Page 8 of Worth the Risk

Forcing myself to get up, I head for a shower, and as I pass Sierra, she smacks my ass and tells me to hurry because Manda and Mom are waiting for me downstairs. All three are going to grill me about last night, and I’m sure Sierra already told them some of it. Maybe after a shower I’ll be capable of handling their interrogation, but right now, I’m a slug who will take my time until I have to face the three of them.

After a half hour in the shower, I towel off, brush my teeth, and go into my closet. I have more energy, but some coffee will do me good.

After dressing in a pair of black cotton shorts and a blue tank top, I brush my teeth and pull my hair into a ponytail.This is about as good as it’s going to get. Time to face the firing squad.

In the dining room, the three most important people in my life are sitting around the table. I sit, mentally preparing myself for the barrage of questions I know they have.

“Good morning,” I greet them.

“Good afternoon,” they say in unison.

I cringe.

“So, sweetheart, tell me about your night. I heard you kissed a very handsome man and started a brawl,” my mom says, giggling.

Sierra wears a guilty expression on her face. I knew she would have told them. I would have told them anyway, so she has no reason to feel bad.

I rehash the prior night with them, from meeting and kissing the Adonis to the fight that happened afterward.

“Kylie…” Manda beams. “He could be your one. Trust me, I know about these things. I had my one, and your mother had hers. He’s out there for you.”

Oh, Manda.She honestly believes the women in our family are destined for their one. She had my grandfather, who passed away about five years ago.

My mother had my father, Kyle, who I was named after. He died when I was eight years old in a car accident. He was a wonderful father, and I have loving memories of him.

Manda and Mom shift the attention to Sierra and her relationship. She’s dating David, a guy she met a couple of months ago at school. She has had a couple of relationships over the years, but she always finds something wrong and ends up dumping them and breaking hearts. I tend to think this has a lot to do with her mother. She won’t allow herself to be vulnerable to any man and will find any excuse to not let someone in. If some guy does get lucky enough to grab her attention for more than one date, she eventually finds a reason to hit the brakes.

I wonder if she missed her one because she will not allow herself to love or need someone. Or maybe he is still out there waiting for her.

* * *

Two days later, Sierra, Becca, and I are at the lake. I’m wearing my deep blue bikini paired with a white and blue cover-up, and Sierra is wearing a white two-piece with green flowers and a green cover-up that brings out the color of her eyes. Becca’s strawberry-blonde hair goes perfectly with her black bikini.

As I apply lotion, I notice there is a decent crowd for a Friday. Everyone is taking advantage of the warm weather since school is over. I hear laughter, and to my left is a group of five guys kicking a soccer ball between them. I recognize them from school. They were annoying then, and clearly things haven’t changed. They kick up a bunch of sand, and it lands on two girls nearby.

They’re such assholes.

As the girls pack up their stuff to leave, the guys laugh and act like children. I make my way over to them and say, “Hey, guys. Can you take your game to the grassed area? You’re throwing sand all over these girls.”

Trevor, the ringleader of the jerks, says, “We don’t need to move. If they don’t like it, they should leave.”

Placing my hands on my hips, I say, “You guys are assholes.”

When they laugh, I shift on my feet to face the girls. “Sorry about that. Seems some boys never grow up. Would you like to join my friends and me to get away from these jerks?”

“Yes, thank you. It’s our first time here, and apparently, we picked the wrong spot to sit,” one of them says.

I think she’s about my age, around twenty-two. She has long, black hair and striking light blue eyes. I feel like I’ve seen her before, but she said it was her first time here. Her friend has shoulder-length red hair and green eyes. There’s no familiarity with her, though.

As I steer them toward our stuff, Trevor yells, “Heard you and James broke up and traded you in for another model. If you’re ever feeling lonely, hit me up. I don’t mind sloppy seconds.”

Ouch.That stung.

I pop him the finger. “You wish, asshole.”

They laugh again.

Fucking idiots.

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