips meet mine, and he runs his hand over the letters on his letterman jacket.

“Me, too.” I step up on my tiptoes to return his kiss. His lips still feel like home, every time.

“Let’s go.” He opens the passenger side door for me.

We almost always go to our field, and we try to park in a more inconspicuous place than the first time. I don’t know if Mark’s mom has seen the truck since, but thankfully, she hasn’t stopped again. Today, though, Todd drives right past the field. I have no idea where we are going, and we have to be back for classes soon.

Todd notices me tense up as we pass our field, so he places his hand on my knee and gives me a quick, reassuring smile. “Relax.”

“But we both need to be back soon.” I glance at our field in the side mirror as it gets smaller and smaller in the distance.

“Why?” he asks with a chuckle.

“Because we are already in enough trouble. And if we get caught together … I don’t even want to think about it, actually.”

“What can they really do? They already made us break up, and we see how well that worked.” He squeezes my knee on those words.

“So we’re not going back?” I ask, half scared and half excited to hear his answer.

“No, we’re going back.” He laughs then shakes his head. “I mean, I have some money saved, but not enough to live on.” His eyes slide over to lock with mine. “But I would love to do that if we could, you know—just you and me, together.” He entwines his fingers with mine while his other hand grips the steering wheel. I know I have said this before, but seeing Todd driving a truck is almost as good as seeing him play the guitar.

We drive like this for a while until he unlocks his fingers from mine to turn the truck onto a dirt road I have never seen before.

I glance up at him with questioning panic, but then, as I take him in, all of my nerves melt away. I trust him with my life, even if he is taking me on a deserted, dirt road.

The truck’s tires retaliate against the unpaved road, and we bounce up and down on the leather bench seat. We both start to laugh as we’re enveloped by a dirt cloud spilling around the truck from the dust being kicked up by the tires. With wide, open fields on either side of us, you can’t see a house or person anywhere. I have grown up here my entire life and never knew this road existed.

Everything is so crowded where we live. There are so many people. Here, though, it’s like we are in the middle of nowhere, yet it’s so close.

We drive through a small group of trees, and then, right in front of us, the trees open up to a small lake. It’s gorgeous, reminding me of a painting or a postcard it’s so pristine. The sunlight is bouncing off the water’s surface, creating what looks like golden, diamond droplets.

“Wow,” is the only word I can come up with.

He turns his lips up into a smile that is almost as beautiful as this place.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“Well, we call it the opening,” he tells me as we get out of the truck and walk toward the water’s edge. “A few guys discovered it years ago, and each year, they pass it on to a select group of seniors. That’s how we keep it a secret. Only a handful of people know about it. That’s also how we stay off the cop’s radar when we have parties here. Technically, I’m breaking every rule there is by bringing you here.”

“I love it.” I smile up at him. “And I won’t tell anyone.”

“Oh, I know you won’t.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me in closer to him. “Hang on. Stay right there.” He runs back to the truck, jumps into the driver’s seat, and turns it around so the truck bed is now facing the small, glistening lake.

“Come on,” he calls out once he’s settled in the back of the truck.

Blankets are laid out already, making me wonder if Mark keeps it like this all the time. Then I think of what that means and what Mark might be doing back here with God knows who, and I quickly push that thought out of my head as I climb up into the truck bed.

Todd is lying back and resting on his elbows. I love every single thing about him: the way his shirt falls onto his chest and outlines his lean muscular body; the way his perfectly messy hair hangs low, almost in his eyes yet never masking their beauty; how peaceful and relaxed he is in this moment; and the smile in his eyes whenever they land on me.

He pats the blankets next to him. “Come here.” Then he hands me a homemade PB&J in a sandwich baggie. “Your usual.”

“This place is incredible.” I lean in to kiss him. “I feel bad; I don’t ever have any special places to share with you.”

His eyes study me for a second before he leans his forehead down so it rests against mine. “Any time I’m with you is special,” he says as he cradles my face in his hands while his thumbs gently stroke my cheeks. “I brought you here today because I have something to tell you.”

“That’s never good,” I joke and smile up at him.

The smile he gives me sets whatever part of my gut that started to twist at ease. “Did Shane say anything?”

“Huh?”
Okay, now I’m confused. Shane?
Does he know about Shane and Johnny?

“I thought maybe he might have said something. Joe’s Pizza invited the Sour Lollipops to perform there on Friday nights, and now that the football season is almost over, we can do it. It’s like two hundred fifty a gig.” He leans closer to me. “So that can go directly into our runaway fund.” His smile lands on my lips.

“I like it,” I say, returning his kiss, cherishing the feeling of his lips against mine. They are so soft. Losing the joking tone, I run a hand down his chest. “That’s really incredible. I’m so proud of you guys.”

“There’s something else.” His tone turns more serious, and my hand freezes.

When our eyes lock, his smile is gone. I know this look.

“What?” I try to control my pounding heart, but it’s not listening to my head.

He runs his finger down my jeans as if he’s tracing every fiber. “I’m not telling anyone else this. Not anyone.” His finger continues to trace invisible pictures on my thigh, his eyes focused on only that. I wish he would look up so I can read his expression. “This summer, I mentioned to the Penn coach that I was interested in music and theater as possible majors, and he made a phone call to the head of the theater department.”

My heart starts to slow to a steady rhythm because this is so much better than the scenarios that were running through my head.

“I didn’t tell Ry or Bri, but I met with him over the summer, and he kept in touch with me. He invited me to audition, so I sent in a video and”—he pauses and I realize I’m holding my breath—“I got invited to do an in-person audition, Ash, for both their music and theater program.” The excitement in his voice is clear, and it’s so wonderful to hear it erases any anger I have that he kept this a secret for so long.