TILLY
“Come on,Tilly! It’s not even that cold!”
I ignore Lacey’s shrill plea and continue to stand on the dock. She’s lying. I can tell by the blue hue of her lips as they bob just above the water. The lake is a couple of inches short of six feet deep over here, but she’s so small, it’s no surprise she’s struggling to keep her body floating while the boys are standing on their toes.
Her short hair is plastered to her forehead, dripping into her eyes while she continues to splash around, grinning. I cock a hip and lower my hand to hold it, watching as Ash swims up to her and threatens to dunk her under the water. She giggles so loud it makes me wince before swatting at my brother’s chest. His answering chuckle is so freaking gross.
“We’re just friends,” he told me when I asked about why he was always inviting her to hang out with us. “Aren’t you guys friends too?”
I still don’t have a real answer to that question yet. Are we friends? Real ones? She seems to think so. Maybe I should just give in and becomebestieswith her. I’d fit in more that way.
“You’re being a dud, Tills,” Shade shouts, beckoning me over with a wave of his hand.
When I was thirteen, I swore I had a crush on Shade, but the older we’ve gotten, the clearer it’s gotten that I don’t. He’s always flirting with our classmates and spraying way too much body spray at his locker. Then, there’s his whole obsession with art. I don’t think it’s possible for him to love a girl when he’s so focused on his sketchbook.
It’s like the cowboys with . . . well, their cowboy shit. There’s no time for girls with them unless all you want is to fool around in the bed of a dirty truck on a back road. Even then, they’d be covered in dirt and horse shit from working all day and probably lazy too. I’ve never cared much about my virginity, but I know that’s not how I’d want to lose it.
That’s not for me. I’ve actually gottaste. It’s not like I’d entertain the idea of a cowboy ever. Totally ew.
“You’re just going to dunk me,” I argue, despite the fact that I’ve already started wrapping my hair into a bun on the top of my head in preparation.
Walking to the edge of the dock, I risk a look at the grey eyes of the guy silently watching me. Rowe Carrigan is silent and broody, but I think I like that about him. Plus, he’s the only person who hasn’t tried to get me into the water today.
Maybe he’s actually been paying attention to me all these years. Enough to know that I don’t like peer pressure, at least. I love swimming and lake days, but I always wait until everyone else has worn out some of their energy before joining them. If I don’t, I’m always the first one dunked, and I hate water in my eyes almost as much as when it goes up my nose.
I lower myself to the edge of the dock and stretch to dip my toes into the water before shooting a look at Lacey. “I knew you were lying. It’s freezing.”
“It’s always freezing,” Ash groans, splashing a shot of water at me.
It splatters over my exposed stomach, and I glare. “You’re going to get it.”
“Ooooh, I’m so scared of the girl who won’t even get in!” he taunts, waving his hands like a weirdo.
Lacey splashes him, drawing his attention from me. I release a breath and drag my toes through the water, getting used to the subtle bite of cold. Truly, it’s not that bad. It’s August, and the summer has been a scorcher.
“Have I ever told you how hot you’ve gotten this year, Tills?” Shade asks, his attempt at flirting with me hitting a wall when I roll my eyes.
“I hate when you call me that.”
“Why? Tilly is so boring.”
I stare at him with my face scrunched with annoyance and head shaking slightly. “You only swappedoneletter, genius.”
“Yeah, and I think it’s better like that.”
“And I’d like you better if you cut your hair. It looks like a mop on your head,” I shoot back.
He moves his head side to side, shaking his wet, long black hair out like a dog. His grin is feral as he howls, as if he read my mind. I cringe, leaning back and away from the spray. Rowe finally intervenes, fisting Shade’s hair and shoving him beneath the water.
I let a smile break out on my face and clap in approval. “Finally, some peace and quiet.”
Rowe’s expression takes on a smug hue when he finally releases Shade. The troublemaker bursts out of the water, blowing some out of his mouth like a fountain before going for the guy beside him. Rowe’s ready for him, and once Shade reaches out to try and grab him, they’re wrestling.
I almost feel bad for Shade. Rowe’s the biggest guy in our grade and has a glare that, if he ever turned it on me, would probably make me piss myself. It doesn’t even look like it takes any effort for him to shove Shade away and push him under the water again. A laugh escapes me before I can trap it, and he whips a look over at me, the corner of his lips twitching.
“How long should I hold him under for, hellcat?”
I tilt my head, humming. For some reason, that name has never annoyed me.
