Page 11 of Tiny Fractures

I shake my head at him, wishing he’d get the hint and stop this bullshit.

“I’m gonna tell you this one time, man,” Shane growls. “I love you, but I’m not above violence. Knock it off.”

“Alright, can you guys rein in your testosterone, please?” Tori finally chimes in, and gives Shane a soft kiss on his cheek. “And sorry, baby, but your mom definitely checks out Ran,” she adds with a giggle.

Shane just grunts in response.

I look past Shane. In the distance I can make out my brother and Vada. They’re not alone; with them is a girl I’ve never met before. I analyze every one of her moves as she follows Vada.

She has long, wavy blonde hair and slender features. Her long legs make her taller than Vada by at least five inches, and even from this distance, I can tell she’s absolutely stunning. I can’t take my eyes off her.

“Ran? Ran! Ronan!” Shane says, drawing my attention away from the girl. I turn toward him, confused. “You’re staring,” he says with a knowing grin.

“Who is that?” I ask, nodding my head in the new girl’s direction. Her hips sway left to right with each step, her jean shorts conform perfectly to her toned, long legs, and her shirt accentuates her curves without being overtly sexy. Her blonde hair falls past her delicate face and over her shoulders, moving softly with the breeze. God damn, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest.

“That’s Cat, Vada’s friend. She moved here a little while ago. She’s been hanging out with Vada and Tori a bunch, and they invited her tonight, so…” Shane pauses, scanning my face. “She’s cute, huh?”

I don’t answer, watching instead as Cat strolls down the beach next to Steve, who picked up Vada to give her a piggyback ride. I divert my eyes, really trying not to stare, fuck, I can't believe how damn perfect this girl is.

Cat

I nudge Steve to get his attention. "Hey, who is that?" I ask him quietly, nodding my head in the unknown boy's direction.

A grin breaks across Steve's lips. "That's right, you haven't met my little brother yet."

Vada hops off her boyfriend's back and eagerly bounds toward the group of four, coming to a stop right in front of Steve's brother with a simpering smile on her lips.

"Kitty Cat, this is Stevie's little brother Ronan. We call him Ran," she tells me quickly, then faces Ronan, her index finger pointed squarely at me. "Ran, this is Cat," Vada says giddily.

It’s bewildering how much Ronan looks like his older brother, yet how different they look at the same time. Ronan has tousled, dark-blond hair, strands of it falling onto his forehead while the sides fade into a tight crop. His eyes, unlike his brother’s, are strikingly green. Ronan is almost as tall as Steve and equally well-built. His faded jeans hug his hips and he’s wearing a dark-green hoodie, which somewhat surprises me—although it isn’t particularly hot now that the sun is setting, it’s nonetheless a comfortable temperature. It certainly isn’t what I would consider cold. Still, I can’t deny that the simple outfit looks incredible on him; the color of his hoodie emphasizes the green of Ronan’s eyes. His strong jaw and handsome facial features resemble his brother’s but aren't altogether the same.

“Nice to meet you,” Ronan says to me, his baritone voice smooth in my ears, and I immediately feel myself relax as he shifts his body in my direction. He looks straight at me with those green eyes, and I notice his full lips and long, full eyelashes as he holds his hand out for me to shake.

I take it, noting the warmth and softness of his skin, a little tingle forming in my stomach. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” I say feebly, and he gives me a dazzling smile.

“So, uh, Shane?” Vada interrupts. “I saw amazing food in the kitchen and none down here. Why are we at the beach again?” she questions loudly, giving Shane and Steve a look of consternation.

“Um, have you seen how many people my mom invited? And I don’t know seventy-five percent of them. I’m not going up there!” Shane protests, clearly frustrated, but that doesn’t deter Vada, who is now on a mission.

“Fine, then we’ll just grab some food and bring it back to the beach. I need some volunteer helpers, though. No way am I schlepping food for all of you down here by myself!” She looks around the circle of friends, stopping at Steve’s face and raising her eyebrows at him.

“Alright, let’s go grab some food,” Steve relents with a deep sigh. He takes Vada’s hand and begins to walk back up the small beach path toward the house. Zack joins them, then obviously convinces Summer, Cheyenne, and Drew to tag along, too, because all three get up and follow Zack toward the house. I’m left standing with Ronan, Tori, and Shane.

Shane is the epitome of an Irish boy. His shoulder-length strawberry blond hair is pulled back into a small bun that shows off his short undercut, a hairstyle that he has explained to me is very much disliked by his parents, who consider it unprofessional. He has light-blue eyes and fair skin that I would imagine probably burns easily without sunblock.

Tori, on the other hand, couldn’t be more different from Shane. She has beautiful olive skin and dark-brown hair with big, strikingly blue eyes, the result of a Puerto Rican father and a French mother. I still remember meeting Tori and immediately noticing her stunning eyes and long lashes. Shane has his arm around Tori’s waist and she’s leaning into him, her own arm draped around his hip. At more than a head taller than Tori, Shane is easily able to kiss Tori on her head while she talks to us.

“You know, I’m thinking we should all get together again for July Fourth, and do it here at the beach rather than in the city,” Tori suggests. She looks expectantly up at Shane, and he nods his head slightly.

“I really don’t think that’ll be an issue,” Shane says. “Unless my mom has her own festivities planned.” He nods his head up and in the direction of the house. “Then maybe we’ll just do at it my apartment. I really can’t handle my mom’s parties.”

“Oh, were you able to find a place?” I ask, interested. I had known that Shane was looking for a place of his own in the city.

“Yeah, I found a fairly affordable two-bedroom apartment in Queens. Just need to find a roommate to chip in half of the rent,” he says, and throws a glance at Ronan.

“Are your parents coming to terms with you not wanting to go to college?” Ronan asks. I take the opportunity to study his profile, a curious little flutter expanding in my chest.

“My dad is cool with the idea. He knows I want to take over the business, but my mom isn’t super excited about my plan. She wants me to go to college, be a lawyer or doctor or accountant.” Shane makes a face and shakes his shoulders as if he just got the willies. “So, we just don’t talk about it,” he chuckles. “Honestly, I’ve never really been the academic type. Unlike our boy Ran here.” Shane pushes Ronan’s shoulder, still chuckling. “Cat, did Vada tell you that she’s been competing with Ronan for the number one spot in your guys’ class since the beginning of mankind?”

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