Page 64 of Waking Olivia

“Believe me, babe,” he grins, “it was already weird.”

The next time we’re alongside Will and Jessica, Brendan pulls away from me without warning, grabbing Jessica’s arm. “Switch,” he says, and he’s the only one of the four of us who looks happy as he and Jessica dance away.

Will and I stand there awkwardly for a second. I start to turn back toward the table, but he stops me with a hand on my waist. “Fuck it,” he sighs, grabbing my other hand. “This goes no farther than this room.”

I roll my eyes. “Did you really think I was going tobragabout dancing with you?”

He smiles. “They don’t call me the Two Stepping King of Colorado for nothing.”

I just witnessed his lackluster dancing with Jessica, so I’m finding this hard to believe. “Whocalls you that?” I demand.

“You will,” he says with that cocky grin of his that could get him anything he wants from me, and I meananything,“by the time we’re done.” He spins me one direction and the next, and the speed with which it all occurs leaves me unable to do anything but follow his lead.

“Holy shit,” I cry. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“My mom. She taught us all these stupid dances under the impression that they were important skills to have.”

“And did they ever come in handy?”

“They’ve gotten me laid more than once,” he replies, spinning me, and I’m so shocked that I nearly fly free of his hand. He looks a little surprised himself. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

I spin close to him, so that my chest is pressed to his and our mouths are just millimeters apart. “Will,” I whisper, “I already knew this could get you laid.”

His eyes meet mine and there’s something fierce there. He squeezes his eyes shut. “Don’t do that,” he hisses. He pulls away and walks straight to the bathroom.

I sigh, heading to the table alone. I actually allowed myself to believe Brendan. I won’t make that mistake again.

Much later, I’m climbing into bed when there’s tapping on my window. I pull up the shade and find Brendan standing there with that mischievous smile on his face, holding a six-pack aloft.

I open the window. “I thoughtIwas supposed to be the bad influence.”

He winks. “Got to be some benefit to growing up in a tiny one-story house.”

I slide sweats on over my running clothes and climb out. “I get the feeling you’ve done this more than once.”

He laughs. “Been caught for it more than once, too.”

We go down to the stables, where the shelter and the hay make it just warm enough to be cozy. “So that was fun tonight,” I say sarcastically.

“Fun is impossible when Jessica is around,” he retorts. “She’s so fucking fake.”

“I’m not sure why your brother doesn’t see that.”

“He used to,” Brendan says. “My dad was always all over him to ask Jessica out when they were younger and Will would make this face like my dad was asking him to eat a plate full of shit. Then my dad died and he starteddatingher. I don’t get it.”

“If you hate her so much, why’d you come out with us? Aren’t your friends around?”

He shrugs. “I had my reasons,” he says evasively. “What about you? Why do you sleep here before meets? And why the hell would you sleep here when you don’t have one?”

I look at him in wonder. They really didn’t tell him anything — Dorothy or Will. They let me keep all my secrets to myself. “You’re going to think I’m a freak.”

“Hey, I’m a registered sex offender. I’m no one to throw stones.”

My back stiffens. “You are?”

“Little known fact: streaking during pledge week is actually considered a sex crime. It was such a miscarriage of justice. I mean, look at me. Those girls were lucky to get an eyeful of this.”

I snort and he elbows me. “So tell me why my mom wants to adopt you and my brother is risking his job and sanity to have you over here.”

---