The Wrong Path

Chapter Three





“I’m home!” Annabelle called as she entered the house.

“Living room!” was her mother’s response.

She made her way to the living room, stepping into the lush cream and blue room. Her mother was lounging on the couch, a book on her lap, her head raised expectantly. She smiled when she saw Annabelle.

“Your hair looks lovely,” her mother assured her. She caught sight of the clothes on the hangers Annabelle held and frowned slightly. “Is that what you’re wearing tonight?”

Claire had all-but forced Annabelle to take one of Claudia’s short pleated skirts and white button-downs, instructing her to pair it with her platform Mary Janes. Annabelle instinctively held the clothes to herself. “Yeah.”

Her mother, in her white cotton polo and khakis, looked unhappy. “Is that what’s considered to be ‘in’ now?”

Annabelle glanced down at the clothes, then at her mother. “In a way.”

Her mother sighed. “Tell me again what lake this is at?”

“Cedar.”

“Alcohol?”

“Two-cup limit and no driving. I know.”

Her mother sighed again. “Is someone picking you up?”

She fidgeted, preparing for her big reveal. “Trevor’s going to give me a ride.”

That perked her up. “Trevor? From next door?”

Annabelle nodded, unable to resist smiling uncontrollably. “Yeah.”

Susan looked pleased. “He’s a good looking boy,” she told her daughter, winking. “And if you’re with him, we know you’ll be safe. Maybe while you’re out I’ll go pay Sophia a visit and we can gush about the cute grandbabies we’re going to have.”

Annabelle blushed furiously. “He’s just giving me a ride!” she objected, trying to hide her excitement. “It’s not a date.”

Her mother smiled, conceding. “What time is he coming?” she asked.

A jolt of horror went through her, all of her giddiness deflating instantly. She stared at her mother blankly. “I have no idea,” she admitted, stunned.

Susan laughed out loud. “Well then you’d better go get ready.”

Annabelle flashed a grateful smile at her, then rushed up the stairs to her room. She slipped into Claudia’s outfit, trying not to cringe at the shortness of the skirt. When she sat down, she sat right on her underwear. She made a mental note not to bend down. Other than the skirt length, the outfit was very flattering. Claire really was talented at putting clothes together.

She pulled a red ribbon from her vanity drawer and tied it into a headband around her light brown hair, tucking the knot against the base of her neck. She added simple silver dangling earrings and a matching necklace and leaned back to check her reflection, smiling in satisfaction at herself.

For the next twenty minutes she worked on her makeup, forcing herself to apply it more heavily than she normally did. This was her big chance to impress Trevor, and she wanted to look her best, not washed out or young.

There was a light rap on the door, and she turned. “Come in!” she called.

Her father stepped into the room with a smile that quickly died as he caught sight of her. “That’s… a lot of makeup,” he said.

Annabelle swiftly turned back to her mirror, flushing. She looked like the other girls—black eyeliner, smoky dark gray shadow, lots of mascara, and shiny red lip gloss. She spun back to face her dad, frowning. “Do I look silly?” she asked nervously.

He made a face. “No. You look beautiful. Too grown up for a father’s liking, though.” He sat on the edge of her bed and smiled at her. “You really do look beautiful, sweetie. But that outfit…” He sighed and rubbed his neck. “I know this isn’t something you want to hear from your dad, but is that really the message you want to portray?”

She blushed, humiliated, and twisted her hands in her lap. “I’m going with Trevor,” she told her dad, hoping to ease his mind. “You know he’s not going to let anything happen to me, no matter how I’m dressed.”

Leroy nodded. “Your mom mentioned that. I just wanted to… remind you to be careful. Sometimes these parties can get a little wild, and Trevor might not be there to hold your hand the entire time.”

She fidgeted again. “I know. I’ll be careful.” Again, to ease his mind, she reached out to the end of the vanity and held up the pepper spray he’d bought her, deliberately putting it into her purse.

He laughed. “Good girl.” He came over and kissed her lightly on the head. “You do look beautiful, honey.”

She smiled happily. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome. Trevor won’t know what hit him.” With that, he was gone, lightly shutting the door behind him.

Annabelle looked back at the mirror when he was gone, studying her reflection. The girl in the mirror didn’t look anything like her, and for a moment, she didn’t recognize herself. Her eyes seemed impossibly large and dark against her light skin. Her lips were red and shiny, the light shimmering off of them. It seemed unnatural, as if she had morphed into someone else. For a brief second she contemplated taking all the makeup off and just doing it the same way she always did. Then she quickly reminded herself who was driving her to the party and gave herself a shake, going to her closet for her platform Mary Janes. She sat on her bed and pulled them on, looking up at the knock on her door.

“Trevor Scarlett is here to pick you up,” her mother told her, smiling devilishly. She lowered her voice. “And might I say that he looks very handsome? He must be as excited as you; he’s got on some lovely cologne.”

Annabelle flushed, then quickly finished strapping in her shoes. She stood, holding out her arms for her mother’s approval. “What do you think?” she asked, spinning once.

Susan arched an eyebrow. “I think the skirt is short,” she declared, then smiled. “But you look beautiful. Have fun, sweetie.”

She nodded, gave her mother a quick kiss, and headed down the stairs. In the foyer stood Trevor, his hands clasped in front of him, looking stunning with his short brown hair, a dark blue button-down short-sleeved shirt layered over a white t-shirt, and dark jeans. A hint of cologne drifted up to her, and the smell made her knees go weak.

“Hi,” she greeted, even as his eyes widened at the sight of her.

“Hi. Wow, Annabelle. You look… beautiful.”

She flushed. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You look great.”

He grinned, his charming, friendly smile, and held out his arm for her. “Shall we?” he asked.

She was delighted to discover her arm fell perfectly into his as he led her out of the house and to the dark green SUV his parents had bought him for his sixteenth birthday. Dusk had taken over the sky, the sun falling behind the hills, casting red, orange, and yellow hues everywhere.

Trevor held open the passenger door, and pleased, she slid in. She had been longing for this moment for years—since she was a little girl—and even if it wasn’t really a date, Trevor had asked if she wanted a ride, and he was holding open her door for her. She could pretend, at least.

He climbed into the driver’s seat and they talked about school, about their moms’ book club, and anything else Annabelle could say to keep the conversation going as they drove, soft music drifting through the speakers. She didn’t think she had ever been so nervous or excited in her life.

Trevor flipped through the GPS unit for directions, and as she saw just how far out they were going, she felt a sinking pit form in her stomach. The lake house was much farther away than she had thought it was. She fought the urge to call her parents to give them the address, but the longer they drove, the more the distance increased between the houses, and the more nervous she grew about the isolated location. When Trevor turned the car around a corner, she eyed the address on the GPS and slid out her cell phone, quickly texting the address to her parents with a note that she would call if she needed them.

She knew it was silly, of course. Nothing was going to happen. It was just a precaution—a just-in-case.

When they pulled up to the lake house and saw the dozens of cars parked everywhere, she could have kicked herself for letting her parent’s paranoia get to her. She could already see people everywhere, the loud thrum of music from the lit house like a beacon to the influx of cars.

Trevor parked behind a red sports car and moved around the SUV to her door, surprising her when he held open her door and held out his hand to her. All of her trepidation vanished as she placed her hand into his to allow him to help her down.

She cried out as she oh-so-ungracefully slid from the height of the SUV while trying to keep her skirt down and braced herself for the impact, startled when it never came. She forced her eyes to open, finding her gaze on a strong upper arm and chest. Giddily, she realized Trevor had caught her, clutching her against him to keep her from falling.

“Are you okay?” Trevor’s concerned voice asked. She flushed, mortified, slowly looking up at him from the safety of his arms as she straightened her legs under her.

“Yeah,” she choked out, trying not to cry in humiliation. Her one shot to make a good impression on Trevor Scarlett, and she had turned into a complete and utter klutz.

Trevor looked unhappy. “I knew I should have borrowed my mom’s car. I’m sorry, Annabelle. I know my car’s hard to get in and out of.”

She could only stare in disbelief. Was he serious? He was blaming himself for her clumsiness? Could he be any more perfect? She started to reassure him it wasn’t his fault when Trevor was suddenly mobbed from behind by some of his teammates. They greeted him, then whistled at the sight of her.

“Hot, Anna,” Rick declared, a wolfish smile on his features. Claire had dated him for a few weeks, and according to her, Rick was, “The worst she had ever had.” Annabelle liked to think she meant as a boyfriend, but she wasn’t that naïve.

“Who knew a little vixen was hiding in there?” Parker added, grinning as he wrapped an arm around Trevor’s shoulders. “Careful, Trev, I might steal your date.”

Annabelle felt embarrassment wash over her as she waited for Trevor to correct him. Instead, to her surprise, Trevor laughed and rolled his eyes, stepping out from under Parker’s arm to stand at Annabelle’s side. She could have melted when his hand rested lightly on her back. “Don’t even try it,” he warned his friends. “You can ask her next time.”

There were catcalls and laughter, coupled with teasing words as the boys led her and Trevor to the backyard, where a group of about thirty were gathered. Trevor lightly tugged on her arm, holding her back as the group surged forward. “Sorry about that,” he said apologetically, looking embarrassed. “I know I didn’t actually ask you on a date, but my mom made me swear that I’d take good care of you tonight, and you know how our friends can be sometimes when they’ve had too much to drink.”

If she’d been a mirror, she would have broken into pieces on the floor. “It’s okay,” she assured him, trying not to choke on her own words. She forced a smile, relieved for the darkness around them to hide her tears. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

He nodded encouragingly, and suddenly his hand on her back felt much less romantic and much more brotherly. She was grateful for the beer one of the soccer team members handed her, drinking it down quickly. She knew she shouldn’t—she had promised her parents she would only have two drinks at most—but she accepted another, trying to ignore the hungry eyes that poured her drinks.

It was almost an hour later when her friends finally arrived. By that time, it seemed like the entire school had converged at the lake house, and she had lost track of how many drinks she’d consumed—and Trevor.

When her girlfriends surrounded her, she blurted out the entire thing. Claire was attentive, soothing her, and brought her another beer. She was already drunk but she still drank it down, numbly accepting another cup one of the boys on the football team handed her.

And then came the churning feeling in her stomach. She quickly excused herself from her friends and cut through the crowd of students standing around talking, heading for the trees beside the lake. There, separated from the rest of the group and finally surrounded in quiet, she threw up until all of the alcohol had been purged, and then she leaned against the tree she stood beside, trying to catch her breath.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, trying to breathe. All she knew was something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She felt restless and dizzy. Her heart wouldn’t stop racing. All of Trevor’s words seemed to melt into the back of her mind as she stood there, her body aching in a way she had never experienced before. She wanted to move. She had to move. Her senses felt alive; on fire. Everything around her appeared brighter and more vivid, beautiful in a way she had never seen.

She made her way back to the party, keenly aware of every muscle in her body that flexed as she walked. She had never been so aware of her muscles before, or how good they felt to stretch out.

She searched for her friends in the cluster of students, feeling brighter and full of life. She wanted to hug Claire for comforting her, and Trevor for bringing her to the party, but she couldn’t find either of them. She made her way to the kegs, sure she would be able to spot one of her friends there.

The soccer player who had been filling drinks all night flashed a large grin at her and picked up a cup. “Another?” he asked.

She nodded, feeling a flirtatious smile lift her lips. Why hadn’t she noticed the tall, lean, tanned soccer player before? “What’s your name?” she asked, raising her voice over the throbbing music.

He grinned mischievously, pouring more beer into the glass. “Sean.”

“Sean?” she repeated. He nodded. She took the glass and flashed a smile. “I’m Annabelle.”

“I know who you are,” he told her confidently. Pleased, she held up her glass to him, toasting his words, and threw back the beer. When she had downed the whole glass, she set it down. “Do you want to dance?” he asked.

“Yes!” she declared, eager to get rid of some of the energy inside of her. She allowed him to take her arm and lead her out to the crowd, where an impromptu dance floor had been created on the grass. She felt strong, slender fingers pull her close, their legs interlocking as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They danced until someone came up and tugged on her arm, asking to cut in. She turned, smiling brightly as she recognized Parker at her side. She thanked Sean for the dance, chucking him under the chin teasingly when he scowled. Parker reached out for her, bringing her to him. As they danced, his hands travelled all over her body, warming her already flushed skin.

To her surprise, it felt delightful, and she had no desire to stop him. She had never really liked Parker all that much, trying to avoid him and his womanizing ways, but she felt full of love for him, wanting to hug him.

“Let’s get a drink,” Parker said in her ear, low and throaty. She shuddered at the sensation and nodded, allowing him to lead her by the hand back to the kegs. Parker held up two fingers, and to her surprise, he tossed a twenty onto the table.

Another soccer player Annabelle only vaguely recognized flashed an impish smile and grinned.

“You look gorgeous, you know,” Parker told her, drawing her into his arms and leaning down to gaze into her eyes.

She smiled up at him coyly, pleased at the compliment. Maybe she had misjudged Parker all this time. He was a good looking guy, with his short crop of sandy brown hair and warm brown eyes. “Yeah?” she teased. “The clothes are Claudia’s, you know.”

Parker had her pressed up against him, and he was irresistibly warm, his embrace impossibly comfortable. “Maybe you should borrow her clothes more often,” he purred in her ear.

She shivered again at the sensation. Parker released her when the drinks were done, and she took the one the soccer player held out to her, toasting it to him in thanks. He grinned wickedly and she giggled, even as she turned back to Parker, who lightly tapped his glass against hers. “To trying something new,” he said.

She nodded and threw back the contents of the glass, guzzling it until it was empty. Then she laughed out loud, and Parker laughed as well, leading her back out to the dance floor.

“Can I cut in?”

“No,” Parker declared hotly, even as Annabelle stepped back away from him to look at the new voice. It was one of the football players… Mark, she thought.

Annabelle lightly patted Parker’s strong arm. “You and I can dance again,” she promised, even as she turned and all-but fell into Mark’s arms.

He danced roughly and out of time with the music, but she didn’t mind. It was almost a relief to have an outlet for all of the energy she felt building up inside of her. She writhed along with him, laughing when he started kissing her neck.

And then something strong and firm grabbed her arm and yanked.

Hard.

She went crashing into the person, yelping, even as she lifted her head to look up. To her astonishment, Will stood there, his eyes flashing as he stared at Mark. He was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, an open white shirt over it.

“What the hell is your problem, man?” Mark demanded furiously, stepping forward, almost crushing Annabelle between them.

“You don’t want to start this,” Will told him coldly, his grip on Annabelle fierce. She frowned up at him.

“Do you want to dance?” Annabelle asked him, confused.

Will glanced down at her, his expression a mixture of sympathy and anger. “Yeah,” he answered.

Annabelle felt delight fill her. “Really?” she asked excitedly, turning to face him. His grip on her loosened, but he didn’t relinquish her arm. “I kind of thought you hated me.”

He ran his free hand through his hair. “I don’t hate you,” he told her, almost patiently.

She frowned and leaned back slightly. “Are you patronizing me?” she asked, then turned and looked back for Mark, who she knew wouldn’t patronize her. But Mark had already vanished into the crowd, abandoning her with Will. She shrugged and returned her attention to Will, standing in front of her.

“No.” To her surprise, he was clad in only his white t-shirt, his button-down in his hands, which he held out for her to step into. She dutifully slid her arms into the arms of the shirt, shocked at the astonishingly soft material that enveloped her. A warm, heady cologne invaded her senses and she nearly swooned, the scent addictive and almost painfully delicious. As she stepped back she laughed, holding up her arms to show how large it was on her, falling almost to her knees. He nodded approvingly, smiling, and held out his hand. “Dance?”

She laughed again and threw herself into his arms. Will might have been a year younger, but he was strong and protective, and she felt completely relaxed in his arms as they danced. He was a good dancer, too, graceful and in-step with the beat. He held her a few inches away from himself, not like the other guys she had danced with, who couldn’t seem to get close enough. Irritated at the distance between them, she squirmed in his arms, trying to get closer. Will spun her by her hand away from him, then returned her to his strong embrace, at the same distance as before. She tried again and he repeated the movement, keeping her away from him.

It was frustrating and almost heart-breaking.

“Do you think I’m pretty?” she demanded, stopping short.

An aggravated look marred his attractive features as he ran a hand through his hair again, apparently a habit of his. He opened his mouth to answer when she felt something take her arm. Will’s dark eyes flashed, glaring up at something beside her. She followed his gaze up to her left, recognition flooding her.

“Grey!” she greeted enthusiastically, hugging him. “How are you?”

He grinned widely. “Great. How are you? Are you having fun?”

“Absolutely! I’m having the best time of my life!”

Grey held out his hand to her. “Would you like to dance?”

Before she could accept, she was suddenly yanked into Will’s arms, which he wrapped tightly around her. “Show a little class, Grey. She’s with me.”

Startled, Annabelle turned in his arms to look up at him. “I thought you hated me,” she said again.

To her utter disbelief, he touched his forehead down to hers and let out a soft sigh. “I don’t hate you, Belle.”

She smiled happily. “I don’t hate you, either. I think you’re amazing.”

Will smiled, almost painfully, and pulled back. “Everyone’s probably pretty amazing, huh?”

She let out a laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yup! Everyone is amazing. Especially you! I’m having such a good time. Are you having fun?”

He was tense when he answered, but a flirtatious smile curled up his lips. “Of course. I’m with the most beautiful girl at the party. The guys can’t take their eyes off of you.”

She clasped her hands behind his neck and swung back, letting her knees go weak. He braced himself quickly, wrapping his arms tightly around her to keep her from falling and pulling them both down. “You think I’m pretty?” she asked, laughing.

“Everyone thinks you’re pretty, Belle.” He lifted her back up to her feet, returning her weight to her legs, barely an inch between them—the closest he’d allowed her to be to him all night. He was warm in the cool night air, the heat between them flushing her already-hot skin. Still, a shiver ran through her as she gazed into his eyes, which were fixed on hers, just inches away.

He started to say something, a troubled look in his eyes, when a startled, bewildered voice interrupted him. “What’s going on?”

Her head snapped to the right, causing her vision to swim, and she had to blink to clear it. “Can’t you tell, bro?” Will asked mockingly, and suddenly she was tugged against him in a hug.

Bro? Trevor! Trevor was there! Trevor, who she had loved since she was a little girl!

“Trevor!” Annabelle squealed in delight, breaking away from Will to throw her arms around him. “Hi!”

Trevor was tense, but his arms automatically held her back. “What’s going on?” he asked again, slower this time.

Annabelle pulled away far enough to look up into his face. “Will and I were dancing!” she declared giddily, thrilled that he had appeared after so long. His embrace was warm and gentle, just like Trevor, and she was so happy to be there she could have stayed in his arms all night.

Something seemed to alarm Trevor, because he suddenly looked down at her with wide, confused eyes. Then he looked over at Will, who crossed his arms and returned the look coldly. The boys stared at each other for several moments before Trevor sighed and broke the glare.

“Do you want to go home?” he asked her gently.

“Home?” she repeated distastefully, thinking of sitting in bed with her abundance of energy and nothing to do with it. “No. I want to dance.” She peered up at him, feeling all of the love she had for him pour out of her as if it were tangible. “I want to dance with you.”

Trevor smiled weakly. “I, ah, I don’t really dance…”

“Will danced with me,” she protested, frowning. “And he’s really good. You come from the same gene pool. Surely you can manage.”

Trevor’s smile was tight. “Will’s had a lot of practice,” he told her, almost shortly. She watched as he looked over at his younger brother—who Annabelle suddenly noticed was the same height as him. “Do you need a ride home?”

Will shook his head, even as Annabelle released her grip on Trevor and took Will’s hand as inspiration struck her. “You should come with us!” she insisted, not wanting to miss out on Will’s company, which she was thoroughly enjoying. “We can sing at the top of our lungs!”

Will’s hand lightly squeezed hers before letting go, looking up at Trevor with a cold smile. “You should stay. Get her some much-needed water.”

Trevor tensed, but Annabelle looked up at him pleadingly. “Can we?” she begged.

Trevor looked down at her, his expression torn. It was Will who spoke up, his voice low. “Unless you can guarantee her parents are already asleep, you probably shouldn’t take her home yet if you ever want to take her out again.”

Annabelle looked over at his cold glare, then up at Trevor, wrapping her arms around the older Scarlett. She fit so well against him, and strength just exuded from him. She relished in the sensation. “Do you want to take me out again?” she asked coyly.

He smiled weakly. “I’d like it if I could, yeah… If you’d want to.”

A large grin spread over her features. “I would love to!” she declared happily.

“You two should go park somewhere,” Will suggested behind her.

“Will—“ Trevor began angrily. He interrupted himself, looking disgusted, and stared out at the crowd. He sighed, then let out an aggravated, “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Will arched an eyebrow. “What do you think? A friend of mine was asked to bring some…” he paused, his eyes meeting Annabelle’s, “party favors.” He looked back up at Trevor. “She wanted some backup.”

“Party favors?” Annabelle repeated, frowning. It was like someone had tossed cold water on her. Everything was still brighter than normal, but somehow she felt sobered up. She looked up at Trevor, then over at Will, who was staring at her. “You mean…” She stumbled quickly out of Trevor’s arms, a cold sweat breaking out over her body. “Oh. Oh god.” She wrapped Will’s shirt around herself tightly, feeling violated and terrified. “Am I…?”

“Yup,” Will confirmed cheerfully. “How’s it feel?”

She looked over at him in horror. “You knew?” she demanded helplessly, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

He rolled his eyes. “Of course I did. You’re not really the type to let a guy practically undress her in front of a crowd of people.”

Her stomach churned. Her face flushed in humiliation. And then, unable to speak, she broke away from both of them and ran toward the trees she had escaped to earlier, her heart racing. She tried to throw up, but nothing came out. Exhausted, she collapsed to her knees on the dirt, using her hands to keep herself braced as she tried to control her breathing. She could feel the dirt under her hands, moist and rich, thick unlike anything she had ever felt before. And yet some part of her knew that it was just dirt.

Oh god, how had this happened to her?

She heard a noise behind her and whirled around, the trees spinning slightly with the movement. Trevor stood there, a look of concern on his face. “Are you okay?” he asked her worriedly.

She tried not to cry. Why did she have to realize what was happening in front of Trevor, of all people? “Yeah,” she assured him, trying to control herself. If she burst into tears, she would never live down her humiliation.

“Do you want to go home?”

She shook her head. She could never, ever let her parents see her like this. “I-I’ll stay at Claire’s tonight.”

He nodded. She still felt adrenaline pumping through her system, making her restless. Her body wanted to move, but now that she knew why, she felt like she could control it. Or at least what she did about it. “Do you want to get some coffee or something?”

Again, she shook her head. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and stay there until everything faded out of her system. “I’m okay. Thank you, though.”

He nodded and smiled encouragingly. “At least nothing bad happened.”

She thought about the hands she had let travel her body and hung her head, feeling dirty and ashamed. She had never known what it meant to want to crawl out of her own skin until that moment, but she wished she could; could just claw it all off. She had embarrassed and humiliated herself in front of the entire school. How could she ever live that down?

There was a clattering in the trees from the direction of the lake house. She quickly turned away as they were joined by a panting, half-panicked boy. “Trev. Dude. Trev. You gotta help me. Zach and Cody are about to kill each other.”

There was a hesitation. “I-I—“

“Go,” Annabelle said quickly, turning back to offer a smile. “I’ll go back to the party, too. Find Claire and the others.”

Trevor looked torn, but he finally took her arm through the fabric of Will’s shirt and led her back to the group, following Marcus to a circle that had gathered. Trevor released her hesitantly and cut through the group, disappearing into the middle. Annabelle stood on the edge, clapping her hands together to try and get the dirt off. It was a futile effort, so after a moment, she turned and headed to the lake. She didn’t really want to be around anyone right now, anyway. Especially Trevor. Not until she was able to forget about everything that had happened.

She scrubbed her hands together in the water and was trying to shake them dry when the music suddenly stopped. She looked up, startled at the silence.

All at once, everyone seemed to hear the noise in the distance. Sirens. The crowd immediately broke up, people fleeing to their cars. Annabelle looked around wildly for her friends or for Trevor as she rushed back up, but in the flurry of activity, she could see nothing.

A hand grabbed her wet one, dragging her through the stampeding students. “Will?” she asked, bewildered, recognizing the white t-shirt clad back.

He unlocked the doors to his black convertible with his keyless entry and yanked the passenger door open. “Get in,” he urged quickly.

She did, feeling lost, even as he hurried to the driver’s side and jumped in behind the wheel. He gunned the engine and to her horror, cut through the cars all trying to get out on the small road at once. She screamed as he barely slid in-between two cars, covering her face with her hands even as she was tossed around the tiny two-door car. She reached quickly for the seat belt and snapped it on, a mixture of drug-induced and real adrenaline and fear coursing through her veins.

Once they were out on the open road, and the sound of sirens could no longer be heard, he reached into the backseat and produced an unopened bottle of water. “Drink this,” he said, handing it to her.

She looked down at it, frowning. “Why?” she asked, the idea of water making her stomach turn.

He glanced over at her. “And drink about five or six more before you go to bed. You need to rehydrate yourself.”

He didn’t need to say anymore. She flushed and dutifully twisted the top off of the bottle, forcing herself to drink it down even when her stomach protested.

He pulled up to a stoplight and slid his cell phone out of his pocket, texting someone. She waited until he was done before she finally spoke again. “Thank you for getting me out of there,” she said, feeling strangely shy. It seemed like such a trivial thing to say, but she couldn’t figure out any other words that would convey her gratitude.

He looked over at her, offering her a gentle smile. “You’re welcome.”

He turned the music up, and they drove without speaking. Annabelle closed her eyes as she leaned back against the seat, the cool air from the open window a relief against her hot skin. She didn’t know how long they drove, but suddenly the music quieted and the car stopped. She opened her eyes and sat up, surprised to see they were in the parking lot of a diner. She looked over at Will in confusion, gasping when her door was suddenly yanked open and a relieved-looking Trevor crouched in the open doorway.

“Thank god you got out of there okay,” he said, relieved. “I was so scared you’d been caught.”

Annabelle gaped at him, then turned to Will, who arched an eyebrow at her. “Will’s taxi service ends here,” he told her, then grinned wickedly. “Unless you’d like to go somewhere private…?”

Annabelle flushed and quickly clamored for her seat belt, all-but falling out of the car in her haste to get away. She hesitated outside the car, then leaned down to look in at him. A mischievous smile curled his lips, a dark look in his eyes. “Thank you again for finding me and getting me out of there,” she said. She started to close the door, but as her mind whirled with the night’s events, she realized Will had done a lot more than saved her from getting caught by the police. She leaned back into the car and looked at him. His smile was gone, his eyes flashing as he looked back at her. “And for protecting me,” she said hesitantly. “When you figured out that I was… Not me.”

An impish grin curled up his lips. “Anytime you need protecting, you come find me, Belle,” he told her, winking. “I’ll take care of you.”

She closed the door on her blush, turning to look up at Trevor, who had concern etched all over his features.

“You didn’t need to come get me,” she told him, feeling self-conscious after everything that had happened that night. “I could have called Claire and asked her to come get me.”

He smiled lopsidedly. “I like to make sure my dates get to their final destination safely,” he told her, looking embarrassed. “So, do you want a ride to Claire’s?”

She nodded gratefully, and followed him to his car, climbing in carefully. She was still wearing Will’s shirt, so she wasn’t very worried about flashing Trevor as she got in, but the last thing she needed was to catch her heels on the edge of the door and fall back on the cement.

“How’s Zach?” she asked quietly, through the stillness in the air as he drove.

He sighed. “He’s okay. Few bruises and a few cuts, but he’ll live. I guess he and Cody were fighting over Claudia.”

She would love that. Annabelle tried not to sigh. As far as she knew, Claudia wasn’t interested in either one of them. She had her eye on some college boy, at least for the moment. “That’s too bad,” she murmured. “Tell him I hope he gets better soon?”

He smiled over at her as he stopped at a red light. “Sure. Thanks.”

She nodded, twisting her hands in her lap to try and contain the restlessness in her muscles. She just wanted to throw out her arms and shake them. Oddly enough, she missed Will’s furious and frantic whirlwind driving. It seemed to calm her tense muscles.

As he pulled up to Claire’s house, Trevor suddenly killed the lights. She looked over at him with a pounding heart. “Annabelle,” he started slowly, looking adorably nervous. “I… I know now might not be the best time, but… if you wanted to go out sometime… Maybe to a movie or something… I’d really like to take you.”

She felt like her heart had fallen into her stomach as she stared at him in disbelief. After everything that had happened that night, he still wanted to take her out on a date? Trevor had to be the nicest guy in the entire world. Possibly the most perfect guy in the entire universe. And he wanted to take her out on a date!

Realizing his nervousness, she quickly blurted out, “I’d love to!”

A relieved grin spread across his face. “Great,” he said. “Maybe I could stop by tomorrow and we could talk about when and where?”

“Yes,” she agreed immediately, hardly able to contain her excitement. She bit her lip on her smile, reluctantly bidding him goodnight. She knocked on Claire’s front door and waited anxiously for her friend to open it. Just as she pulled out her cell phone to give Claire a call, the door swung open. Claire stared at her blankly for a moment, and then stepped back, allowing Annabelle access to the house. Annabelle waved goodbye to Trevor, still waiting in the car. He waved back and pulled away from the curb, driving off.

Annabelle braced herself for Claire’s anger, but the blonde’s features had shifted into a satisfied smirk. “Take it things went well?” she asked impishly.

She knew what Claire meant, but she tried to play dumb. “He asked if he could take me to see a movie sometime.”

Claire grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Of course he did,” she confirmed. “He’d have to be an idiot not to see how amazing you are.”

Annabelle flashed an embarrassed smile. “I’m glad you guys got out okay,” Annabelle told her. “I was worried. I couldn’t find you.”

“Oh, we were fine,” Claire assured her. “Claudia and Zach are upstairs in one of the guest rooms. You can sleep in any of the open ones. I need to get back to… my guest.”

Annabelle felt sick at the implication, but she reminded herself that beggars couldn’t be choosers. She climbed the steps behind Claire, who wiggled her fingers goodbye as she went into her bedroom and shut the door. Annabelle turned down the hall to the guest rooms, chose an open door at the end of the hall and went in, shutting it behind her.