And since when is he “Not that bad?” It’s hard to believe those words actually came from your mouth!
Samantha paused in her typing, drumming her fingers on the mouse pad before continuing.
Tristan Montgomery was that guy. The guy every girl wanted and every guy wanted to be. The boy who made even grown women blush when he walked into a room.
He was also the guy who was handed everything on a silver platter. The one who worked hard for nothing, yet had everything. Tristan was everything she stood against, yet girls used to befriend Renee just to get closer to him.
Everyone except Samantha.
In fact, Renee and Samantha’s relationship had blossomed over their mutual hatred for Tristan Montgomery. Samantha was the only girl outside of Renee who didn’t like him. No, correction, didn’t LOVE him.
There wasn’t anything in particular about Tristan that left a bad taste in Samantha’s mouth, it was everything. The fact that teachers turned a blind eye so he could stay on the varsity football team. The fact that he said nothing, did nothing, was no more than a high school jock, yet every girl in high school bowed at his feet.
You’re worried about my safety Renee, and you think driving with Tristan would make things better? He had his license suspended senior year for too many speeding tickets. He jumped off your parents’ roof and into your neighbor’s backyard pool on a dare! This isn’t a guy who makes the best decisions regarding safety. He doesn’t think about how his actions could affect other people.
She closed her eyes as memories flooded her. Tristan was a risk-taker and never thought about the consequences of tomorrow. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without thinking about the future. And he was the only boy who held one of Samantha’s firsts outside of Steven.
She cringed.
He was the only part of Samantha’s life she couldn’t share with her best friend… and that scared the shit out of her.
3
Chapter Three
Six years earlier
Samantha adjusted the pillow behind her head, glancing up the stairs at the sound of Renee’s cough rattling from the loft of the cabin. She cringed at the wicked sound of it, certain the Montgomerys should come home from their party to take her to the hospital—but as soon as she sat up to reach for her phone, the dull snore of her sleeping friend came drifting down to comfort her.
She smiled, sure it would keep her up all night, and picked back up her book. She’d been reading all week, catching up on her ever growing list. This was their last trip before junior year, but poor Renee was stuck in bed with a bout of pneumonia. Fevers, body aches, and a prescription for antibiotics and rest. The trip had become remarkably uneventful as a result, but Samantha really didn’t mind. She was just happy to be away. From chores, too much heat…and Steven.
Mostly Steven.
The pressure to become his girlfriend was beginning to annoy her. He’d been at her house almost daily, hinting about needing an answer before school started. It was no secret that he loved her. He’d confessed to as much in front of their entire sixth grade band class. Everyone knew how he felt, but until now they’d been just friends. The best of friends.
Samantha loved Steven with all her heart, but she didn’t like him that way. He was her best friend outside of Renee—and she was determined to keep it like that. Dating him would only mess things up. But how could she tell him no without hurting him? To say no, and not have him push her away completely? It was a catch twenty-two in the worst kind of way. No matter which way she said it, her words would be a rejection. A rejection she wasn’t sure their friendship could recover from.
She nestled down in the couch, determined to get lost in her book and not think about tomorrow, but bits of sun steamed in through the tall picture window, reminding her that the day was almost over. That they’d be returning home in the morning. To school, to homework, and big fat decisions.
The front door slammed open, and Tristan strolled lazily into the cabin. He’d just come back from a run and his hair was slightly damp, his shirt off—revealing his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. She swallowed. She didn’t much like him, but she wasn’t blind. He was hot. More than hot. Broad shoulders, washboard abs, with that bad boy messy vibe that everyone loved.
She glanced back at her book, ignoring him like she always did, but before she could read the first line, something heavy settled down at the other end of the couch. She glanced up and found him sprawled at the other end, arms braced against the back cushions, feet up on the coffee table. She cleared her throat, making herself smaller on the other end—because this was odd. Normally Tristan didn’t stick around for this long. Normally he had a crew of people vying for his attention that would pull him away. She knew for a fact there was a cabin full of girls just across the lake who would volunteer for the job. She’d seen them with her own eyes. Splashing around all week, practically naked, obvious in their attempts to grab Tristan’s attention.