Olivia Twisted (Entangled Teen) (12 page)

“Do you have to go home now?” Z asks as we walk out of the house to his bike. He hands me his helmet. “There’s something cool I want to show you.”

“You lost the challenge,” I remind him.

“I know, but…”

He purses his lips, his eyebrows pinching slightly, and his sudden lack of self-assurance is strangely adorable. “Okay, okay. I’ll go for a ride. But I need to be back by five.”

He grins.

Z takes the bike in the opposite direction of my house. The rush of adrenaline flows through me as we fly down an unfamiliar two-lane road with no traffic and nothing but fields on either side of us. We spend about fifteen minutes or so riding through the countryside before he finally turns onto an avenue leading to a picturesque wood, with large oak trees canopying the road. We cross an old wooden bridge over a rushing river and Z pulls to the side. He takes off his helmet and cuts the engine.

While he hides his bike in dense brush, I walk to the edge of the river to watch the water rushing along its wide path, swirling around and sometimes over the giant rocks set here and there. I have an urge to kick off my shoes and let the cool water rush across my feet at the shallow bank.

I can sense Z behind me, watching. I pivot around to smile at him. “This is awesome.”

“Actually, there’s something else I wanted to show you.” He takes my hand in his and pulls me along the riverbed, steadying me a couple times when I slip on the rocks. Very soon, he turns onto a small path leading up into the woods. I hesitate for a moment, having that feeling of
oh, crap
, when I realize I’m going into the woods with the only person who knows where I am. I hate that, even now, my suspicious nature extends to him.

The path gets narrower and the climb more precipitous, the trees pushing closer until we’re ducking under limbs and skirting around fallen branches. Despite the cool spring weather, I start to sweat under my shirt. Finally, the trees break and we emerge from the dark forest.

“Oh, wow,” I say softly.

A sheet of crystal water cascades over jagged rocks that form a sort of staircase through the trees, ending in a sparkling pool of water. A slender stream continues from the pool into the forest, where I assume it ends its journey in the river below. And of course, a rainbow shimmers across the mist of the gentle waterfall. Too perfect. It reminds me of a painting in Bernadette’s house—Manet or Monet, I forget.

“What do you think?” Z asks, still holding my hand, his eyes fixed on me.

“It’s beautiful! I didn’t know anything like this was around here. How did you find it?”

“I like to explore sometimes. I found the path one day and followed to see where it went. I come here when I need to clear my head.”

I let go of his hand to walk across the emerald carpet of grass at the edge of the pool. I can understand why he escapes here. I’m suddenly jealous of his freedom.

“You know, your skills are pretty major.”

“Oh?” I turn to see him lounging back on his elbows in the grass, the muscles of his arms flexed and defined. The intensity of his gaze makes my stomach flip.

“Yeah. You have such a different way of looking at things.”

I frown. “What exactly is that supposed to mean? I can only do the easy stuff?”

“Obviously not. It’s like your mind processes the quickest, easiest way to get things done, that’s all. I don’t know anyone who would’ve thought about redirecting my hits. Most other hackers would’ve tried to show me up with mad skills. And last week—I mean, you shocked the hell out of Jose.”

“Does Jose live at Monroe Street, too?”

“No, he’s at a different one, like some of the other kids who were there that day—Damon, Lindsey. We’re all affiliated, though.” He laughs. “You should’ve seen Sam’s face when you hit the bell. They went out once but he was an ass. So she’s loving you right now.”

“Ah.” I can’t figure out any response to that, but it does give me the opening I’ve been waiting for. I take a deep breath. “Z, what did you guys do with that bank information?”

He raises an eyebrow. “I’m curious. Did you just now think about that? Or did it occur to you while you were hacking into the account?”

I look down at my feet for a moment. Yes, I did think about that. But it doesn’t matter what they intend to do with it; I’m the one who broke in. Peering up again, I catch Z’s grin.

“That one was just for the competition, Liv. Just for fun—like today. Don’t worry about it. Come on, sit down,” he says, patting the ground next to him. His lips are raised slightly in his flirty half smile, causing the butterflies in my stomach to take flight.

“Oh, I, um…I need to get going soon. You know, homework. Derrick said he’d probably be back early today.”
And just being around you makes me nervous as hell.

“You’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

My excuses sound ridiculous, even to me. I walk over and sit facing him.

“Relax.” He curls my hair behind my ear with gentle fingers. One trails down my neck, my skin quivering in its wake, but I don’t pull away. “Who do you have in here?” he asks curiously, balancing my locket on a finger.

I insert a fingernail to pop open the locket, revealing the heart-shaped photos inside. I don’t have to look at it to know where my mother’s picture is. “The one on the right is my mother. She died a long time ago. The other one is of my grandparents, I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, my mom didn’t talk about them except to say they never helped her when she needed them.”

His eyebrows pinch slightly as he studies the picture.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he says. “The man—your grandfather—looks kind of familiar, but I can’t place him.”

I twist the heart around to peer at it.

“Have you ever tried looking for them?” Z asks, taking the locket back to study the pictures again.

I shake my head. “My mother said she thought they died. I was never sure if that was true, but if she ran away, something must be wrong with them.”

His lips are pursed as he studies the picture. I take it from him and pinch it shut. A conversation about family is a buzzkill for me. But then, turnabout is fair play. “What about your parents?” I ask him. “Your mother?”

His face grows very still, but there is a flash of something like anger in his eyes. “She died. When I was a kid.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. And—”

“Look, I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Not right now.” He runs his hands through his hair. Not wanting to talk about the past is something I’m familiar enough with to not press him.

“Okay,” I say softly. I touch his cheek with my fingers, and the hard features of his face soften.

“Anyway,” he says. “I’ve been in foster care before. It sucks being bounced around.”

“Yep, it does.”

“How many homes have you seen?”

I hesitate. “I don’t know. I lost count around ten. Some sucked bad, but most of them were okay, I guess. I mean, for transitional homes. Nothing special.”

Nothing except the last one. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand Bernadette and Marc’s decision not to adopt me. I wonder almost every day what I did wrong to make them leave me behind.

I glance at my watch. “It’s getting late. Derrick will be pissed if I don’t show up by five.”

“You really care what he thinks?”

“No, but having to sit through one of his lectures is so painful that I try to avoid it whenever I can. Anyway, he would never let me out again, and I kind of like hanging with you.”
Ugh, that sounds so stupid.

“Well, don’t worry about it. He won’t miss you for at least another half hour, since he got an e-mail from the school saying you’ll be out late for chess club.”

“Chess club? What the…?”

He grins, but I don’t return the smile. “You need to stop messing with the school. They’re going to catch you. Besides, I didn’t say you could.”

“You really mind?” he asks, sitting up and leaning toward me. His face is so close. Just a little farther and his lips would be touching mine. I shut my eyes, aware that my heart is thrashing around in my chest.

He doesn’t kiss me, though. Instead, his cheek brushes mine as he murmurs, “I don’t think you do. I think you like living on the edge.” His soft voice sends tremors through me, like tiny earthquakes underneath my skin.

I open my eyes and look away, trying to shake off the spell. Something about this isn’t right. He’s too persuasive for a typical seventeen-year-old guy. And his moves seem almost calculated. The softness I saw in his eyes in the classroom isn’t there. I pick a tiny purple flower growing in the soft grass and twirl it around in my fingers. “I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you look so…I don’t know…smart at school and so badass outside?” I bite my lip. I didn’t mean to say it like that.

He gives me a sly smile. “I used to dress like that for school, too. But I got tired of the attention. And I almost got arrested once. It was too easy for the cops to believe I was guilty when I was dressed like that. I thought when I transferred that I’d try to change my image.”

I remember what Sam once said about how Z dates “with a purpose” and wonder if the way he dresses when not in school is part of his plan. He’s so smooth, so manipulative. Why is he even hanging out with me? Guys like him are into girls who are…not me.

“How many girls have you brought here?” I ask. “Truthfully.”

“Including you?”

I nod, my throat constricting.

“One.”

He tilts my chin up so my gaze meets his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get
me
into trouble. I don’t care. At least at this moment, I don’t care.

“Liv,” he says. I open my eyes to see him frowning, his eyes seeming both reluctant and yearning. A hint of vulnerability is there, hiding beneath the swirling colors. “I need to tell you something.”

“What?” I whisper. “I know you’re a hacker. What else could—”

He presses his mouth against mine, effectively cutting me off. The pressure of his lips starts out as a light touch, then slowly changes, deepens, sending a sudden and intense shiver through my body. Whoa, this is not the first time he’s kissed a girl, that’s for sure. I relax into the kiss, my body responding with a building fire as his lips part mine, his tongue just touching the inside of my upper lip.

“That was nice,” I whisper as he pulls back.

“Nice?” He chuckles. “That’s a funny thing to say.” He touches my cheek with his fingertips. “You okay? You look scared.”

“Not scared. Just…that was pretty amazing.”

“It’s like you haven’t been kissed before.”

My cheeks are burning now. “I haven’t.”

He’s already leaning in toward me again but stops about an inch away from my face. “What?”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever kissed.” At least willingly.

“The only one?” He jerks away and stares at me with shock on his face. “Why me?”

“Why? You’re the first guy I’ve ever wanted to kiss. What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal,” he mutters, his forehead creasing as he looks away. This isn’t going the way I thought it would. He actually looks upset and I have no clue why.

“Why does it make such a difference to you?” I try to reach for him, but he stands up and backs away like I’m some sort of rabid animal.

“It doesn’t. It’s fine. Come on, it’s time to go.” Z offers his hand to help me up, then heads into the trees, leaving me to gawk after him. I shake myself out of the daze. I don’t know what’s bugging him, but I can’t be sure that he won’t ditch me if I don’t follow.

Before long I find myself strapping my helmet on and struggling to slide behind him as he starts the motorcycle’s engine. The bike moves as soon as I sit down. The trip back to town seems shorter, almost like he takes a closer route to get me home faster. I don’t even have time to process what just happened.

When he drops me off at the house, I try to talk to him but he doesn’t even remove his helmet or cut the engine. I finally back away and trudge up the steps to the house. The bike growls behind me, and I don’t have to turn to know there’s probably a big cloud of dust from his fast exit.

I know he was into the kiss, too—I know it. So why would he reject me now? Why would he turn my very first kiss into something terrible? Well, I’m not up to head games, so if that’s how Z wants to be, then fine. I don’t need him. I don’t.

I swallow hard past the knot in my throat.

I don’t.

…

Z

“What’s your problem?” Sam asks as I tread up the stairs. She follows me to my room but I slam the door in her face. She knocks, knowing better than to barge in. “Z, what’s going on? Is it Liv? Did something happen?”

I sit on my bed and pull off my shoe, throwing it hard at the door. No response from the other side.
Good.

What the hell? Who
is
this girl that she’s never even been kissed? She can’t be
that
innocent. She knows I’m up to something, and she wants to be with me. She’s a hacker, for God’s sake. She’s broken into a bank account. Redirected my hits. Changed her grades. And she did these things knowing it was wrong.

Damn it!

If
she’s telling the truth and I’m the first guy she’s kissed, what now? I’m supposed to bring her into our world, turn her into a criminal, then dump her? Watch her become as screwed up as Maggie or as jaded as Jen?

I grab my guitar, my fingers picking over familiar riffs. Over and over. Why am I so irritated? I shouldn’t be reacting so stupidly. It was just a kiss, that’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Oh, I am
not
falling for this chick. I force a laugh out loud. Stupid. That wouldn’t happen. That never happens.

So why am I so upset?

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that tasted like strawberry Fanta. The way my heart races when she’s near. The emptiness I feel when she’s not.

I set the guitar aside and rub my temples.

I can’t let this happen.

Chapter Thirteen

“Joy and grief were mingled in the cup; but there were no bitter tears: for even grief itself arose so softened, and clothed in such sweet and tender recollections, that it became a solemn pleasure, and lost all character of pain.”

—Charles Dickens,
Oliver Twist

Liv

Z carefully avoids me at school. In the two classes we share, he is suddenly very interested in what the teachers have to say. He skips out on our tutoring session, making me too late for the bus and forcing me to walk home. At first I was depressed about it, but now it pisses me off. He nods at me in passing but won’t let me talk to him. I soon stop trying. He’s acting like a stupid jerk, and I’m starting to believe he is one.

But my heart still aches every time I see him. I work my shifts at Slice of Happy and help Denise around the house, but the entire time my thoughts are on him. I keep an ear out for the phone, hoping he’ll call, but it never rings.

I hate this. I almost hate him.

Today, as usual, Sam and I are the only ones at the table for lunch.

“What’s going on between you two?” she asks as soon as we sit down a few days after the kiss. “Z won’t tell me anything.”

“Nothing,” I say, fixing my eyes on a tiny crack in the table.

She places a sympathetic hand on my arm. “You’ve fallen for him. Girls always do.”

“Great. I’m one of many,” I say dully.

“No, not really. Not at all, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

Sam takes a sip of her soda. “Well, I’ve never seen him avoid a girl. Never. He’s broken quite a few hearts but mostly by playing the friend card after he’s done with them. I mean, it’s really weird. He actually seems affected by you. Like how he watches you all the time.”

“He watches me?” I look hard at Sam to see if she’s teasing, but she’s considering me with her lips pursed, uncharacteristically serious.

“Liv, you know I’m only saying this as a friend, but you don’t want to get
too
serious with him. Z’s smart, great to hang out with, and yeah, I get that he’s hot. But he’s not the kind of guy you should be taking home to meet Foster Mom and Dad. He knows that, too, which might be why he’s trying to avoid you.”

“Yeah, well, considering he’s not talking to me at all, that’s not going to be a problem.”

“He likes you. Give him some time. But…” Her lips twist as she seems to struggle with her words. “Just don’t get your heart all caught up.”

I sigh. I don’t want to admit it to her, but it’s far too late for that. Something else occurs to me. “Sam, what exactly does Z do for all that money? I mean, outside of those competitions. I’m pretty sure they don’t pay enough for a Ducati.”
Or a Camaro,
I want to add.

“What’s he told you?”

“A bit.”

Sam looks skeptical. I roll my eyes. “Okay, nothing, really. I think he was going to tell me the day I went out to your house, but then…”

“You’ll have to ask Z. It’s his job to tell you that.”

“His job?”

She starts to say something in response, then seems to change her mind. “So speaking of jobs, how’s yours? Going okay?”

She hasn’t mentioned the job that was supposedly interested in me and I’ve pretty much given up on it. “Yeah. It’d be nice if we actually had customers, of course. The money from the hacking competitions is more than I make in a month at Slice of Happy.” That’s for sure. A few of those and I’d be able to afford that car.

She nods as if she can read my mind. “And how’s everything at home?”

“Fine. The usual.”

“Well, if you ever want a change, you can always stay with us.”

“Thanks.” Yeah, that’s a great idea. I’m sure Z would love it.

…

Z

“You’re lucky to have me in the middle here,” Sam says. “Now’s your chance.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Come on. It’s obvious that Liv is totally into you,” she says. “So why are you acting like an ass and ignoring her? You should, you know, kiss and make up.” She waggles her eyebrows.

I look at her in disgust. Just one minute earlier and I would’ve been on my bike and not standing in the school parking lot, listening to Sam’s constant blabber. “Is your mind ever
not
in the gutter?”

“Not really. But I’m trying to figure out where
yours
is. She thinks you hate her, and I happen to know that’s not true.” She tries to poke at me but I step back. “You like her, she likes you. So go for it already.”

“I thought you were friends with her,” I say, irritated.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I’m friends with her.”

“Then why do you have to act like we’re in some covert operation? I’ve done fine on my own so far.”

I step around her to get to my bike, but she follows me. “Wait. Why are you acting like this?” She grabs my arm and studies me with wide eyes. “Oh my God, you like this girl. Like,
really
like. Holy shit! Someone actually cracked that hard shell.” She laughs and bounces on her heels as if she’s three and I just offered her a cookie.

“Shut up, Sam.” I yank my arm away and get on my bike.

Of course, she doesn’t shut up. “This is a first—Z actually falling for a girl.” She stops laughing and crosses her arms with a frown. “Seriously, though, you better not screw this up.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, you do. Don’t try to turn this into a real relationship thing. You’re going to end up hurting her, or she’s going to get mad and end up just like Jen. I like her too much for that. And what about Bill?”

“What about him?”

“You’re going to have to twist Liv soon or he’ll get pissed, and then we’ll both pay. So keep your heart out of it.”

“I can handle it.” I say the words with confidence, though I cringe inwardly. She’s right about that. Bill has his own expectations and if I fail…

Forget it. I start the engine and put my helmet on, drowning out Sam’s attempts at continuing this conversation. I can focus on my job like I’ve always done. I’ll crack that account Bill gave me, and he’ll be so happy, he’ll overlook everything else. No big deal. No failure.

No worries.

…

Liv

After several days of Z avoiding me, I can’t take it anymore. I refuse to let this consume me. I forgo the bus and corner him on his way out to the parking lot after school. He’s walking behind a large group of kids and can’t see me, which is perfect. I let the group pass by and step out in front of him. He looks up, surprised, then wary.

“Not right now, Liv. I’m in a hurry.”

“Really? You’re never in a hurry. And we need to talk.”

He frowns, but I couldn’t care less that my demands irritate him. He tries to walk around me, but I move over to block his path. He finally gives up and looks straight at me. “Look, I’m sorry. I just…I don’t think this is going to work out.”

“What? All we did was kiss, and you act like I popped the tires on your bike or something.” If I weren’t so pissed off, it’d be funny how much I downplay my first kiss. Even the thought of it makes my skin tingle, despite what happened after.

He looks away, but one corner of his mouth tugs up at my ridiculous analogy.

“Come on, talk to me. I’ve missed the bus now anyway because of you. So the way I see it, you owe me at least a ride.”

He taps his fingers against his leg for a moment, but then shrugs. “All right, I’ll take you home. That’s it, okay?”

“And we can talk?”

“Maybe.”

Z takes me on the short ride home, stopping at the rooster mailbox. I push myself off the bike, gesturing toward the house. “Come on.” He reluctantly cuts the motor and follows me up the path.

Inside the cool, dark house, I lead him to the kitchen and pour some glasses of iced tea.

“I’m guessing they like roosters,” he says, looking bemused at the decor.

“Denise does. She’s from the country and says they remind her of her childhood. Pretty creepy at first, but I’ve gotten used to them. Though I do have to turn them around when I change clothes; that way they don’t stare.” I laugh at his expression. “I’m kidding.”

I hand him a glass with a couple sugar packets and a spoon and we sit at the table in awkward silence for a couple minutes.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” I finally ask.

He wrinkles his forehead and takes a sip of the tea. “I don’t think… You’re not my type, I guess.” He’s not looking me in the eye.

“That’s not it. What is it?”

“I’m not right for you.”

Is he kidding me? I want to tell him he’s not my father, but instead I say, “Why? Because I said I’ve never kissed a guy? That’s stupid.” It’s hard, but I manage to keep my voice level.

His expression is hard, unrelenting. “Is this it? I need to get going.”

I scoot the chair until our knees are almost touching. I’m going to have to change tactics. “Okay, I do have one more question.” I cross my arms. “Do I disgust you?”

His eyes pop open wide. “Disgust me?”

“Yeah. We kiss, then you avoid me, don’t look at me, don’t talk to me. So either my breath grossed you out, you find me totally repulsive, or there’s something else going on. I deserve to know. No more games.”

He stares at me in silence, a conflict of emotions playing across his face. I start to worry that it really was my breath, when his eyes soften and he leans toward me. I don’t relax my posture, although my insides start spinning around violently at the change in his expression. He stops a couple inches from my face.

“You are the exact opposite of that for me.” He gently places his hand around my head and removes the remaining distance between us. This time, the kiss is soft, quick, almost a whisper touch against my lips. My spinning insides come to a complete halt; my heartbeat is the only thing racing now. He rests his forehead against mine. “This isn’t a good idea.”

I lean back slightly to catch his gaze. I have him now. I can see in his eyes that he’s fighting himself, not me. “I know you’re trying to tell me I shouldn’t get involved with you because you think you’re a bad influence. I know you have…things…going on. But I’m not a little kid, you know. I can make my own choices.”

“You don’t understand…”

I touch his lips with a finger, my heart skipping a beat when he closes his eyes. “Maybe I do. I may not have gone on dates and kissed and stuff, but I’m not new at this whole life thing. And I’m not into games, so stop playing them.”

He cradles my head again as he crushes his mouth hard against mine, for such a long, desperate moment that I wonder if I’ll ever breathe again. Or if I’ll even want to. His fingers slowly trail down my arms to tuck into the waistband of my jeans, tugging me to his lap. My arms slide across his shoulders as his lips move slowly, leisurely down my neck, resting at the hollow of my throat. I sigh and tilt my head back as he works his way back up to my mouth, sizzling my skin with his kisses.

My entire body is on fire…

“Olivia? What is going on in here?”

I jump off Z’s lap to see Derrick standing in the kitchen, mouth turned down in disapproval.
Shit.

“Um, Derrick, this is Z. He’s in my class at school.”

“Z, huh? You’re the one who’s tutoring her?”

“Yes, sir.” Z stands up and stretches out his hand, which I’m not surprised Derrick ignores.

“And
this
is how you tutor? I think this is the end of the sessions. You need to leave now,” he says, his jaw twitching furiously.

Z looks at me and I nod briefly, my heart sinking. I walk him out the front door in silence and pull it shut firmly behind me, which I know is going to irritate Derrick even more. I walk Z down the path to his bike.

“Sorry I got you in trouble there,” he says, fingering my locket and sending shivers through my body at his touch.

“I’m not. I’m glad you were here.”

“So I’ll see you at school Monday. Or can I pick you up?”

I sigh. “I would love that, but Monday’s probably not the best day to start. Maybe after Derrick’s cooled down a bit.”

Z glances at the door, then draws me closer to give me a tantalizingly slow kiss before getting on his bike. The front door opens and I turn to see Derrick watching the bike rev to life and peel away. I smile, knowing he’s going to be super pissed at me…but not caring one bit.