“Oh.” Gemma wrapped her arms around her middle and shivered. I stood up and whipped my black jacket off before handing it to her. She graced me with a thankful smile, and I paused at the sight of it, lingering on her soft beauty.
Sloane was right. These secret bonfires were a norm for us before Journey left. Everything seemed to change after that night, and not just with Cade, but with all of us. It was when reality started to set in, and the Rebels and I saw our futures for what they were.
I knew that things would never go back to normal, and I’d accepted that, but now that I had Gemma, I felt a sense of hope that I didn’t know was missing. I was hopeful that things would go my way for once so that we could have more nights like this.
More nights full of normal, harmless shit that teenagers did. Like gathering around a fire with your friends, drinking booze that was stolen from a teacher who was too stupid to lock it up in their desk, eating s’mores, laughing, dancing. All of it. It was all I wanted, and it was all Gemma deserved.
Shiner handed his flask to the girls, and Gemma wrinkled her nose after taking a sip before passing it to Mercedes. The flames came to life a second later. “So, you guys have never been caught doing this? No teachers have ever come out here looking for the fire that was burning?”
Brantley was still staring at Gemma, probably wondering the same thing I was. How had she survived what she’d gone through at home and still managed to become this decent, kind-hearted girl who held respect for people in power? She was the kindest student we had at this school, even if, deep down, I knew she had a fiery spirit when provoked.
Brantley eventually tore his eyes away before answering her question. “We’re facing the opposite end of the teacher’s quarters, and we all know Headmaster Ellison doesn’t really care as long as we’re being safe.”
Gemma nodded, looking away from Brantley to land on me. I flicked my chin, and she slowly stood up, staying locked on me as she walked over. I placed my hands on her hips, feeling a fire zip through, and spun her around fast and plopped her down on my lap. A rush of air left her mouth as she wiggled over me, no doubt feeling my growing hardness beneath her. Nuzzling my nose into her long hair, I sighed, letting every worry melt away right along with the fire.
Time passed by quickly. We all laughed and joked around, each of us buzzed on the alcohol that Shiner had brought with him. Gemma had another sip or two, and I felt her body relax along mine and knew that she was forgetting everything that was soon approaching for us. No one other than Cade and Brantley knew that Gemma was leaving. No one knew that, by this time next week, she would be far gone, and people would be looking for her.
“So…” Shiner started, his words elongated due to the excessive drinking he’d been doing. “Mercedes…”
Everyone paused, and I held back a laugh when I saw Mercedes giving Shiner a weird look because he remained silent, appearing deep in thought. I was interested to see what would come out of his mouth.
“This is getting awkward,” Sloane whispered, smashing her lips together, looking at Shiner who was apparently thinking of a sleazy line to lay on Mercedes.
He cleared his throat and leaned forward, placing his forearms on his bent knees. “I haven’t really met you.”
Mercedes tilted her head as Gemma turned on my lap to look at Shiner. I gripped her hips and whispered into her ear, “Are you doing that on purpose?”
“Doing what?” she whispered back, and I chuckled.
Mercedes crossed her arms over her jacket. “You’ve met me, Shiner. We have world history together. You literally sit right behind me.”
Shiner cocked a coy grin and glanced at Cade and Brantley who were also waiting for his ridiculous line. One-Liner-Shiner. He was famous for his lines. “Oh, yes. Trust me, I know. You bent over two days ago to grab your pencil.”
Mercedes froze, and her eyes widened a fraction, but Shiner kept chugging along. “I meant that I haven’t really met you.”
“What does that even mean?” Mercedes was becoming impatient, and Sloane was shooting him a look like she was about to throw a burning log at his face.
“I mean, like…meet, as in my dick meeting your pussy.”
Mercedes' mouth dropped open, and I placed my forehead on Gemma’s back and shook with quiet laughter. There it was. The famous One-Liner-Shiner in full drunken action. I’d missed nights like these.
“Surely that line isn’t part of your famous one-liners.” Mercedes rolled her eyes and scoffed. “I don’t understand why girls lift their skirts for you when you say things like that! It’s so crude.”
Shiner threw his hands up in protest. “Okay, fine. So…you don’t like dirty talk. Noted.”
I couldn’t help it. I let out a laugh and felt Gemma laughing too. Sloane was holding back a smile as Mercedes whipped her curly hair away from her face, fully disturbed at what Shiner had said to her. I saw that her cheeks were a little red, though, and I wondered if she secretly liked it.
“You know what I think we should do,” Sloane said, swiping the flask back out of Shiner’s hands and taking a gulp. “I think we should play a game.”
Cade sighed. “We’re not playing truth or dare.”
For once, Sloane didn’t say a rude remark to him. She shook her head, understanding why he’d said that. “No. Let’s play hide and seek. Remember when we did that the first time we came out here?”
“Hide and seek?” Gemma sat up a little taller. “I haven’t played hide and seek since I was seven.” There was a hint of nostalgia lingering within her wistful words. My arms wrapped around her all on their own, and I pulled her back into my chest. Her skin felt so warm as I ran my thumb in small circles underneath her shirt. “I used to play it with my brother.”
Sloane and Mercedes both snapped to attention, but my fingers didn’t stop moving, even if I was surprised that she had admitted that. Gemma was so guarded and private with everyone. Even with me.
“You have a brother?” Sloane asked, completely baffled. “What?”
Gemma nodded but kept quiet. I took control of the conversation so it didn’t bring us back to the heavy moments that I was destined to stay away from tonight. “Hide and seek sounds like a grand idea. Nothing like chasing you girls in the deep, dark woods to keep the night alive.”
Shiner clapped his hands and winked at Mercedes, who rolled her eyes in response. “You can run, but you can’t hide.”
“Girls against boys?” Sloane stood up excitedly, allowing Gemma’s admission to pass.
“Always,” I answered, tapping Gemma on the leg. She stood up and turned around and mouthed, “Thank you,” at me. But she didn’t need to thank me for saving her in moments that made her uncomfortable. I was always on her side.
“You up for this?” I asked, pulling her in closer and tipping her chin back. Her emeralds sparkled with excitement beneath the stars, and the shadows of the fire played across her high cheekbones, begging me to take her back to the school to be alone.
“You think you can catch me?” Her white teeth sunk into her lip, and I hurriedly swiped my thumb over it.
I gazed into her eyes, feeling myself snap in two. “I won’t stop until I do.”