Accepted Fate (13 page)

I don't know how or when I'm supposed to tell her I'm moving. Thinking about everything, maybe I need to lighten up on Presley some. I'm sure I'll wish I did when I no longer have her around nagging me all the time. "Babe, are you going to shower or stand there looking at me all night? I know I'm a sight to see but we really need to get going," she says, a smirk turning up on one side of her face. Agh...and she's back.

One good thing about having curly hair is less prep time when you're in a hurry or being rushed by one impatient, but charming best friend. Thirty minutes later, I'm dressed and putting the finishing touches on my makeup. "You look gorgeous baby girl, as always, now let's go. I'm tired of waiting."

I'm putting my stuff in my bag and I turn to look at Presley. She is looking at her phone again. She has been texting nonstop since I got out of the shower. "So who are you texting? They have been blowing up your phone for thirty minutes." I pick up my bags and start for the locker room door, where she is standing against the door frame.

She looks up, locking her phone as I get closer. "Just Corey being Corey," she says as if it's a normal thing. I can tell she is lying. Presley is the worst liar for two reasons. One, she is blatantly honest so when she tries to 'lie' it is obvious. Two, Corey doesn't text her anymore. He gave up when rumors started flying of her random hooks ups over Christmas break. I guess the guy figured groveling wasn't getting him very far. If she was a good liar, she would have known not to use that excuse.

"Uh huh," I say not believing a word she just said. "You ready to go?"

She links her arm with mine in the way she always does. "I thought you'd never ask." The rest of the walk to the car is silent.

When we get to the parking lot, I remember we both drove. "I need to take my car home and let my parents know I'm going out."

"We'll drop it off at my house, it's on the way. I've already talked to your mom. You're staying with me." The little vixen has thought of everything apparently.

"Fine, let's go before I re-gain my sanity and change my mind. I'm sure I'll regret this later." I get into my car, tossing my bags into the passenger seat.

She sits in her car waiting for me to leave. I roll down the window. "Are you really going to follow me there?"

She nods her head. "I know your little games Kinzleigh Baker. Get a move on it." I roll my eyes. I guess we're really going to act like we're five. I pull out first and head for Presley's house.

Approximately ten minutes later I pull into Presley's driveway. She lives in a large three story brick house with a four car garage. All four doors are closed so I park my Range Rover behind Presley's garage door. As I'm getting out of the car, Presley pulls behind me pressing on the horn. "I'm coming," I yell. "Could you be a little more patient," I ask, opening the passenger door and getting in.

"I've been waiting on you long enough. I'm starting to feel gray hair coming through," she says sarcastically. Always the dramatic one, she is.

"Are you going to tell me where it is we're going that is so important?" She pulls away staring straight ahead, never once glancing back at me.

"You'll find out soon enough. Don't get your panties in a bunch." She smiles but continues to watch the road. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now would it? Let's just say it's a much needed outing." She reaches in her console and pulls out a small makeup bag; her emergency kit none the less. Driving with her knee holding the wheel, she unzips the pouch and pulls out her famous Buxom lip polish in Kanani pink. She never leaves the house without it. I'm more of a natural girl myself but I guess the vibrant shimmery pink does fit her personality.

Looking in the mirror she smears on a coat and tosses it back in her makeup pouch. She then takes out a small bottle of Gucci Envy Me perfume. She removes the cap and applies a spritz to her neck and wrist. She then hands it to me. "Put this on, it's amazing and my favorite." One of the things me and Presley have in common is our need and obsession for girly things.

I spray myself and as I'm handing it back to her she pulls into a gated driveway. She stops at the keypad and enters some random code. The gates begin to open. I raise my brows looking at her, "Been here much?" I don't even know whose house this is and she knows the gate code. It is a really pretty house but I don't recognize it from any of the people we hang around. The garage doors are closed so I can't scope out the vehicle.

She pulls up behind the garage door, closest to the fence that leads to the back of the house. Before killing the ignition, she presses the button to raise the top of her convertible, turning to me. She slightly bites her bottom lip trying to hold back a smile. "Maybe a time or two; come on."

I step out of the car, leaving my purse in the passenger seat. I remove my iPhone and slide it into my back pocket. I'm a little uneasy about this whole situation. I've never been the outgoing one in new places or when meeting new people. I've always been shy. I've gotten a little better over the last two years because Presley is usually dragging me along on all her spontaneous endeavors. I look up at the large porch and exhale, shutting the car door. "Okay, let's go."

Instead of walking to the front door, Presley cuts to the right and opens the gate of the privacy fence. It leads into a fairly large back yard with a huge pool. You can see for miles over the hills. I stop briefly, admiring the view. It's beautiful up here. I wonder who lives here. "You coming girlie?" I turn around and Presley is standing at the door to what I assume is a guest house. I nod and begin making my way to the door beside her.

She knocks on the door. It's only been a few seconds and I can hear footsteps. I begin fidgeting with my top; stupid nervous habit. I don't know why I'm shaking. Presley is standing against the door frame looking down at her phone. I'm about to ask what she is doing when the door opens. Turning towards the door, everything begins to make sense. Oh...my... Every thought has completely left my brain. All I can see is six foot of solid muscle, standing in all its half naked glory. It's...him.

He's barefoot, wearing nothing but gray cotton Calvin Klein sweatpants. The elastic band of his underwear is sticking just above the top of his pants. I begin nervously biting my nails as my eyes try to adjust to the magnificent sight before me. His chest rises and falls to the rhythm of his breathing. His stomach is like a piece of artwork, smooth but solid, revealing each abdominal perfectly, as if they are sculpted from stone. He has the slightest trail of hair that travels from his belly button downward, disappearing into...my eyes travel downward landing on his...oh gosh, am I staring at his crotch? I slap my hand over my eyes trying to contain them from wandering. This is humiliating. "I'm going to let you two catch up." I can hear the laughter in her voice. Great. I probably look like a schoolgirl.

Presley passes by him walking inside the house, probably with a big smile on her face. She always loves to humiliate me. "Let's get this party started," she says. "What are we watching? Please tell me you got Pacific Rim. Charlie Hunnam is so sexy. I wouldn't mind having dreams about that sexy piece of man candy tonight." I can hear her plop down on the leather couch.

I separate my middle and ring finger to peek and see if the coast is clear. That's a negative ghost rider. Now he is standing in the doorframe with both arms raised, gripping the top of the frame in his hands, causing his muscles to flex. His hair is damp as if he just got out of the shower and he has a rather large smirk on his face. I'm such an idiot. I will not let his cockiness affect me. I'm around good looking guys all the time and it never phases me. Why he is different I have no idea. That is the million dollar question.

I drop my hand and try to look into the house. I give myself a second to calm my heart rate before attempting to speak. "Hi," I say giving him a slight wave. "So...I take it this must be Ryland's house?" I slide my hands in my back pockets not knowing what else to do with them.

He begins walking towards me with that same cocky grin still in place. It may even be bigger. I start to back up. He is looking straight into my eyes as if he is on the prowl. "I guess I found you," he says in a low sexy voice. He has one hand in a fist and the other flat, swinging them together in front of him as he continues forward. He is completely out the door having shut it behind him.

"I guess you could say that," I say smiling nervously. My stomach feels like it's full of butterflies fluttering around in a jar. I keep backing up until I can feel the edge of the pool. I look down and I'm one step from falling in. I'm trapped. Now what am I supposed to do? "Presley mentioned we're watching movies? What are we watching?"

He grabs the thin fabric of my shirt in between his thumb and index finger, slightly pulling me toward him. "Come on and I'll show you what we've got. I promise I won't bite, unless you ask." He winks, taking hold of my hand and turning back to the house. He has a tattoo between his shoulder blades. It's script in another language. I wonder what it says or what it means. Most people our age don't have tattoos, unless it's significant. You can't even get one unless your parents sign consent or you get by with a fake ID.

Tonight should be interesting. I don't usually hang around with guys unless in a large group. Sure, I get asked out on dates, but I've never had a problem declining...until now. Somehow, though, I have to stay strong. I have to find a way to keep my distance from him. He could ruin...everything.

CHAPTER 7

Breyson

I thought I was seeing things. Surely my mind is deceiving me. The girl who has taken residence in the midst of my mind cannot be standing before me. I had sat and watched TV for a while, flipping through the channels but not really paying what was on much attention. Ryland came back a little while later with two large pizzas and a handful of DVDs. I had finally decided that Ryland was right. In a few short days, I was going to be heading back to Mississippi and I would probably never see her again. No matter how much it sucked, that's the way it was.

Ryland had run to the main house to get some more blankets and pillows. He said he had a couple girls coming over to hang out and watch movies. He never did tell me who, so I just figured it was that girl from the party. I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard a knock at the door. The first thing I found was my sweatpants, so I quickly pulled them on and went to answer the door. I definitely didn't expect to find on the other side of that door what I did.

I'll owe Ryland for the rest of my life for this. I'll gladly do whatever he wants after tonight, because standing on the other side of that door was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. Each time I see her she gets more beautiful. Honestly, I never knew that was possible. I was temporarily at a loss for words when I saw her standing there. I quickly recovered though, when I saw how in shock she was that I opened the door. I guess she was as surprised to see me as I was her. She is so shy, I can't help but to smile every time I'm around her. Presley just made the top five ranking in my book of the coolest girls for bringing her here.

What makes her even cooler; she left us alone no questions asked. I can see the attraction there, but also how much she tries to fight it. I've definitely got my work cut out for me if I'm going to get anywhere with her. I know one thing though; there is a reason she's here tonight. I may leave here in a few days and never see her again, but right now is all that matters and right now I can't get enough. This girl is like a drug to me. Comparable to that first high you always hear about. She's the gateway drug. I may go back to Mississippi and spend the rest of my life searching for that same first high, but right now I'm going to savor the real deal, and that's her.

She is so cute when she gets embarrassed. I can't help but to play with her. The way she blushed when she realized she was looking at my crotch will forever be engrained in my memory. I pull her into the house and shut the door. "Do you want anything to drink or eat? Ryland got some pizzas on the way back." She is standing right inside the door, looking around the room, as if she is afraid to go any further. She is twirling a lock of hair around her fingers. I've noticed she does it a lot when she seems uncomfortable.

She looks at me, her cheeks a shade of pink. "Pizza would be good. I kind of accidentally skipped lunch today." That is not something I wanted to hear. She has a beautiful body but she is small enough. She doesn't need to be missing meals. I walk over to the kitchen and take a few plates from the cabinet. I nod my head for her to come to where I am.

She walks over to the edge of the bar and pulls out a stool, sitting down. "Do you do that often?" Her eyes are focused on the place setting in front of her like she is afraid to look at me. "Kinzleigh, look at me." I don't know why a girl as hot as her is so shy.

She looks up to me slowly, her cheeks growing a more prominent shade of red as she scans up my naked stomach. "I was training with my coach all day. It sometimes slips my mind when I'm at it for hours on end." Her voice comes out just above a whisper as if she is having trouble catching her breath.

I begin to put a slice of pizza on each plate when Ryland comes barreling through the door, arms full of blankets and pillows. He looks at Presley laying on her belly on the floor, digging through the DVD collection. Kinzleigh turns around on her stool. "Hey Ryland. How's it going? I haven't seen you in a while." She smiles. Ryland looks at her and up at me with that knowing grin rising on his lips. I can't help it that I am grinning ear to ear knowing the hottest girl in all of California is sitting right in front of me. He knows I owe him one for this. I can see it written all over his face.

"Kinzleigh," he nods. "I'm glad Presley got you to come. You guys up for some movies?"

"Sure, what are we watching? Nothing scary right?" I turn to take some glasses from the cabinet. When I turn back around Ryland is looking at me with a guilty expression. I know exactly what he's thinking and for once I like where his thoughts are going.