“You cheated.” Face flushed, leaning over with both hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath, Emily frowns.

“How can I cheat? It’s a race and you took off before me. It’s not like I got in the car and drove here when you weren’t looking.”

“You made me think I was going to win.”

“So?”

“So, that’s cheating.”

“That’s not cheating, that’s playing with you.”

“Playing with me?” She stands, hands on her hips.

“Yep.” I lean down and kiss her chastely. She’s still out of breath, but I can see she’s trying not to let it show. I’m not winded at all.

“Well, let’s see if you’ll get to play with me tonight, then.”

“That sounds like a challenge.” Taking a step into her personal space, I look down at her, trying my best to intimidate her. But it only makes her feistier.

“Maybe if you’d let me win once in a while, I’d let you win.”

***

We spend two hours running together and then I buy her lunch, even though she lost the bet. I’m not even sure why I agree to her bets, because even when I win, she doesn’t lose.

She pushes half her salad around on her plate with her fork. “My parents are going out of town next Saturday night for a convention.”

“Oh yeah? You staying with Blair?”

“I was thinking I’d tell my parents I was staying with Blair, but we could stay at my house. Have the whole night together.” Emily bites her bottom lip, it’s her nervous tell. Ever since we were kids I could always tell when she was scared, even though she put up a brave front most of the time.

“Maybe you can tell your parents you’re staying at Keller’s house after the bonfire down at the beach. By the time we get home, your parents will be asleep and they won’t even notice us slip back into my house.”

I know what she’s telling me— damn, we’ve even argued about it a few times over the last year. It feels like I’ve been waiting forever. But now that she’s offering it to me, I feel guilty even thinking about taking it from her unless she’s ready.

“We don’t have to, Em.” Reaching out, I slip her hand into mine on top of the table. “I’ll wait, if you’re not ready.” I may freaking explode, but I’ll wait.

“I want to.”

“You sure?”

She leans in, her voice low, “I went on the pill last month. I’m ready.”

Jesus, I can’t believe it’s finally gonna happen. Just thinking about it, I’m glad I’m sitting so the whole diner can’t see the strain at the crotch of my pants.

***

Maybe I was letting my pent-up frustration out on Emily the last few months and it was affecting our relationship. Because everything seems to have gotten lighter, more carefree. Together we feel more like the old Zack and Em than we have in years.

I close Emily’s door and walk around to my side of the car. She scoots close to me, resting her hand on my lap affectionately. “Pretty soon I’ll be driving your ass to the movies.”

I turn the key in the ignition and the engine on my dad’s restored sixty-eight Charger comes to life. I still can’t believe he lets me take this thing. “Driver pays for the movie, you know,” I tease.

“I didn’t know there were rules.”

“Yep. Lots of ‘em. You get a typed list mailed to you with your license. You know, assuming you pass your road test.”

“You don’t think I’m a good driver?” Emily’s hand flies to her chest in a feigned, overdramatic pose.

“Men are better drivers.” I shrug.

She laughs. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a known fact.”

“Known to whom?”

“Everyone.”

“It’s not known to me.”

“That’s because you don’t have your license yet. Those facts come in the same envelope with the rules.”

I pull up to the movie theatre. A gaggle of her girlfriends wave as I park. “They’re all coming to the movie?”

“They’re all my besties.”

“How can you have so many besties? You do know the term best refers to the most excellent one, right?” I tease, only half joking.

“You and your rules.” Emily checks her makeup for the third time in just the short distance to the theatre.

It takes less than five minutes for me to lose the Emily I was really enjoying today once she surrounds herself with her friends. I stop to say hello to two guys from my Spanish class and Emily rolls her eyes at me. I spend the movie missing the feel of her hand on my lap since she’s sitting between her two besties whispering. But the distance growing between us is far more than physical.

Chapter 5

Nikki—

Brookside, Texas

I wake in the clothes I wore yesterday. My head pounding and mind swirling, morning brings me no more clarity than yesterday. Except now I’m sober. At least I think I am. Daring to crack one eye open, my line of sight like a magnet to metal, the first thing I see in my cloudy vision is the tiny pink wristbands. I barely make it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of my stomach.

My dry heaving and retching wakes Ashley from her slumber, and she comes to check on me. She looks almost as bad as I feel.

“What the hell did we drink?” Ash wets an old facecloth and folds it over her head, laying her body across the cool tiled bathroom floor next to where I sit hugging the porcelain bowl.