“You guys really thought I was dead? All this time?” I nod, and Spencer curses under his breath, holding me close. Ranger was so right: I should've told him sooner. What was I so afraid of? This? Because I'll admit: it's a lot.
Spencer and I have an undeniable connection, one that, if I'm honest with myself, scares the crap out of me. It's so intense, so raw. I've never felt like this around anyone before.
“I was attacked in the shower that night by two people in hoodies. They took off into the attic, and climbed through a whole in Mark Grandam’s room. Then they lured us into the tunnels beneath the school before locking us in.” I look up to find Spencer gaping at me, both of his dark brows raised. He's all sweaty, and so am I. To curl up in his arms right now and fall asleep, that'd be heaven.
But we have to wake the other boys up. They deserve to know their friend's alive. “Ranger almost died. Twice, actually. He almost drowned. I had to give him CPR …”
“Who are you talking to?” Ranger mumbles, rolling over and sitting up. He puts his head in his hand, fingers threaded in his dark hair before he finally glances over, eyes bleary and heavy with sleep. When he sees whose lap I'm sitting in, his eyes go wide and he bolts up out of bed with a roar. “Where the fuck have you been?!” he snarls, yanking Spencer up by the arm. I tumble off his lap and remember that I'm not actually wearing pants …
Ranger doesn't notice. Instead, he's got a hand on either of Spencer's bare arms, and he's shaking as he stares his friend down with those intense sapphire eyes of his.
“I … broke my phone, and I was just trying to chill out. I had no idea shit was going down here. I was at Jack’s house getting stoned—”
“You've been getting baked all week at your brother's house while we fucking died for you?! Are you insane? Do you know what you put us all through?”
“Chuck was just saying … Fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know.” Ranger drops his hands from Spencer's arms, leaving red marks. And then he hugs him, one of those tight, squeezing hugs that I like so much. A real hug. No fragile masculine bullshit is keeping Ranger Woodruff from hugging his best friend. My heart swells three sizes, like the Grinch or whatever.
Then Ranger glances up and sees me sitting there in my underwear. My very, very wet underwear. I shift uncomfortably, and his brows go up. He stands up straight and looks at Spencer then me, then back at Spencer again.
“Did you guys … just fuck?”
“Your sleeping pills make you dead to the world, man,” Spencer says, trying and failing to laugh. He looks like he's about to be sick. Ranger stares at me again, and gives me this … I don't know, look.
Crap.
I give Ranger a responding look that says please don't say anything, and he bends down to pick my pants up off the floor, tossing them to me.
“I'll go get Church, and the twins. Stay here.” Ranger opens the door and pads down the hall to wake the other guys up. I don't like him going out there by himself, but it's just a few doors down, so I figure I better get my damn pants on.
“This is insane,” Spencer whispers, turning back to look at me again. “I still can't believe you're a girl.” He narrows his eyes on me. “Do you know how much gay porn I watched in preparation for our first time? I was researching how to suck a dick.” I smile, but there are tears again. I'm just so fucking happy he's still alive. “No snappy retorts or witty comments?”
“I'm … I just …” For once in my life, I'm literally speechless.
Spencer pauses, and then flicks his eyes to the side, like he's thinking really hard about what he wants to say next. When he looks back at me, I just know it's going to be profound.
Then, of course, the door flies open and the twins come barreling in.
They knock Spencer onto Ranger's bed, and I can't tell if they're laughing or crying.
“You piece of shit,” they wail in unison, rubbing their cheeks against his. He's laughing and trying to push them off, but to no avail.
“We should kick your ass for making us think you were dead,” Micah says, and Tobias frowns.
“We should beat the shit out of you.”
“Aww, look, you guys really do love me,” Spencer says, sitting up and doing his best to untangle himself from the McCarthy twins' long limbs. They've glommed onto him like red-haired koalas or some shit. I smile, even though I'm crying again. Ugh, that'll get old fast. I should go back to my bitchy Valley Girl self, huh?
