“Not if he’s doing what I think he is. If he’s trying to ride that ridgeline for the documentary, he doesn’t need me distracting him or just generally cursing him. He’s been dreaming of that chance for years, ever since I’ve known him, and I’m not going to be the reason he fucks it up or gets himself killed.”
Leah sighed. “I think he’d do better just to show off for you. Seriously. I want you to come, and I know you’d love the trip.”
“Coming is optional, of course,” Penna added with a snort laugh.
“Nice,” I threw in her direction. “That is so not happening.”
“Please? We’re partially trekking to the Everest base camp, and you know you’ll never get that chance again. Not with the way this crazy group does stuff.”
Ten straight days with Landon. Nowhere to run or to avoid him…or his effect on me. Ten days of travel and snowboarding and seeing the tallest mountain in the world—a true once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of the things I was on this trip for.
“If I’m going, you’re going,” Penna ordered.
My head snapped toward her. “You’re going?”
She shrugged. “So I’ve been told. Crutches and all. Fun times.”
“We’ll have fun,” Leah promised. “And we don’t have to stay at advanced camp. We can go back down to Lukla and get massages while they’re out boarding.”
Penna’s eyes deadened, and I sliced my hand across my throat, trying to get Leah to stop. Her eyes widened and she mouthed, “What?”
I sighed. Leah might have known them, but she didn’t understand Renegades yet—their competitive nature and general hatred of feeling useless. “It’s lame,” I told Penna. “Fully lame that you can’t board. But if what I’ve been told is correct, you absolutely can ride in that helicopter up to Everest. You’re not going to sit that out over a leg, are you?”
“You’re not going to miss out on that over a boy, are you?” She stared me down.
“Touché. Guess I’m going.”
“Yes!” Leah fist pumped.
I glanced up at the clock. “Crap. I have to get to class. I guess this thing is as good as it’s going to get.”
I said good-bye to the girls and almost ran out the door, a muffin shoved in my mouth and my books trying their best to tumble from my hands. I skidded into the elevator just before the doors closed.
“Bold, running with food in your mouth, given your luck,” Zoe said from the corner of the elevator.
My hackles rose as I swallowed the bite of blueberry goodness and punched the button for my floor. “Well, it’s better than what you like to keep in your mouth.”
“Ooh, you do bite,” she said as we started our descent. “Landon warned me.”
I stiffened. “He would know.”
“So you two aren’t…?” She let the question hang.
For the love of God, the last thing I wanted to do was discuss Landon in the elevator with a girl who had clearly slept with him. “We’re not.”
“Oh…” Her head cocked to the side. “You’re the one, though, right? The one who nearly took him out a couple years ago?”
“Is that any of your business?” I snapped at her as she wound her brown hair around her finger.
Three more floors.
“Are you this much of a bitch to everyone? Or just the girls he’s slept with?” she asked with false sympathy.
I blew my breath out as I counted to five. “Seeing as I don’t exactly have a list of who he’s slept with, it would be impossible for me to single you all out.”
She snorted, letting that brown curl rest against her breast. She leaned against the wall next to me, her long legs stretched out beneath shorts that barely covered her ass. Yeah, she looked like his type.
I never had been, nor had I ever suffered any insecurity over that fact. I couldn’t help but wonder if this girl had—if she’d based her self-worth or her position with the Renegades on whom she was sleeping with. What a horrible way to treat yourself.
“Well, it’s kind of a crapshoot. If you have ten girls in a room, just start flipping coins.”
One floor. This was the slowest elevator in the freaking world. “Like I said, I don’t care. But apparently you do,” I said softly.
The elevator doors opened, and I turned briefly toward her.
“Personally, were I to ever sleep with Landon…Nova, or whatever you call him, I’d demand the one thing he isn’t capable of.”
“What’s that?”
“Monogamy. I saw you ride. You’re good. Don’t base your abilities on who you’re sleeping with. And for God’s sake, don’t attack women you don’t know in the elevator because you think you need to defend territory you don’t have. I’m not your enemy.” I shrugged at her with a tight smile. “Sorry if I didn’t give you what you’re looking for.”
Before the doors could shut on me, I ran out—straight into Landon. “God, you’re everywhere,” I muttered as I regained my balance.
“You seriously don’t think I can be monogamous?” he asked, sounding annoyingly wounded. Like I’d pointed out something that wasn’t an obvious truth.
“Glad to know you eavesdrop. I’ll try to have an interesting conversation after dinner if you’d like to lurk in the corner.” I tightened my grip on my books and started down the hallway toward class.
“One, I was waiting for you, not lurking, and two, was that an invitation?”
“Hardly. Besides, if I’m stuck with you for the entire Everest trip, I’m not offering up any more of my free time.”
“You’re going with us?” He grinned down at me.
His smile does not affect you. Not one bit. Liar.
“Looks like it.”
He opened the door to the classroom, and I walked through, trying not to let his small gesture affect me, either. Apparently I was failing at Landon-emotion avoidance today.
“That’s fantastic. But you seriously don’t think I can do the one-woman thing?”
We took our seats, and I looked over at him. “Why do you care what I think?”
He turned his baseball hat backward, the white of the cap only making his face look more tanned. “Because I don’t want you thinking that about me. I could if I wanted to.”
“Hey, Nova,” the girl behind me greeted him, leaning forward so her breasts nearly fell out of her top. “Wanna study tonight?”
“No, thanks, Amy. Maybe another time?”
I laughed, turning to face forward. “Yeah, you’ve got a great track record.”
He leaned over. “You don’t know my track record.”
“Yeah, okay, Nova.” I lowered my voice to a whisper so I didn’t hurt the girl’s feelings. “Did you not just masterfully turn her down, but leave her with a little hope on that hook of yours so you can reel her in another time?”
His mouth opened and shut. “I didn’t want to offend her.”
“You’re a regular knight in shining armor.”
“Just let me know when you’re the delicate damsel in need of saving.”
I snorted. “Yeah. Never going to happen. I’m quite capable of saving myself from everything, including you.”
“I’m well aware,” he said, his voice dropping. “It’s one of my favorite things about you. You’ve always been able to hold your own against me…or with me.”