Pepped Up (13 page)

When
?

After seeing myself cross the finish line, I find myself believing that the television commentator might just know what he’s talking about.

When I step out of my last class of the day the following Monday, Ryan is waiting for me. His sandy brown hair is tousled, like he’s been running his hands through it.

“Hey,” Ryan puts his arm around my shoulder and I lean into him. It feels good. I’ve become really comfortable with him in such a quick period of time. “You have study hall next, right?” He asks.

“How’d you know?” I glance at him curiously.

“I’ve seen you leaving the library after this period before. I have photography across the hall. We just have to check in today and then we’re supposed to leave the classroom to take photos. Wanna hang out?”

I put my hand over my mouth in mock horror. “And skip study hall?”

Ryan smiles, displaying his matching dimples. “I didn’t say that. We could hang out in the library. But if you want to skip, I have some ideas.”

“There really is no such thing as skipping study hall, Ryan. Nobody checks you in. It’s just a chance to get homework done so you don’t have to do it later,” I tell him.

“Yeah, I figured that out pretty quickly when I showed up in the library for my first study hall and no one else was there. But you always go,” he points out.

I shrug. “I don’t have a car to go anywhere so I figure I might as well get my homework done with the free time.”

“So, you’re up for an adventure then?” he smiles encouragingly.
 

I glance at my watch. “We only have an hour before practice. How much of an adventure can we fit in before that?”

“Grab your running stuff. We’ll change and meet by my car.”

Curious,
I follow his instructions and head out to the senior parking lot. It’s an unseasonably warm day for early October. It must be in the eighties. Last week it seemed like summer was over, but today the sun is beating strong. I hope it’s the last hot day of the year, because I prefer to race in cold temperatures. I pull on my sunglasses and look around for Ryan’s car. He’s leaning against it in the far corner and waving at me.

“So, I actually learned about this spot I want to take you to from Kevin,” he says when I reach him.

“Your little brother? He’s in eighth grade, right? He was really cute but I didn’t really get a chance to talk to him at the meet.”

“Cute, huh? Don’t tell him that. He has not stopped asking about you,” Ryan says with a chuckle. “Kev’s totally crushing on you. Wants to come to all our meets. He’ll probably bring his little buddies so he can show them how hot you are. But I think the eighth grade boys already know. You’re like a local celebrity, you know?” Ryan opens the passenger side door and I hop in.

I roll my eyes. “I think maybe Kevin is exaggerating because he’s a runner too. We runners like to think people pay more attention to running than they do.”

A few minutes later, Ryan turns on to Hidden Falls Lane. “You aren’t afraid of heights, are you?” He asks me.

“Nope. But I know where you’re taking me. It’s not exactly a huge secret.”

“Well, shoot. You could’ve at least pretended to be impressed,”  Ryan teases.

Hidden Falls is a series of swimming holes that pool along the river. There are rocks you can jump off into the holes. “Actually, I’ve only been here once before,” I admit. “And I only jumped from one of the little rocks. Maybe I’ll try the thirty footer today.”

We pull up along the road behind a couple of other parked cars. Ryan tosses me a towel from the backseat. “You’re prepared,” I say, impressed. “Did you know we were going to do this?”

Ryan smiles sheepishly. “Actually, I was thinking of taking you by here after practice. I checked the weather and saw how hot it was going be and thought we might want to cool off after practice. But beforehand is just as good.”

“You didn’t tell me to bring a bathing suit,” I point out. We head down the path towards

“You can just go in your shorts and sports bra right? You’ll dry off super quick.” We hear yelling and laughing as we approach the river. “Sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be around. You know, you run in your sports bra and stuff so I hope it’s okay…” Ryan drifts off.

I laugh. “It’s fine, Ry. Shorts and a sports bra are far less revealing than a bathing suit anyway.”

Ryan takes my hand and pulls me closer to him.

“You called me Ry,” he says with a grin.

I lift my finger to touch one of his dimples and shrug. “It just slipped out.”

“I like it.” He lowers his forehead to mine and I think he’s going to kiss me. Instead, he just rests his head against mine for a minute. “You’re gorgeous, Pepper, you know that?”

I raise my eyebrows. “Ummm…” That is not something
friends
tell each other.

We continue walking towards the falls, hand in hand. My
steps falter when I see Madeline standing on the edge of the thirty footer looking down. Speaking of gorgeous. She’s wearing a purple string bikini and her hand is on her hip. Unlike my shorts tan line, she is evenly tanned all over, without a single blemish. She turns her head in our direction when she hears us walking towards her.

I feel Ryan hold my hand tighter as Madeline’s eyes drift down to our locked hands. She watches us curiously as we approach.  “Hi, Ryan.” Madeline steps towards us and I hate the way she blatantly checks him out. Ryan’s wearing only his running shorts and flip flops. He’s not jaw-dropping Jace Wilder, but he’s definitely hot, no doubt about it.

“Hi, Madeline,” he says.

I’m relieved he hasn’t completely lost it and turned into a panting teenage boy. I imagine most boys get that way around Madeline, and I can tell she’s a little put off by his lack of reaction.  She is wearing a bikini, after all. But Ryan keeps his eyes on hers, even though I have no doubt they want to drift down.

She glances at me. “Pepper, hello. Does Jace know you’re skipping class?”

I narrow my eyes. It’s a dig at me, and she knows it. She’s trying to insinuate that Jace treats me like a kid, and she wants Ryan to know that Jace can control who I hang out with and when.

“No, Madeline. Jace doesn’t need to know everything I do. And I’m not skipping. I have a free period.” So it’s a half lie. Whatever.

I must have become her enemy at some point and I’m not sure how that happened. Madeline purses her lips. “He likes to keep tabs on you. I’ll let him know tonight. He’s taking me out to dinner.”

Jace doesn’t take girls on dates; everyone knows that. She’s either lying or Jace is up to something.

“Madeline! What are you doing? Get down here!” Emma yells from the swimming hole below. Madeline turns to the edge. She plugs her nose before jumping off. We hear her screeches before she falls into the water.

I turn to Ryan, who is watching me. He brushes a loose hair from my forehead. Only Jace has done that before, and I’m not sure how I feel about someone else doing it. “I can tell Madeline isn’t the nicest person. We don’t have to stick around,” he offers.

“No way. I’m not leaving just because she’s around. Let’s jump!”  I toss my tee shirt and towel by a tree and kick off my flip- flops. I walk to the edge and peek over. I can see Emma and Serena lounging on a flat rock. I recognize Wesley’s blonde hair as he swims by Madeline. Pierce and Forbes are climbing along the side of a rock, showing off for the girls.

Wes glances up my way when he sees Emma and Serena looking my direction. His eyes dart to Ryan, who is standing behind me.

“What do you think?” Ryan asks.

“About jumping? I’m going for it. But if I stand here any longer I’ll psych myself out.” I glance down one more time to make sure Wes and Madeline are out of the landing zone before I leap off.

The warm air rushes past me and my heart drops to my belly as the world flashes by. I point my toes in anticipation and feel the cold water crash around me. My body drops below the surface and I wait to see how far I will sink. All I can see is white bubbles around me. My toes never touch the bottom before I start kicking to the surface. When my head pops up, Wes is treading water right by me. He sees my grin and smiles with relief.

“How’d that feel?” he asks.

“That was awesome! I’m going again!” I swim to the side and look up at Ryan, who’s standing on the edge. “Go for it!” I yell.

He jumps forward and flips in a somersault before landing. Show off. Wes glances over at me. It looks like he wants to say something but he keeps his mouth closed. Ryan and I scramble back up and jump off a couple more times. I lie out on a rock a little ways from the pool to try to dry off before we get in his car. Ryan lies down next to me.

“Thanks for bringing me,” I tell him. 

We lie on our backs, our eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun. I sense a shadow over me and feel cold water drip onto my belly. I open my eyes. Madeline is standing over me.

“Pepper, I want to ask you about something,” she tells me.

“Yeah?” I ask. “What is it?”

“Let’s walk together,” she says it like a command, not a request.

              “Okaaay,” I say skeptically.

We walk along the path, away from the swimming hole.

“So, I was wondering what’s going on with Pierce and your friend who came to the party at Wes’s place.”

I shrug. I hardly know this girl. Why is it any of her business? “Nothing’s going on as far as I know.”

She crosses her arms. “See, that’s the thing. I know you probably don’t think this is any of my business but I’m asking for Pierce. He’s my friend. He really likes Zoe and thought she liked him, too. Didn’t it seem that way to you at Wes’s place?”

“Yeah,” I concede.

“So now she doesn’t want to see him again. There must be some explanation.”

I sigh. Maybe if I give her some information she’ll give me some. “Zoe’s dad’s a cop.” I wait to see any reaction from Madeline. Her eyebrows raise infinitesimally. “He just told Zoe that he wasn’t happy with her hanging out at Wes’s house, or dating Wes’s friends. He thinks they, or you, maybe, I don’t know, are bad kids or something.”

I watch Madeline purse her lips as she mulls this information over. “Did he say why?”

“No, but Zoe heard him talking to her mom later about Wes being involved with drug dealing. Do you know anything about that?”

Madeline shakes her head back and forth slowly, but I sense she wants to tell me something. “Why would Wes deal drugs?” I ask. “He’s loaded.”

Madeline cocks her head to the side. “What else do you think people get out of dealing drugs beside money?”

I raise my hands. “Besides drugs? I wouldn’t know.”

“If you already have money you can just buy drugs if that’s all you want. Think about it, Pepper.”

“Maybe some sort of authority, or control or power or something. Madeline, I don’t know anything about that stuff, seriously.”

“I don’t know, seems like you have the idea to me.”

“What are you saying? Wes deals drugs for power and control? He doesn’t need that either.” I cross my arms. What’s the point of this conversation? What’s Madeline’s want from me?

“Look, I know you don’t go out much, but you know the way it is. Think about Wes. He seems to have it all. But then think about Jace, right?”

“So it’s some kind of rivalry,” I say slowly. And Jace is involved.

Madeline watches me. “Come on, Pepper. You’re a smart girl.  Maybe being the shit at Lincoln isn’t enough for Wes. It’s a smaller school. And Brockton’s a big town. There’s more than just high school.”