Riptide (2 page)

CHAPTER
3

~TRYSTAN~

The rest of the day passed
sluggishly
. The clock seemed to
tic
slower, like it was stuck in tar. Trystan leaned back in his seat after taking a
verbal beating for being late, l
ike it mattered. He was out of there in a few months. These last few weeks were fluff, filled with busy work. Trystan hated busy work. It was a waste of time. He’d rather have a test than do another bunch of worksheets and endless essays.

Trystan’s
mind drifted back to Mari, the way her lips felt against his. Trystan got that far off look in his eye and totally missed that someone was talking to him.

“Mr. Scott, will you please share with the class your thoughts on the matter.” The teacher was already beyond irritated with him today.

Trystan straightened in his seat like he was going to answer, but after a moment, he smil
ed sheepishly and shrugged.
“I’m sorry Ms. D’
M
iagmo, but I don’t know.” There were a few sniggers from the girls behind him, but Trystan ig
nored
them. He also ignored Brie. H
er gaze
was burning
a hole into the side of his face.

“Mr. Scott, please take this class seriously or I will ask you to leave. You must have an opinion on the matter, and since opinions aren’t right or wrong, I want to hear yours.” She arched a gray eyebrow at him and folded her arms over her chest. The
woman could have been a school
marm. She just needed a wooden ruler and permission to beat kids over the head with it.

Trystan smiled at her, but knew it was pointless
to try and get any sympathy
.
D’Miagmo
had it in for him. There were some teachers that decided on day one that they didn’t like him. He had no idea why, but there was always one teacher who thought he had an easy life and needed to be taught a less
on. Ms. D’Miagmo was that teacher.

Trystan opened his mouth, but Brie cut him off, “Ms.
D’Miagmo
, I think it’s obvious that Trystan feels uncomfortable answering this question because of his religion. Isn’t it against school policy to discuss faith issues in the classroom anyway?” She flipped her
golden
hair over her shoulder and blinked her big blue eyes at the teacher.

Ms.
D’Miagmo
sucked in air through her nose
like a horse
. Now Brie was in the line of fire. “Brie dear, and what religion does Trystan practice that he can’t discuss this matter?”

Brie looked up from her nail like she was thinking about getting a manicure. “He’s
a conservative
Baptist,” she said with utter
certainty
, and then added, “and everyone else here is Catholic or Jewish so it’s not right to press him on this. Faith issues aren’t open for debate in public school.”

The teacher arched an eyebrow at Trystan. “So let me get this straight? You can’t discuss women’s rights because it makes you uncomfortable
…
because of your religion?”

Trystan smiled once like he was un
comfortable and nodded, “Yes, I don’t want
a pack of rabid women
to
attack me in t
he hallway
because you forced my
conservative
beliefs out of me.”

D’Miagmo
looked like she might cry…
or scream.
She looked down her nose at Trystan, not breathing or blinking. Trystan couldn’t tell if she was having an aneurism, and
had never been so glad to hear the bell ring. Trystan
knew not to stay another second. Scooping up his books,
he
bolted for the door, but Brie was right behind him.
Trystan pushed his way into the crowded halls.

“Don’t I get a thank you?”
Brie
said, chasing him down the hall.

Trystan wove through the crowd, stopping at his locker. He didn’t look at Brie
. Gripping the lock, Trystan
spun the dial, and opened the
metal door. “W
hat
for
? You made me look like a sexist jerk.
Some crazy chick is
going
peg me with a stile
tto in the parking lot later, you
know.” He tossed in his books and slammed the door shut.

Brie grabbed Trystan’s arm, and twisted him toward her. “Nah, a woman likes to be owned som
etimes. If you were handing out..
.”
her voice trailed off.

At that moment, Seth rounded the corner. Trystan’s shoulders tensed at the sight of him. Brie stopped talking and turned around to see what made Trystan respond that way. “What the hell was that?”
Her gaze followed Seth, noticing an equally tense look from Trystan’s best friend.

“Nothing,” Trystan said after Seth passed. They both glared at each other like old enemies. It made Trystan’s guts twist. Why couldn’t Seth be happy for him? Why’d he have to hate Mari so much?

Brie muttered,
“Could have fooled me.” When Trystan didn’t respond, Brie stepped in front of him. “Well, I just wanted to say that
rehearsal
yesterday was fun. I’m looking forward to it later.” She wrapped her lips around each word, saying them with such a sexy voice that Trystan forgot to glare after Seth.

Instead his head snapped back toward Brie, eyes wide.
“What?” he tried to step away from her, but Brie had other plans.

She lifted her hands and draped them over his shoulders, playing with the hair at the base of his neck. “I know that kiss yesterday was real, and it’s okay. I’m willing to pretend
that we’re not into each other, but I know the truth.
”

Trystan
shook her off. “What are you t
alking about? That was acting and n
othing more.”

Brie’s ruby lips pulled into a smile that said she disagreed. “I know what’s real and what isn’t, and I’m saying it’s okay. We don’t have to let anyone know.” She winked at him before turning on her heel, “It’ll be our little secret. See you later.”

With that she was sauntering away from him, her hips swaying as she walked. The bell rang and several guys just stood there, staring at Brie’s ass
as she walked down the hall
. Trystan stepped back and leaned against the row of lockers, slamming his head against them. She
thought it was real;
she thought that kiss was hers. Crap. Brie had the
potential
to make
nothing look like a whole lot of
something.
Trystan
took a deep br
eath and decided to deal with the fallout
when it came. There was no point in trying to figure out what move Brie was going to
make next
. He’d have to wait and deal with it then.

CHAPTER
4

~MARI~

Trystan
lay
in my arms on the old couch. It was
the
last period
of the day
. We both managed to sneak away and meet in the basement before practice. The stage above was empty. I touched Trystan’s hair lightly
,
pulling my fingers back
,
over and over again. His hair felt like silk.

“That’s
nice,” he said sounding a little sedate. Trystan seemed like he was running on fumes lately, like he hadn’t slept well in weeks.

I smiled softly at him, touching my hand to his cheek. “Can I ask you something?”

He looked up at
me
,
and
a playful smile twisted his lips. “What could you possibly want to know? I’ve told you about every stupid thing
I’ve ever done.” He laughed, “A
nd for some reason, you love me anyway.”

Hearing the wor
d was new. Mari wanted to say
love
as freely, but it stuck in her throat.
Give it time
, she reminded herself.
This is all new
. “Yes, I do. And I always will.
I’m good like that.
” My fingers stilled as I looked straight ahead.

Trystan felt the tension and took my hand in his. Stroking my palm with his thumb he said, “Ask me anything. I’m yours Mari.”

Heart beating rapidly,
I
looked down at him. It wasn’t something
that I wanted to ask
him, but it had to be done. “Trystan, I’m so glad today went the way it did. I mean, I couldn’t have dreamed something like this would ever happen, but I’m not sure my friends or family will understand—or approve. It’s not you, it’s me, and it’s selfish. I can’t tell them about us. Not yet.” My
tongue
felt like cotton as it crashed into my teeth, making my words sound harsher than I’d intended.

Trystan lifted his hand and ran his fingers gently along my cheek, making my stomach flip. “Anything you want. If you don’t want to tell anyone, don’t.
I told you already and I meant it. We can keep this
a secret, Mari. That’s fine with me.”

“You’re not mad?”

Trystan laughed. Looking into her eyes, he said, “Mad? How could I possibly be mad? My dream girl is holding me in her lap
, s
he
steals kisses, and she’s so beautiful
that
I can barely breathe when I’m around her. This is a dream for me, Mari. I’ll do anything to be around you, to let me love you.” As he spoke
,
his fingers tangled in my hair and he pulled me down for a brief kiss.

Everything about him made me feel like I could fly. My stomach lifted inside of me as my heart raced faster. His kiss was so soft and so hot at the same time. He pulled away before I was done, leaving me wanting more.

Trystan looked up at me.
“It’s a secret until you say otherwise. Okay?”

I nodded about to say something else when the door above us scraped open. Trystan
jumped up and shot across the room. Trystan
slumped back in the tattered old chair he frequented and dangled a leg over the arm like he’d been there all along. The click of female shoes
descended
the stairs and I knew it was her before Brie rou
nded the corner
.

“Hey losers,” she said, grinning at Trystan. Brie glanced at me once, her gaze sliding over my outfit
l
ike she thought I was a fashion nightmare. “Cutting? Really Trystan, and this close to graduation?” She folded her slender arms across her
ample chest, “And you kept the
thing
with you.”

Have I mentioned that I hated Brie? Bristling, I retorted, “
Nice to see you too
,
granny panties
.”

Trystan snorted a
surprised laugh. Brie glared
like she wanted to kill me with her eyeballs. If she was a robot, Chinese stars would have flown out of her
pupils
and sliced my head off.
“Don’t you have
somewhere to be, you little leech? No
body wants you here. They just pity you
,
and humor Tucker
,
so they can graduate.” She glanced at Trystan, but his expression remained impassive. I wondered if he wanted to punch Brie in the face. The thought made my fist clench. I didn’t notice until my nails bit into my palm.

Trystan glanced at me for a second. His eyes were light, but the set of his lips let me know he was seething underneath. I shook my head carefully, so Brie wouldn’t see. If he defended me now,
everyone would know about us
. I had to keep a secret. If my parents found out, I was toast. They’d lock me in my room for eternity.

Trystan’s brow lifted ever so slightly as he regarded Brie
.
“If you’re planning on starting a cat fight, let me
run and get a few of the guys.” He grinned wickedly at her and leaned forward like he was serious.

Brie’s face
contorted
and she laughed one short burst, “As if I’d waste my time pounding Mary. Get real.”

Before I could say anything else, Trystan cut me off, “Then why are you down here?”

Her ruby lips pulled up into a seductive smile, “I already told you. The bell’s about to ring and I thought that we could practice the second act
,
alone
,
before everyone got here.” Her voice dripped with sexuality, as she walked toward him.

I’m sure flames erupted from my ears, but my lips were locked. My fists balled harder, my nails cutting through my palm.

Trystan grinned at her, and tilted his head to the side as if he were admiring her. That was going to take getting used to. If no one knew we were dating, every single girl in the school would still be throwing
themselves
at him. If they knew he was dating someone, the normal girls would back off.

Brie wasn’t normal. She was a no-holds barred kind of girl and wanted what she wanted. What I didn’t understand was why she was hitting on Trystan like this. I mean, she has a boyfriend.

When Trystan ans
wered, his voice was playful. “Thanks, but I a
lready practiced it with Mari.” He jumped out of his seat and stretched his hands over his head, which caused his dark tee shirt to hike up and reveal his flat stomach.
It felt like I
fell down a mine shaft
, my heart jumped up into my throat as I hyperventilated
. I stared. I couldn’t help it. Trystan was hot and he was mine. As the thought drifted across my mind, a smile drifted across my face.

Trystan said, “Meet you upstairs,” and walked away from Brie. He winked at me as he passed, his sapphire eyes glittering.

Brie stood there with her hands on her hips, watching him take the stairs two at a time. When she turned back to me, her smile turned rancid. “You need to stay the hell away from him, bitch. Do you understand me?”

The butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach moments ago were blasted away by Brie’s words. While
Brie
was rank, she’d never confronted me like that before. I tried to act like she didn’t bother me. Still sl
ouching back into the couch with my feet ki
cked up onto the coffee table
,
I
asked, “Or what?
Or Tucker won’t pass Trystan. I bet h
e’d be real
grateful
if you arranged that for him.”

Brie stood in front of the table with her hands on her hips before her boot crashed into the cheap wood. It jarred my legs from the table top, jolting me upright on the couch. “You listen to me and listen good. You’ve be
en getting in my way, and d
on’t think I haven’t noticed, because I have. Whatever you
think
you have going on,” she wa
ved her finger in a circle, indicating all of me, “isn’t working out for me. So stop, or you’ll find yourself somewhere you don’t want to be.” Her eyebrows lifted as she cocked her head, making her earrings sway along with her golden hair.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, I gaped at her. Was she serious? Brie ruined people, but it was through rumors and carefully making their lives miserable. What could she do to me? At the same time, this didn’t sound like that kind of threat. I wanted to stand up and punch her in the face. Everything she did, everything from the way she acted like she owned the school to the way she assum
ed she could claim Trystan when
ever she wanted
, pissed me off
. Something inside my
brain
snapped. That fist that I’d been holding
launched
from my lap and pulled me to my feet
, as it made a bee
line for Brie’s
perfect nose. When my fist and her nose
collided there was a crunch
followed by a deafening
shriek.

Brie’s hands flew to her face as she screamed, “You
heinous
bitch!” Before
Brie
could do anything else, she turned and fled, running up the m
etal stairs as fast as her high-
heeled shoes would
carry
her.

I stared at my fist in horror and pressed my eyes closed. I
sat
back
down on
the couch and leaned forward, burying my face in my hands. What have I done? As if I wasn’t in for it before, Brie
will
kill me now. I’d be a smudge on the sidewalk by this time tomorrow. I punched her. I cracked her nose.

Noise filled the stairwell overhead and multiple pairs of shoes
descended
in rapid thumps like they were running. Katie’s voice rang out, “I leave you alone for two
periods
and you punch Brie in the face?”

“I’m sorry?” I
said
, almost apologetically
, looking up surprised to see her
.
“What are you doing here?”

Katie laughed, “
What am I doing here? Saving your ass. Brie was ranting at the top her lungs to Tucker. I was passing by and heard her say your name, so I stuck my head in. He’s coming. Sound sorry.
And n
ext time you
break
Brie’s nose, I
b
etter be there to see. We could have
had this up on YouTube. With that shriek, it would have gone viral.”

“Oh God, don’t say that.” Panic was setting in. It wasn’t until then that I noticed the owner of the second set of feet.

Mr. Tucker stood behind Katie with his arms folded across his chest.
Neither of us realized he was standing there.
Katie turned slowly, like the girl about to get killed in a horror movie.

Tucker
breathed
, “Get out.” Katie nodded like a dashboard dog and ran up t
he stairs without looking back.
Before I could e
xplain, Tucker said, “You too, g
et out. I don’t want to see you on set
again
.”

“Mr. Tucker, let me explain.”

“Explain what? That we’re
days
away from a show and you broke my lead’s nose. And for what? Because she was mean to you? Ah, I’ve got some news for you
, Mar
i
—get over it! You take everything to heart. You always have. Brie’s Brie. She
’s
got thorns around other girls, I know. I see it, but you don’t see anyone else punching her in the face, do you?” He sighed deeply, his face returning to a normal color and shook his head. “What’s with you kids today? It must be a full moon. Scott attacks his best friend and now yo
u. You, out of all people, picked
today to throw a punch.” He breathed deeply as he looked down, his fingers pinching his nose.

“Mr. Tucker…”

“I don’t want to hear it. Just go, Mari.”

It never fails. When something totally awesome happens, something equally bad blindsides me.