Where the Road Takes Me
Page 10
“You got customers, asshole,” Josh said from behind me.
Blake’s eyes moved slowly from me to the front desk, where a family was waiting for service. When his gaze returned to me, he winked. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you around, Chloe.”
Josh was right. During the six-hour shift, I barely saw Blake. Not until the lanes closed and we shut the doors to prepare for cleanup. As soon as the front entrance was locked, music filled my ears. Then I felt the heat of a body behind me. “This is when the fun begins.” Blake.
I turned to him to ask what he meant, but he just smirked. He reached for a broom and handed it to me. “Cleanup time,” he said.
I was two swipes of the broom in when the electricity cut out and the bowling alley fell into pitch-black darkness. The music was still playing, though. Blake’s laugh from behind me caught me off guard. Then Josh’s howl echoed through the building.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
I felt Blake’s hand on the small of my back, and then his fingers skimmed my waist. “Come on,” he said quietly into my ear. His lips brushed against my cheek, then he pulled away and found my hand holding the broom. “Drop it.” The huskiness in his voice made me quiver.
I did as he asked. As it fell to the floor, he laced his fingers through mine. The touch was light but enough to make my head spin. The music stopped. A lone, dim light flicked on, illuminating the middle of the lanes. The song started again. Louder this time. The bass thumped, rattling the objects around us. He started to walk, pulling me with him. His hand grasped mine tighter with every step.
Josh appeared in one of the lit-up lanes, two skateboards in hand. “Come on, Hunter!” he shouted over the music. “Let’s show off for New Girl.”
“I have a name!” I yelled back.
“Yeah!” Josh responded. “And it’s not Abby!”
My gasp was stupidly loud. I turned to Blake, but all I could see was his silhouette towering over me. “You told him?”
He squeezed my hand once. “You did lie to me. I had to check your resume, make sure you weren’t lying about anything else.”
“You checked my resume?” I wasn’t sure if I was pissed or amused.
He laughed. “I’m just fucking with you, Chloe.”
I pulled my hand out of his grasp when I was able to see where I was going. I didn’t want him to think that it was okay to do things like that. Not now that we were going to have to see a lot more of each other, at least for the next three months, until graduation.
Josh dropped the skateboard in front of me. “Show us what you got, princess.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I took in our surroundings. My eyes landed back on Josh. “Um. No?”
“What, are you scared?”
“What?”
Blake went over and stood next to him, arms crossed. It made his shoulders look even broader than they already were. Josh mimicked his pose. “Yeah,” Blake teased. “Quit being a girl.”
“Oh my God.” A small giggle escaped. “You guys are idiots.” I turned and started walking away, but firm hands gripped my shoulders, holding me back.
“Stay,” Blake murmured into my ear. “I promise I’ll be nice.”
I froze, determined to push down the feelings that arose when he was this close.
With his arm around my shoulders, he sat us down on the chairs surrounding the ball return. “Just watch,” he told me.
Josh—he was kind of amazing with a skateboard. I didn’t know shit about skateboarding, but I knew enough to realize that he wasn’t doing everyday-kid-in-a-skate-park stuff. I ignored the fact that I was sure what he was doing wasn’t allowed. Skating on and between the lanes, grinding against the gutters, down the ball return machine, using his skateboard as a bowling ball and trying to knock down pins—I knew he could be fired in seconds—probably me, too, just for watching. But it felt familiar to me, watching him like this. Like he, too, needed a place to escape. A reason to leave the world behind and just feel free.
“You want to try?” Blake asked. I turned to find him staring at me. I wondered how long he’d been watching, but I didn’t ask, just got on my feet and pulled my shirt down as far as it would go. Turned out there were no larger sizes, so I was stuck with my whore-size shirt until the manager could order me a new one.
Blake licked his lips and stood up. His eyes were pleading. I didn’t know what for.
“Fine.”
He grinned. “Yeah?”
“I’m warning you. I’ll suck.”
“At least you’ll try,” he replied, taking my hand again.
And I let him.
“You suck!” he shouted as I passed him, wobbling from side to side.
I laughed. “I told you I would!”
He jogged up next to me and held my hips, helping me balance. Well, that was what I thought, until he jumped on the board, too. His legs were on either side of mine, and his fingers moved higher and curled around my waist. “It’s easy,” he said into my ear. “It’s all about balance, moving your body with the board.”
We were heading straight for a wall. “Whoa.” Panic set in, and I started to fall.
He laughed and gripped me tighter. “You’re fine. I got you. Just sway your body with mine, okay? We’ll go slow.”
I closed my eyes and let him take control. He pressed his body into mine; I followed his lead and moved forward. I felt us turning around. Feeling it was safe enough, I opened my eyes. A low laugh bubbled out of me. “It feels like we’re flying.” I tilted my head up and looked at him.
“Yeah,” he replied, “it really does.” He smiled, but his eyes were distant. Lost in another world.
Then the music cut off. Blake’s foot screeched against the floor, and he came to an abrupt stop. But the skateboard and I didn’t. “Shit!” we yelled at the same time. Then I was airborne. He gripped my waist more firmly and pulled me back, my legs flailing up in the air for a moment as the skateboard rolled on. I was just catching my balance when I looked up and noticed Josh behind the desk.
“What’s up?” Josh’s voice echoed. He was on his phone. “I’m on my way,” he said, a note of panic clearly detectable in his voice. He looked over at us. Blake’s hands were still on my waist.
“Hunter, man . . . I gotta jet. Tommy’s in the emergency room.”
Blake dropped his hands. “Dude, go!”
Then Josh was off, searching his pockets as he ran to the exit. “Fuck.” He stopped and turned back to us. “I skated here.” His voice broke, as though he was on the verge of tears.
Blake’s eyes moved slowly from me to the front desk, where a family was waiting for service. When his gaze returned to me, he winked. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you around, Chloe.”
Josh was right. During the six-hour shift, I barely saw Blake. Not until the lanes closed and we shut the doors to prepare for cleanup. As soon as the front entrance was locked, music filled my ears. Then I felt the heat of a body behind me. “This is when the fun begins.” Blake.
I turned to him to ask what he meant, but he just smirked. He reached for a broom and handed it to me. “Cleanup time,” he said.
I was two swipes of the broom in when the electricity cut out and the bowling alley fell into pitch-black darkness. The music was still playing, though. Blake’s laugh from behind me caught me off guard. Then Josh’s howl echoed through the building.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
I felt Blake’s hand on the small of my back, and then his fingers skimmed my waist. “Come on,” he said quietly into my ear. His lips brushed against my cheek, then he pulled away and found my hand holding the broom. “Drop it.” The huskiness in his voice made me quiver.
I did as he asked. As it fell to the floor, he laced his fingers through mine. The touch was light but enough to make my head spin. The music stopped. A lone, dim light flicked on, illuminating the middle of the lanes. The song started again. Louder this time. The bass thumped, rattling the objects around us. He started to walk, pulling me with him. His hand grasped mine tighter with every step.
Josh appeared in one of the lit-up lanes, two skateboards in hand. “Come on, Hunter!” he shouted over the music. “Let’s show off for New Girl.”
“I have a name!” I yelled back.
“Yeah!” Josh responded. “And it’s not Abby!”
My gasp was stupidly loud. I turned to Blake, but all I could see was his silhouette towering over me. “You told him?”
He squeezed my hand once. “You did lie to me. I had to check your resume, make sure you weren’t lying about anything else.”
“You checked my resume?” I wasn’t sure if I was pissed or amused.
He laughed. “I’m just fucking with you, Chloe.”
I pulled my hand out of his grasp when I was able to see where I was going. I didn’t want him to think that it was okay to do things like that. Not now that we were going to have to see a lot more of each other, at least for the next three months, until graduation.
Josh dropped the skateboard in front of me. “Show us what you got, princess.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I took in our surroundings. My eyes landed back on Josh. “Um. No?”
“What, are you scared?”
“What?”
Blake went over and stood next to him, arms crossed. It made his shoulders look even broader than they already were. Josh mimicked his pose. “Yeah,” Blake teased. “Quit being a girl.”
“Oh my God.” A small giggle escaped. “You guys are idiots.” I turned and started walking away, but firm hands gripped my shoulders, holding me back.
“Stay,” Blake murmured into my ear. “I promise I’ll be nice.”
I froze, determined to push down the feelings that arose when he was this close.
With his arm around my shoulders, he sat us down on the chairs surrounding the ball return. “Just watch,” he told me.
Josh—he was kind of amazing with a skateboard. I didn’t know shit about skateboarding, but I knew enough to realize that he wasn’t doing everyday-kid-in-a-skate-park stuff. I ignored the fact that I was sure what he was doing wasn’t allowed. Skating on and between the lanes, grinding against the gutters, down the ball return machine, using his skateboard as a bowling ball and trying to knock down pins—I knew he could be fired in seconds—probably me, too, just for watching. But it felt familiar to me, watching him like this. Like he, too, needed a place to escape. A reason to leave the world behind and just feel free.
“You want to try?” Blake asked. I turned to find him staring at me. I wondered how long he’d been watching, but I didn’t ask, just got on my feet and pulled my shirt down as far as it would go. Turned out there were no larger sizes, so I was stuck with my whore-size shirt until the manager could order me a new one.
Blake licked his lips and stood up. His eyes were pleading. I didn’t know what for.
“Fine.”
He grinned. “Yeah?”
“I’m warning you. I’ll suck.”
“At least you’ll try,” he replied, taking my hand again.
And I let him.
“You suck!” he shouted as I passed him, wobbling from side to side.
I laughed. “I told you I would!”
He jogged up next to me and held my hips, helping me balance. Well, that was what I thought, until he jumped on the board, too. His legs were on either side of mine, and his fingers moved higher and curled around my waist. “It’s easy,” he said into my ear. “It’s all about balance, moving your body with the board.”
We were heading straight for a wall. “Whoa.” Panic set in, and I started to fall.
He laughed and gripped me tighter. “You’re fine. I got you. Just sway your body with mine, okay? We’ll go slow.”
I closed my eyes and let him take control. He pressed his body into mine; I followed his lead and moved forward. I felt us turning around. Feeling it was safe enough, I opened my eyes. A low laugh bubbled out of me. “It feels like we’re flying.” I tilted my head up and looked at him.
“Yeah,” he replied, “it really does.” He smiled, but his eyes were distant. Lost in another world.
Then the music cut off. Blake’s foot screeched against the floor, and he came to an abrupt stop. But the skateboard and I didn’t. “Shit!” we yelled at the same time. Then I was airborne. He gripped my waist more firmly and pulled me back, my legs flailing up in the air for a moment as the skateboard rolled on. I was just catching my balance when I looked up and noticed Josh behind the desk.
“What’s up?” Josh’s voice echoed. He was on his phone. “I’m on my way,” he said, a note of panic clearly detectable in his voice. He looked over at us. Blake’s hands were still on my waist.
“Hunter, man . . . I gotta jet. Tommy’s in the emergency room.”
Blake dropped his hands. “Dude, go!”
Then Josh was off, searching his pockets as he ran to the exit. “Fuck.” He stopped and turned back to us. “I skated here.” His voice broke, as though he was on the verge of tears.
