Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
Moby passed the joint to Otis, who took a hit before clarifying. “Kid’s lying to you.”
Kevin nodded in agreement.
I blew out my cheeks in frustration, then released the breath I was holding. “I don’t understand.”
“Nathan gets major stage fright,” Paulette explained with a crooked smile, revealing the large gap between her front teeth. “Performing in front of crowds freaks him out.”
“We do gigs all the time,” Otis added. “That’s why he’s on the fence about joining.”
Paulette’s smile slipped as she chewed her lip. “I figured Nathan might feel more comfortable playing for a smaller crowd of people he knows, so I convinced him to do a test run with us tonight. At least, I thought I had,” she said. “Maybe I was too pushy and scared him off.”
No, that doesn’t sound right. Nathan wouldn’t make a commitment only to be a no-show. It was out of character for him. “He hasn’t responded to any of your texts?”
She pulled out her phone to check. “No.”
Strange. I thought back to earlier this evening as I watched the Walter boys trickle out of the house one by one. Even though he was grounded, Isaac had slipped out the back door and taken the truck without Katherine noticing. Lee left not long after in an SUV blasting EDM. Alex had been the last to depart; Skylar picked him up, and it was weird seeing him go with all my friends.
Playing things back in my head made me realize I hadn’t seen Nathan leave for the dance.
The courtyard door snicked open. “Jackie?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Cole waiting for me. “Be right there,” I called to him, then turned back to Paulette. “It’s weird that Nathan isn’t responding and hasn’t shown up, but how about this? If I hear from him, you’ll be the first to know.”
We exchanged goodbyes, and as I rejoined Cole, I moved Nathan to the top of my mental priority list. This was a problem I needed to solve ASAP.
***
“Having fun?” Cole asked, handing me a Dixie cup of lemonade from the refreshment table.
I looked over to him as one of the stage strobe lights caught his face. It was hot on the dance floor, and at some point, Cole had lost his tie and unbuttoned his collar. The brief flicker of light revealed a gleam of sweat on his brow and that his hair had started curling around his ears.
“Yeah,” I shouted over the music, “but I could use a break. These heels are killing me.”
His gaze dropped to my feet as I downed my drink. “I’m honestly impressed you haven’t taken them off yet. Everyone else has.”
He was right; most of the girls on the dance floor were barefoot or had swapped out their heels for flip-flops or flats. I felt weird about not wearing shoes in the gym, and I hadn’t thought to bring a more comfortable change of footwear. Besides, a large part of me was loath to ruin my outfit by taking them off. Formal occasions were few and far between here, unlike in New York, where my family and I regularly attended charity galas or award events. On the ranch, it was jeans and sneakers the majority of the time. There was nothing wrong with that—I’d adapted and even grown to love how casual the Walters were—but I missed getting dressed up.
In the end, the pain won out over my sentimental side. “If I can’t take these off in the next two minutes, you might have to amputate my pinky toe,” I told him.
Cole laughed and placed his hand on the small of my back. “We can’t have that. Come on. I think I saw my idiot brother and some of your friends.”
We found Alex, Kim, Skylar, Chase, Riley, and Marcus sitting on the bleachers across the gym.
“Thank God,” I hissed after sinking down onto the bench and kicking off my shoes. “Where’s Heather?”
Riley’s lips twitched in amusement as she watched me massage life back into my toes. “Still dancing. Why did you wait so long to take those off?”
“That’s what I said.” Cole sat down behind me and, wrapping an arm around my waist, drew me between his legs. “Apparently, she’s a masochist.”
“I thought we agreed that was your thing?” I said, tipping my head back to get a good look at him. Over his shoulder, I noticed the massive logo painted on the wall above the bleachers. It featured a knockoff version of the Frosted Flakes tiger surrounded by our school name. “Hey, why are we called Valley View?” I asked as I studied the design. “Aren’t most high schools named for the town?”
Skylar followed my gaze, then frowned. “I think the better question is why is our mascot a tiger?”
“Because it sounds more badass than the Copper Valley Mountain Goats?” suggested Alex, who was lying across a bleacher with his head in his girlfriend’s lap.
“Sure,” Kim said as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair, “but tigers aren’t native to Colorado. Why not pick something like a black bear or a mountain lion?”
“Babe, we played Alpine Heights tonight.
Their mascot is a mountain lion,” he said and tugged on one of her loose curls. “If everyone chose a native species, there’d only be, like, five cool animals to pick from.”
“I’ve always been partial to the nine-banded armadillo,” Chase said to no one in particular.
“Mascots don’t have to be animals, though, right?” Kim continued. “Why can’t we be something historical like a gold miner? There could even be a pickax in our logo.”
Alex opened and closed his mouth. “Have you never heard of the Forty-Niners?”
“Oh, I know!” Riley said, her face lighting up. “How about the Valley View Golden Nuggets?”
This made Alex and Marcus groan in unison.
With a laugh, Skylar threw an arm over Riley’s shoulder. “You’re not much of a basketball fan, huh?”
Cole leaned down, his mouth brushing against my ear. “Wanna know the answer to your question?” he whispered as everyone continued to debate. “I can tell you, but first you have to follow me.”
I nodded eagerly, then hesitated as I considered how painful it would be to put on my heels again. There was no way I could shove my poor toes back inside, so I left them on the floor and accepted Cole’s proffered hand. Nobody noticed when we slipped away from the group and out of the gym.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked as we slunk down a locker-lined hall. I wasn’t sure whether it was because the lights were out or the corridor was empty of students, but it felt wrong for us to be here.
“On a field trip.” His tone was teasing, and I knew he enjoyed withholding information too much to give me a real answer.
Old me would have balked at the not knowing, but Cole had a habit of whisking me away on mini adventures, so I trusted him with this.
That was until he led me straight into the boys’ locker room.
“Cole!” I gasped, tugging my hand out of his grip. “I’m not supposed to be in here!”