Breaking Down Sydney (Sydney West #2) (6 page)

Chapter Ten

Amelia and Hunter spent almost every night together at Jason and Hunter’s apartment. They were glued to each other. Jason and I seemed to be close friends compared to their love.

Our relationship was still hard for me to fathom. If I was a movie character, I bet the audience would hate me for how long it took me to realize Jason was the one for me. To Amelia, love wasn’t new, not with all the romance novels she devoured. But I didn’t think love existed, and Jason proved me wrong. I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark. What if something horrible happened to Jason and me? Would my heart swirl into a darker world than it was in before?

My best friend came into our dorm wearing a short blue skirt and a white tank top. She threw her arms around me, giving me a bone-crushing hug like we hadn’t seen each other in years, not hours.

Jason and Hunter fist bumped. I wished for a friendship like that. They probably had less bruises.

I ran my fingers down the skirt of my black dress. It barely touched my knees, but my favorite part of the dress was the tiny white scorpions sprinkled all over.

I eyed Amelia as she put some of my stuff in a duffle bag. “So, where are you taking us?”

She put her finger to her lips and handed my bag to Hunter. “It’s a surprise!” she replied happily, grabbing her boyfriend and walking down the hall.

It was torture to be in the dark. Everyone seemed to love surprising me lately. Jason snaked his arm around my torso as we passed by the other dorm rooms. “Cheer up. Things could be worse.”

He made my insides want to melt. Since I couldn’t have Jason right there, I resorted to resting my head on his upper arm as we followed our friends. “How so?”

I looked down the hallway. Amelia and Hunter were already going down the elevator. So much for waiting on us; they probably wanted to make out alone.

We made it to the elevators and I hit the down button. Jason kissed the crown of my head.

“I could still be away in California and you could be facing Amelia alone.”

A shiver ran down my back. “My God, thank you from the bottom of my heart! These past couple weeks dragged on and on as she cried over him. She’d find something she’d like to buy him and burst into tears. She’d also cry if she found an outfit she’d like him to see her in. She was a mess, and even going out to a party didn’t help. She just came home drunk and even more depressed.”

The steel doors opened. Two boys walked out before we stepped inside. I hit the button for the first floor and the doors slid closed.

Oh, what I could do alone to Jason in a little box.

Get your mind out of the gutter, Syd.

Jason laughed. “That’s a bit extreme.” He paused. “What about this party?” His eyes grew dark, as if wanting to ask me what
I
did at the party.

“Not if you saw that side of Amelia.” I cracked my knuckles to give me something to focus on. “The party was at a sorority house after homecoming. It was typical. The pot smelled weak and the drinks were cheap. I couldn’t breathe much inside, so I went home. I should’ve taken Amelia with me, though. Her friends weren’t helpful in watching how many drinks she had.”

He nodded. The iciness in his eyes melted. “I hear you. Hunter was a ball of emotion when she left. It was kinda scary. I got him to go surfing a few times, but he’d wipe out on the sand and lay there.”

I shook my head and bumped Jason with my shoulder. “Thankfully neither of us got that pathetic.”

Jason kissed me firmly on the lips. “No, we just couldn’t stop IMing or sexting. That doesn’t mean we have a problem.”

I laughed so hard I snorted, making Jason laugh. “Is it my fault I have a healthy appetite for sex?”

Jason was still recovering from laughing, I pushed him away playfully. The doors opened on the first floor. We exited and made a beeline for the glass doors.

He took a few deep breaths, like he was trying to find what words to say. “Of course not. That’s what I love about you.”

Jason took my hand as we crossed the parking lot.

“What are you two doing? You’re too slow, come on!” Amelia shouted out the window of the blue Toyota Corolla. This trip had to be something if Hunter rented a car for the occasion.

I nudged Jason with my shoulder. “Looks like we’re riding in the back.”

“No worries. We’ll act like we’re in a limo.” Jason flashed me his signature smile that made my belly flip and weakened my knees.

I kissed him on the cheek and ran for the car, laughing like a hyena.

“Hurry up, rock star!” I called over my shoulder.

“You’re such a diva!” he shouted back.

Jason climbed into the car a few seconds after me. He pinned me to the seat and kissed me hard, as if in hunger. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I almost forgot we weren’t alone.

“That’s not on my list of things to do today,” Amelia said, leaning between the front seats to hit Jason’s back.

After one more kiss, Jason slid off of me and shut the door. He sat in his seat and put on his seatbelt like a good little boy.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and dug in my purse for some lip gloss.

Jason sighed and reached over me, putting my seatbelt on.

“I was going to do that.”

“Mmm-hmm. Better safe than sorry.”

“We just hit the road. What are the chances of getting in an accident?”

“Do you want to go down that path? Most accidents usually occur around five miles from home.”

I just looked at him.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“We need some tunes,” Amelia said, turning up the radio.

The speakers blasted the Foo Fighters as we drifted toward the unknown.

***

I grew more suspicious and antsy as the road narrowed. After passing through scary mountain roads and cliffs that had nets attached to catch loose rocks, I had to ask again, “So where are we heading?”

“You can’t wait, can you?” Hunter asked. I gave him the evil eye. He smiled at me in the rearview mirror. “Just have some patience. We’re almost there.”

Jason held my hand and gave it a little squeeze. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, wishing my ears would stop popping. That was another reason why I couldn’t live up north. The air was thin and being in high elevation too long made me ill.

With the windows rolled down, the scent of pine and fresh air coated my nose. I was between reality and dreamland when we hit a pot hole, which tossed me rudely back into the real world.

“We’re here!” Amelia chirped.

I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Jason’s arm rested on the back of my seat. He cupped my shoulder and gave me a light squeeze. I could feel him watching me.

Amelia and Hunter jumped out, slamming their doors in the process. With another groan, I unbuckled myself.

“You okay?” Jason finally asked.

I nodded. “Was just about to fall asleep when we pulled in.”

“I gathered that. You were saying something about a hot body…not sure where that was going.”

My cheeks burned.

I don’t remember that. Why the hell do I have to mutter in my sleep?

“That’s funny. I have no recollection of that.”

“So you say…”

I shrugged it off and slid out of the car. The air hung on me like a blanket. It was much cooler up in the pine trees than down in the desert. With the sun not baking on you twenty-four-seven, being outside was actually nice.

Jason’s hand was at my lower back when I came back to myself.

“You enjoying the air?”

I shrugged. “It’s better than that hundred degree heat, but I’d take salty ocean air anytime.”

He smiled as he took me in his arms. “Is that so?”

Jason was only a few inches taller than me, but I still had to raise my head up to meet his eyes when he held me close. “Yes. You got a problem with that?” I challenged.

“Of course not. But what makes salty air so much better?” He challenged me right back.

To meet him eye to eye, I got on my tip-toes. “First of all, it’s the yin to my yang, and—”

He cocked an eyebrow. “And all those other clichés?”

“Shut u—”

Jason consumed my words with his mouth. I found myself molding to his body. Slowly we were becoming one being.

“Can you guys keep your hands off of each other for one damn hour?” Amelia shouted, shaking her head with a smile on her face. She was kidding, of course, but I didn’t like to be told what to do with my boyfriend.

Boyfriend. I’m loving that word now. Who knew?

We broke away from each other and walked into the cabin holding hands. As we passed by Amelia, I muttered, “Party pooper.”

The interior of the cabin looked like something out of a magazine selling hunting cabins. The cabin belonged to Amelia’s family, and her father was the one who decorated the place. There was a huge, freaky deer head hanging near the fireplace. As I took in the log walls and bear lamp with matching curtains, I tripped over a rug, which was an actual bear rug. The animal rights activist rose up in me, making me want to bury the dead animal trophies.

“Awesome. We get to spend the weekend with creepy, taxidermy animals staring at us with blank, black eyes,” I said, shaking my head in disgust.

“Lighten up, Syd. At least we’re not camping in a tent.” Jason kissed my forehead and went out to help Hunter with the bags.

Amelia gave me a shrug. “Sorry. My dad will not let me redo the place while he’s still alive.”

“It’s fine. Just a warning would’ve been nice.” I wandered to the deer’s head, studying it. “I swear if I get up in the middle of the night for some water and see this, I’ll have a heart attack. How close is the nearest hospital?”

She snickered. “About fifteen miles through the mountains, so I hope you can hang in there.”

A sigh escaped from my lips. “Just lovely.”

Amelia gave me a hug. “It will grow on you. Plus, we each have a hot boy to look at.”

I nodded. “True, at least we have that.”

“Just don’t bump uglies when I’m still awake. I don’t want that playing in my head.”

I fanned myself with a hand. “Can’t make any promises when Jason and I are alone together.”

She gestured with her hands. “Animals, I swear!”

A laugh bubbled out of me. “Jealous?”

She giggled. “Some of us don’t need to have sex all the time. I’m happy simply sleeping next to him.” She nudged my shoulder with hers. “But to each their own, girl.”

“I do love sex. It’s my favorite sport besides surfing.”

I looked around the cabin, missing the warm walls of my beach house with my surfboard hanging on the wall. The woods were good too. We could hike and…enjoy each other’s company, I guess. I wasn’t enough of an outdoorsy girl to know much about anything. I enjoyed the city too much and rarely went up north to enjoy the planet’s natural treasures.

Hunter and Jason returned with the bags, bringing me back to reality.

“We’re in the last room on the right!” she shouted to Hunter, following him.

Jason nodded me along. I followed him to the first room on the left. It was decorated in reds and blacks, but thankfully there were no dead animals to watch over me as I slept.

“What do you think of our mini-vacation so far, Syd?” Jason asked, dropping the bags by the bed.

I gave him a long look. Did he truly love the woods or was he questioning me to know how I felt before revealing he wasn’t too in love with the environment either? The ocean was another world compared to a bunch of trees and all the things that hid within them.

“It’s something. Doesn’t beat campfires on the beach, but it should be fun.”

He nodded, looking out our window to the dirt path leading through the thick brush. “I agree. I don’t mind being surrounded by nature. Went to the Red Oaks a lot in California as a kid with my family, but I’m a beach bum myself.”

I batted my eyelashes and gave him an evil smile. “You truly are the one for me, Jason.”

He laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Thanks, Syd.”

After we all settled into our rooms, we barbecued some chicken for dinner. We spent the night drinking cheap wine and playing card games, mostly making up our own rules as we went along.

Chapter Eleven

In the morning, Amelia used a blow horn to wake us up. If it wasn’t for Jason holding me back, I was going to strangle her for the vicious way of waking me from a sound slumber.

We went for a hike in the woods. Amelia and Hunter were pros, putting a few yards between them and Jason and me. I didn’t mind. Amelia was like a drill sergeant. There was no need for that when you were trying to enjoy nature’s beauty.

“Come here,” Jason whispered into the shell of my ear. Before I could answer, he was pulling me off the trail.

“You know the trail is here for a reason. If we get lost, it’s on you.”

He tugged on my earlobe with his teeth. He said, “Will you stop? We’re not going far.”

The wind blew lightly through the trees and birds were singing. Internal flames ate away at my body. I gave into Jason and let him take me to the unknown.

He stopped in front of a fat pine tree. I gave him a curious look as he circled its trunk and brushed his hand along its bark.

“Should I leave the two of you alone?” I joked.

Jason smirked at me before pulling out a pocket knife. I felt my face go from being curious to alarmed.

“Wh—”

“Watch.” Jason dug the blade into the bark, carving into the tree.

I stood at his side as he chipped away. After a few minutes, I could make out a heart shape. He then put our initials into the center of the heart.

“There,” he said, standing back to admire his handiwork. “Now we’ll forever live here.”

Something inside me pulled me toward the tree. It was like I had to run my fingers down the new carving to make sure it was real.

The tree would forever bear our initials, through the test of time. I stared at the ‘
JK + SW’
within the heart.

“I can honestly say no boy has ever done this for me.”

Jason smiled, putting away his knife. “No? Good to know I’m ahead of the game.”

“You’re so ahead that those other guys are like dots.”

He pulled me into him. I pressed him against
our
tree and kissed him hard.

Jason ended the kiss, pressing his forehead to mine. “I love you, Sydney. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.”

I looked into his eyes, feeling the honesty in his words. He left me speechless and kissed me again before I could reply. It was like he was trying to become a part of me. Jason wanted to prove love to me so badly that he scarred a tree for me.

I love you, Sydney.
His voice echoed in my head as his lips traced my neck and left collarbone.

Something inside me awoke. It was like the inner succubus in me wanted to consume Jason’s love and turn it into lust.

We peeled our clothes off in layers. Soon we were one, consummating what the tree’s scar stood for.

***

We caught up with Hunter and Amelia at the river. They had a picnic set up and were already eating. Amelia gave me a look. She knew what we had done. Hunter winked at me. He knew too.

Jason and I sat down, getting out our food. No one spoke, but the silence was loud.

The rest of the hike was lovely. We called it a day and went back to the cabin when the sun was about to set. That night Jason and I slept in each other’s arms like true lovers.

A fear rose within me that one night I wouldn’t be able to sleep without Jason next to me. I never wanted to experience the loss of love. That was why I kept myself at a distance and locked my heart up. Unfortunately, Jason stole my heart and I wasn’t sure what kind of state it was in anymore.

In the morning, we packed up and prepared to go back to the real world, also known as college. Jason and I were dropped off at the dorm and Hunter and Amelia went to the apartment.

I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face the real world yet. It was nice to not have to worry about tests, essays, and being on time while hidden away in a cabin deep in the woods. Though I wasn’t a fan of the décor, I’d live with it if that meant I didn’t have to write another essay. But fantasies always come to an end, and so did mine. At least I had Jason at my state university, but could he handle my life? Sure, he knew me in California, but I usually faked a lot of my courage with the help of alcohol. Could I reveal the true me to Jason? Was his love strong enough to love all the different shades of me?

The future laid before me like an upside-down stack of cards. In order to know what was coming up next, I had to play the game. Yes, I was afraid, but I was also excited. The future was full of possibilities. That sounded like something a girl could enjoy…or it could tear me apart.