Seven
The reports start rolling in for the storm in the early morning.
At first, it looks like it’ll pass us by, and all we’ll get is some heavy rain and strong winds. But by mid-afternoon, the updates change and it’s clear that it’s heading right for us. We’re told to stay home, batten down the hatches and pray for the best.
I’m halfway through my shift at the diner. Sienna and a few of the other servers are ushering customers out, while I’m helping Hal secure the place. There’s only so much we can do. The building’s old, and nowhere is a hundred percent storm-proof. I can see the worry all over Hal’s face.
“That’s probably the best we’re gonna get,” he announces after a few minutes. “You all better head home before this thing hits.”
We all grab our things, tug our hoods over our heads. The rain’s already started. It’s pouring right now, but we know it’s only gonna get worse. I tighten April’s raincoat around her, zipping it up all the way to her chin.
“Ready to head home and wait this out, kiddo?” I ask.
She nods, clutching her backpack to her chest.
I smile, pat down my pockets to make sure I’ve got everything, but stop dead when I realize I’m missing one crucial thing: keys. Where the hell are my keys? I retrace my steps, try to remember the last time I saw them, and the only place I can think of is back at school. I put them in my gym locker right before heading out to the basketball courts. I must have missed them when I cleared it out after class.
Sienna rushes past me, busy gathering her stuff. I grab her arm, stealing her attention. “I left my keys at school.”
Her face drops. “Shit. What are you gonna do?”
I gnaw on my bottom lip, mentally working out if I can make it there and back in time. “I’ll go get them. It’ll only take me ten minutes.”
“But, Oakley, the storm—”
“I’ll be back before it hits,” I assure her. Letting my eyes drift over to April, I lower my voice. “Would you mind—”
Sienna rests a hand on my shoulder. “Of course I’ll wait with her. But if you’re not back in ten minutes, then I’ll take her to my place. You can meet us there, okay?”
I nod. “Thank you.”
“Go.”
With a kiss on April’s forehead and a promise to be back soon, I leave the diner, braving the downpour outside.
I pull my hood down lower, but my face still gets pelted with rain regardless. It’s so heavy, I can barely see where I’m going. There’s hardly anyone outside, just a few stragglers running to get somewhere dry. And then there’s me, the idiot who forgot his keys. I mentally chastise myself, cursing at my forgetfulness.
In my defense, I’ve had a rough couple of days and my mind has been all over the place.
After the argument with Asher yesterday and his little gesture afterwards, I haven’t heard a thing from him. I’ve passed him in the halls, even had a couple of classes with him. But, he hasn’t said one word to me. He hasn’t even messed with me, not like I thought he would. I figured he’d at least tease me about my injury, maybe make me thank him for the wraps and ice packs like the smug asshole he is. But, no.
The most I’ve gotten from him is the looks he kept sending my way during gym class. Of course, every time I looked back at him, he’d already diverted his attention somewhere else. But, I felt his eyes on me. I know I did. And after we showered and headed back into the locker room, he was lingering near my locker, looking like he wanted to say something. I waited for him to, almost welcomed it, but he just turned around and walked the other way. It was… weird, to say the least.
I make it to the school in less than five minutes. Thankfully, somebody left the back door to the athletic department unlocked so I slip inside, letting it slam shut behind me, the sound echoing through the empty hall. I stand still for a moment, taking in the quiet, the shadows lurking at the corners. When the lights above my head flicker, I take that as my cue to get moving. With the storm moving in, we’ll lose power pretty soon, and I don’t wanna be here when that happens.
I enter the locker room and find the one I was using before. I stop as soon as I get the door open, heart thumping hard when I hear a noise from behind me. I dart my head around, scanning my surroundings from left to right, but see nothing. Then, I almost jump out of my skin when a loud bang sounds from the other side of the room. Hand to my chest, I breathe a sigh of relief as I realize it was just a tree branch knocking into the window.
Bringing my attention back to the task at hand, I find my keys in the locker, right where I thought they’d be. How I managed to miss them the first time, I don’t know. I snatch them up, tuck them into my pocket and book it toward the door. Only when I get there, it’s locked. I jiggle the handle, slap my hand against the surface a few times, but it’s no use. I’m stuck.
“Going somewhere, Farrow?”
I freeze, my insides crashing together. I feel that deep voice of his all over me, sweeping over my skin, sending shivers down my spine. Slowly, I turn around. Asher’s leaning against a bank of lockers, arms crossed over his broad chest, looking entirely unfazed about the situation we’ve found ourselves in. That’s when it clicks.
“You locked the door,” I murmur, brows drawn together. “And my keys. You hid them, that’s what you were doing near my locker after class.” He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, neither confirming nor denying. But, I know it’s the truth. “Why?”
He pushes off of the lockers, taking a measured step toward me. “Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“I wanted to see how your ribs were doing.”
My frown deepens. “You wanted me to come back here… just so you could ask me about my ribs?”
He stops, clears his throat. “That’s right.”
“But… why?”
After our last conversation, he made it pretty obvious that he doesn’t give a shit. In fact, he actually used those exact words himself. Why go through all of this effort, if he didn’t care? I don’t understand.
And it looks like he doesn’t entirely understand it, either.
He rolls his lips between his teeth and darts his gaze away. Is he… uncomfortable? Then another thought occurs to me, one that fills me with both fear and anger: is he stalling for time?
“What’s really going on here?” I ask, voice tight. “Is this another one of your pranks? Lure me here in the middle of the storm and… what? Lock me in here all night by myself? Steal my clothes so I have to walk home in some shitty outfit from the lost and found?” My tone lowers, a touch of vulnerability creeping in without my consent. “Hurt me worse than I already am?”
“What are you talking about?” he asks, sounding genuinely confused. I have to hand it to him, he’s a good actor. He actually looks confused. But, I’m not buying it.
“Come on, Asher. How dumb do you think I am? I know a set-up when I see one.”
“Wait, I—”
“So, are your buddies on their way? Or are they already here, just waiting for your signal to come out?”
“Stop. This isn’t a fucking set-up, alright? I just— I…”
He looks away again, huffing out a breath. The fact that he can’t even give me a solid reason why he brought me here is confirmation enough.
“Unlock the door,” I tell him, voice completely devoid of all emotion.
“Oakley, just wait a minute. Please.”
I can’t wait a minute. Any patience I possess has evaporated into thin air, leaving only rage behind. “I said, open the fucking door, Asher.”
We stare at each other for a beat, the air thick with tension. It’s really coming down outside now. The skies are dark, the rain’s pelting the window and thunder booms in the distance. When he doesn’t move, I lunge at him, knocking him back a couple of steps. He rights his footing quickly, before rushing at me with the same aggression, shoving me back into a locker. Hard. He pins me against the metal surface, his hard body caging me in. I try to fight him off, to break free from his hold, but it’s impossible.
The lights flicker then die, plunging us into darkness. Neither of us seem to care. We’re both too busy breathing hard, glaring at each other with murder in our eyes. The short distance between us crackles with electricity. I try my hardest to ignore it, channeling my anger instead.
“What are you gonna do, huh? Hit me? Is that what you want?” He doesn’t say anything, just keeps staring at me, a muscle jumping in his clenched jaw. “Do it, then. I don’t even care anymore. You wanna hurt me? You wanna make yourself feel better? Just fucking do it.” Every emotion I’ve felt over the last year battles its way to the surface; grief, loneliness, anger, sadness, fear, hurt… lust. They’re all there, a lethal combination turning me into a ticking time bomb, only seconds away from detonating. “Do it,” I scream.
Asher lifts his fist in the air, clenches it. I stop breathing, try to prepare myself for the blow that’s heading my way. But then… he throws it to the side of my head instead, hitting the locker door I’m pushed up against, the sound of the connection reverberating in my ears. His head hangs between his shoulders, his breath leaving him in ragged pants.
“I brought you here because I— because…” His words trail off as he looks back up.
Another crack of thunder, the air between us full of… something. Whatever it is, it’s stifling, stealing the breath right out of my lungs. It makes my skin burn, sends sparks all the way from my fingers to my toes.
He’s quiet for a beat, then he lunges forward, smashing his mouth against mine.