Wolves at the Door

  Zack, can you please try to be mature about this? Your weirdness over Cameron is exhausting. He isn’t a vulture like Gina. If anyone should be jealous, it’s me.

  But you’re not jealous, he said. Which is exactly my point. Cameron isn’t anything like Gina. He’s a decent guy.

  Is that what bothered Zack? That I hadn’t put up much resistance with Gina? Zack and I both knew he wouldn’t stoop that low. But Cameron… he was super cute, sweet and confident. He wasn’t fake or manipulative. And he clearly liked me…

  Zack. I’m not interested in him that way. Okay?

  The bell rang, saving me. Zack didn’t try talking to me again and when the bell went off at the end of class, I wondered if he was angry. I hated this roller coaster ride.

  Zack spoke the truth when he said it would be easier if we weren’t together. Unfortunately, that didn’t make me love him less. I didn’t want easier if it meant being without him.

  My next class was with Mr. Collins and time was running out. What if Zack couldn’t get the information tonight? Our last chance would be tomorrow before we left town, but what if we failed then too?

  When the bell rang at the end of last period, the room emptied. As I approached the teacher’s desk, he raised his brows.

  “I don’t have anything yet, but I do have a lead.”

  He sighed, shaking his head. “A lead isn’t proof.”

  “Well, neither is a goofed up test. I could’ve gotten all those questions right and you know it. Being distracted that day is not a motive to throw in the towel and risk everything I’ve worked so hard for. Besides, aren’t I innocent until proven guilty?” I watched the scowl slowly disappear as he mulled over my words. “Please, Mr. Collins, would you extend it until Wednesday? Just two extra days. And I swear I won’t ask again. Please?”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. Wednesday.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled and departed before he could change his mind. Passing through the double doors of the building, I saw Zack climbing into the Jeep with Maya and Trevor. She spotted me and waved.

  “Autumn,” Cameron said from behind me.

  I spun around. “Oh, hey.”

  This guy’s getting annoying. Are you going to dump him or not? Zack asked, his car slipping through the parking lot gate.

  I can’t dump him if he was never mine in the first place, I answered.

  “A bunch of us are going to Bill’s right now. Want to meet us there?”

  Doing my homework wouldn’t take long then I’d have nothing to do but stew over Zack and Gina’s impending date. An idle mind could be a dangerous thing. I glanced up to see the Jeep long gone. Too far away now to hear my reply. “Sure. See you in a bit.”

  † † †

  I sipped my coffee, my thoughts wandering. I had a bad feeling about tonight. Gina would do everything possible to hook up with Zack. Images of her plastered all over him haunted my mind. How would Zack handle her if she jumped him?

  Cameron and his friends were okay, but it didn’t feel right hanging out with them when they didn’t have my full attention. I was too distracted to enjoy myself anyway.

  “This was fun, but I’d better head out now,” I told Cameron, standing up. “I don’t want my parents to come home to a dirty house. They’ll be annoyed and think I need a babysitter.”

  He stood too. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “’Bye,” I said generically to everyone at the table.

  Just before we got to my car, I hit the clicker so I wouldn’t be delayed getting inside it once we got there. The less time Cameron had to corner me, the better. But when I reached for the handle, he leaned his hip into the driver’s side door, effectively blocking my escape. Damn.

  “So you can’t hang out all weekend, huh?” He smiled — the kind of smile a guy gives a girl when he walks her to the door at the end of a date — just before he kisses her good night.

  I backed up just a hair. “Not at all. But I’ll be back at school on Monday.”

  He reached a hand to my shoulder. I watched him take a lock of my hair and rub it between his fingers. When I raised my chin to look at him again, his lips ambushed mine. Stunned, I didn’t react or make any move to stop him. He took that as willingness on my part and his mouth opened, compelling me to give way. His tongue met mine as he pressed the palm of his hand to the back of my neck, drawing me closer.

  Finding myself squeezed between his hard body and my car door, I raised my hands to push him away. But he’d already pulled back.

  “I’m… really…” My mind was mush from shock. I wasn’t sure if I was more surprised that he’d had the guts to kiss me or that my body had reacted so quickly. A little tingle was still circulating through my veins. Cameron knew how to kiss.

  “Beautiful,” he finished my sentence.

  “Cameron, I… I can’t do this.”

  “Why not?” He dropped his arms and stepped back, his mouth turned down, eyes wide like a lost puppy.

  “Emotionally, I’m just… not available.”

  “Oh.” His brows furrowed and his lips formed a thin line. “Still stuck on Zack, huh?”

  “No. But, well, I dated Daniel and then him, back to back. You’re really nice, but I can’t go there again yet. It hasn’t even been a week and I’m still raw.”

  The light came back into his eyes, but I wasn’t sure that was such a good thing. “I understand. Then I’ll wait.”

  That wouldn’t do at all. Cameron couldn’t hang around — in the end, he’d be even more hurt. How could I get out of this? If he thought I was stuck on Zack, would Cameron give up on me? Except, I really didn’t want people to think I still liked Zack. How humiliating. Since I couldn’t think of another way out of it, I had no choice.

  “Look, I really liked Zack. A lot. I’m not, like, all gooey over him and wanting him back or anything, but it’s hard to get over how perfect I thought he was for me. I’m not instantly going to get over something like that and magically stop missing what we had.”

  “But if he was cheating on you, then what you had was a lie,” he said. “He’s not who you thought he was.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I still miss it — I miss it with Zack.” Cameron looked like he was about to object so I rushed on. “Do you really want to get with a girl who’s on the rebound? You don’t want to win by default, do you? You deserve better than that.”

  “Yeah, but I like you.” He looked down, seeming to study the asphalt. “I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for the coffee.” I made sure he left before I jumped in my car, not wanting to appear too anxious. I’d already put him off — no point in making it obvious how eager I was to get away.

  On the way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Had Cameron liked me all year, but been too shy to do anything about it? If he’d gotten to me before Daniel and Zack, would we still be together now?

  ~~~

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Once I’d finished my homework, I made myself something to eat and tried not to think about Zack and Gina. They would be meeting shortly.

  At Zack’s house.

  Probably in his bedroom.

  I’d encouraged my boyfriend to be alone with a piranha. How stupid could a girl get? But I still had no leads to save me from the cheating fiasco and Zack was my only hope.

  Would getting proof that I didn’t cheat — if he was able to do it — be worth risking my relationship with Zack?

  Hey, just got off work. What are you doing? he asked.

  Nothing. Just killing time. We’re still getting together later tonight, right? After your meeting with Gina?

  Yeah, when that’s done, I’ll come over and get you.

  Great.

  After cleaning up the kitchen and straightening up a little around the house, I couldn’t take it anymore. If I went to Zack’s house to spy, would he sense my presence? If I hid far enough away… probably not. It’s not as though I didn’t have perfect
vision at almost any distance. So long as his drapes weren’t closed, I could keep an eye on them. I’d probably be able to hear every word.

  I checked my watch. Gina was due to arrive in ten minutes. Snatching my house key, I slipped out the back and zipped over to Zack’s. I snuck into their yard, being careful not to get too close to the house. In the far corner, I crouched next to some hedges, my eyes quickly locating Zack’s room.

  Not only were the curtains open, but his window was all the way up. Perfect.

  God, what was I doing? Spying felt dishonest. But my being there had zero to do with doubting Zack. Gina was the one I didn’t trust. And if she confessed to any part of framing me, I wanted to hear for myself.

  A few minutes later, I heard a car pull up, then a car door open and close from just beyond the house. Moments later, a knock sounded on the front door and Cara answered it.

  “Hello, Gina.” I could almost hear the frost in Cara’s voice. I wanted to hug her.

  “Hi.” Gina actually sounded genuine, which was shocking. “Is Zack here?”

  I heard Patrick and Brian bickering, but tuned them out just in time for footsteps on the wood floors, then Zack’s voice. “Hey Gina. Let’s go to my room. Everything’s already set up.”

  Careful to make sure I was concealed by the bushes, I stepped back until my shoulders touched the fence and I stretched taller to get a peek at Gina. Great. I was a Peeping Tom.

  But I reminded myself that if she hadn’t set me up, I wouldn’t be there at all.

  My mouth dropped open when I got a good look at Gina’s clothes. She wore a barely-there tank top and tight, low-slung jeans. Her face was all made up and her platinum-streaked hair immaculate. Yep, she was totally ready to hook up with Zack. My Zack.

  Clenching my jaw, I resisted the urge to climb through his window and tell her to get the hell out.

  Zack appeared to be all business, though, and she seemed to go along with it. I hated that I was grateful they were keeping it to business, but at the same time, I needed Zack to get friendly so she’d let her guard down.

  As the minutes passed, Gina moved closer to him. I understood why Zack didn’t inch away, but their proximity grated on my nerves anyway. I couldn’t wait until tonight was over. I knew I should go home, but couldn’t make myself just yet. Besides, no matter what I busied myself with at home, I’d worry and wonder what Zack and Gina were doing.

  Yep, I should add stalker to my resume, too.

  I lowered to the ground and leaned against the fence. Rolling my shoulders to relieve the tension, I listened to them as I gazed up at the stars.

  It was eight thirty when I checked the time on my cell. By then, I lay on the grass with my hands behind my head.

  “So what’s the deal with you and Autumn?” Gina asked. “She had some nasty things to say about you.”

  I bolted upright.

  Zack grunted. “Doesn’t surprise me. She’s not who I thought she was.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Did you see her slap me yesterday?” Zack sounded genuinely pissed off about it and I wondered if it had bothered him more than he’d let on.

  “Yeah,” Gina replied, sympathy in her voice. “That’s so messed up. What was that all about?”

  “I still have no idea. Guys aren’t mind readers, but apparently I’m supposed to be the exception to that.” Zack scoffed. “Whatever.”

  “In a lot of ways we’re alike, Zack. I took Autumn on as a friend since she was new at school and I’ve been putting up with her attitude since that first day. You have no idea what a chore that’s been.”

  “You hung out with her today at lunch,” he pointed out, making me want to cheer at his logic.

  “I did it for the same reason we were friends. I’m a nice person and I felt sorry for her. She lost Daniel and me, then you.”

  “I don’t feel sorry for her. She’s the one who alienated us, right? Sorry I gave you such a hard time a couple weeks ago. If I’d known the real Autumn back then, I wouldn’t have believed everything she said.”

  “No apologies necessary. How could you know? She had me fooled for months.”

  Gina was lucky I wasn’t actually the horrible person she created in her head. Because if I was, with my supernatural abilities, I’d crush her into a red paste. For a moment, I let my mind wander and imagined her no longer around to bother me. Just sticky pulp under my feet.

  But it was only a fantasy and I’d never do anything to bring it to reality.

  Wait. Why were they so quiet? I made sure the bushes still concealed me and peered into his room.

  They were sitting at the foot of his bed, her torso twisting around to face him, arms circling his neck. His arms were wrapped all the way around her, a hand reaching up behind her to cradle her head. Their lips moved against each other and my stomach churned, my throat swelling in rage.

  I’d told him to flirt, not do this. How could he kiss that bitch? I wanted to scream silently into his head, but then he’d know I was spying.

  Zack stood up, distancing himself and I exhaled in relief even as my eyes burned.

  “Something wrong?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

  “We don’t have much privacy.”

  She made a show of looking around the room. “Nobody’s here, Zack. Just you and me.”

  “The walls are paper thin, as Autumn and I discovered when she’d spend the night. Trevor can hear everything. And I mean everything.”

  Gina smiled sweetly and whispered, “I can be very quiet.” She didn’t wait for a reply, standing up and fastening her lips to his.

  He gently nudged her away. “I’m not looking for a relationship, Gina. I’ve had my fill of that crap.”

  “Neither am I, so there’s nothing to stop us from taking what we want.”

  “There’s always a price to pay for a hookup.” Zack laughed softly. “I’ve had that itch scratched recently anyway.”

  Her brows rose. “With Autumn?”

  “Who else?”

  Did he just tell her we’d slept together? It didn’t matter, since everyone thought we’d already done that anyway. But still…

  “C’mon.” She slithered against him. “You’ve been broken up a few days. You’re young and healthy. And I know you think I’m pretty.”

  “You realize that Trevor is probably listening to everything you just said?”

  “Then let’s take a drive,” Gina whispered into his ear. “Go somewhere where we can be alone.”

  His hands rested noncommittally at her waist.

  “Oh, I get it.” She drew back. “You’re not playing hard to get. You still like her.”

  Zack growled, picking Gina up and tossing her on the bed. “I was just trying to be a gentleman. But you make it impossible.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off of them, my nails cutting into my palms as I clenched my fists. The whole thing was like a car wreck, the kind where the car is on fire and you know someone is inside. You should look away so the image isn’t seared into your brain. But you can’t.

  He continued to kiss her, slowly pushing her back until he was on top of her. Gina wrestled his shirt off and ran her hands up his bare back. I pressed my fist against my chest to stop the pain deep inside me. I wiped at my eyes, trying to plug the leak, but it wouldn’t stop. Was it really necessary to be almost naked with his tongue down her throat in order to convince Gina properly?

  I didn’t think so.

  Zack eased off her, propping himself up on his elbow and drawing little circles on her skin. His shoulders began to shake.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Did you hear Autumn got caught cheating?”

  “Yeah.” She grinned. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Zack said. “It’s strange though. She used to do my homework when I was at work and I always got A’s. She doesn’t need to cheat.”

  “Some rich people don’t need to steal, but they
do it anyway.”

  “True.” Zack looked pensive as he sat up and scooted away a few inches. “It’s out of character though. You think Natalie set her up? She’s in that class with Autumn. I’d love to know how Natalie managed it. Pretty impressive.”

  Gina smiled. “Why don’t you ask Natalie? I wasn’t there.” She sat up again and tried to resume the tongue bath.

  He held her by the shoulders, halting her. “My family’s going to think I’m a player.”

  “You’re a guy. What else would they expect?”

  He gave a quick laugh. “They like Autumn a lot.”

  She groaned. “It’s your life, not theirs.”

  “But I have to live with them. And, strange as it may seem, I want them to think well of me.”

  “That’s why we should go.” She gave him a sultry smile.

  “They’ll still know. Besides, I need to spend some time with my mom.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “You should go.” He yanked her against him. “I’ll see you Monday at school. Maybe we can do something together after.”

  “Sure.” She angled her face toward him until their lips were a breath away.

  Zack gave a quick laugh and slammed his mouth down on hers.

  I muffled a sob. It may have been an act, but Zack was way too convincing.

  Finally, after what seemed like years of groping, they came up for air. Zack put his shirt back on and they left the room. I sat on the grass, staring unseeing into his dark empty room.

  If he really didn’t want to make out with her, he would’ve found a way out of it. I could only assume that kissing and touching her wasn’t exactly a hardship. Maybe he was comfortable visiting familiar territory or something. Maybe he was a cheater like Daniel.

  Or perhaps he’d just grown tired of me and all the stress of the last few days. Who could blame him?

  Using the bottom of my shirt, I wiped the tears off my cheek. Where was Zack? Why hadn’t he come back into his room? Had he gone off with Gina for a drive after all?

  My throat constricted and tears pricked my eyes again.

  Autumn? Where are you?

  Crap. I couldn’t tell him I was at his house stalking him. Go away, Zack.