Page 14 of Your Love

“Piece of shit,” I say under my breath.

“Look,” Taz replies. “I’ve made my peace with the hand I was dealt as far as family goes. It’s fine. They are both addicts. There’s no reasoning with them until they want to get clean. I’m lucky to have you guys and the Bell family helping me out. I don’t need anything else.”

“If you’re sure,” Delzy says. “But if they fuck with you, you better tell us.”

“I will,” he promises.

“So, what’s going on with you and Sash?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he replies with a shake of his head. I narrow my eyes at him, waiting for him to acknowledge the truth.

“I like her,” he admits. “I always have.”

“Longest. Foreplay. Ever.” Delzy chuckles.

“At least you’re finally admitting it,” I say. “But don’t mess around with her, Taz. She’s a good girl and a good friend of mine. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

“I have no intentions of hurting her.”

“Keep it that way,” I say.

“Calm down, Chewbacca,” he teases. “I know what I’m doing. Which reminds me, we’re going to the band concert next Friday night.”

“Why?” Delzy asks.

“Because it’s important to Sascha,” Taz says, and for the first time in forever, I see a glimmer of his affection toward my friend, which makes me relax and think maybe, just maybe, this might work out in the long run.

As we make our way back from lunch, my eyes catch sight of Kerri in her usual spot underneath the towering tree. It’s the first time I’ve seen her today and just the sight of her makes me smile.

She’s leaning back against the trunk, her head tilted slightly to the side as she listens to something on her Walkman, lost in her own little world.

“Hey, I’ll catch you guys later,” I call out to the rest of our group as I veer off towards her. I take no care in being quiet, not wanting to startle her like yesterday when she nearly busted out some Chuck Norris moves on Ivy.

I lower myself onto the grass beside her, enjoying its softness beneath my hands. Her eyes flutter open and she takes her headphones off. “Hey,” she says as a smile spreads across her face.

“Hey, you,” I reply. As she looks at me, I can’t help but admire her blue eyes and how they stand out against her pale, freckled skin. “Sorry to bother you.”

“You’re not,” she says with a small giggle, her voice like warm honey. “I need to quit taking naps under trees.” As she sits up, I notice her long, lean frame and the way the sunlight dances across her skin.

“That’s true,” I chuckle, taking in her confident posture. “Someone could pick you up and make off with you.”

“I’m 5‘7 and sturdy,” she replies, playfully flexing her muscles. “I can wrangle with the best of ’em.”

“Wrangle with what?” I ask with wide eyes.

“Just about anything on the farm,” she answers casually. “I’m tougher than a snake’s belly on a hot dirt road.”

I hold my stomach as I lean forward and laugh, and when I look up, she’s glaring at me. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I have no doubt you could play hockey on my team and kick everyone’s ass. It’s those moments when you ‘go all Texas’ that catch me off guard. I love it.”

“You do?” she asks, her tone warmer than before.

“Absolutely,” I reply. Just then, the breeze blows and catches her long hair, carrying the scent of coconut, which washes over me. I have to shake my head to stop from closing my eyes and leaning into it like some kind of creep.

I lean over to get a better look at the tape in her Walkman. “What are you listening to?” I ask.

“A mix of my favorite songs,” she says with a smile. “I like a little bit of everything, from AC/DC to Michael Jackson to Stevie Nicks to George Strait.”

“Me, too, except I’ve never listened to country,” I admit.