as I protest. “Unless it’s to become mobsters, I don’t see anything appropriate with being stuffed in a trunk.”
They pivot, each still holding one of my hands, and walk outside, bringing me with them. As we exit, we’re greeted by spirited yells from about ten other people, a mix of guys and girls congregated in the circular drive. The guys let me go as we all walk down the front steps and join the group.
High fives are given out between the boys, and I smile at the few girls hanging together. Grey laughs loudly with his back to me, and my patience runs out. I reach out and push Liam’s shoulder, but he looks down, unmoving, and blows me a kiss.
“Okay. Where are we going? You guys are the worst.”
Grey turns around quickly and holds out a plastic machete, the kind from a Halloween store painted with blood.
“You’re gonna need this.”
“What the fuck?”
The motorcycle I’m planted on kicks up, making me squeeze my arms tighter around Liam’s waist. We speed past Grey’s scowling face as I blow him a kiss into the air. Grey was so pissed when everyone loaded up and I spotted Liam’s sleek black Ducati. There was no way in hell that I wasn’t riding on the back of this beauty.
He revs again, and my thighs squeeze around him in reaction to the delicious vibration buzzing in all the right places. I can feel him laugh at me, but as my body relaxes, his hand leaves one of the handles and presses my thigh back into his strong leg. It’s only for a minute, and then his hand is back on the handle, but it’s enough to get my attention. Everywhere.
Jesus, Donovan. My errant thoughts have me burying my face into his back, slightly embarrassed by the way my body likes this bike and the boy on it.
Everything’s felt raw, like an exposed wire, since the lake house. We agreed to go back to us, no overthinking, but sex ruins the best of intentions. I’ve noticed their interest. It’s deeper than the first week when I thought all the flirtations would end up as background noise to the soundtrack of our friendship. Then I thought our flirtation had morphed into a kind of language we speak, but the more the boys said, the more I now realize how na?ve I was being. I like them. And I am wholly unready to fall in love with Grey and Liam, but that’s what I’m scared is happening.
Liam motions with his hand, pointing toward the movie theater marquis ahead of us, and I nod as my hair whips at the ends. The guys explained that every October first, this movie theater opens a haunted maze that ends inside the theatre, where you can watch a marathon of horror movies. “Amazing” and “epic” were the words used to describe the experience. I’m not convinced. I feel like it’s going to be more “terrifying” and “traumatic” for me. Apparently, it’s been their tradition since freshman year, and now that I’m back, it’s my tradition too.
Lucky me.
We slow to a stop, and I bring my hands to Liam’s back, patting a beat out on his broad shoulders as he puts the kickstand down. I hike my leg over, stepping down gently, feeling like Jell-O as I smile and reach for the chinstrap on my helmet.
“That was amazing. Thanks for the ride, Johnny.”
His eyes cut to mine. “Who the fuck is Johnny?”
“Oh my God. Grease. Well, Grease 2.” He stares back at me blankly. “You know, T-birds, Pink Ladies? Nothing?”
Liam walks around his bike, taking both our helmets to secure them on the bike, and bends to kiss my cheek just as Grey walks up. “Why does she look like that?”
“I don’t know, she’s talking about pink birds and grease.”
Grey’s hand takes its place on the back of my neck under my hair as I slap at Liam’s stomach.
“She is right here. And Grease is a movie classic. How can you say you’ve even lived?”
Liam laughs but ignores me as we walk toward the line at the roped-off entrance that’s draped in black fabric, causing my heart to start beating faster. What sounds like a bunch of recorded screams and creepy squeaking doors comes from speakers set around us. My fingers find my bracelet, and I see Grey raise an amused brow. Maybe I can escape out of the first exit and bail? They’ll never know. I cringe to myself, suddenly remembering I meant