"Josh should be waiting for you," she added, reminding me why I was there.
Waving as I turned around, I headed out back. Josh was indeed waiting for me and judging by the frown on his face, he wasn't happy about it.
I had barely swung my legs into the motorized vehicle when he stepped on the accelerator. I glared at him as I gripped the seat to maintain my balance. Clamping my teeth together, I vowed not to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to me.
And that would be how our day went. Josh stewed in his own little bubble, while I made a blatant point of ignoring him, in spite of how I had thought I wanted to confront him over narcing about the party. I guess I was more talk than action. Thankfully, the beach was busier than usual, so minor incidents and beach cleanup kept us busy all morning.
For lunch Josh drove us to a pizza spot on the boardwalk and I thought about lying and telling him I didn't like pizza, but that would have required actually talking to him. Plus, as stubborn as we were both acting, he likely wouldn't have cared anyway. I was glad I didn't complain because it was perhaps the best piece of pizza I'd ever had. Damn him.
By the time we ended our day I was gnashing my teeth with annoyance, unsure of how much more of this silent standoff I could take. I even contemplated how much extra community service time I might get for running him over with the ATV and whether it would be worth it.
Fortunately, I was saved from adding to my criminal record when I got paired up with Larry on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The only other time during the week that I saw Josh was on Friday, and we stayed out of each other's hair while I painted more lifeguard stands.
"You look grumpy," Buttercup commented as I climbed into the van on Friday afternoon.
"I'm trying to decide whether swimming with sharks while holding a bloody steak would be as bad as my community service."
She clucked her tongue. "Is it really that bad?"
I tossed my gloves on the dashboard. "It wouldn't be if one of the guys they stuck me with wasn't such a douchecanoe."
"Is he harassing you?" she asked, not looking happy.
I shook my head. "It's not like that." I had yet to tell Buttercup and Butch about Josh and the role he played in my arrest. "He's just a pain," I finished lamely. "Hey, can you drop me off at Tasty Freeze so I can pick up my measly check from the one day I worked? I want to stay and chat for a few, so I'll just walk home after."
"Sure," she answered, slowing down to pull into the parking lot of the ice cream parlor.
Things weren't too busy at Tasty Freeze, so I had a chance to chat with Jennifer and Melissa before heading out. I was halfway home when a flash of lightning lit up the gloomy sky in the distance followed by the loudest boom of thunder I had ever heard. Within seconds, the question of whether I had time to make it home before getting drenched was answered. The rain came down in buckets upon buckets, soaking my clothes and plastering my hair in wet clumps to my head. I sloshed through puddles, not minding the warm rain as much as I probably should have. It was only after more lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the crack of thunder, that I picked up my pace. There was a big difference between walking in the rain and being fried like a corn fritter. I was two blocks from my house when a beat-up truck pulled up alongside me. My heart leaped into my throat, thinking some perv was trying to pick me up until I heard a familiar voice calling my name. Peering through the curtain of rain that continued to fall, I spotted Josh behind the wheel of the truck.
"Get in," he called through the window.
"Bite me." Go figure he would pick during a thunderstorm as the time to start talking to me. I yelped when another flash of lightning lit up the sky.
"Don't be an idiot. Get in," he demanded as a rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath my feet.
"I thought you weren't talking to me," I countered, climbing into his truck. The lightning was too wicked to mess around with. "Thanks," I said grudgingly as he adjusted the vents to blow warm air my direction.
His only acknowledgement was a curt nod. The fury I'd been holding at bay started to seethe to the surface. Who did he think he was? My hand found the door handle. I didn't need his shit. I pushed the door open before he could pull away from the curb.
"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, shocked to see the door fly open. The rain was coming down at an angle and swept into the cab of the truck, giving me a moment of satisfaction.
"I'd rather take my chances in a typhoon then ride with you," I said, making a move to get out.
His hand reached out and closed around my wrist. "Stay," he insisted, releasing my wri
st almost as quickly as he had grabbed it.
It was one word, but it was significant. I wasn't some dog he could command. Hell, I should have been offended, but his one word did exactly what it was meant to. I stayed. I closed the door even though it was a little too late since both the seat of his truck and I were completely soaked. Even when he was being a complete dick I was still drawn to him. Obviously I needed an idiot sign for my forehead.
I waited for Josh to pull away from the curb, but he kept his hands tight on the steering wheel. The rain continued to pour down around the truck as we sat in silence. The windows began to fog up, creating the illusion that we were alone. I watched as the windshield wipers tried to keep up with the onslaught of rain. Back and forth they swished rapidly, but the water fell in sheets.
After a few moments of tense silence I began to tap my fingers on the door handle. If he was expecting me to apologize we would be sitting for a long time. I crossed my arms defiantly across my chest so he would know I wasn't going to bend. If anyone owed an apology between us, it was him.
"Where to?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Oh, two blocks down and take a right," I answered, realizing the idiot in the truck was me.
He nodded, putting his truck into gear and switching the wipers to a lower setting. The worst of the storm had passed. It was still raining, but the lightning was gone. After a couple blocks, Josh made the right-hand turn down my street and I directed him to my house, where he pulled into the driveway behind Butch's van.