Page 35 of Faking Forever 1
“She overheated?” I say, smiling innocently.
“Get in. We’ll have to call your father. And grab your board—
it cost too much money for someone to steal it,” she says, taking her cigarettes out of her large black leather purse.
Doing as I’m told, I grab what belongings I can from my truck, turn it off, and lock it up. She ended up taking me to the beach, but it does suck that if my truck had waited only fifteen 81
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more minutes, I could’ve made it and let Josh or his dad worry about it. She let me out and let me take my things, which I transferred to Josh’s Jeep once I saw where it was and that the doors were removed. I’ll end up leaving with him anyhow.
When I saw Nick, I envisioned our next interaction to be much different. I thought maybe I would feel some fuzzy static inside, or my heart would go back to where it was when I was still getting over him. It didn’t. I didn’tfeelanything. I felt relatively empty and dissatisfied. I thought making him jealous would fulfill something in me. Perhaps I have to wait for it to hit him that he lost me.
With my board in hand and his food in the other, I walked down the stairs that had been dusted with the sand from the beach, and eventually, when I reached the bottom, I could already see Josh and his dad having a conversation. Holding his food in my hands, I creep closer to the entrance, enough to listen in on whatwas being said. Whatever he was going on about, he was excited, it seemed. His cheeky smile was plastered on his face, and his eyes lit up.
He didn’t seem to be working, though, not by the looks of his attire, which was made up of only swim trunks. He was drenched in water, and his olive skin was still shimmering. His hair was also beginning to scrunch into waves—if his hands would stay away. Every few seconds, his fingers ran through his thick, brown locs or rubbed along his abs as he joked and bantered with Rich.
“See, because this board is possibly the sickest board I’ve used, pop. Every time I used it?” Josh holds his fingers to his mouth with an Italian gesture, kissing it.
“You seem to miss that place, kid. You talk about it every 82
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day. It’s just like another thing, but I won’t bring that up. I know you hate that.” he chuckles, smacking Josh’s bare chest with his backhand.
“Pop, it was much more than that. Y’know, I learned some things. Like the fact that you can’t let that tight ass you’re competing with cramp, you’re style.” Josh chuckles, his voice sounding like satin.
“Very clever, Joshua, but I need to go, okay? You only have to watch the store for four hours. I’ll be right back.” His dad presses, picking up his things before walking my way. “Look who it is! Your mother said you were making those scones for me?” he chuckles.
My eyes were still locked on Josh and the water dripping from his half-naked body. Somehow I, still manage to nod to Rich as he passes me.
“Hey, you…” Josh says, smiling even more.
I hold my breath for three seconds exactly before belting out a puff of air.
“Hi,” I respond with my inside voice.
Why am I nervous all of a sudden? I might puke right here, right now.
“You okay? You look a little flushed in the face,” he comments as I approach him.
“Just kinda warm from walking.” I make up an excuse.
“Oh, what’s this?” he says, putting a hand over mine that had been holding the bag.
“You should eat this,” my words come out like meteors as my arm shoots the bag of food into his torso.
He holds back laughter, furrowing his eyebrows.
“Mkay,” he he draws his draws his voice out, “Paisley, we should probably talk more about—”
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“It’s okay. Just tell me how bad it was, and hurry up so I can feel embarrassed somewhere else.” I respond, avoiding the sight of his facial expression.
“What are you on about, Pea?” he lets himself laugh, running his hand through his hair.
