I watch him go, feeling my lips tingle at his touch.
“He’s gonna look back, I know it,” Emerson teases. “I got twenty on it.”
He isn’t wrong. Apollo glances back, and his eyes connect with mine. I can only think one thing as my heart flutters and I smile at him: That man is going to break my heart.
Emerson throws his arm over my shoulder. “We need food first, dollface. I’m thinking fries and ice cream.”
As he leads me to the parking lot, I laugh and agree. We’re almost to Emerson’s car when I see a guy leaning against it.
“Who is that?” I ask, and Emerson looks up.
“Oh shit,” he says quietly, and I feel him grab my forearm. “Just, um, be cool.”
We keep walking to the car, and the guy that’s leaning against his car pushes off and smiles at us. He’s big like Apollo, but leaner. He’s got on a tight T-shirt with the school's swimming logo on it.
“You must be Celeste,” he says as he tucks his hands in his jeans. The motion is meant to look casual, but there’s nothing about him that’s casual. “I’m Shy.”
“Ironic, isn’t it,” Emerson snips as he tries to move in front of me. “Excuse us, we’re late.”
“Come on, Emerson. I’m not here to cause trouble.”
Emerson pauses and cocks his head to the side. “Tell it to the judge. Now if you don’t get off of my car, I’m going to call the cops.”
Shy holds his hands up and backs away, but a smile still tugs at his lips. “No offense, I just need a moment with the lady.”
Emerson looks hesitant and like he’s weighing his options. I see the same thing. If he lets me talk to him, this will be over quickly. If he puts up a fight, it could escalate beyond what he wants to deal with. After a second, he sighs and backs away.
“I’ll be right here when you’re ready to go,” Emerson says and narrows his eyes on Shy.
“Walk with me,” he says as he steps between Emerson and me. He doesn’t look up as he keeps on walking toward the courtyard near the school.
I decide to get whatever this is over with. “What can I do for you, Shy?” No need to play dumb. I’m not one to beat around the bush.
“Direct. I like that.” He smirks as he comes to a stop and faces me. “I can see why Crew likes it too.”
“What do you want?” I say, more sternly this time, crossing my arms over my chest. It’s a mistake because Shy’s eyes zero in on my cleavage.
“I’m here to offer a friendly warning,” he says, his voice calm and cool.
“All right then, let’s have it.” For some reason I feel like I’ve called on my mom's no-bullshit attitude because I’m much more nervous than I’m letting on.
“Watch your back with the Crews. You have no idea what kind of family you’re getting mixed up in.” The only thing I feel is confused as he looks around and then back to me. “You don’t know them, and you don’t know the whole story.”
“I think I know enough to decide for myself.” I start to take a step back, and he reaches for my forearm.
“Wait,” he says, his voice firm, and my feet root to the ground. I look at where his hand is holding on to me, and he drops it. “Your friend over there can say whatever he wants about me, but I know the truth about Craven Cove’s royal family.”
“Which is?” I press my lips together, hating that this guy is giving me any reason to distrust Apollo.
Shy leans back and gives me a casual smile like he hasn’t just dropped a bomb between us. “You’re an outsider just like me, Celeste. The best thing you can do is keep your head down and stay away from the Crews. Graduate from this place and get the hell off this island.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that,” I say before turning around and going to Emerson’s car.
“Oh, and Celeste,” Shy calls, and I stop to look over my shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”
Chapter Twelve
Apollo
It’s a lot later than I’d planned on leaving the match, thanks to my dad. He kept introducing me to people and donors to the school. Every time I tried to make my escape, his hand would come up to my shoulder and squeeze. Then the next thing I knew someone new was there to say hello.
Sometimes I feel like his fucking show pony, and I’m so done with it. I know that my dad cares about me and that he has his reasons for keeping up these appearances, but I’ve only got a few more months under his thumb and then I’m out of here. My scholarship is because of my hard work and not out of his wallet. I’ve got my own money that was left to me by my grandfather, so it’s not like I’m dependent on him. Maybe my dad is seeing this in the future and he’s doing what he can to keep his hold on me.
“Yo, Crew, you’re late.” Jackson sees me in the driveway of his house and comes out to meet me.
The place is packed, and Jackson is out front, making sure people aren’t hanging around and getting the cops called on us. Not that they’d do anything if they came. It would just be a pain in the ass discussion with my dad about responsibility, and I’m not in the mood.
“I know, sorry I’m late. Where’s my girl?”
“She’s by the pool with Emerson.” He holds out a bottle of water for me, knowing I’m not drinking. “Hey, is everything okay with your dad?” Jackson and I have been friends since pre-K, and he knows just how my dad can be.
“Yeah, just making sure I smile pretty for the cameras.”
“Only nine months to go.” He holds his beer out, and I tap my bottle of water to it.
“See ya,” I call over my shoulder as I head up the steps.
“Hang on,” Jackson says, and I pause. “Just a heads up, I saw Shy talking to Celeste today.”
“What?” I feel heat climb the back of my neck.
I can probably count on one hand the number of conversations I’ve had with Shy, but he’s always been in my periphery. He’s on the swim team, so we don’t necessarily run in the same circles, but I know he got a scholarship to State too. There’s something about him that sets my teeth on edge, but I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the way he watches me out of the corner of his eyes, but I get the feeling he knows something that I don’t, and I hate it. Now I hear he’s talking to my girl? Not happening.
“She was leaving the parking lot with Emerson, and I saw him talking to her. Don’t know what he said, just thought you’d want to know.”
I nod and clench my jaw. “Thanks, man.”
Without another word, I walk into the house and look around. There are people everywhere, and it’s not just Craven Cove High students. Jackson has cousins that are in high school off the island, and he must have invited all of them too. The music is loud, but I know this house almost as well as my own, and I walk through the modern kitchen to the back of the house. There’s a wall of glass that looks out onto the huge swimming pool and backyard. It’s just as packed out there, with people swimming and dancing.
I grab my phone out of my pocket and send a quick text to Celeste. Almost as soon as I send it, I see the bubbles pop up that she’s typing. She tells me she’s over by the jacuzzi, and I beeline for it. After hearing about her being approached by Shy, I have this strange need to stake my claim on her.