CHAPTER 08 - Bryan Trevor
Before you, I was nothing, I was nothing, I had nothing
I only had
A kiss, a touch, a song that made me cry
And all the drugs I used, they never made me feel better
Than the first time we met
The first time – Damiano David
I toss the stone and it skips across the water three times before sinking.
I pick up another one—smaller, flatter—and this time it skips five times before vanishing into the water.
The lake stretches out before me, exactly as I remember it, and my chest aches with the memories that started flooding back the moment I sat down and leaned against the tree trunk.
In the same place where we met.
Where we shared our first kiss.
Where we spent hour after hour together.
Where, beneath the leaves and under the full moon, we gave ourselves to each other.
This is where I first looked into her eyes.
Where I realized her smile was the light my life had been missing.
Noah was always light.
I was darkness.
Yet when we found each other, we fit together perfectly.
I close my eyes and I can see her arriving, shy at first, then gradually opening up around Tessa. The moment I saw her, I knew she wasn’t from my world—not because of the expensive clothes or the perfectly styled hair, but because of the innocence in her gaze, and the raw pain in her eyes.
Still, I wanted her—wanted her so badly that I walked over.
I hear my friends introducing themselves to someone while I’m buttoning my jeans, and it strikes me as odd since, as far as I know, we didn’t invite any strangers. I head back, and when I spot my friends, I see a redheaded girl sitting next to Tessa.
I watch her carefully, but it doesn’t take long to figure out I don’t know her and she’s probably not from our side.
Her hair is loose, a fiery orange-red.
Her skin is pale, and for some reason I can’t explain, I want to touch it.
She looks completely out of place, and the shy smile she gives my friends tells me she shouldn’t be here.
I had no intention of sticking around. I’m not in the mood to hear how resigned they all are to the mediocre lives they lead in this hellhole, and besides, I need to figure out how to buy food for the rest of the week.
My last savings ran out at dinner, and now I desperately need to figure out where my next paycheck is coming from—Colton, the owner of the bar where I picked up shifts as a waiter, fired me because he had to shut the place down.
But with each step I take toward them, my curiosity only grows.
“We’ve got a newcomer and nobody told me?” I ask, making my presence known, and the face that had been looking down lifts to meet my gaze.
Her eyes are an intense blue, just like mine, but it’s not the color that holds me.
It’s the emptiness screaming inside them.
The silent emptiness that most people wouldn’t even notice, but that I can’t ignore because it’s the same one I see when I look in the mirror.
My whole body shivers at the intensity we share in just a few seconds, and my heart races in a way it never has before.
“This is Noah,” Tessa introduces, but I don’t look away when she speaks, especially not when Noah gives me a shy half-smile.
“New to town?” I ask, tearing my eyes away from her and the sensations swirling around me.
I sit down next to my brother, and she shakes her head.
I arch an eyebrow, trying to figure out what the hell she’s doing here with us.
“She lives on the other side.” I frown when I hear Lauren’s answer. “I already said we don’t want trouble with those people,” our friend adds.
“Nobody’s going to know she came here.” Tessa rolls her eyes.
“I hope so,” I respond, taking the cigarette Hailey offers me.
When I bring it to my lips and light it, I see Noah frown as she watches me take a drag. She doesn’t hide her discomfort, and for some reason I can’t explain, I smile.
A small, crooked smile.
A mix of provocation and interest, but she doesn’t hold my gaze and soon pretends there’s something interesting on the ground. But I keep studying her.
I want to know more about her, and I have no idea why.
“As I was saying before pretty boy here showed up and interrupted,” Travis picks up the conversation again, “I plan to keep working at my garage.” He announces what we all already expected while rolling a joint. “It’s not much, but I refuse to work for the big shots.”
“They’d never want you anyway, with tattoos up to your eyeballs,” Hailey teases, shoving Travis’s shoulder.
Tessa rolls her eyes.
“I’d rather die than get involved with those people,” my brother says. “They’re a bunch of sons of bitches,” he grunts, then looks at the new girl. “Sorry, Noah, but that’s what they are to me.”
“You're not lying,” she says shyly, and I notice everyone's surprised by her words.
“What? Just because I live there doesn't mean I have to pretend it's paradise.” She shrugs.
“My parents are extremely strict. If they find out I left the house, they'd beat me so bad I couldn't walk for a month—and they'd lock me in the attic without food.”
“We need to be careful, or this time they'll leave you in there forever,” Tessa adds, her voice angry.
“They've locked you in the attic before?” I ask, rage rising through my veins at the thought of someone keeping her trapped like that.
“Twenty-four hours because I scored an eight on an assignment they said was too easy to mess up.”
“That's fucked up!” Travis grumbles, and she flashes a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. “Your life sounds horrible, so you want a hit of this joint to take the edge off?” He holds out the joint and Noah eyes it hesitantly.
She's clearly curious and tempted to accept, but fear shows on her face.
“No!” I answer before she does something crazy and pays for it later. Everyone stares at me. “She doesn't want to!”
“And how do you know she doesn't want to?” Hailey asks, arching an eyebrow.
“Because she knows there'll be consequences if she comes home high,” I reply, staring at Noah. “And just like us, you don't want trouble, right?” I ask, and she nods slowly.
“He's right,” Tessa agrees, backing me up. “You've never smoked, and you won't know how to hide it if you run into your parents when you get back.”
“Maybe next time?” she says, smiling at Travis, and I clench my jaw.
No way in hell is she using that shit!
I stand up, crush the cigarette I was smoking, and move toward her, positioning myself in front of her.
“Come on.” I offer my hand when she gives me a confused look.
“Where to?”
“Hang out by the lake for a bit, or your clothes are going to smell like weed,” I say, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. She looks at Tessa.
“He's trustworthy, but you need to be back home in an hour,” our friend reminds her, and only then does the girl take my hand.
The touch of her skin is light and soft, yet a shock runs through every inch of my body. I automatically search for her gaze, and from the way she looks at me, I believe she felt it too.
There's no way I'm the only one who felt that.
My entire body reacts in a way it never has before as I lead her away from the group, never letting go of her fingers. The noise around us fades, and soon we reach the edge of the lake.
We sit on the larger rock—my favorite spot when I come here alone to think. I pick up some small pebbles beside me and toss them into the water, making them skip a few times before they sink.
“You didn't tell me your name.” Her sweet voice pulls my attention from the water.
I turn to face her and try to pretend the closeness of our bodies isn't short-circuiting my brain.
What the hell!
It's only been a few minutes since I met her, and I already want to pull her into my arms.
“Bryan,” I reply, and she smiles. “Bryan Trevor.”
“Nice name.” She avoids my gaze and stares at the lake. I do the same.
“Where do you go to school?” I ask, curious to learn more about her.
“At home,” she murmurs. “My parents won't let me go to school outside the house, so I don't mix with the wrong people.”
“Then you shouldn't be here,” I warn, trying to be rational, even though the last thing I want is for her to leave my side.
“No, I shouldn't, but tomorrow they'll probably find a reason to beat me anyway, so at least I'll have memories of tonight to hold onto while I endure the pain.”
“What memories? Did something special happen?”
“For me, just being able to breathe somewhere else, meet new people, and talk with a stranger by the lake—that's already something really special.”
“They don't let you go out?” I ask, trying to understand, already feeling rage pulsing through me.
“Not without them,” she replies, and I can't imagine being trapped inside a house, only going out with my mother. “Thank you for not letting me smoke. For a moment I wanted to feel light and forget about things for a while, but they'd kill me if they found out.”
“Some things aren't worth the risk,” I say, unsure if I'm saying it for her or for myself. “You don't need the drugs, and you definitely don't need another beating,” I add.
“How do you do that?” she asks, picking up a rock and throwing it into the water with so much force that it sinks immediately. “Because clearly I can't.” She laughs, embarrassed.
I know this is her way of making it clear she doesn't want to talk about her parents anymore, and I decide to drop the subject.
“You need to hold the stone sideways, kind of tilted,” I explain, picking up a new stone. “The secret is getting it to spin as it leaves your hand.”
“And how do I do that?” she asks, frowning, and I smile at the confusion on her face.
“With your wrist.” I take her hand. “When you're about to throw, you need to give it a quick flick.” I demonstrate so she can see how it works. “After the flick, you release it low, close to the water.”
“So it's not about force?”
“No. It's more technique than force,” I say with a slight smile. “Let's try.” I move a little closer, and following my instructions, she throws it into the lake.
The stone only skips once, but she still looks at me with a huge smile and practically bounces in her seat.
Fuck, I'm screwed!