Page 17 of Like You Know

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Maybe. But I don’t think so.”

He stared me down for a while, and I held his gaze. I’d never backed down from anyone, and I wasn’t going to now.

“Smart and beautiful,” he murmured. “You’re dangerous, Amaya Ann.”

I was taken aback, not expecting the sudden compliment. And what exactly had he meant by “dangerous”?

“Hey, you two!” Nicola appeared, leaning her elbows on the backs of the seats in front of us. “That turbulence was crazy!”

“Yeah, I nearly fell on my ass!” I laughed.

“I caught her though,” Jet added. “Saved that ass.”

“Of course you did!” She winked at him.

“Don’t wink at him when he’s saying things about my ass!” I pointed a finger at her, but she just laughed.

The last few hours of the flight were pretty chill. Everyone moved about the plane, changing seats and chatting, but most people congregated around the middle, which was set up like a living room with two long rows of couchlike seats facing each other. I tried to go back to my spot next to Harlow and read, but I couldn’t concentrate, so I drifted over to the main group.

Nicola and a few of the others started talking about BestLyf, and not in the way the girls and I talked about it. They were all part of this youth program and raved about how much they were getting out of it, the people they got to work with, and some bullshit about elevating the different realms of their beings into perfect alignment so they could float above everyone else in their smug superiority. OK, maybe I added that last bit myself, but they sounded pretentious as fuck while having no idea how brainwashed they were becoming.

The last thing I wanted was to think about that mess, so I joined another conversation. I didn’t really care about the specifics of what they were saying, but Jet definitely seemed to. He looked genuinely interested as he asked them questions about the program and the people involved and the kinds of things they did there.

I hoped he wasn’t looking to join. He’d be sorely disappointed when he was knocked back—not because he wasn’t intelligent or talented enough but because he wasn’t rich or influential enough. Oh, yeah! Plus, the fact that it was a fucking cult.

I wanted to drag him away from them and tell him to stay clear of it, protect him from all the crap BestLyf had put us through. Looking out the window at the crystal blue water below, I added that to my growing list of bullshit to deal with after the trip.

CHAPTERSIX

The sun feltwonderful on my skin, and the gentle sound of waves crashing on the beach was almost enough to lull me to sleep. I didn’t even know what time it was—long enough after breakfast to feel settled on the beach, but not close enough to lunch to really feel hungry. I didn’t care. We were about halfway through the trip, and time had ceased to have any meaning.

We spent the nights partying or just chilling by the pool, and we spent the days island hopping, snorkeling, and just chilling on the beach. There was a lot of chilling. Exactly what we all needed.

“Do you think they’re having sex out there?” Mena cocked her head and lowered her sunglasses a fraction. She was on the lounger to my left.

“Gross!” Harlow gagged on the lounger to my right. There was an empty one next to her. Donna and Hendrix had gone for a swim in the crystal-clear water some time ago. We could see them way out in the distance. They’d been ...huggingin the same spot for a while.

“Yeah, they’re definitely having sex out there.” I chuckled.

Harlow gagged again. “Can you stop! I want to go for a dip soon and now I can’t.”

“Sure you can. They’re miles away,” Mena argued.

“No, I can’t! They’re in the same body of water. I don’t want to be swimming in their juices!”

“Whose juices are we swimming in?” Drew leaned on the back of my lounger and grinned before exaggeratedly licking his lips. “I fucking love juice.”

I tipped my head back and gave him a sweet smile. “Hendrix’s.”

The girls burst out laughing as Drew’s face fell. Then he raised his eyebrows and tilted his head as though actually considering it.

The three of them started cracking dirty jokes and teasing each other until Drew picked Mena up off her lounger and ran for the water, Harlow chasing after them.

I reached for the packet of smokes on the little table next to me and lit one, watching my friends frolic in the water. The long drag I took made me feel lightheaded for a moment. I’d been smoking way less since we arrived, and this was my first one for the day. I guessed the stress-free environment was good from my health or some shit.

A wave of melancholy washed over me, tinged with loneliness. It was an odd feeling to have in paradise, surrounded by my closest friends. Irrational. I knew I could get to my feet, walk down to the water, and be welcomed with open arms. I knew my girls had my back no matter what, but ... sometimes I felt as though I didn’t matter. As if I could get up from this lounger and walk off into the sunset and no one would notice.

OK, that was dramatic. Of course my friends would notice if I just disappeared, but they’d get over it eventually. No one in my life would be so devastated that they’d struggle to go on without me.

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