Once again, I dismissed the thought of a boy liking me—of Jamie actually being jealous—as quickly as it had come. Since arriving, Jamie had done nothing else but make me feel unwelcome in my own town, my own crew.
Not wanting to hurt Jason’s feelings, I said nothing, which only seemed to piss Jamie off more. Did he think I liked Jason?
Shrugging, I told myself I didn’t care. It was weird that he’d be mad, anyway, since we hated each other.
Ever’s bored sigh drew my attention. Keeping him entertained was getting to be a full-time job. When Ever got bored, Ever got reckless, and his mother… his mother seemed to be at her wit’s end. His parents had just kept him from being sent to juvie last month when he went joyriding in our math teacher’s car and all because Mrs. Lynch had given him detention for getting gum in Becky Marsh’s hair. He hadn’t done it on purpose. The boys had a stupid contest to see who could spit their gum the furthest. Unfortunately, I’d been in social studies at the time, or I might have prevented it from happening.
“What do you guys want to do first?” Ever asked.
“Bumper cars.”
“Turkey legs.”
“Ferris wheel,” Jamie and I said at the same time. He looked at me, and I wondered if my expression matched his—curious but wary.
“Why don’t we just split up?” Vaughn suggested. “I’m starved, and I don’t want to ride some fucking wheel. Since the bumper car line is long as shit, Ever and Jason can hold our spots while Jamie and Bee do whatever they want.”
Whatever we want, my mind echoed.
What did I want? The answer should have been ‘nothing,’ but my heart felt like it was doing cartwheels at the opportunity.
I started to argue when I realized it was actually a good plan and one I would have thought of if I hadn’t been making eyes with the enemy. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I’d heard it in a movie once, and until Jameson Buchanan, I hadn’t understood. I used to think of Tommy as my archnemesis, but he had nothing on Jamie. Tommy didn’t keep me up at night or make me toss and turn whenever I did find sleep, and his presence didn’t do weird things to my insides. He didn’t make me want to run and hide.
And then hope he found me.
“Sounds good to me,” Jason said before he and Ever took off.
I gritted my teeth because the last thing I wanted to do was be left alone with Jamie. Vaughn hadn’t stuck around, either, to make sure I was okay with his plan, and was already halfway to one the many turkey leg stands.
Don’t be a chickenshit, Bee. You can do this.
One glance at Jamie and his cocky smirk, and I nearly choked on those words. I didn’t say a word to him before storming away. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know he was following me. I could feel his gaze burning hot on my back as he effortlessly kept up with my lengthy strides. My long legs allowed me to stand shoulder to shoulder with my crew. I knew one day they’d tower over me, but it wouldn’t matter. By then, their respect for me would outweigh the laws of biology. I’d make sure of it.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, pretty girl.”
I nearly bumped into Jamie when I whipped around. “What did you say?”
He stared back at me with a bland expression. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes, you did,” I bit out. “You were being a creep.”
“I don’t have time for this. Get your ears checked,” he spat before moving around me.
Refusing to follow him, I matched his lazy strides until we arrived at the Ferris wheel. There were only a couple of people in line, so in no time, we reached the operator. I slapped my forehead when the pudgy man held out his hand, and I realized he was waiting for our tickets. I’d completely forgotten to purchase some. The sign on the stand read two per rider. Swiveling my head, I looked for the nearest ticket booth and spotted one maybe twenty feet away. Before I could head in that direction, however, I nearly swallowed my tongue when Jamie handed the man four tickets.
“If you just wait for a second, I can get my own.” I still had a twenty left over from my allowance burning a hole in my dress pocket.
“I’d rather not,” was all Jamie said before grabbing my hand and tugging me through the gate the operator held open. He didn’t let my hand go, either, until we took our seats. As I gripped the metal safety bar, my hand was shaking and completely covered in sweat. His or mine?
I glanced at him as he slouched down, appearing completely relaxed as he made a point to stare straight ahead.
Definitely mine.
I might as well have not even been there. “Thank you for the tickets.”
The only response I got was his head turning slightly away, shielding his eyes from me. Sighing, I sat back. It was obvious he wasn’t interested in being friends. After the hell he put me through this week, no way should I have been considering it.
At least one of us was still thinking clearly.
The lights on the Ferris wheel lighting up was our only warning before the wheel began to slowly ascend backward. When we reached the top, I looked around excitedly. I couldn’t believe how high we’d gotten when we reached the top. It was my first time on a Ferris wheel, and when I met Jamie’s excited gaze, I knew instantly that it was his first time, too.
If I asked him, he’d probably deny it, so I reluctantly tore my gaze away to watch all the people who looked like dots now. I could see everything, including the empty field not far away where they were setting up for the fireworks tonight. It wasn’t until midnight, so I knew I’d miss them.
I began to panic, however, when I realized I was sliding closer and closer to Jamie as the wheel picked up speed and the bench began to rock. No matter how hard I resisted, gripping the safety bar to keep me in place, gravity seemed to be pushing me toward Jamie. Before long, our thighs were touching, and he stiffened in his seat.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Whatever,” he mumbled, cutting me off.
I pulled away only to slide right back into him. I tried again but was stopped when he locked his arm around my waist.
“Give it a rest,” he whispered, his lips so close they brushed my forehead. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
I huffed as I tried to settle against him and ended up squirming out of nervousness instead. I just wanted off this damn wheel.
“So what’s your deal?” he asked the moment I relaxed.
I glanced up, but he wasn’t paying me any mind as he watched everyone enjoy themselves below.
“My deal? What makes you think I have one?”
“You’ve been a bitch to me since I got here.”
The wheel suddenly stopped, leaving us at the top, so I sat up and moved away. “Excuse me? You threw the first punch.” So to speak. Technically, I’d thrown the first punch, but I wouldn’t have if he hadn’t hogged all of Mrs. Greene’s cookies for himself and pushed me down when I confronted him.
“You didn’t like me before then.”
“How do you know?” I shot back.
He finally gave me his gaze. “I just know.”
“Well, that’s not good enough for me.”
“Clearly, I’m not either,” he mumbled.