Endgame Romance, page 23
His gaze is stricken but steady.
Parrish isn’t going to give up. Neither am I. But what to do?
“We should go pick GG up,” I remark, and Parrish huffs. He stands up straight, pursing his lips into a line. He knows we can’t talk freely here.
We need—and I hate to say this—to go hiking.
We need to find a remote trail, and walk it together, so that we can talk somewhere without Justin’s eager ears listening in.
“Don’t worry: I already have a plan,” Parrish murmurs, rubbing at his chin. He takes off, snatching my hand in his and dragging me along with him. I stumble a bit but manage to find my feet.
All the while, my brain cooks up more possible headlines for this disaster.
The Goddess of True Crime Shacked Up with a Real-life Killer: is Paul Vanguard the Seattle Slayer?
Multiple things occur to me in that moment: whether Paul is framed as the Slayer, or Justin is revealed for who he is, does it matter?
The headlines would be nearly the same.
Either way, our family is humiliated and ruined.
Either way, Tess married the Slayer. Either way, the Slayer is my father figure in one way or another.
What a clusterfuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck.
“This whole world is cursed,” I grumble, forcing a more pleasant expression to my face. Whatever Parrish has in mind won’t be helped if I’m over here looking like an internet troll without anonymity, you know what I mean? Hideous. That’s what I’m saying. I can’t be holding onto a hideous expression.
“Let me take care of this.” Parrish releases my hand and lifts a single finger. “Stay here and don’t move.” He slips into the solarium. Yeah, this house has a solarium, too. That, and an indoor gardener whose full-time job is based around the plants inside of it.
I wait just outside the glass doors, doing my best not to pace around.
But holy shit.
Attack launched, Justin. I see you. Now what?
I’m reminded of that almost ethereal night where I gamed with all three boys, ate red licorice, and kicked their collective asses. I’d thought I was unhappy then? That was bliss, pure bliss compared to all of this.
Anyway, I remember my character sitting in the attic, waiting for Maxx’s alien avatar to find me so I could spring my trap. But when that didn’t work, I came up with a backup plan.
Is that what this is? Justin’s backup plan? Or was he planning on framing Paul regardless of whether he died in the fire that night?
This shit is sinister. I can practically hear “I’m The Villain In My Own Story” from the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend playing. I mean, I am not the villain, Justin is. But I can still hear the song in my head. I can’t control my inner dork, not even in life-threatening situations.
Parrish reappears a short time later, car keys in hand.
“Let’s go,” he whispers, heading for the garage door at warp-speed. I chase after him, following him into the cavernous space and noting the multitude of expensive cars parked within. He moves over to the one on the far end, some silver Lexus sedan thing, that he unlocks and climbs into. He glances my way when he sees that I’m just standing there. “Get in before it’s too late.”
“What about Tess?” I ask, but Parrish just wets his lips and glances away.
“Laverne gave me permission to go. Let them fight about it later. It’s not our problem anymore.” He starts the car, and I hurry around to the other side to hop in. I’ve just barely got the door closed when he hits a button, opens the garage door behind us, and backs out like he’s a professional race car driver.
“What about me?” I ask as Parrish heads around the circular drive, and we take off for the front gate. “I can’t just leave.”
“I told Laverne we were heading to the country club to see Chasm; she knows you’re with me.” He pauses the car briefly, waiting for the front gate to slide open automatically, and off we go. “Shoot Tess a text right now, and then turn your phone off.”
It feels … deceitful.
But if we’d asked Tess? Her answer would’ve been a resounding no. I’m actually trying to help her here, I really am.
“I haven’t had a chance to text Danyella about the bunny yet,” I explain, but Parrish just shakes his head.
“She knows we’re coming; I already talked to her this morning.”
He shifts gears, and we rocket down the road at a much faster speed than is certainly legal. Then again, what does he care? The cops in this town are like private security for the rich folks who live here, and we’re driving Laverne’s car. Nobody will stop us.
“You talked to her?” I ask.
“I did. Lumen, too.”
I try and fail not to be at least a little jealous.
Parrish picks up on that, and his lips twitch in bemusement.
“Don’t worry about me and Lumen: you’re my only and everything.”
I just stare at him.
“Only and everything? You can’t say things like that,” I whisper, flushing from head to toe.
“Why not? We’re in this deep, aren’t we? Your dad kidnapped me; you saved my life; we had a threesome. Hell, I told Tess. What would happen if we broke up? Things would be awkward.”
“Meaning what?” I ask, simultaneously wishing he’d stop talking and also that he’d keep going. I want to hear more, more, more of this.
“We’ll just have to stay together—forever.” He shrugs his shoulders like it’s nothing, but I’m left completely starstruck. I know it’s not possible to guess what the future will hold, nor do I think many high school relationships last, but … some do.
What’s the harm in believing anyway?
I slump back in the sumptuous leather seat, fingers digging into the legs of my sweatpants.
The fire restoration crew told Tess that they can probably save some of Parrish’s and my clothes; everyone else’s might be toast, but they’ll try. The closer to the fire, the less chance of saving them. Of course, they can’t fix what was entirely burned up.
For now, I’ll just count my lucky stars that Maxx was at the house when he wasn’t supposed to be. He totally fucked up Justin’s plans.
We arrive a short time later at Danyella’s place. It occurs to me that I’ve never seen Lumen’s house. I’m sure it’s in town—which isn’t very big—but where? Why did we never go there?
The pair of us climb out, just in time for Maxx to pull his orange Jeep Gladiator onto the drive behind us. I didn’t text them, so this is on Parrish, too. It’s nice, having him back; he thinks of everything.
“I’ve got a hutch set up and ready to go,” Chas tells me, sliding his hands into dark jeans and looking me over in such a way that his gaze sets fire to my heart, my soul, and my loins.
Wait. Did I just use the word loins? Who does that? What is my life, an eighties bodice ripper novel with Fabio on the cover? Gross.
“Did you know carrots aren’t healthy for rabbits?” Maxx asks, shaking his head. He’s decked out in expensive athleisure, as he often is. Sweatpants and kicks, and a muscle tank. The sun catches on the curvature of his biceps, making my—yeah, fine, let’s just call it as it is—loins quiver.
Heh. Quivering loins. I guess if I wrote books, I might write them a little differently than Tess.
“They aren’t supposed to have them more than once a week,” he adds, offering me up the cutest smile known to humankind. Once again, yeah, it’s the loins. It’s always the loins.
“I … did not know that,” I admit as Parrish leads the way to the front door. He knocks once and then opens it, sweeping in like he owns the place.
Danyella intercepts us in the kitchen, wearing a hot pink shirt that matches those fabulous glasses of hers. It reads There Will Be Drama—This is the Theater, Darling! on the front, and it pairs well with her white Lululemon leggings and pale pink tennies. It almost looks like … but no.
She couldn’t possibly be gearing up for a hike, could she?
“GG’s a sweetie pie,” Danyella tells us, planting her hands on her hips. Her braided hair is gathered into a high ponytail, and she’s got her usual half-stern expression on her face. It’s almost like I never burned down the theater and ruined the careful production of Wicked she’d been working on all year.
It’s almost like she never turned her back on me and let Lumen and the other girls bully me. Almost, almost, almost.
But shit, I miss her so bad that I don’t care about any of that.
“The vet says he’s about a year old, and she prescribed some orchard grass and fresh veggies. We tried bell peppers this morning, and he seemed to like that.” She sighs briefly and looks over at me. “Shall we go?”
“Where are we off to?” I ask, but Danyella just smiles. Parrish smiles. Chasm and Maxx smile.
“You’ll see, Naekkeo. We’re starting off your summer the Pac Northwestern Way—with a hike.” Chas raises his brows at me, and I gape.
“It’s all taken care of,” Parrish tells me, stepping forward and sliding both my Tess-phone and my Maxine-cum-Justin phone from my back pockets. Also, he kind of, sort of gropes my ass as he does it.
Let’s just say it together now: loins, loins, loins.
He tosses the phones on the table, and the others do the same.
Dump the tech, baby.
The only way to outsmart a tech bro is to go full rogue.
At this point, if I have to become a wilderness expert to beat Justin Prior, I’ll do it.
Game on.
We meet Lumen at the trailhead, piling out of Maxx’s Jeep together and finding her waiting. While Danyella is done up in pinks today, Lumen has a bright yellow top on, gray hiking pants, and brown boots that look like they’ve never seen a day in the dirt.
“I am so ready for this,” she says, forcing a terrified-looking grimace to her face. “How many miles to the falls?”
“Only about four,” Maxx tells us, smiling as he turns to me. Everyone looks at me, actually, pausing as if they’re waiting for something.
When Maxine steps out from behind the large wooden sign that marks the beginning of the trail, I’m floored.
“Baby sister,” she says, and I gape at her. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you. I’ve been wanting to hike with you for years; this is basically a dream come true for me.”
I just stare back at her, fighting back stupid tears. I can’t cry, not right now. In this moment, everything is good, everything is happy. Even if there’s a moat of shit on all sides, I can appreciate this single, perfect instance.
That’s what life is about, appreciating the small things. The distant trickle of a creek, the way the air smells of pine and fresh growth, the filtered sunlight through the trees, the press of good company.
“I’ve gone hiking with you before,” I mumble, but Maxine just raises her brows, her brunette hair in two braids, an old t-shirt paired with her favorite hiking pants and ratty old boots. She’s had them resoled two times and swears by them.
“For a half mile—at best.” She softens her expression slightly and moves toward me, pausing just in front of me. “I know something is going on, Kota. You can do your best to hide and hurt all on your own, but it’s written all over your pretty face.” She reaches out to touch my cheek, but I push her hand away.
“Maxine—”
“No.” She puts her finger to my lips and shakes her head. “I am the big sister. I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you, and I’ve done a pretty shit job at that. I’m coming, and I’m going to pry your worries out, even if I have to use a stick.” She marches past me, heading for the trail as I struggle between two warring emotions.
Joy, at being able to see her and spend time with her.
And terror. Pure, undiluted terror.
“I packed you a water bottle and some snacks,” Maxx tells me, coming up beside me and putting his hand on my lower back. I look up at him, and he smiles. “If I have to, I’ll carry you on my back again, and you can tell me all about how you’re no longer a virgin.”
I kick him in the back of the leg as he passes by, but he just chuckles and continues on into the trees, following after Maxine.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Lumen grumbles, offering me up an apologetic smile. I can’t forget that she let her friends—no, encouraged them more like—to beat me up. I also can’t forget that I set the theater on fire, smashed the window of my BMW birthday present using my mother’s prized typewriter, and slept with my sister’s ex-boyfriend.
We all do what we have to in order to survive.
“Hiking. Yay.” Chasm makes faux jazz hands, and sighs, looking over at me for moral support. “I’ve never hiked a day in my life.”
“You’ll survive,” Parrish quips as Danyella hesitates briefly and sets off with the others.
I follow along with the other two boys behind me, and we set a brisk but doable pace. By doable, I mean my gamer ass is dripping sweat, and Chasm is snickering at me.
“Pick it up, slacker!” he calls out, walking backward as Parrish strolls behind me like he’s on the runway, this loose, easy swagger that belies his true fatigue. He can’t hide the sweat on his own forehead, not even when he scowls at his bestie.
“I was kidnapped and cut up, and I’m still recovering you piss-ant little shit,” he growls out, and Chas snorts, still walking backward until he nearly trips over a tree root, and Maxx has to catch his arm to keep him from tumbling into the creek.
“Pay attention to the trail, dipshit,” he says as I jog to catch up with the others. The incline is too steep for me to talk while I walk—yeah, I am breathing that hard—but even though I know why we’re here, I just have to admire the scenery.
Lush green ferns dipped in dew, protected from the sun by soaring trees. Most of them are evergreens, but there are deciduous species mixed in, abloom and bright with color. On our left is a creek that still has a bit of water in it, and bird song is our only companion on the trail beside our own footfalls and heavy breathing.
This close to the monstrous metropolitan beast that is Seattle, a lot of the trails are overcrowded now. Today, this one for whatever reason, is blessedly empty. I only saw two cars in the parking lot earlier which is a huge surprise. We did drive over an hour to get here, but still. I’m thankful for the relative solitude.
When I start to flag a bit, Maxx takes my sweaty hand in his own, gripping it tight, and we turn to look at each other. There’s a moment there where everything else falls away, and I find myself so impossibly in love with him that I can’t breathe.
Then I remember that Maxine is here, too, and try to pull my hand back.
“No.” He says that with every ounce of domineering authority that he usually tries to hide.
See, here’s how it goes.
Chasm is a true asshole on the inside, one that tries his absolute best to be nice; it takes effort. Parrish is the opposite, a soft-hearted boy who fights to put up shields against the world. Maxx is a morally upright and devoutly loyal alpha-hole who does his best to squash his bossy urges.
I blink back at him as he hauls me up the trail beside him, and I have to half-jog to keep up.
“No?” I query, trying to keep my voice low. I’m sure they can all hear me anyway, what with how quiet it is out here.
“No, you’re not going to run or hide from this. You and me,” he starts, wetting his lips and looking past me toward Maxine’s back. She’s trying to give me some space because she doesn’t understand what’s going on, but I wish I were walking beside her and chatting like nothing ever happened between us. “You and me, we’re not a shameful thing, Kota. I …” Here he lets out a ragged laugh, swiping his free hand down his face.
Did I mention that he isn’t sweating at all?
This motocrossing athlete son of a bitch …
“I love you too much to act like I’m sorry this happened.” He stops suddenly which, you know, causes everyone else to stop, Parrish and Chasm watching us from my left as I turn to face Maxx and he does the same. Danyella, Lumen, and, of course, my sister are staring back at us from just up the trail. X looks me right in the eyes, making it impossible for me to turn away. “And in a way, I’m grateful that it did.”
“We’re supposed to be taking care of business here, not marinating hormones in the summer sun,” Parrish quips, moving past us as if he doesn’t care. But he does. He’s still jealous, even if he hasn’t said as much.
X rolls his eyes, but he turns and off we go.
I can’t seem to stop thinking about his words as we walk.
“I love you too much to act like I’m sorry this happened.”
Maxine doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even seem bothered, but she must be, right?
I put the issue aside as we continue along the four-mile stretch, winding through the woods and up, up, up. Eventually, the trail turns into wooden stairs carved into the hill, and we’re scrambling over rocks and small streams.
Thankfully, Maxx is there all the way, helping me along just like the last time we went hiking together. I liked everything about him then, the way he packed water and snacks, took care of my ankle, and carried me on his back. This time, I’m almost, sort of allowed to like him, and it feels good.
He keeps my hand in his, assisting me along the cliff’s edge. It’s a bit scary, pebbles and rocks slipping out from beneath our shoes and tumbling down the hill. When X pauses, I do the same, turning to look at a majestic view of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It stretches out before us in sweeps and dramatic rises, covered in trees and kissing the fog.
“Oh, wow,” I breathe out, this feeling of being so small, yet a part of something so much bigger, taking over me.
“This is why I hike,” Maxx whispers in my ear, and I shiver. It’s not cold out, not really, especially not after walking so far, but we all know that isn’t why I was shivering. We continue on, until we’re sitting beside the waters of Bridal Veil falls on a fallen log carved out like a bench.
