When We Collide (7 page)

Climbing in on Blake’s side, Grace settled in the
small space between us. I moved as far away as I could and pressed
myself up against the door to give her room.

She grinned at me as she put on her seatbelt.

“Hey, Will. It’s great to see you.” She spoke in a
casual way, as if we’d been close friends all our lives, even
though we hadn’t talked since graduation. I liked that about her,
remembered how genuinely kind she’d always seemed.

I smiled. “Good to see you, too. How’ve you
been?”

For two beats, she turned her attention to where her
hand was clasped with Blake’s on her lap, then looked up at me with
a shy, satisfied smile. “Really good.”

Blake drove to the outskirts of town and down a
stretch of what felt like an abandoned two-lane road lined with
towering evergreens. Streaks of bright orange light fanned in rays
to the heavens as the sun began its descent westward, giving way to
pinks and blues. The horizon blazed for one last moment before the
sun completely sank out of view. An easy silence fell over us as we
traveled, Grace’s head resting on Blake’s shoulder, my mind carried
away by thoughts of just how easy this was. How simple this life
could be. How right being here felt.

Blake slowed and took a sharp right onto a barely
visible dirt road. The truck bounced along the path that had been
carved out by the slow turn of tires, the headlights illuminating
the grasses that grew tall straight down the middle and slapped
against the truck’s front fender. Spindly trees grew along both
sides of the road, full and green with the approaching summer.
Ahead the trees broke and opened up to a field. Flames from a
bonfire rose high at the center.

We’d come here for years, no question the
generations before us had too, our own secluded spot hidden away
from parents and authority. It wasn’t lost on me that all of us in
the truck had outgrown the need to hide, but this was what we’d
always done, and I doubted any of us found the need to change that
now.

Blake pulled his truck up close to the line of trees
on the left and threw it in park.

A small group had gathered around the rising fire,
sitting on old fallen tree trunks that had been dragged in from the
forest bed years before.

Tugging the door open, I jumped from the truck,
surprised by the rush of anticipation I felt with seeing my old
friends, with the thought of spending the night hanging out with my
brother.

I was suddenly glad Blake had talked me into
this.

I helped Blake haul the cooler of ice and beer from
the back of his truck. We laughed as Blake reminisced about one of
the many times we’d been here and the trouble we’d caused. We set
the cooler beside one of the old oak trunks that lay decaying
around the fire. Names and dates had been carved into the wood,
covering almost all of its exposed body. Grabbing a beer, I leaned
against the taller end of the log and traced a finger over the spot
where I’d whittled my initials when I was a freshman in high
school. I shook my head, chuckling at the ridiculous things we had
done when we were kids.

Tonight’s crowd was small, just a few of my old
friends and some of the guys Blake hung out with now. Most of them
sat with a girl resting between their knees, smiles on their faces.
Laughter was in no short supply as the evening was spent telling
stories of their past, as if we were spending one last night
clinging to our youth.

Grinning from across the fire, Blake held his beer
up in my direction. Grace sat on his lap and he had his free arm
wrapped around her shoulder and across her chest. She held onto it
with both hands, as if an anchor. I smiled and tipped my can back
in Blake’s direction, a silent cheer.

I couldn’t help but think this felt good.

Really good.

Several cars came and the party grew just as the
level of voices did. People gathered around the fire, some standing
behind the logs talking, others sitting crossed-legged in front of
the logs right in front of the fire, while a few had collected in
small groups along the outskirts.

I looked behind me when headlights broke apart the
darkness and a loud truck rumbled into the clearing. It parked
sideways at the base of the road, the small area nearly at
capacity. Kurt stepped out from the behind the wheel, an old
teammate of Blake’s from football. His brother Troy, who was just a
year younger than Kurt, climbed out from the passenger side.

Groaning, I turned my face to the star-filled sky
and drained my beer.

Troy was the biggest asshole I knew. He’d always
been cocky, thought better of myself than he was, and treated
everyone around him like shit. The guy had taken it upon himself to
make my elementary school years miserable, taunting my friends and
me every chance he got. Then one day it’d stopped and I’d never
heard another word from him. It hadn’t occurred to me at the time,
but I’d put money down now that Blake had intervened. It’d just
shifted Troy’s attention, though, his mockery turned to other easy
prey. He was like a classic afternoon-special—the bully kid with
the belligerent, alcoholic father. Most everyone seemed to tolerate
him because of it, but the guy won no soft spots with me.

Kurt and Troy shouted hellos at the crowd as the
tailgate of their truck moaned and clanked as it dropped open.
Troy’s voice was loud and obnoxious when he approached, exactly as
I remembered it to be, as if he were begging to be seen. They
appeared at the far end of the crowd, dragging a cooler toward the
fire.

I glanced toward the commotion they caused.

It was then I saw her. I had a vague sense of
familiarity, as if I should know her, though I couldn’t place where
she fit into the web of this little town. She shuffled behind Troy
as he pulled her along by the hand. Long waves of auburn hair hid
her face, her attention on the ground as she stumbled over thick
patches of grass and broken branches. She was petite, not extremely
thin, but somehow appeared...delicate...as if something were just
waiting to break. Or maybe she was already broken.

I frowned at the unbidden thought and popped the cap
to another can of beer, forcing myself to look away. But it was no
use. In just those few seconds of contemplation, I had felt a pang
of
something
, felt something I’d never felt before stirring
deep inside of me. I couldn’t resist the urge to seek her out. My
eyes followed Troy as he wove them through the groups of people and
stopped to shake guys’ hands who sat around the fire. I watched the
girl avert her gaze when he did.

She appeared as if she wanted to hide, only offering
shy hellos and subdued smiles when she was spoken to. At those
times, I would catch glimpses of soft, round cheeks, the skin a
rosy pink, lips so dark they were almost red, and once in a while,
when I got really lucky, I saw the briefest flashes of warm
chocolate eyes.

Stupid
, I rebuked myself. There were fifteen
other girls here I could sidle up to, flirt with, maybe take for a
walk into the seclusion of the dense forest capped with the shelter
of night. I’d enjoy myself for the hour, just as I always did, and
I’d be sure she enjoyed herself too.

And here I was, eyeing the girl who was here with
the one guy in the world I couldn’t stand.

Attempting to force the foolish notion aside, I
turned my attention to an old friend sitting beside me and tried to
listen to him recount the story of a bar fight he’d seen the
weekend before, but my ear was captured by the sound of a gentle
voice, no more than a whisper, a soft blanket of warmth.

I was helpless to do anything but give in, and I
tipped my beer to my mouth and stole a sideways glance in her
direction. She sat on the ground close to the fire. Her knees were
pulled to her chest, her movements slow and rhythmic as she rocked
herself and talked quietly with the girl next to her.

Troy sat on the log behind her with his legs
possessively stretched out on either side of her.

I had to look away from the two of them to deflect
the jab of envy that sliced into my chest. I went for my third
beer, wondering what the hell had gotten into me.

Time wore on and everyone seemed to become lulled by
fire. Voices lowered, the atmosphere tempered, and spirits
mellowed. The fire popped and cracked, spewed sparks into the air
as the logs burned, crumbled to coal, glowed red embers.

From across the fire, Blake and Grace were wrapped
up in each other again, lingering kisses and whispered words, as if
everyone there had evaporated and they were the only two who
remained.

A pang of jealousy flared.

The shake of my head was almost imperceptible as I
chugged the last of my beer, thinking maybe—maybe I was ready for
it.

With that realization, I involuntarily looked at
her, drawn for the first time in my life. Of course I’d been
attracted to girls before, but this was different. Stronger.
Something I didn’t entirely understand.

Like the rest, she was mesmerized, silent as she
stared unseeing into the fire. Flames licked up toward the sky,
casting glinting shadows against her eyes. They lit and danced—a
slow dance that burned with the intensity and sadness of someone
many years older than the girl I guessed she must be.

Stupid
, I thought again. But I couldn’t help
but think she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.

Her eyes flicked up from under her hair, and she
caught me staring. She dropped her gaze and hugged her knees
closer, although she couldn’t hide the shy smile ridging the edge
of her mouth and the redness that tinted her cheeks before she
sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and ducked her head.

Oh God, I hadn’t even gotten a good look at her
face, and all I could think about was what it’d feel like to kiss
her.

What the hell was she doing with an asshole like
Troy? The guy was a complete fake. I’d seen over the years how he’d
tried chum up with my brother and his friends, acting the cool guy,
but he was always the first to start a fight. He was trouble. How
could she not see through his bullshit?

Exhaling, I forced myself to stop staring at her.
Instead, I closed my eyes and let the fire warm my face while I
gave in and relished in the prickle of nerves I felt across my skin
every time she shifted.

A barking laugh cut into the peace, as offensive as
it was vile.

My eyes flew open.

I didn’t know what he’d said, but I could only
imagine it was disgusting as Troy mumbled something to the guy next
to him as he wound his hand in the thick locks of the girl’s hair
and yanked her back.

She cried out, then quickly suppressed the sound as
she cringed and blinked, reaching back to rub the spot on her head.
I watched her attempt to scoot forward, but Troy only tugged her
back, laughed again as he placed his slimy mouth on her cheek.

She pinched her eyes shut.

“Troy…stop it…please,” she whisper-pled. Her
shoulders fell, and she hugged her knees closer. I got the distinct
feeling she was trying to hide again.

I’d never felt this way before, the frisson of
protectiveness that swept like wildfire through my veins and
dripped from my pores.

“What? Are you deaf
and
dumb?” I spat the
words, unable to hold them back. Not sure I wanted to.

Troy jerked his head up, looked at me, his eyes
narrowed as if he couldn’t believe I was talking to him.

“The girl asked you to stop.” It came out a sneer,
rippled over the crowd, and coalesced as a silent, collective gasp
as everyone turned their attention to me. Silence stretched on as I
stared Troy down and Troy sized me up. I could feel the girl
begging me with her eyes. Could almost hear her silently pleading
with me to let it go. Could almost taste how much she thought she
wasn’t worth it.

I refused to look away.

Clenching my jaw and fists, I struggled to control
the shaking, to cover up my nerves that were all over the place
that I really had no clue what to do with.

Troy glared at me with cold, light-brown eyes. A
jeering smile suddenly split his face, a taunting laugh erupting
from his throat. “You really wanna fuck with me, Marsch?”

I was on my feet before I knew they were below me,
happy to
fuck
with Troy if that’s the way he wanted it, but
Blake was between us before I could take two steps. Blake slammed
his palm against my chest, holding me back while he angled his body
to face Troy, who had jumped up and was standing three feet
away.

Blake pointed at him. “Don’t even think about it,
Troy. We don’t need any of your shit tonight.”

Troy leaned to the side, leering at me. “Come on,
Marsch. What?” He jutted out his chin. “You still need your big
brother to protect you?”

Raging against the restraint of Blake’s hand, I was
desperate to feel Troy under my fist, to unleash the rage that had
come out of nowhere, but Blake struggled against me. “Come on,
Will, knock it off.”

I tripped over my feet as I floundered backward and
landed hard on my back, the air knocked from my lungs.

“Why don’t you go back to California where you
belong, you whiny little bitch?” Troy laughed and spit in my
direction, the wad landing in the ash next to my face.

I roared and struggled to get back on my feet.

Blake caught me just as I stood, fisting his hands
in my shirt. “He’s not worth it, Will.”

No, Troy wasn’t worth it, but she was.

I wrestled against Blake and tried to break
free.

Blake tightened his hold and jostled me across the
field, shoving me against the side of his truck. His voice was low
and full of force as I came into contact with the smooth metal.

“Calm the fuck down, man.” When I thrashed against
him, Blake slammed me back again. “I’m serious, Will. Cool it. Are
you trying to get yourself killed?”