Liz just texted our group chat pictures of herself asking our opinions on various swimsuits. She’s excited about our families’ beach trip next week. So texting your best friends to get their opinion should be normal, right? Totally innocent. I mean, she, Jules, and I have been best friends for eight years and have grown up together. We used to have sleepovers together all the time when we were younger. She should be like a sister to me, right?
Hell, no.
Elizabeth Penelope Fairchild is not and has never been just a sister to me. That beautiful, glorious, wonderful, sweet-assed, blond-haired, green-eyed girl has been the love of my life since we were six years old. Since the first time I laid eyes on her. Since the first time me and my brother rescued our princess.
But there’s a problem.
I glance at Ryder. He loves her too. So does my twin brother, Julien. Whoever said that teenage boys were full of rampaging hormones and lust was correct. And all of mine are aimed directly at Liz. My feelings for her keep getting stronger and stronger, year after year, and the only thing holding me back from grabbing her and kissing the shit out her is my friendship with Ryder and my loyalty to my brother. I’m confident that Julien will step aside if I ask him to, so my worry is with Ryder. If I break his trust, if I step over the line and tear apart our tight unit, it might end my friendship with Ryder and hurt Liz. I could lose not one but two of my best friends, so I lock my shit down and keep my mouth shut. It’s hard, especially when I see Liz in all her long-legged, smooth-skinnedglory posing in the smallest bikini I have ever seen with her silky blond hair tied up in the cutest ponytail.Fuck me.
Ryder is already heading out the door when I look up from my phone. Yep. I’ve been staring at her picture in the blue bikini this whole time.
“You coming or what?” he asks me.
“Hell, yeah.”
I know what he’s thinking because it’s exactly what I'm thinking. Our girl barely dressed, prancing around a store where anyone can see her sexy ass. It wouldn’t surprise me if Ryder threw an ankle-length winter coat over her as soon as he sees her. I’ll be the guy buying her the swimsuits because I’m not totally stupid. I’ll get to see her wear them on the beach next week.
Ryder
Jay keeps looking down at his phone on our way to the clothing store which is located four blocks from my dad’s garage. I have a good idea of whom has his attention. I don’t think I’m going to survive next week when all of our families are together in the same house for our beach vacation watching Elizabeth walk around barely clothed in her tiny bathing suits.
I've been thinking a lot about her lately, about us, about Jay and Julien. I feel guilty. I want to ask Elizabeth out. I have for a long time. But I know both of them like her too, especially Jay. I see the way he watches her. The way he can’t seem to not touch her in some way whenever she’s near him. Jay and Julien have known Elizabeth two years longer than I have. They were a tight group of three before I came barging into the picture in third grade.
I remember that first day like it was yesterday. The way Elizabeth stood up for me, teased me, brought me into the group, no questions asked. And I’m glad she did. Jay and Jules became my best friends. They are my brothers from another mother. I would do anything for them. That has included not letting Elizabeth know I have feelings for her. That I want her to be mine.
I’ve tried several times to talk to Jay and Julien about everything. Each and every time, I chicken out like a pansy-assed bitch. I need to though. I need to pull up my big boy pants and man up. I think I’m going to try talking to Jay and Jules tonight after the race. Get it out in the open and see where the chips fall. Since I haven’t actively pursued Elizabeth, nor have I gone behind their backs, they shouldn’t be upset at me. I hope.Shit. I don’t know.
“Heard Elijah’s racing tonight,” I tell Jayson.
Fallon, a guy I know from Highland High, told me about it yesterday when he came to the garage. Elijah is on the swim team for Highland High. We first met him three years ago when he was going to Highland Middle and swam against Jayson. He started coming to the Fields last year to race his Yamaha WR250R. We suspect the real reason he comes out is to see Elizabeth. Well, he can take a ticket and wait in the back of the line.
“I’ll keep my eye on him and make sure he stays away from Liz,” Jayson growls, not looking up from his phone.
“You know distracted walking is against the law.”
He turns his phone off. “You’re shitting me. Really?”
My grin gives me away. Jay is too easy to mess with and will believe anything I tell him. I don’t take that for granted. That trust was built on years and years of loyalty and friendship. Which makes it even more imperative for me to talk to him and Julien tonight about my feelings for Elizabeth.
We approach the store and immediately see Maria through the large glass windows. She watches us walking up to open the door of the store. Her eyes go wide, and she runs off toward the back. That girl is so weird.
Before we open the door to enter, I stop Jay with my hand to his shoulder. “Hey. There’s something I've been wanting to talk to you about. Julien too. Mind if we meet up at my house after the race?”
Jayson’s mouth thins as he considers what it could be that I would want to speak with both him and his brother about. He gives a curt nod at me.
“Yeah, man. Whatever you need. We’ll be there.”
We enter the store to find our girl. After seeing the pictures she texted, I have an impulsive need to throw a blanket over her and whisk her away so no one else can see her bikini-clad body. Maria rushes out from the dressing room area with Elizabeth right behind her. God, Elizabeth is beautiful. Blond hair swinging. Long legs encased in frayed blue jeans shorts, toenails painted pink. Gorgeous green eyes sparkling.
“What are you guys doing here? I thought you were at the garage. We were about to head over.”
Elizabeth
We arrive at the Fields right after sunset. You would think it would be too dark to race motorbikes, but several years ago pole lights were placed in to light up the dirt track. The clustered lights on each pole illuminate the track so brightly it’s almost like they’re racing in the daytime. Ryder is scheduled to race first. I don’t know how they set up the schedule, but things here tend to run like a smooth circuit race even though it’s a bunch of kids racing their bikes and cars for their own personal enjoyment and not taking it too seriously. I tend to get nervous jitters when I watch Ryder race. As good as Ryder is, watching him makes me both want to puke with anxiety and cheer my guts out with pride.
As we near the Fields, I look behind us to see Mitch's truck. Jayson and Julien are riding with their dad, and I'll be going home with them after the races. Currently, I'm riding with Ryder in his dad’s Dodge Ram crew cab long bed that's carrying Ryder’s bike, an old KTM he and his dad modified. Maria said she would get her older brother, Samuel, to bring her out. She texted a few minutes ago and said they were on their way.
The Fields is a place for the kids in town to let loose and have fun. Racing bikes and cars can be dangerous, so it’s surprising how many parents support it and join in. I guess they figure kids our age will find trouble wherever, so at least this is one place they don’t have to worry too much, since many of the parents attend along with some of the local law enforcement from our county.
