Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) (7 page)

When she nearly clipped another car, she knew she couldn’t keep on driving. She pulled into a grocery store’s parking lot. It was safe since no one from her school would presumably come here during class time.

She crawled into her car’s backseat and did what she’d wanted to do for days: curl up in a fetal position. Sobbing, Adrian rocked back and forth, turning her face into the crook of her arm. She knew kids at school considered her arrogant, but that was just a lie. She had feelings, she did!

She gave herself over to despair. It reached inside her and uprooted everything she’d shoved into a dark place: the resentment for her father making such a hasty decision, the shameful need to want friends, the shock of having the last cornerstone of her life torn away, and now this.

Oh God. How could she bear it? She’d counted on Jason to reinforce her sanity and give her some strength. And now he’d abandoned her, just like her father and Nicky. Just like her mother. That last thought brought a fresh wave of pain.

I hate you, Mother. I hate you, I hate you, I hate …

The hesitant knock on her window jolted her out of her daze. She pushed herself upright, blinking away some tears. Then she blinked again when she saw a vaguely familiar face at the window, his hand cupped around his eyes.

“Are you okay in there?” he called out.

It took a moment to place him. Travis Cates, that kid from Dean Efken’s office. She hesitated, then reached over and unlocked the door.

He ducked his head inside the car. “Hey …” he said, voice trailing off as he gave her a quick look-over. “I saw you drive up here. Are you okay?”

She didn’t know what to say to that. “What are you doing here?” she asked instead.

His smile was sheepish. “There’s a good spot behind the store.” Sucking air through his mouth, he sketched a vague gesture around his mouth. “Some kids go there and you know …”

“Right,” she said, now understanding the place must be where the stoners met. “Well, thank you for checking up on me. I appreciate it; I really do.”

Travis didn’t seem to notice he’d been dismissed. “What did the fuckers do to you?” he said, hanging his arm on the car’s roof. “Who was it? The English prick or …”

“No. My boyfriend dumped me.” To her mortification, tears welled up in her eyes.

He shook his head. “Damn shame.”

“Damn straight. He slept with my friend.” Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes. “He slept with her before I left Chicago. Can you believe it?”

Travis hopped inside the car with her, his left leg dangling outside. As always, a sweet aroma clung to him, but this time, it was actually a comfort. At least you knew what you were getting with Travis Cates.

“That’s just not cool,” he said.

Her voice was a strangled sob. “No, it’s not. No one talks to me. My dad’s so busy with his new, stupid fiancée that he doesn’t have time for me. My sister’s hanging around Alex like a starry-eyed groupie. My other sister’s getting in fights. Alex treats me like dirt, and his brothers avoid me. The teachers hate me …”

The world narrowed down to the pain in her chest. “I hate it here! I hate Arizona! I fucking hate the desert and the stupid cacti. I want to go back home, but Jason’s in Chicago. I loved him—”

“Loved or love?” Travis cut in.

What a stupid question. Or was it? Things hadn’t been right between her and Jason for a long time, but every couple always went through a rough patch or two.

She shrugged it off. “I don’t have any friends here.”

“But you have me.”

“What?”

“Dude, we’re friends,” Travis said as if it were obvious. “Anybody who’s on Melbourne’s shit list is gold with me. And you always smell good.” From the way he said it, he considered it a princely compliment. “Is that passion fruit shampoo?”

Adrian got her first real laugh in days. “Oh, Travis.”

Now he looked hurt. “You don’t think we’re friends?”

“No, we are,” she reassured him hastily. She hadn’t thought of him as a friend, but she wasn’t about to turn him down. “It’s just … I don’t know what to do.”

“Life blows. Want some?”

It took her a few seconds to figure out he was offering up some of his pot. “No, that’s okay. You can keep it.”

Clearly worried, Travis shook his head. “Want some breakfast?” he said, gnawing on his lower lip. “Bet you didn’t eat anything.”

He’d hit the mark because she’d lost her appetite. She usually forced down some food during lunch time because people’s eyes were on her, but she’d skipped dinner last night. She’d also skipped breakfast this morning.

“I’m not hungry,” she said. “Really, I’ll be fine.”

He chewed harder on his lip. “Um. I can write a fake pass, so you don’t have to go to your classes today, if you don’t want to. I got a stack of ‘em,” he said, patting a pocket somewhere low on his body. “Fake passes, I mean. You know, those slips you can give—”

“Yeah, yeah, give me one,” she said. It was a good offer because she’d just caught a glimpse of her tear-stained, makeup-smeared reflection. She couldn’t walk into class without everyone knowing she’d spent the last hour crying. Better that they thought she was a cold bitch. It was the only thing she had left.

“Okay.” Travis fumbled with his pocket and pulled out a pass. “It’ll work. I haven’t been caught yet. I can drop it off for you,” he said, swinging his legs out. “I’m going back to school anyway.”

Her smile became genuine. “That’s decent of you. Thanks.” She could go home early and crawl into bed, then return when she felt better.

He stopped suddenly. “Hey, hey, hey! Dude, I’m so stupid. I didn’t even think about it. Want to go with me?”

“Go where?”

“To the party tonight. It’s gonna be big and awesome. Might even get arrested.” Travis shifted his weight. “Everybody’s gonna be there. I can introduce you around.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Dude, no, you have to come. It’ll make you feel better.” He flashed a winsome smile. “Your ex-boyfriend’s fucking another girl, right? So fuck that fucker. Move the fuck on with your life, yeah? He’s moved on. Now
you
move on.”

It wasn’t the most imaginative speech she’d heard, but it made her catch her breath. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Everyone had moved on while she stayed in her rut. This was what she had been reduced to: poor little Adrian Blake crying her eyes and her heart out over a boyfriend who’d tossed her aside like old garbage.

She half-closed her eyes, but she could still see the sun, bright and relentless. Was she really going to stay home and cry herself to sleep? She’d bet Jason hadn’t given her another thought. He’d be with Stephanie tonight.

Her smile was now fierce. “Yeah, I’ll go with you.”

Watch out, boys and girls, she thought. Adrian Blake had taken a savage beating, but by God, she wasn’t down and out. The world was going to be so very, very sorry.

CHAPTER SIX

She sauntered into the backyard with Travis as her escort. The white jean skirt rode low on her hips, grazing the tops of her thighs. It didn’t have a hem, so the trailing strings drew attention to places she normally didn’t want it to be drawn.

Her top wasn’t any better. The bright red halter was so low cut that she hadn’t been able to wear a bra, the neckline plunging into a V. It was sheer lace everywhere except the bust, but even then it gave the impression that you could see more than you should. The outfit was completed by tall, strappy sandals and a hip necklace that accentuated her cleavage. And there was a lot of it.

She had no idea who lived here—Travis had reeled off a name that held no meaning for her, probably one of the senior jocks—but even though the ranch-style house was one of the smaller houses on the block, the backyard more than made up for it. There were dozens and dozens of people milling around. Even better, the yard was fenced with only one gate that everyone had to use, so she couldn’t have wished for a more perfect spot to showcase herself.

The noise level seemed to drop considerably as people turned to look at her as if they’d never seen her before. They’d spent the last few days gossiping about her or pretending she didn’t exist, but now they were staring openly.

“Who the hell is she?” someone said.

Her smile blossomed slow and arrogant.
Oh, you’re about to find out.

Another time, another place, she might have been appalled by her behavior since this wasn’t something she would normally do, but tonight, there were no rules. Maybe if she stopped thinking, she wouldn’t hurt so much.

“Show me around, Travis,” she purred. “Let’s have some fun.”

Undeterred by everyone’s attention, Travis was bouncing up and down on his toes. “Okay, let’s get some beer first.” He guided her to the kegs. “See, I told you this was a good idea.”

It really was. If not for him, she would have gorged on ice-cream and pigged out in her oldest sweats, but now she was poured into an outfit that would make eyebrows rise.

This is what you’re missing out on, Jason. I don’t need you; I never did.

A few people drew back from her as if she had cooties. “Who invited her?” one of them said loudly in Adrian’s hearing.

Her smile hardened. If they wanted to kick her out, they were free to do so, but she hadn’t seen any gold-plated invitations. Until then, they would just have to live with her presence.

The kegs were situated near the rectangular pool, not that far from the house, but in order to get to them, Adrian had to walk around the backyard with Travis. If the vultures wanted a show, she’d give them one. She looked good, and she damned well knew it. So she sauntered toward the guys manning the kegs, as if she didn’t have any care in the world, her hips swaying in a dangerous motion.

“You want anything?” one of them said when she approached.

She lazily drew a finger from the base of her throat down to the V of her halter. As if by magic, the guy’s eyes followed the progress. “Mm, I want a drink. It’s so hot here, don’t you think?”

“Um, yeah.” He fumbled with the drink. “Uh … you want anything else?”

“Maybe later, baby.” The endearment tripped off her tongue easily, even though she’d never really used one for Jason.

Stop thinking about him!

She gave the guy another cool smile. “So you just head over and give me a drink every now and then. Don’t be a stranger, hmm?”

Much to her amusement, the guy actually blushed. Even the tips of his ears were red when he handed her the cup. Was it really that easy?

Travis was grinning like crazy when he led her away. “Dude, you’re bad,” he said happily. Like her, he’d gotten a drink. “Who do you want me to introduce you to?”

“You’re my guide. What do you think?”

He rubbed his chin as he scanned the backyard. “Well, there are some kids from the drama club over there. The marching band by that group of chairs. A few people from the school newspaper.” As he spoke, he pointed them out.

Adrian glanced in each direction he indicated. Some kids were looking back at her. There was that Asian girl from the AP English class. She had a pair of capris and a light camisole that she covered up with a cute summer jacket. Her almond-shaped brown eyes were serious as she gave Adrian a look-over. Then she shook her head and turned back to her friends, bottled water in hand.

“That chick’s Devon Kim,” Travis volunteered. “She works for the school newspaper. Do you want an introduction?”

“No.” Adrian shifted her attention before she could let the social rejection hurt her. “I’m not in the mood for chitchat.” Her gaze roamed around the backyard, sizing up the male population. “How about some guys?”

“How about Justin Latimer? He’s one of Montgomery’s best friends, and if he accepts you, that puts you at the top. You want to try him?”

A line creased between her eyebrows. Funny,
Alex
had said the same thing. She’d rejected his patronizing advice at the time, but if Travis reiterated it …

“Latimer’s really nice,” Travis added. “Even I like him!”

She was about to turn him down, but she hesitated. Justin had helped her out in AP English earlier today, hadn’t he? Even if he’d had an ulterior motive, he still had done it anyway. And he had tried to invite her to hang out with him and his friends. Maybe she owed him for that one, and if so, she didn’t like owing anyone.

“All right,” she said.

Hunting Justin down was easy enough. He was surrounded by a few guys Adrian vaguely recognized as athletes. They all had that lean-boned structure, so they were probably basketball players or something. There was still so much she didn’t know about her new school yet.

“Hey, Latimer,” Travis said. “You’ve met Adrian?”

Justin shifted his weight. “Um, yeah, we’ve met.” He glanced at her and then just as quickly, he glanced away. A flush crept into his cheeks. “You look nice, Adrian. Uh, you want a drink?”

His discomfort was so palpable that she bumped his shoulder gently. “I already have one,” she said, lifting the cup. “I just wanted to thank you for jumping in—you know, saving me from Mr. Melbourne.”

He shot her a quick, tentative smile. “I didn’t really do anything. We had him as our Honors English teacher last year.”

“He always sneers at me when he sees me in the hallways,” Travis put in.

“Yeah, well, if Alex hadn’t pissed him off …” Justin nodded toward a group milling near the pool. Even from here, Alex was unmistakable. “I’m going over there. You guys want to come with me?”

Adrian shrugged. “Mm, no. You know how to dance?” She didn’t wait for his affirmative reply before handing her barely touched drink to Travis. She pulled on Justin’s hand and tugged him toward the grass.

A few people were dancing already, but they made room for her and Justin almost as if they sensed her dangerous mood. Someone changed the music, and she coiled her arms around Justin’s neck. She didn’t have time to wonder why she’d brushed off his suggestion so quickly because the music was starting.

With her eyes locked on his, she started his complete and total annihilation. The curve of her breasts brushed against his chest. Her hips swayed and grinded; her hands slid over his back and slipped under his shirt. Her mouth was a whisper against his. Every time he tried to close the gap, she moved her hips, teasing him.