Chapter 21
SADIE
No matter how long I’ve been waking at the crack of dawn, I’ll never get used to it. Some people don’t even require an alarm clock after a while. I’m the one snoozing mine until I’m late. But this morning, I was up before the shrill sound disturbed my peace.
I move around on my tiptoes, careful not to wake Katrina, who is snoring softly.
My phone tells me it’s four thirty, which gives me plenty of time to shower and get ready.
Ten times out of ten, I wouldn’t bother showering before a morning run—I’m getting sweaty within minutes.
But after an entire weekend of Danny seeing me at my worst, I want to look good.
Yep, I’m preening for a guy who I don’t want to date.
I’m such a liar.
I want Danny so badly that it hurts, which also proves I’m a glutton for punishment.
But every time I make a promise to myself to cut down on the time I interact with him, I break that vow.
He’s my weakness, and I don’t even know how I let that happen.
Sneaky little bastard must have slipped through a crack in my barrier when I wasn’t paying attention—or was too distracted by the way he looks.
The bathroom is empty at this ungodly hour.
I’d appreciate the lack of people and take my time if I wasn’t so anxious to finish quickly and head to the library.
I don’t wash my hair, but I do make a point of brushing it until it shines.
I’m about to put it in a ponytail, but in the end, I slip the hair band around my wrist instead. I’ll put it up later.
I have dark circles under my eyes, and I wish I could put some makeup on, but that would be pushing it and beyond ridiculous. I’m already wearing my sexiest workout outfit; I don’t want him to notice I tried hard to look my best.
No matter how many times I repeat in my head that Danny is just a friend, my stomach is twisted in knots the entire drive to our meeting point.
The clock on my dashboard is flashing that it’s five minutes to five, but when I walk over to the building a minute later, I find Danny already standing there, wearing shorts and a snug, long-sleeve shirt.
“Good morning.” He smiles broadly, making his eyes twinkle under the streetlights.
My butterflies decide to wreak havoc in my belly because apparently the knots weren’t enough. Or maybe the damn bugs were the ones that tied my insides in the first place.
“Morning. I can’t believe you beat me here. It’s not even five yet.”
“I was up early.”
“Same,” I reply.
“You didn’t put your hair in a ponytail though.”
He noticed, and that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Dumb girl.
“Eh… I forgot.”
“I like your hair down like that.”
His confession renders me speechless, and a new tension develops between us.
We don’t speak for a while, just stare at each other as if we forgot how to string sentences together.
Quickly, I comb my hair back with my fingers and use the hairband around my wrist to tie it together in a messy ponytail.
Danny clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence. “So, what are the rules of our bet?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I smirk.
He raises an eyebrow. “What’s the matter, Sadie? Are you scared to lose?”
“No, I’m just trying to save you from the humiliation.”
“Aren’t you sweet? So, first and foremost, we need to establish the track.”
“Right. It’s a pretty straight path from here to the practice fields. How about whoever gets there first wins?”
“Sounds good. And what’s the prize for the winner?”
I know Danny is a scholarship student and isn’t swimming in riches, so I’m not going to be a cow and suggest we bet cash.
“How about a favor?”
His lips twist upward. “What kind?”
“It can be anything, but it has to be major, like—”
“Burying a body?” he finishes for me.
“Something like that.”
“Sounds good.”
We stretch first, and I try to ignore the radioactive insects in my tummy. A couple of minutes later, we’re both ready to start.
“On the count of three?” he asks.
I nod, getting into position.
“One, two, three!” he shouts.
We sprint forward, going neck and neck in the beginning.
Danny’s legs are longer, but I compensate by being faster.
However, I know not to use all my gas at the start.
Instead, I save some of my energy for the final stretch.
That allows Danny to take the lead. I’m banking that he’ll tire out and slow down, but it’s possible that strategy will backfire.
The guy is a top athlete, trained by my dad.
I can’t allow the distance between us to increase too much or I’ll never catch up. I push my legs, loving how my muscles protest at first. It’s a sweet pain that will soon fade into the background.
My guess is the distance between the library and fields is around two miles.
I’m far from winded by the time we near it.
When I get a visual of the finish line, I push myself to the limit, propelled by the need to win this race at all costs.
Nothing motivates me more than being at the top.
I hear Danny grunt as I blow past him. I’m tempted to wave, but that type of distraction could cost me.
I don’t want to be like the hare from the story.
I’m a few feet from reaching the wire fence when I sense Danny close behind me. Then, in the final steps, he takes the lead.
No fucking way.
In an act of desperation, I leap, reaching the fence a second before he does. Well, not reaching, more like colliding with it. Danny was too close to me when I jumped in front of him, which results in him crashing against my back and sandwiching me between him and the fence.
My left cheek and my chest take the blunt of the impact. It hurts to the point that I cry out.
“Sadie, what the hell!” Danny steps back and turns me around. “Are you hurt?”
His breathing is coming out in bursts as his frantic eyes search my face.
“Of course I am. You smashed into me.”
He touches my face with the tips of his fingers, making me hold my breath. A shiver runs down my spine from the contact.
“Wh-What are you doing?” I breathe out.
“You’re bleeding.”
He shows me his smeared fingers.
“Blimey.” I touch my cheek, feeling the moisture too. “How bad is it? Do you think I’ll need stitches?”
“Nah. It looks superficial. But we should definitely clean it up properly.”
“Yeah.”
My heart is still racing, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the run or the close proximity to Danny.
“I’m sorry, Sadie.”
“You should be. I won.”
His eyebrows furrow. “That’s not why I’m sorry. And you only won because you cheated.”
“I didn’t cheat,” I retort angrily. “I won the race fair and square.”
“I don’t think jumping in front of your opponent counts as fair and square.”
“You’re just a sore loser,” I grumble, pushing him to the side so I can put some distance between us.
“Oh, I think you’ve got me confused with yourself.” He throws his arm over my shoulders, effectively ruining my plan to get some much-needed space. “Come on. Let’s get that boo-boo taken care of.”
“Don’t tell me you have a first aid kit in your car.”
“Yeah. You don’t?”
“Uh, no.”
“Unwise considering what a klutz you are.”
“I’m not a klutz!” I elbow him in the ribs, hoping to dislodge him from my side. No such luck.
Instead, he laughs and laughs.
“Are you done?” I ask after a while.
“Sure. I concede victory to you. What favor do you want from me?”
I almost say that I want him to stop making fun of me, but that’d be a waste of my winnings. Besides, the deal was for the favor to be something big.
“Don’t know yet.”
“Hmm, we probably should have agreed on an expiration date. I can so picture you knocking on my door fifty years from now, all wrinkled and shit, asking me to help bury the body of someone you killed.”
I try to pretend I’m offended, but I snicker instead. “That could happen. Guess you’ll just have to wait with bated breath until I call to cash in my favor.”
“The anticipation will probably send me to an early grave. Please don’t wait fifty years.”
“I can’t make such a promise.”
He sighs. “You have a mean streak, woman. I thought I was your friend.”
“You’re my friend.”
“I feel sorry for your enemies.”
I shrug. “Unfortunately, I can’t deal with all my enemies like I want to. Society really frowns upon maiming and castrating.”
“Are you referring to Nick Fowler? What did he do yesterday at the gym?”
I tense, not wanting to tell Danny for fear he’ll try to play the knight in shining armor. I don’t want him getting into trouble because of me.
“Nothing worth repeating, Danny. Don’t worry, I can fight my own battles.”
He tenses next to me and then drops his arm from my shoulder. I wanted some space, but now I feel like the distance is more than physical.
“We didn’t think this through,” I say.
“What?”
“We should have left one car parked near the fields.”
“I assumed we’d be running back. I didn’t count on you getting your face slashed by a fence.”
I can tell there’s no real humor in his attempted joke.
“I can still run.”
Danny stops and looks at me. “Shit. You look like an extra from a horror movie.”
I touch my face again, noticing it’s way wetter than before. “Danny! You said the cut was superficial.”
“And it is. But even those bleed a lot.”
“Great.” I stop moving so I can take off my tank top.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think?” I ask mid-motion. “Don’t worry, Danny. I won’t flash you my tits this time. I’m wearing a sports bra.”
I manage to find a piece of fabric that’s not completely drenched in sweat, then use it to dry off my cheek. We resume our trek back to our cars, but the absence of the easy banter feels like a heavy cloud hanging over our heads.
Thirty minutes later, my tank top has soaked up all the blood from the shallow cut, but even so, Danny insists I get it cleaned in his car. I would have protested and insist he do it outside, but rain decides to make an appearance.
Danny is half into his car while I glare at the sky.
“What are you waiting for, Sadie? Get in. You’ll get soaked.”
Grumbling, I circle around the front of the vehicle and slide inside.
“What were you hoping to do? Break into song and start tap dancing over puddles?” he asks.
“Sure, let’s go with that.” I cross my arms over my chest.
Danny leans toward me, making me tense.
He’s just reaching for the glove compartment, dumbass.
“Okay, let’s start with cleaning the wound. This might sting a little.”
He sprays an antiseptic solution on a piece of gauze and taps it to my cheek.
This moment is too intimate, and it’s making me feel all kinds of things.
Like an idiot, I stare right at his face.
His attention is solely on the task, but my heart is racing just the same.
When he pulls back, his eyes meet mine, making breathing much harder than it already was.
“There. All better,” he says in a voice that’s thicker, almost if he’s having trouble drawing air into his lungs as well.
Then his eyes drop to my lips, which part automatically, almost an invitation for a kiss. And God, I do want Danny to kiss me now. I inch closer, allowing myself to get pulled into his orbit. He seems to lean forward too.
This is going to happen, even though it’s so stupid. We’re friends. Friends don’t make out in cars.
At the last second, Danny’s attention moves from my lips to my cheek.
“Oh, crap. You’re bleeding again. We’d better put a Band-Aid over it.”
He grabs a clean strip of gauze and reaches over, but I take it from him. We were a second away from making a huge mistake. I won’t let that happen again.
“I’ll do it.”
I tap my cheek way harsher than Danny did, and then I grab a Band-Aid from his first aid kit myself. Using the passenger mirror, I apply the bandage over the cut, trying my best to ignore the weight of Danny’s stare.
“All right. I’m all patched up. I’d better get going.” I open the door, avoiding making eye contact with him.
“Okay. Sadie?”
“Yeah?” Like an idiot, I look.
Yep. Still want to kiss him.
“Same time tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
Bloody hell. What. Am. I. Doing?
He smiles. “All right. See you later.”
I slip out, ignoring the fact that it’s still raining. In a daze, I walk to my car, and it’s not until I’m behind the steering wheel that I feel the significance of what just happened.
Danny and I almost kissed.
How long until we finally cross the line and everything changes?