there on the bench, staring at Nick with my mouth open and tears in my eyes. I couldn’t get over the feeling of seeing him for the first time tonight as younger and vulnerable, more like me. It hurt that I had hurt him. It hurt more that he had hurt me back.
Outside the sauna, the hall door squealed open. Someone was coming.
“Great,” I breathed. Chloe had invited Nick over here tonight because he’d held my hand in the hall and she’d thought there was more to come. Even once I explained to Chloe that we officially hated each other now and that nothing had happened between us, Nick and I would not live down getting caught together in the sauna. All my friends would tease me about Nick even more, and I would never be able to get him off my mind.
Strangely, Nick didn’t seem the least bit concerned about Gavin catching us and teasing us in class forevermore. He still stared at me like I’d slapped him. Okay, I’d slapped him a lot in class over the years, when he had shot spitballs at me or tried to write his name on my arm. This time he stared at me like I’d slapped him when he didn’t deserve it.
The sauna door swung open. “ There you are,” Chloe exclaimed at me with her fists on her hips. Her eyes slid to Nick.
Gavin appeared over her shoulder. “And there you are,” he called to Nick. His eyes slid to me.
Liz and Davis crowded the doorway, too. All four of them now wore bathing suits, which meant they’d intended to join us in the sauna. Suddenly it was way too hot and I couldn’t breathe.
“God, it’s like a sauna in here,” I muttered at the same time Nick mumbled, “I was just leaving. This place is full of hot air.” Too late I realized we were pushing through our friends in the doorway at the same time. We couldn’t have acted more guilty.
I reached the hallway free and clear. Someone big padded behind me—Nick, I assumed—but I didn’t look back. I burst through the squealing door, slipped into the women’s locker room, and rushed under a cold shower with my bikini still on. “Eek!” Maybe if I stood there long enough, the lingering lust I felt for Nick would wash away, along with the regret that we hadn’t kissed in the sauna.
The cold water bouncing off my skull only gave me a headache. I’d rejected Nick, yes. But the more I thought about it, the more his reaction seemed completely uncalled-for. I’d been called the B-word before, but never by Nick.
I turned off the water and pushed through the door on the opposite side of the locker room, into the cold night. I dashed for the heated pool, jumping in without looking first to see who I’d be sharing it with. Of course, Nick sat alone on the submerged stairs with his elbows behind him on the wall, watching me as I came up for air. Everyone else must be inside.
He didn’t take the opportunity to leap across the pool and push me under, as he usually would have. He just stared me down, frowning, and flicked his wet hair out of his eyes with his pinkie. When I was little I’d spent a lot of time at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Now it was like Nick and I were separated by one of those foot-thick walls of specially tempered glass. We could see each other. We could even long for each other. But even if we both had put our hands up to the glass, we could never have touched. The glass between us was smooth and cold.
“Congratulations to you,” the voices of the others sang from behind the slowly moving door. Gavin held it open for Chloe, who paraded out with the cake, and Liz, who carried paper plates and forks and napkins. As soon as everyone was clear of the door, Gavin and Davis made a run for the pool and jumped in to avoid the frigid air just like I had, but the girls sang on. “Congratulations, dear Hayden, congratulations to you!”
Liz’s dark hair had kinked into tight curls from the hot tub, and Chloe had carefully pinned up her long blond hair to keep it from getting wet in the pool. Chloe and Liz
Outside the sauna, the hall door squealed open. Someone was coming.
“Great,” I breathed. Chloe had invited Nick over here tonight because he’d held my hand in the hall and she’d thought there was more to come. Even once I explained to Chloe that we officially hated each other now and that nothing had happened between us, Nick and I would not live down getting caught together in the sauna. All my friends would tease me about Nick even more, and I would never be able to get him off my mind.
Strangely, Nick didn’t seem the least bit concerned about Gavin catching us and teasing us in class forevermore. He still stared at me like I’d slapped him. Okay, I’d slapped him a lot in class over the years, when he had shot spitballs at me or tried to write his name on my arm. This time he stared at me like I’d slapped him when he didn’t deserve it.
The sauna door swung open. “ There you are,” Chloe exclaimed at me with her fists on her hips. Her eyes slid to Nick.
Gavin appeared over her shoulder. “And there you are,” he called to Nick. His eyes slid to me.
Liz and Davis crowded the doorway, too. All four of them now wore bathing suits, which meant they’d intended to join us in the sauna. Suddenly it was way too hot and I couldn’t breathe.
“God, it’s like a sauna in here,” I muttered at the same time Nick mumbled, “I was just leaving. This place is full of hot air.” Too late I realized we were pushing through our friends in the doorway at the same time. We couldn’t have acted more guilty.
I reached the hallway free and clear. Someone big padded behind me—Nick, I assumed—but I didn’t look back. I burst through the squealing door, slipped into the women’s locker room, and rushed under a cold shower with my bikini still on. “Eek!” Maybe if I stood there long enough, the lingering lust I felt for Nick would wash away, along with the regret that we hadn’t kissed in the sauna.
The cold water bouncing off my skull only gave me a headache. I’d rejected Nick, yes. But the more I thought about it, the more his reaction seemed completely uncalled-for. I’d been called the B-word before, but never by Nick.
I turned off the water and pushed through the door on the opposite side of the locker room, into the cold night. I dashed for the heated pool, jumping in without looking first to see who I’d be sharing it with. Of course, Nick sat alone on the submerged stairs with his elbows behind him on the wall, watching me as I came up for air. Everyone else must be inside.
He didn’t take the opportunity to leap across the pool and push me under, as he usually would have. He just stared me down, frowning, and flicked his wet hair out of his eyes with his pinkie. When I was little I’d spent a lot of time at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Now it was like Nick and I were separated by one of those foot-thick walls of specially tempered glass. We could see each other. We could even long for each other. But even if we both had put our hands up to the glass, we could never have touched. The glass between us was smooth and cold.
“Congratulations to you,” the voices of the others sang from behind the slowly moving door. Gavin held it open for Chloe, who paraded out with the cake, and Liz, who carried paper plates and forks and napkins. As soon as everyone was clear of the door, Gavin and Davis made a run for the pool and jumped in to avoid the frigid air just like I had, but the girls sang on. “Congratulations, dear Hayden, congratulations to you!”
Liz’s dark hair had kinked into tight curls from the hot tub, and Chloe had carefully pinned up her long blond hair to keep it from getting wet in the pool. Chloe and Liz
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