Twenty (Love By Design 2.50)

Chapter 1

Lia

“Stupid, infuriating manwhore.” On a singular mission to escape further humiliation, I stepped through cracking dry leaves over soggy terrain. My foot was sinking deep, slipping in the newly fallen foliage, cursing myself for thinking that Ryder West was worth a moment’s consideration.

Sure he was hot, and the star playing quarterback at New Paltz University. Of course every girl imaginable wanted to be with him. I mean, who wouldn’t? All those muscles and that gorgeous hair…shit, that guy had a full head of wild dirty blond locks that put most girls’ hair to shame. With minimal effort, he could have been a walking advertisement for Pantene. All he lacked was the appropriate man bun and scruff to be the next hipster with a million followers on Instagroupie. However, Ryder West had zero interest in me.

“Amelia!” Dinah shouted. Her high-pitched voice rang against the dense forest, making a squirrel scurry in front of my path.

“Amelia!” Ryder yelled. Their voices called out for me, likely wondering if I had gone off the deep end. I didn’t care what their opinions were about me. I just wanted some time alone to sort out the jumble of feelings coursing through me after what I’d seen. I hadn’t meant to walk into Dinah kissing Ryder unexpectedly, swapping tongues like overly excited puppies, and I certainly didn’t mean to let jealously rule my head running off to avoid them.

Puffing out an exhausted breath, I’d been stalking off in the woods for a good thirty minutes, letting my ire simmer down. Chills from the wind picking up alerted me to the setting sun and diminishing daylight. It was unbelievable I even gave Ryder the time of day after learning he only invited me because Dinah was my roommate. Stupidly flirty Dinah with her perfect golden looks and handful of bouncing breasts to match his…Ugh. It was the story of my life.

Rustling and giggling coming from behind me on the trail pushed me to keep going. Rushing, I stepped off the marked path and down a hill to crouch behind a large boulder, hidden out of view. Dinah’s voice echoed, grating on my nerves with its cheery cadence and false concern. “Ryder, do you think Amelia came this way?” I imagined her coyly twisting her locks and batting her fake eyelashes over her perfect cornflower blue eyes.

His response came immediately, but I couldn’t make out if he was concerned or irritated I might have interrupted their make out session. “Do you think she would have gone off the trail? Sundown is coming….” I huffed from behind my hiding spot, angered and blowing back a bunch of my loose hair with aggravation.

“I’m sure Amelia is a big girl. She’ll be back before Mateo and Conner have the fire going.” And by that time, I’m sure you’ll be hunkered down right where you want to be in Ryder’s sleeping bag, my evil crush stealing roommate.

“I don’t know, Dinah, these woods get cold at night. Was she wearing her jacket?” I didn’t hear Dinah’s reply to Ryder’s concerned questions because of the leaves rustling and the wind that bit through my flannel shirt. I thought I was cool picking out the purple and black flannel to match my black hiking boots and newly dyed purple ombre locks. Kicking a rock in frustration, I stubbed my toe, biting my lip hard to keep from shouting out the pain and giving my hiding spot away. A few more rustles and the trail above me sounded quiet again with the exception of birds chirping and what sounded like water gurgling to the right of me. I wondered if I could circle back to the cars and gracefully enter the camp looking self-assured, instead of the foolishly embarrassed mess I was now.

“I am the biggest idiot ever.” Slapping my forehead and cursing myself, I continued to walk off the path in the direction of the water. I didn’t care where I was headed and hoped I taught both Ryder and Dinah a lesson, though I doubted either would care when they snuggled under the same lame patchouli smelling sleeping bag later tonight. A snapping branch off to the left forced me to stop, pulling up short in my walk. A large buck with the soft nubs of a youthful rack between his ears looked back at me, dark eyes and tawny fur. I felt like he was assessing me, with his nostrils snorting the air from a good distance away with what I assumed was disdain for my human emotions.

“Don’t give me that look.” Stomping my foot and taunting the buck, I watched him run off and up a hill, leaving me alone in the woods again. Typical male, concerned only for himself, much like my current non-dating life at the moment.

Trekking farther, I looked around realizing I hadn’t found the running water I’d heard earlier, and it was getting darker. Twirling around the canopy of tree leaves, I was swallowed up in the burgeoning nightfall. The wind picked up again, its chilled fingers tracing along my neck and spine, making me shiver and curl my arms protectively around my waist. I traipsed over to a large cropping of rocks and sat down on top of it, trying to assess which direction I came from.

“Shit, I’m lost.” Admitting my folly came out like a forlorn murmur rather than a real chastisement. I didn’t have any supplies on me and I wasn’t an experienced camper. Truthfully, I was hoping to hook up with Ryder, but yeah, not going there now. My backpack of sin was at the site probably stuffed in the back of Ryder’s new SUV. I watched the moon rise higher in the sky and rubbed my arms, hoping the chill would go away. I definitely wouldn’t need those condoms tonight, but my jacket would have been nice or a candy bar. Slipping off the rock, I huddled down, letting part of it protect me from the worst of the wind, saying a little prayer to whatever saint protected horny and foolhardy college students.

Chapter 2

Whit

“Fina

lly, time to head home.” Stretching, I called out to the senior ranger on duty, Jeff, when a rowdy group of college kids jumbled inside the station. I let my head roll around my neck, working out a kink of annoyance. One definitely looked high and one panic-stricken between the other two lumbering football players.

“Help us! Please, my roomie is missing and never came back to camp.” The blond girl wearing a blue sweatshirt from our local New Paltz University screeched, the sound akin to nails on a chalkboard. I was about to go off duty for the night after working a twelve-hour shift from six am to six pm and was looking forward to getting home to my small craftsman style house and fireplace. Groaning, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going anywhere now.

“Dude, she’s been gone like twelve hours.” The dark-haired jock threw his hands up, pacing the station. The sun had just set through the park office windows, a mixture of brilliant yellows and reds against dark pines and craggy rocks. I had been thinking this morning, that early fall in the Shawnagunk and lower Adirondack mountains could be beautiful and mild, or take a turn for the cold in a snap. I hoped their friend was sharper than these four who were keeping me from a nice dinner at home.

“Conner, you idiot, she left around three pm and never came back. That’s like three hours.” The large blond kid, another football player, seemed calmer and concerned in a reasonable fashion, unlike Ms. Panic-pants and the two high-as-a-kite twins.

“I hope nothing tried to eat her.” The last one, also dark like his tweedle-dumb friend, was reading up on the local wildlife poster board and pointed to a picture containing a bear and wolf species common to the area.

“Oh my God, the animals!” Blond girl was all over that statement like white on rice grabbing for the blond jock.

“Whoa! Hold up, what’s going on?” I held my hand up to silence them. “One at time, please.” I pointed to the blond giant, who seemed the most reasonable of the bunch. “Actually, you speak and the rest of you take a seat….”

“Our friend, Amelia, walked off earlier today. It’s getting dark and she’s not back yet. We got worried. I thought maybe she hiked out from our camping spot and came here to hitch a ride back to campus.” These two appeared to be a hot little item clinging together while the other two seemed like they were along for the ride and harmless enough.

“So you’re all illegally camping inside the park too?” They hung their heads down and I knew my one reasonably early night home was shot to hell. “Any idea where she was last time you saw her?” I almost regretted hearing their answer.

“We walked out on the black trail for a mile, near Lake Awosting, but didn’t see her. I know she’s only been gone for three hours or so, but she doesn’t have her backpack with her or anything else.”

“The forecast is calling for rain.” I hoped this girl was not as dense as her friends here, but it was doubtful. These kids looked a little too pampered to be left outside after dark. They looked like spoiled kids glamping rather than using real life survival skills. I should have given them a citation for illegally camping.

“What’s your name?”

“Ryder West, sir.” Ryder looked like a smart kid, actually not a heck of a lot younger than I was and I had graduated a few years earlier after a brief stint in the army.

“All right, I’ll head out and see if I can find her, but honestly getting separated was the dumbest thing you guys could have done. Give me all of her information, what she was wearing and what direction you think she headed in.” They all nodded and I told them to head back to their illegal campsite in case she returned and that I would see them soon if I found her quickly before we started an entire search party for one twenty-year-old female who was likely just sulking in the woods. These were my least favorite types of search and rescue.

“Looks like home will have to wait.” Jeff took down a description of the girl, making a formal report, and nodded, basically telling me to go find her so I didn’t have to clock too many overtime hours. Heading out to my jeep, I checked the case in the back and found my hiking supplies, rifle, food, and bottled water. I checked my forest ranger police issued Glock 22 and drove to her last known whereabouts. It was a gamble going out at this hour. Looking up, I saw the sun sinking quickly to darkness and the air went crisp with cold. Driving out to the trailhead closest to where the kids were, I scouted around.

“Amelia?” Her name bounced off the rocks, and a fat drop of rain hit me square in the eye. If I got lucky a bear might chase her out in my direction.

Chapter 3

Lia

“S-stupid in-infuriating m-man wh-whore…” The rain felt like shards of ice slicing my skin as my curses repeated like a broken record. I’d been out here too long. A few more hours in this might be life or death. I grew up in Brooklyn and the most risk I was willing to take was going to a fashion sample sale with my mother and sister. It was my own stupidity and pride that I was stuck out here in the freezing cold darkness. Me and my ginormous dork crush on Ryder West. What the hell was I thinking?

Now I was certain my adorable and perfect golden roommate, Dinah, was warming his sleeping bag and roasting more than just marshmallows over the fire. I was the idiot here freezing my ass off in the woods, soaked to the bone and in serious danger of getting hypothermia.

I huddled as deep and as flush as I could against the large rock behind me, but it was useless. Water ran down the rock and collected against my skin under my shirt. Nothing was going to protect me from the elements and my own folly was likely to kill me. So much for making the Dean’s list every semester and getting a scholarship to attend school, hypothermia was going to kill me first and I hadn’t even been given a chance to have hot, awesome sex with a boy who knew what the hell he was doing with six inches of dick. I’d never get to travel abroad or test out my new Nikon camera, which was still sitting inside its box back at my apartment off campus. Some young know-it-all adult I was proving to be.

“Amelia?” A faint shout carried on the wind reached my ears like a cock teasing whisper. Sick to my stomach from the anxiety and the cold, I staggered to stand up from my place against the rock.

“”H-here! I’m o-over here!” My hand slipped against the wet rock and I fell down into muck and slick leaves. “G-gross,” I muttered wiping them on my pants.

“Amelia?” The shout was a bit louder now, but I was not. I was fading quickly from exhaustion and I didn’t have any idea where the voice was coming from.

“Please! I’m h-here!” I gave it all I had, slumping back down against the hard rock, scratching my leg through my dark jean leggings on the slide down. The voice stopped and a hysterical cry left my lips. It was quiet and I didn’t hear anything now except the constant fall of rain and the wind howling.

Chapter 4

Whit

Sounds to the right of me, down into the woods pulled me to look past the large rocks that ended up here after the last geological ice age. It could have been anything, the wind, an animal. I found no evidence of the girl named Amelia so far. For all I knew, she could have made it back and got a ride out of the park, leaving her stupid friends to worry and me with a case of seriously waterlogged hiking boots. I was probably dealing with a brat who had no concept of responsibility and common courtesy. The last thing I wanted was to be traipsing about the woods for some unappreciative girl. The whole situation made me rethink gifting her friends with a citation.

Movement downwind of me caught my eye and I turned, taking heavy steps through slippery foliage that clung to my shoes like tar. A human silhouette against the granite rock face had me running over logs to reach her.