“It’s fine,” Samantha calls from the front of the group. “Let’s go ahead and call that rehearsal. You guys put in some really good work today.”
Wren lets out a sigh and walks down the stage steps toward Isaiah. He takes her hand, and she murmurs something to him, making both of them turn toward me. Without hesitation, I walk up to Samantha.
“Want to get out of here?” I ask.
She would climb in my pocket if she could. Wren’s eyes follow us as I put my hand around Samantha’s waist and guide her out of the theater. It turns out, there is a spot on campus where the kids hook up, and I’m about to get very familiar with the back bleachers of the soccer field.
7
Wren
“He really should work on his core strength. I could probably help him with that,” Isaiah says.
I look over at him, confused. “What?”
He glances at me and then back at the road. “Mark. He seemed to be having some trouble with his footing while you were practicing your dance today. It’s probably because he doesn’t have a strong enough core. I could teach him some exercises that will help with that.”
“Oh. Yeah. That would be nice,” I say. “He’s really… determined.”
It doesn’t even begin to occur to Isaiah that a lack of core strength had absolutely nothing to do with the way Mark was acting during dance rehearsal this afternoon. I don’t know if I should be bothered by that or think it’s sweet. What I can’t stop thinking about is the way Talon reacted. It was immediate and aggressive, but just as quickly as he lashed out, he sent another blast of Arctic chill my way. Maybe I was misinterpreting the entire thing altogether. It’s not like he said anything about Mark or even about the rehearsal. He only cared about the set he was working on and having enough space for it.
And why would he say anything about Mark? My own boyfriend didn’t see anything wrong. The next-door neighbor who seems to barely tolerate my existence certainly wasn’t going to jump to my chivalrous defense.
If nothing else, he seemed all too eager to hurry out of rehearsal with Samantha. As soon as she said practice was over, he forgot all about wanting to spread the backdrop out across the stage. I don’t want to care that he left with her. I don’t care that he left with her. It’s the interference and selfish demands that are bothering me.
“Can I see you Friday night?” Isaiah asks. “Maybe we can catch a movie and do a couple of rounds of mini-golf.”
“Oh. I’d really like to, but my parents said we have some sort of plans. But I’ll call you, and maybe we can plan something for Saturday? You can come up to the shelter and volunteer with me?”
He shudders slightly. “You know how I feel about the dogs,” he says. “Besides, I have indoor track training all afternoon.”
“Yeah,” I nod.
“But, hey. I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
He gives me a playful soft nudge across the center console, and I smile at him.
“Of course. I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
He pulls up in front of my house. “And even better, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll meet you at the flagpole before school.”
“Absolutely,” I smile.
He climbs out of the car and comes around to open my door. I let him take my hand and help me out, then pull me in for a quick hug before he gives me a peck on my lips. Laughter from next door makes us both turn. Samantha and Talon tumble out of the front door. She clings to his shirt and launches forward to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Seems like the two of them sure are getting along,” Isaiah comments.
“It definitely does,” I say. “Maybe hitting a little too close to home.”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
I glance over at him and shake my head.
“Just that she works for his aunt. It just seems like that’s keeping things a little too close. But that’s not my business.”
Samantha walks down the steps and starts down the sidewalk toward where her car is parked in front of Bree’s house. I hadn’t even noticed it there when we drove past. Her eyes catch Talon’s motorcycle parked in the driveway, and she walks over to it. He follows her, any mirth gone from his face.
“I just love your bike,” she says. “I’ve never known anybody who owns his own motorcycle before. Where did you get it?”
I almost laugh at the question. It’s not like anything he says could have any meaning to her. She knows as little about motorcycles as I do. He could say literally anything, and she would believe without question it was some elite bike shop. But this is how Samantha operates. I’ve seen her weave her way into the thoughts of plenty of guys before. At this point, most are eating out of the palm of her hand. But Talon isn’t so easily swayed.
“I built it,” he tells her.
Samantha turns astonished eyes to him. “You built it? Yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, how sexy.”
She leans forward and starts to run her hand along the curve of the bike, but Talon catches her wrist, prying her hand away and dropping it unceremoniously by her side.
“Don’t touch,” he says matter-of-factly.
That would be the moment when I’d think a girl would be offended and walk away. But Talon’s spell holds Samantha hard. She just smiles more, her lashes batting furiously as she slithers her body in his direction. The same hand he just pulled away from the bike comes up to run down his chest.
“Want to give me a ride?” she asks.
“Already did,” he answers, and my stomach flips.
“I mean on your bike,” she purrs.
“No,” he answers without elaboration.
“No?”
“I don’t give rides on my bike,” he tells her, the same way he told me the first time we interacted.
“You can’t make an exception for me?” she asks.
Her voice has taken on a strange, almost simpering tone I haven’t heard her use before. It’s uncomfortable to watch, but at the same time, I can’t turn away.
“No,” Talon says.
“Wren? I need to go.”
I barely even remembered Isaiah is standing here, and I turn to him, nodding. “Sure. Have a good meet tonight.”
“Are you sure you can’t come watch me?” he asks, taking both my hands in his.
“I’m sorry. I have a huge project I have to do for science class, and the only time my lab partner can get online to work on it is this evening. I actually need to be getting inside. She’s supposed to sign on soon. But I’ll be thinking about you and sending you all the good thoughts and luck.”
I smile at him, and it appeases him.
“Well, I’d rather have you there, but with that, I still have much more than anyone else.”
He kisses me on my cheek and walks around to get back in his car. I wave as he drives away, and as I start toward the house, I see Samantha coming across the yard toward me. Talon is nowhere to be seen. I can only imagine during my goodbye with Isaiah, he had his fill of her and went back inside.
“I guess you and Talon hit it off,” I say.