Page 22 of It's Not Home Without You

“Rust, Jake.” I gave both a handshake. “How was your first year at WU?” I asked Jake who had graduated last year.

Jake let a slow grin. “It was fun. Girls everywhere.”

I felt Freya’s body go rigid in my arms. School was almost over, and even though she told me everything was okay, I knew it wasn’t true. Prom was next week. Then I was out, no more school for me. Freya and I still had the summer, that had to count for something. Right? I held Freya a little closer, and the idea I’d been toying for the last year kept cementing itself more with each day.

“Why are we all in black? Are we robbing the gas station or what?” I asked when I noticed what everyone else was wearing.

Russell gave us a slow grin before he reached into his truck, took out a spray can, and threw it at me. “We’re giving the water tower a makeover.”

“Why?” I asked. We had already done our senior prank.

The school staff didn’t find it amusing when they came to school only to find cows on the third floor. Freya and Russ got called into the principal’s office right away. Freya’s excuse was that she was a sophomore, but everyone knew, where Russell was, she wasn’t far behind. No one questioned me, and it had been me who stole the school keys.

“Senior prank part two.” Russell grinned, and I shook my head, but I didn’t care. As long as I was with Freya, it didn’t matter what we did. She had a wild streak, and I love that about her. She didn’t just make me happy to be alive; she made me want to live. Shrugging in agreement, I let the guys climb into the cab of Russell’s truck. Leading Freya to the back, I stopped her before she could climb in.

“Here put this on.” I held out my hoodie for her to wear. “I don’t just have one black hoodie, I have two.” I smirked at her.

“I’m not changing.” Freya crossed her arms defiantly. It only made me grin at how cute she looked when she tried to resist me.

“Would you rather wear a hoodie that smells like Russell or like me?” With an annoyed huff, she took off the hoodie she was wearing, and I cursed under my breath. The white tank top she was wearing underneath didn’t hide much. The swell of her breasts made my mouth water and almost say fuck it and drag her up to my room, but I knew Freya lived for doing things she shouldn’t. I had immense control to the point I was sure I qualified for sainthood, but every time I had Freya under me, it was getting harder to stop myself. I would not go there with her until she was ready. I knew howshe viewed herself and what everyone at school said about her got to her, even if she told me otherwise. A selfish part of me wondered if prom would be the night.

Prom was everyone’s night, but I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t even her prom but mine. Freya didn’t graduate for another two years. The muscles on my forearm would get a workout till then. It made good practice for college.

“Max, is everything okay?” Freya’s cold hands were on my cheeks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Baby, when I’m with you, everything is perfect.” I watched her eyes go all soft, and I loved making her that way. Picking her up, I threw her in the back of the truck, and since the guys were driving, there was no reason for us not to make out on the way.

“I thought we were painting the other water tower?” I said, looking up at the new tower the city put in a few years ago.

“If you and Gabs weren’t sucking face, then you would have known the plan.” Russell snickered.

I tucked Freya into me and kissed her cheek. “Don’t listen to him; he’s just hating.”

“Gross, that’s my sister.”

“No offense, Bear, but why are you here?” Freya asked.

“Are you kidding me? Tagging is fun.” Jake was the first one to climb the long ladder. Russell followed, then Freya and me. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t let her go first? That way I could catch her in case she was to fall, and as a bonus, I got to look at her ass.

We all stood back to admire our handiwork; the tower had gotten a makeover courtesy of Jake and Russell who had artistic abilities. Freya and I had only gone over it with white spray paint to make a transparent canvas for them. Instead of displaying the town’s name, it now displayed our class year.

Just as we had gotten down, police sirens flashed. Freya screamed, but it wasn’t because she was afraid; on the contrary, it thrilled her. She was excited and, fuck, it pierced me. I loved this girl, everything about her.

“Shit, good thing we left the truck hidden behind those trees,” Russell pointed out.

“Fuck, I can’t get caught. It’ll fuck up my scholarship,” Jake added.

We all ran back to Russell’s truck. My heart was racing, and my grip on Freya’s hand was tight, making sure she didn’t fall behind. The sirens kept getting closer, but whoever was driving couldn’t see us because of the shadows.

“We’re not going to make it,” Freya said, trying to catch her breath. “You guys go. I’ll distract them.”

The three of us shouted "no"at her.

Freya let go of my hand and glared at all of us. “I’ll be fine. Bear, you have the scholarship to maintain, and if they press charges, then this will fuck it up. Rusty, everyone is still looking to blame you for the cows.”

I got closer to her. If shewas taking on the heat, then so was I. Freya put her hand out to stop me. “You too, Max.” She gave me a sad smile. “I don’t want this to impact your college. And let’s be real, your parents would blame me.”

“I’m staying.”

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