Making a Play Read online

  “You’ve never dated other guys to give them a chance. It’s always been Denver. You have no idea. You just met Ryker. He’s new. It’s exciting. He has sex with different girls every night. Sometimes two different girls in a weekend. Friday night he had sex with Nova. I’ve seen them in the halls together this week.”

  The girl he’d been arguing with today. He’d had sex with her Friday? Was that what they were fighting about? Or talking about? Ryker didn’t seem like a guy who would do that, but then I was just getting to know him.

  The memory of Ryker’s kiss, the way he looked at me, held me . . . could the same guy have casual sex with girls? It didn’t fit. He was sweet. Gentle. I shook my head, refusing to believe the rumors. Unless Hunter was there watching them, which I knew he hadn’t been, it was just talk. Words.

  “Where did y’all go tonight?” he asked then.

  “The field,” I told him, knowing he knew about the field.

  Hunter frowned. “Did he try anything?”

  That was it. This was over. Hunter was actually asking me if I’d done things with Ryker. Was he serious right now? Ryker’s reputation was obviously much worse than I’d realized if Hunter would think that. I needed to evaluate things, but not with my brother’s help. I pointed to my door and said, “Not your business. Leave.”

  Hunter started to say something, so I looked away. Silencing him. He hated it when I did that. When we were kids, I called it my superpower. It still was.

  Hunter walked to stand in front of me. I closed my eyes. I wasn’t listening anymore. I was also acting like I was five years old, but that didn’t matter. My mind was currently battling with this news about Ryker and if it was true.

  I slowly opened my eyes after standing there for a few moments to find Hunter waiting on me to do just that.

  “I know this has been hard on you,” Hunter said this time with his words and signing. “The move and everything changing. I want you to be happy. I just know you won’t be if Dad finds out. He won’t be okay with it. He’ll be furious. Is Ryker worth that? I can only lie for you so long. At some point he will catch you, or hear about it; this town isn’t big.”

  I understood everything he was saying. But again, Hunter was asking because he always cowered to our father’s wishes. Or demands would be a better term. I didn’t. I wasn’t starting now. Not with the cochlear implant and not with Ryker. The idea that my dad cared about skin color bothered me more than the fact that he wanted me to become what he thought I should be. His controlling issues were one thing; his being racist was more than disappointing—it was embarrassing.

  “My life. My choices,” I told Hunter firmly. I bit my tongue to keep from saying that I wished he’d find his own life too and stop living Dad’s version of it. He’d get defensive. It would do no good.

  Hunter finally gave me a nod. “Okay. I’ll do what I can to help,” he said, but his eyes looked worried. I read that without knowing how his voice sounded. “Just know it’s not rumors. Last week he was bragging about screwing a college girl. His words. His bragging. I was there. I heard him say it. He likes you, and I hope he respects you. But I also know how he is. You need to know who you’re trusting.”

  I stood there and said nothing. Hunter left then, closing my door behind him. Ryker talking about having sex made me feel insecure, oddly enough. A college girl? He was charming and attractive enough to get college girls. But he’d bragged about it. He was comfortable with college girls and sex. I wasn’t what he was used to. I had a more sheltered life than most girls my age. I knew it. It was something I needed to think about. I wasn’t the kind of girl to go have sex in the woods at a field party, which was what I kind of wondered was happening when I had seen the place. Rubbing my temples, I groaned and thought about my brother being so protective.

  My mom had never been this interested in my life. She had let me make my own decisions. Never questioning me. But then my mother had always been very focused on her own life. I wasn’t sure which was worse: her not caring or Hunter, and Dad for that matter, caring too much.

  Leaving my home and all I knew had been hard, though meeting Ryker had made it worth it. He made me feel as if he’d flipped on a switch and my world was brighter. I smiled more. Felt giddy when, before, I hadn’t even understood what being giddy meant. I got it now.

  Ryker made me excited for the change my life had taken. The vibration of my phone caught my attention, and I was already grinning before looking at it. Expecting to see Ryker’s name on the screen. Even with all this new knowledge I had been given about him, I wanted to talk to him.

  My smile fell when I saw Denver’s name instead. He was a reminder that I had to close that part of my life. I’d never had to do something like this before, and I wasn’t sure how to do it. Even if Ryker couldn’t be more to me than a friend. He needed to know I wasn’t like the other girls. I wasn’t casual about sex. The kiss he’d given me was earth shattering for me. Which made my ignorance with that kind of thing a larger barrier to getting closer to Ryker.

  How are things? Haven’t heard from you. Hope that means you are settling in okay.

  It would have been easier if he didn’t seem to truly care.

  This was caring. This was Denver. Polite, kind, good sense of humor. All those things were great, but it was also the exact same way he treated everyone. There was nothing special with how he treated me. But he wasn’t sleeping with a lot of girls either. He was safe. I never had those concerns with Denver.

  Things are good. I like it here. I like the school, the people.

  It was here I should tell him about Ryker. But I paused. Do I just say it? Get it over with? I waited for Denver’s response, wishing he would do it. End it. Give us the closure we needed. I wouldn’t feel guilty or have any regrets if it was Denver who said this was impossible. I had known when I left that the distance would be an issue. But he hadn’t ended it then. Never even mentioned ending it.

  That’s awesome. I was afraid your silence meant you hated it. I’ve already asked my mom if I could come visit you. Try and cheer you up.

  My stomach felt a little sick. He had been thinking of coming here? I didn’t expect that. He hadn’t been texting me or seeming as if he missed me at all. Why would he want to come here? Did he miss me? Was I so wrapped up in Ryker that I forgot my feelings for Denver?

  No. Ryker just made me face how I felt about Denver. How I’d always felt about him. He was my friend. Possibly my best friend. We had become comfortable together. Friends to dating, when the time came. There had never been a real spark, and Ryker had been the one to show me that, even if he hadn’t meant to.

  That’s nice of you.

  I could think of nothing else to say, and I knew reading it that it sounded lame. Not at all the response he would be expecting. My finger hovered over send as I tried to think of anything else to add. I was so bad at this. Hunter would know what I should say, but I wasn’t asking him. Not when he was pro Denver. Closing my eyes tightly, I clicked send and kept my eyes closed, wondering if he’d get the hint. Hating how this felt.

  Three minutes ticked by with no response. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. He was thinking that over. He knew me well. My short response said so much. Then the phone vibrated in my hand, and my eyes slowly opened with dread.

  I’m home. Did you get in trouble for the escape?

  Ryker. The jumble of emotions I’d been dealing with over Denver’s text vanished instantly, and I was grinning again. Ryker didn’t have to do much to make me smile. I touched my lips, thinking about how his had felt against mine. It had been magical. My cheeks flushed. It was hard to remember or believe what my brother had told me about him. I started to reply to him when another text lit the screen.

  Are we okay? The distance is weird.

  Denver. He was getting to the point. Dealing with it head-on. Very Denver. I wanted to talk to Ryker and feel all the excitement that came with him. But this had to be done. Handled. It was only fair. The right thing to
do. Even if this was a mistake, and I found out that I’d been wrong about Ryker, I knew I was wasting Denver’s time. Holding on to the past. Something he didn’t even realize wasn’t special. I’d been his first and only girlfriend. I typed out the words he needed to hear. The ones that would set him free.

  I don’t see how we can remain exclusive while we are this far apart. Life is different now.

  I should say more. I just didn’t know what. And was exclusive a silly way of explaining what we were? This was my first breakup, but it would be Denver’s, too. Neither of us knew what to do, say, or expect. I felt a pang of sadness. Not because I was ending this or because I loved Denver. He was just another part of my past I was letting go.

  After sending it, I went to Ryker’s text and replied.

  No one knew I was gone but Hunter. He was fine with it. Thank you for coming to my rescue.

  I didn’t think telling Ryker about Hunter’s lecture was helpful. I had questions about his sex life. I had questions about the girl in the hallway today. Was this only exciting for me? Did Ryker see me as he did every other girl? I pushed all those questions aside. Ryker was texting me, and I didn’t want to spoil my mood.

  Yeah, life is different now.

  That was the last text I got from Denver that night, but I didn’t realize it until the next day. I’d gotten engrossed in talking to Ryker.

  She Used Her Voice

  CHAPTER 17

  RYKER

  Nova pulled up right beside me when I got to school the next morning. I knew it was on purpose, and I prepared myself for whatever this was about. She’d texted me several times last night, and I hadn’t replied. Most girls would get pissy, ignore me, or just glare at me. Nova, however, wasn’t going away that easily. Even after she’d told me yesterday it was over and she was done with me, she’d sent me three snaps I had left unopened just last night. My guess was she wasn’t wearing much or anything in them.

  Texting with Aurora had kept me up until after two, when she’d fallen asleep. I wasn’t big into Snapchat, but I was going to see if Aurora had it on her phone. I’d like to see her face when talking to her on the phone. She didn’t come across as a selfie kind of girl, though.

  Getting out of my truck, I grabbed my backpack and sighed, trying to prepare myself for the drama. I did a quick glance for Hunter’s truck and didn’t see it. Which meant Aurora wasn’t here yet.

  “Do you not want to see my snaps, or were you asleep last night?” Nova asked as she sauntered up to me and smirked. She had more confidence than any female I knew. That was good. Because she wouldn’t get all weepy when I was blunt with her. Again.

  “I thought you were done with me. You should be. I’m interested in someone else.” That was as honest as I could get.

  She rolled her eyes. “You fall in and out of interest with girls more than I change my panties. When I’m even wearing panties.” She was flirting. Trying to get me to think about her in panties. It wasn’t working. I didn’t care. If I wanted to see her in panties or out of them, I would have opened her snaps.

  “This is different,” I said, wishing she’d leave me alone.

  Nova laughed. “Yes, she’s different all right. You’re not going to last long. She’s too sweet and a goody-goody. It’s all over her face.”

  That annoyed me. Aurora was sweet and good, but saying it like those were bad traits only made it clear Nova was neither. She wasn’t a mean person. She just wasn’t Aurora. It was also apparent that people were noticing my interest in Aurora. I liked that. I wanted to make sure no one else decided to move in on her. I had to win her over first.

  “We will be just fine,” I said, not trying to get her to stay around and continue to talk to me. I kept my eyes on the parking lot for Hunter’s vehicle.

  “Don’t think I’ll be waiting on you to figure out this won’t work with her. I like you, but you’re not that damn special.” Nova was angry and trying not to show it. She had liked me. She did like me. I knew that. She wouldn’t be pushing this so hard if she wasn’t upset that I didn’t return the feelings.

  “I don’t expect that,” I said just as I saw Hunter’s truck. “I gotta go,” I added, and turned from her to walk toward where Hunter was parking.

  “You will regret this!” she called out. I’d heard that from her already. I also knew I wasn’t going to regret it. She wasn’t stable. I’d sensed that this weekend and stopped from going too far with her. Saying as much, though, was cruel. I wasn’t that guy now. Or I didn’t want to be that guy. I walked toward Aurora instead.

  Aurora stepped down out of the truck, and I had to admit that the fact that her eyes were already on me felt good. Too good. Seeing her this morning, remembering our kiss, was like she had brought me back to life. It was terrifying to admit, but it was also amazing.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” I said the words, not caring who heard me. She returned my smile, and I watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

  “Good morning,” she said almost too softly, but I heard her. I loved the sound of it, no matter how soft the whisper. I wondered if she knew she was whispering or if that was something she could even gauge. There was so much I didn’t know about her life that I wanted to know and understand.

  “She used her voice,” Hunter said, and the amazement in his tone wasn’t missed by me.

  I didn’t want to look his way to speak, but I knew if I replied to him while looking at her she’d be confused. She hadn’t heard him. He could just take that piece of information and deal with it however he wanted.

  “Did you sleep good?” I asked her, knowing she hadn’t gotten that many hours of sleep, and neither had I. Saying good night and ending our conversation last night wasn’t something I had been willing to do. Which is why we texted until she fell asleep.

  She nodded and blushed. Her eyes cut toward Hunter, who was watching us. I wanted her not to care that he was there or what he was thinking. But he was her brother, and I knew she didn’t like him hearing us.

  I reached down and took her hand in mine, then said, “Let’s go,” so she could read my lips clearly.

  We made our way to the entrance, and our joined hands were drawing attention. I hoped she didn’t notice or that if she did, she didn’t care. I wanted them all to know. I was making this real clear. Yesterday I’d been interested in her, but with one kiss it had all changed. I was in completely.

  She’d broken up with Denver officially last night. We’d talked about it, and I’d let out a loud cheer in my room when I’d read the text about it. I had thought winning her over would take more time. But her honesty was admirable. She said she couldn’t keep talking to me and not break things off with Denver.

  “When did she start using her voice with you?” Hunter asked. I hadn’t realized he was walking so closely behind us.

  “Last night,” I said, not looking at him but straight ahead.

  “She didn’t tell me that.” He seemed truly confused. “She only uses her voice with me and Dad. Not even Ella, our stepmom.”

  That was information she might not want me to know, but I was glad he’d told me. It was already special to me, but now it was precious. Never had I thought about long term in anything. I lived in the moment. Then I moved on to the new.

  With Aurora that was changing. Everything was changing. I glanced down at her beside me; last night might have been my last first kiss. That should have scared the hell out of me. Instead I was scared that this was impossible. That her dad would make sure there was no future. My hand tightened on hers, and she lifted her gaze to meet mine. Then she smiled, and it eased my fear.

  My past, as in last week, was still there waiting for her to find out. When she heard the truth about me, I would have to make a lot of promises and work to prove to her this was different for me. I didn’t want to be the guy I was a week ago. I didn’t miss him.

  She would know soon enough. I had to get over that hurdle too. Not just her dad not liking the fact I was b
lack.

  Just Guard Your Emotions

  CHAPTER 18

  AURORA

  I was doing my best not to think about seeing Ryker with that girl again when we got to school this morning. Hunter had made a point to tell me, “That’s the one he slept with Friday night,” before I could get out of the truck.

  I shrugged it off. Not thinking about it. Either Hunter was very wrong about Ryker, or I was. I doubted Hunter had ever talked to him as much as I had already. He didn’t know Ryker.

  During lunch, the girl had watched us. I’d looked over and caught her glaring our way. But only that once. I didn’t want her to think I cared. She was frightening. Should I ask Ryker about her? Or was that too soon? Not my business? I wish I had someone to ask about these things.

  I could ask Tallulah, but then she seemed to think the same of Ryker as Hunter did. I needed an unbiased opinion. My mother possibly? Ryker had held my hand every chance he got today. He’d shown up to walk me to classes, and it had just made Hunter grumpy. He was still not happy about this. But he was at least keeping quiet.

  Ella picked me up after school with her ever-present smile. She didn’t say much, because conversing with me made her nervous. As if she was going to offend me or something. I wasn’t sure what her issue was. The good thing about it was that there was no pointless conversation with Ella to deal with. I was alone with my thoughts on the ride home and in my room while I did my homework, then decided to read.

  This was similar to how life had been back in North Carolina. It was comfortable, but now my thoughts were always drifting toward Ryker and what he was doing. Where he was . . . and sometimes who he was with. Even though I knew he was at football practice, just like Hunter, my imagination kept picturing the girl, Nova, waiting on him when it was over. That made me feel bad. I wasn’t sure I liked the constant thinking about it or him.

  When my phone vibrated at six, I couldn’t deny the thrill of excitement as I reached into my pocket to get it. Seeing Ryker’s name made me smile big, and I didn’t know what I was going to do with this mix of emotions. I knew practice was over at six. He had to have texted me as soon as it ended. Which meant there was no girl waiting on him.