Page 84 of This Blood That Binds Us
Luke put the car in park and placed his hand on the passenger seat’s headrest to look at me and Presley. “All right, we’re here!”
In a hurry, we piled out and pulled our stuff from the back of their car. It was an older Honda that looked like it had seenbetter days. Once we were in the parking lot, I knew exactly which park they were talking about. I had seen it in passing.
Large billboards lined the roads, coaxing us to come visit. Though I had lived in town all my life, I’d never been. It was a one-of-a-kind adventure park geared toward adults. There was normal camping, rafting, swimming available but also common areas where you could eat and drink. I could see why it was a favorite spot for finals-fatigued students.
It was located in a different part of the mountain from what I was used to. We traveled on long, winding roads further away from town. It was more secluded than I had expected and also less kitschy. I expected an amusement park-like structure, with huge gaudy signs and maybe a few animated animals. Instead, it was the mountain itself that greeted me. The park appeared to blend into the scenery, as if they were made together.
“Hey, guys.”
Aaron’s voice came from behind me. He had his arm wrapped around Chelsea’s shoulder. She stumbled over her long, flowy cover-up. Her long blonde hair was perfectly curled underneath her sunhat. They rode separately, and I was having a hard time gauging how I felt about the whole thing. Aaron was acting more and more strange by the hour. Despite staying the night in his room again for protection, he left me alone all night and only said a few words when he came in to check on me. It was safe to say I didn’t get any sleep.
Aaron met my eyeline. It was brief, and he averted his gaze to Luke. The look in his eyes was unsettling, and it left me with a cold chill.
“Trying to turn a few heads, I see.” Presley chuckled, looking Chelsea up and down.
She smiled and moved herself to take Aaron’s hand. “Always. I’ll probably need to borrow one of Aaron’s hoodies later. Are we ready to go inside?”
I caught myself in a troubling thought. Was I...jealous? It was the same feeling I had at the dance, watching them dance together. But there was no reason for me to be jealous. Aaron wasn’t mine, after all. He was free to do whatever he wanted and date whoever he wanted. But it was still strange seeing him interact with her, even stranger that it came out of nowhere. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed he was doing it on purpose.
Still, I found myself averting my eyes away from his hand on hers.
“Kimberly needs to change!” Presley grabbed my shoulders from behind.
I examined our group, realizing I was the only one not ready. I packed so fast I forgot to change into my bathing suit. The boys were already wearing their board shorts and shirts in different colors and patterns. Presley’s were the brightest.
“Uh, no, that’s okay. I can wait until we get inside.” I shifted my feet uneasily.
“Yeah, but the faster you get changed, the faster we can get to the fun,” Luke said.
“Fiiiine.” I caved and grabbed my bag from my shoulders. It wasn’t hard to find the changing area. A little building in the corner of the parking lot hosted a swarm of girls hanging around the entrance.
I caught a few glimpses of the river flowing through the trees in the distance. Loud, thumping music coming from the cars in the parking lot drowned out the rushing water.
“I’ll come with. I need to check on my hair.” Chelsea was hot on my heels and wrapped her arm around mine as we made it through the door.
I knew it had to be a trap. My heart was in my throat when she led me next to one of the dress stalls.
“Okay, let’s cut the shit. Do you like Aaron?”
Warmth pooled in my cheeks. “I—why are you asking me that?”
Chelsea sighed and ran her black acrylics through her hair. “Because I’m not an idiot. I can see it going on right before my eyes. I just want to clear the air because I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes. If you like him, I’ll back off.”
“I-I...” I desperately wanted an out. I wasn’t ready to answer that question.
Not when my world quite literally felt like it was falling apart, when the last real conversation between Aaron and I had ended in an argument.
Aaron meant more to me than I wanted to admit. He was definitely my friend, but did I want more? I thought back to the forest, to us swaying in the moonlight, crickets chiming our symphony. For a moment, I wanted.. .more. In a fleeting moment, I wanted his lips on mine.
But he pulled away. He pulled away, and I pushed him away. That’s how I needed to leave things. It would be a lot less messy for the both of us. I’d just had to forget about that fleeting moment. Forget that I ever allowed myself to get sucked into that fantasy.
“We’re just friends.” I saw myself in the reflection as I said it. My eyes were hollow, and my cheeks tugged into a tight-lipped smile.
“Good.” Chelsea turned to the mirror and pulled her hair into a high ponytail with her sparkly scrunchie. “Because I thought he liked you. That’s the vibe I got from him at the formal, anyway.”
My heart steadily beat against my ribs. I had no idea what she was talking about. I hadn’t noticed anything. Aaron actually went out of his way multiple times to make it clear everything was platonic. I was the only one who slipped up for a second andthought I was feeling something more, or at least that’s what I thought.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way”—Chelsea dragged lip balm across her lips—“I’ll let you get dressed, and I’ll wait outside with the boys.”
