“I was stashing a lot of books and research,” I pointed out. My bag was taken off my arm. Before I could say anything, a large hand turned me around. Zeke bent down and I was suddenly over his shoulder, hanging upside down with his thick arm across the back of my thighs.
“You’re going too slow. Isaac, get the rest,” Zeke ordered.
I pushed up off his lower back to watch Isaac all but topple the books into my bag. “Be careful!”
Isaac ignored me as he zipped up the bag and shut the empty locker.
“If he tore any of them I’m coming after you,” I warned Zeke as everyone started down the hallway. “Now, put me down.”
“No way. It’s the last day of school,” Ethan stated. “You took too long emptying your locker. It’s roasting and we’re going swimming.” I started to squirm, trying to get down.
“Okay, but I can walk you know,” I pointed out, laughing.
Zeke slapped his hand down on my butt, making me squeak. “Stop wiggling. If I put you down, you’ll just find something else to stall going swimming.”
My face red, I reached down and smacked him on the ass. My hand stung. Damn glutes of steel. He chuckled at my feeble attempt.
“I’m just worried about your eyesight!” I countered.
“You’re not that pale, Red,” Isaac reassured me. “You’ve gotten some sun in the last month”
I rolled my eyes. Isaac clearly had never known a red head before. “And since summer started I have put sunblock on every four hours. That’s why I’m not a lobster.”
“Lexie, you can wear shorts and a shirt if you’re that worried about it,” Miles reminded me.
“Nope, she has to wear a swimsuit,” Ethan declared.
Everyone walked out of the hall and into the student parking lot. I started to sweat even more. I hoped it dripped all over Zeke.
“Okay! But when you go blind, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I threatened, though it was undermined by my current position over Zeke’s shoulder. The guys started laughing until they reached my Blazer. Zeke carefully put me down on my sandaled feet.
I narrowed my eyes at them playfully. “If I turn into a crustacean, I expect you guys at my beck and call for aloe on my back.”
The twins both raised eyebrows.
“Rub goo all over your body anytime you ask? Okay,” Isaac agreed with a smirk. The guys burst out laughing. I rolled my eyes. There were just some things you couldn’t say to a group of guys. Still… I loved my guys anyway.
I finished rubbing sunblock onto my legs and feet. Straightening, I looked in the mirror and eyed my two-piece swimsuit. The small black boy shorts and sapphire halter top kept me covered more than most swimsuits, which I liked. I bit the corner of my lip and ran my eyes over my body. Not bad. My body was toned, the soft lines hinting at six pack abs. My skin had a tint of color. For the last two weeks I’d been slathering on the sunblock and sunbathing alone, hoping to get some color without burning. The end result was my summer pale; not quite as pale as winter me. Yay me! I picked up my blue towel and sunblock before slipping my feet into my flip-flops and going downstairs.
Shouting outside drew me to the back door. My jaw almost dropped.
All of them were in board shorts. Every one of them was muscled in their own way. And the definition…
Stop drooling, Lexie. Out of all of them, only Zeke was wearing a shirt with his black board shorts. Isaac and Asher tackled Zeke, taking him into the water with them. I smiled as he came up sputtering and cursing at them. Miles shook his head before he dove into the water and came up ten feet away. Ethan was sitting on the deck next to Hades, still spraying sunblock on his arms.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out into the backyard. I swear, if one of them yells ‘the beacons are lit’ they’re going to die. Heads turned. Asher smiled, Isaac whistled, Miles squinted in my direction.
Zeke’s face was blank while Ethan shouted, “Hey, sexy!”
Zeke’s eyes snapped to Ethan a second before he reached out of the water, grabbed Ethan’s arm and pulled him in. The splash hit Asher in the face.
Ethan came up laughing. “Worth it!”
I was shaking my head when I reached the dock and slipped off my flip-flops. “Zeke, he was the last one dry,” I chided. “I still need sunscreen on my back.”
“I’ve got ya, Red.” Isaac swam to the metal ladder and climbed out. He wiped the water from his face as the sunlight glinted off his pecs and eight pack. I sat beside Hades and began to pet him to distract myself. My big ball of love was panting away in the heat.
Isaac moved behind me and sat on the deck. I held the tube of sunscreen up over my shoulder.
“You’re not as pale as I thought you’d be,” he said as he took the sunscreen from my hand.
“I’ve been trying to get a little sun every day, carefully.” I gathered my hair over my left shoulder and held it. Isaac squirted some lotion into his hands and began to rub it into the back of my shoulders.
“Good idea, we wouldn’t want you too burned to go to the end of the year party tonight,” Ethan said as he turned over to float on his back.
“Who’s throwing this party anyway?” I asked as Isaac moved to the middle of my back. His gentle touch surprised me. It wasn’t like he was ever too rough with me, but I hadn’t expected him to take his time.
“Aaron Cooper,” Miles answered, still squinting at me.
“Miles, can you see at all?” I asked, smiling.
“A little, mostly blurry shapes,” he admitted, with a small shrug.
Isaac’s hands moved to my lower back.
I shook my head and went back to the topic. “Who’s Aaron Cooper anyway?”
“He’s graduating tomorrow and his parents aren’t home from Europe yet,” Ethan supplied, “so it’ll be the last big summer party he throws.”
“This is a bad idea,” Zeke grumbled. I met his eyes and gave him an understanding smile.
“I’ll have Hades and one of you with me at all times,” I reminded him.
He shook his head. “I still don’t like it,” Zeke said. I couldn’t blame him. I’ve had flashbacks and panic attacks at parties since April. None as bad as the beach, but they still bothered him.
“Zeke doesn’t want to go to a party. Big surprise.” Isaac’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “You’re done, Red.”
“Thanks, Cookie Monster.” The words were barely out of my mouth before Isaac was lifting me off the dock and tossing me into the water. I came up, pushed my soaked hair off my face and flipped him off. Asher started moving towards the shore. Zeke started moving toward the dock ladder. Isaac saw, turned, and ran. Zeke climbed the ladder as Asher reached the shore. Isaac ran past Asher and onto the grass. Zeke ran down the dock after them. I stayed in the water, laughing with Ethan and Miles. They disappeared around the house. I dunked myself and slicked my hair back.
“So, are we leaving from here?” I asked them.
Miles swam closer so he didn’t have to squint as much. “I believe that’s the plan.”
I moved to float on my back. “Sounds good to me.”
There was yelling. I looked up to watch Asher and Zeke carrying Isaac between them. He was yelling and apologizing as they walked down the dock.
“One,” Zeke said as they began to swing him between them, “two, three!” They let go; Isaac flew off the dock. He hit the water hard and made a big splash. I was still laughing as he came up sputtering. Zeke and Asher were cracking up on the dock. Isaac flipped them off.
“Hey, who can make the biggest splash?” I asked. Everyone pointed at Zeke.
Zeke flipped everyone off. We burst out laughing.
Asher moved the end of the dock. “Let’s find out.”
The next half hour had everyone jumping off the dock. Eventually, the guys were challenging each other to flips and dives. Miles surprised the hell out of me with a perfect backflip.
Asher had just come up from a dive when the back door opened. Expecting Rory, I turned to smile. Only it wasn’t him.
My cousin Tara was there with three of her girlfriends. All with towels. I repressed a groan.
“Hi, guys!” Tara chirped cheerfully. There were mumbled replies as Tara took off her sandals. My cousin was pretty, there was no doubt. Long, light-blond hair, big blue eyes and a pretty smile. Too bad she was a bitch to me most of the time. “Do you guys know Callie, Christie, and Cathy?”