He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve never followed rules very well.” He swims closer to me and reaches out to swipe my hair out of my face. My breath catches. “You are beautiful. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Other than my parents? No,” I say breathlessly.
“Well, then I’ll tell you more often.” He drops his hand but doesn’t back away from me.
“Tell me something about you. Something no one else knows.” I feel bold asking the question.
He thinks for a moment. “I’m terrified of birds. Any kind of bird.”
I let out a small laugh. “Really?”
He smiles back. “Really. I don’t know why. They creep me the fuck out. If they get close, I will run.”
We both burst out laughing together.
I reach out and touch his shoulder before pulling my hand back. “Thank you. I needed that laugh.”
“Anytime, beautiful. What about you? What’s something about you no one else knows?”
I’m about to answer him when a voice from above booms out. “What’s going on here?” Keaton’s voice pulls my eyes from Ryan’s.
When I look back, I find disappointment on Ryan’s face. “Nothing,” I breathe out.
“Masters, out of the water. Now.” Keaton is not asking.
That infuriates me. “You’re not the boss of him, Keaton. Stop being an asshole.”
“I might not be his boss.” Keaton levels his eyes on me. “But I’m his captain. I gave him a direct order. He better follow it.”
Swimming to the ladder, I pull myself up and walk right up to Keaton. “Captain or not, you don’t rule his life.”
Ryan pulls me back slightly, having followed behind me. “It’s okay, Morgan.”
“No, it’s not,” I seethed.
“Chill, Morgan. This is between me and Masters.” Keaton cracks his knuckles, looking over my shoulder at Ryan.
“No, it’s not. Stop being an overbearing asshole.”
His angry eyes meet mine then. “I gave the decree you were off limits. He shouldn’t even speak to you without my permission.”
I see the moment he realizes his mistake. I was never supposed to know. He knows that I wouldn’t allow it.
“Whatever, Keaton. Have your little power trip. Unlike you, I know I don’t control the world. Know this, though. If you touch one hair on his body”—I point over my shoulder towards Ryan—“then this truce is off. This friendship is over. Got it?”
Without waiting for a response, I walk back to my girls, urging them to change the subject when it was obvious I didn’t want to talk about what just happened.
✽✽✽
Chapter 6
Keaton
As soon as we get to shore, Morgan doesn’t waste any time. She stalks off towards the house.
“You better go after her. Stop being a fucking dick,” Tinsley spits at me.
My eyes widen. I’ve seen Tinsley mad before, but she’s never been this mad at me.
Fuck.
I take off after Morgan, fully intending to apologize. Grabbing her arm before she can walk into the bathroom, I pull her into the sitting room.
She whirls on me. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you, Keaton?”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Morgan.” I taunt her, letting my anger seep back in.
“Just that you’re the same Keaton I left. Selfish and chauvinistic.”
“Seriously?” I rub my chin while laughing humorlessly. “You’re acting like you have a reason to be mad. You. Left. Me. You were my best friend, even more so than Reed, Sterling, and Finley. My ride or die. The person who was supposed to be by my side forever, but then you left. You just up and left. Abandoned me as if I meant nothing. Changed your phone number and refused any form of communication with me. So, don’t sit over there acting all high and mighty like you did no wrong.”
“You’re right. I left you. Did you ever think for a single minute that I did so for a reason? Are you that fucking stupid?”
“Why do you even need a reason? Everyone fucking leaves. It’s called life.”
“You really are dense. I left and didn’t say goodbye for a motherfucking reason.”
“Enlighten me then. Why did you leave?”
Shaking her head, she moves to stand. “You’re not even worth it.”
“Of course, that’s what it boils down to. I’m not worthy. I fucking get it. Go ahead. Run away. It’s what you’re good at.”
My words have their desired response. Morgan turns, fuming.
“You want to know why I left? I left because you decided being friends with a bunch of stupid fucking assholes was more important than the friendship we shared. I left because I heard you tell them how we banged. You were so proud of yourself too, huh? Lying to them. Big man on campus.”
My heart stops. “What are you talking about?”
“The day I was accepted into HDA, I came over to tell you about it. I was so excited to share the news with you. Boswell told me I could find you out back with the guys. I thought he was talking about your brother and friends. Instead you were with that dickhead Charles Darling and his friends. The same guys who liked to make fun of me and make lewd comments at me. I was coming outside, but then I heard your conversation. I heard what you said about me.” She sneers. “I was a fool. I thought we were best friends, that we would always have each other’s back, but that day changed everything.”
“So you ran? You should have come out there and yelled at me. You should have hit me. Threw something at me. Anything but run away. You ran away. You didn’t tell me anything. I had no clue why you left. I’m sorry that you overheard that. I’m even sorrier that you didn’t stay and see Reed hand me my ass. I deserved it and your anger. I didn’t deserve abandonment.”
“I was a kid, Keat. How would you expect me to act? I was hormonal and struggling with my feelings for you to begin with. Then I heard that. It broke my heart. You broke my heart.”
“I was an idiot kid.
