Lost Rider(9)

Quinn jumps down from her truck and pointedly turns her back on her older brother. “Come on, Leigh, let’s go dance.”

I look over and give Clay a shrug and wave as Quinn drags me over to where Brant Weaton is parked. He’s got all the doors open in his truck and the music is blaring, creating a little makeshift dance area in front of it.

I’m not sure how long we dance and laugh with the others around us, but when we stop the sun has long since disappeared behind the trees and everything around us is lit by the fire only. The crowd has grown considerably since we arrived, topping out around a hundred or so. Probably because graduation was yesterday, and people are looking for a party.

That sobering thought takes all the lighthearted fun right out of my sails when I remember the whole reason that Quinn pushed her brother into letting us come.

“Hey, Q! I’m going to go to the little girls’ room!” I yell over the Toby Keith song that we’ve been dancing to.

“Kay, I’ll be here when you’re done. Make sure and grab the bathroom stuff out of my truck.”

I give her a nod and take over toward her truck. I’m no stranger to peeing in the middle of nowhere, but it still sucks to be clomping through the woods in the middle of the night and not being able to see where you’re going.

I smile as people call out my name, giving a few waves, but keep heading toward Quinn’s truck. The groups of people talking, laughing, and drinking are now edging from the circle of trucks surrounding the bonfire and taking up almost the whole pasture.

“Where are you headed off to, sweetheart?”

I stop dead in my tracks.

“He-hey, John.”

He steps out of the shadows by Quinn’s truck and walks over to me, tugging at the collar of my shirt. “You sure do look pretty, darlin’.”

Thank God it’s dark. I can feel my cheeks heating and I just know that my blush is turning every inch of my skin bright red. John Lewis is one of the most popular boys in school and I know for a fact that he’s got a girlfriend. But I also know he’s got a reputation for not staying true to his girlfriend. That being said, he’s never exactly shown attention to a girl like me, so I’m about to come out of my skin I’m so nervous.

“Tha-thanks.”

He laughs. “Where you headed?” he asks again.

I clear my throat. “Pit stop in the woods.” God, this is mortifying. I hate how I turn into an awkward mute full of nerves any time a hot boy talks to me.

He steps closer, I can smell the beer on his breath. “How about you come find me when you get back down here?” He gives me a wink before walking around me, leaving me gaping at the empty spot where he just stood.

Holy. Crap. I turn, seeing his retreating back and let a nervous giggle escape my lips. That did just happen. Yeah, no way am I going to search him out. Judging by his drunk stumbles, that would be the worst idea ever.

I grab the toilet paper out of Quinn’s truck, one of the empty grocery bags, and hand sanitizer before heading over to the side of the field that seems empty enough. Walking a few paces into the tree line before I stop and push my shorts and thong down to my knees and squat. Making quick work, I wipe, toss the used toilet paper in the bag, and tie it off before cleaning my hands.

My shaking fingers make it hard to right my clothes, but after making sure my shorts are buckled, I head back out of the trees and toward Quinn’s truck again, but I stop in my tracks as butterflies take flight in my belly—right next to the bed of her truck are Quinn’s brothers, leaning against Clay’s Chevy.

“You see what Leighton has on tonight?” My jaw drops at Maverick’s question. I look down, the firelight casting a glow on my outfit. He noticed?

“Did you see Leighton?” Clay retorts as he brings his beer up to take a long drink. “My guess is Quinn got to her and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Maverick is silent for so long, I’m half convinced he isn’t going to answer his brother, but I hold my breath anyway—waiting for what he’ll say. The flutters in my stomach going into overdrive. “Hard to miss when she looks like she’s naked. What the hell was she thinkin’ wearin’ that shit?”

My cheeks flame as those stupid butterflies wither and die. No longer feeling the excited flurries because of the burn that’s taken over my gut as Clay laughs, slapping his brother on the back, and shaking his head. “Not that I need to point this out, Mav, but my guess is she’s trying to get noticed tonight. She looked pretty hot to me.”

Maverick lets out a laugh that doesn’t sound even a smidgen like a real one. It’s deep and almost spiteful. “Yeah, kind of hard not to notice. She looks like a little girl tryin’ to play dress up in her mama’s clothes. The only thing people are goin’ to notice is a kid tryin’ to play with the big leagues.”