Page 55 of Nightmare

I turn to find Brody Rockport, in all his glory, standing right in front of me.

Oh, for fucks sake.

His mouth turns up into a smirk, “Olivia, right?”

“Yup.” I answer.

He chuckles a little and lets go of my shoulder to stick his hand out in my direction, “I’m Brody.”

I look around like he’s a crazy person, “Yeah, we’ve been going to school together for almost four years.”

He glances at his extended hand that’s hanging in the air in between us and then back up to my eyes before dropping his hand to his side and chuckling again. “I wanted to invite you to the party we’re having tonight, out at the beach.”

I slide my sunglasses down the bridge of my nose and squint my eyes at him, raking my eyes over his golden-tan face, “Why?”

He gives me a confused face before reaching up to itch at the light stubble on his jaw, “Why? Um, I didn’t expect to need a reason.”

He tilts his head to the side, so I blink at him a few times to let him know I expect him to keep talking. “I think you’re cute as fuck and wanted to hang out with you before high school ends?” He says it as a question, like I’m an idiot, and my patience is running very thin.

A small laugh flies out of my mouth before I can stop it, “It’s gonna be a no from me, dog.”

I channel my inner Randy Jackson and he laughs, like I’ve made some sort of joke instead of rejecting him.

I blink at him for a few heartbeats and then his face falls, “Oh, you’re serious?”

He runs his hand through his dark brown hair, stopping when he’s gripping at the back of his neck.

I continue to squint at him, taking the opportunity to admire the bulky muscles in his arms and the white t-shirt that’s hugging his chiseled chest, he’s kind of sexy – in that jock douchebag kind of way.

“Where’s the party?” I find myself asking on a whim.

“Beach. Usual spot.” He answers, the corners of his mouth tipping up at the side. “I can text you the details, if you’re interested.”

He pulls his phone out of the front pocket of his light blue jeans, unlocks it and holds it towards me.

I roll my eyes, sighing a little, and grab his phone to put my number in. “I’ll think about it.”

I hand his phone back, put my sunglasses back in place over my eyes, then turn to leave.

“I’ll see you tonight, Olivia.” His voice is confident, like I’d be the dumbest bitch in the universe not to go. I roll my eyes one more time for dramatic effect and head to my car.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Olivia

nine months ago

My heels sinkinto the sand of the beach far enough that I topple over a little, but I manage to balance myself before I fall and eat shit. I slip them from my feet and decide to carry them, letting my toes sink into the sand instead.

What the fuck am I doing here?

“I am so excited.” Cam says next to me all too enthusiastically. I sigh at her, but don’t respond.

I don’t know how she talked me into this. I mentioned my encounter with Brody to her, then she was like this weird little succubus that wouldn’t leave me alone until I put on a bikini and agreed to come for one drink.

“One drink.” I say, and she huffs a little under her breath, making me laugh.

“Don’t ruin this.” She says, storming ahead of me.

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