Oh, he knew shed make a scene, but hed just ignore her and have Teddy or Lance kick her out.
He knew shed come back. She always came back, begging and crying.
She was so damn predictable. And she whined all the damn time.
Not like Miss Tight Little Body just down the beach.
Hed been trying hard not to think about Ronnie. So she didnt like him, so she wanted to spend time with Richie Rich, the brake shop prince. She probably wasnt going to put out anyway. She was probably a frigid little tease. Even so, he couldnt figure out where hed gone wrong with her or how shed seemed to see right through him.
He was better off without her. He didnt need her. He didnt need anyone, which made him wonder why he continued to watch her or cared in the slightest that she was hanging out with Will.
Of course, that made the whole thing a little more interesting, if only because he knew all about Wills weak spot.
He could have some fun with that. Just like he was going to have fun tonight.
23Will
For Will, the summer was passing way too quickly. Between working at the garage and spending most of his remaining free time with Ronnie, the days seem to fly by. As August approached, he found himself growing increasingly anxious at the thought that in a few weeks shed be heading back to New York and hed be off to Vanderbilt.
Shed become part of his lifein many ways, the best part. Even though he didnt always understand her, their differences somehow seemed to make their relationship stronger. They had argued over his request to accompany her to court, which she had adamantly refused, but he remembered her surprise when she found him waiting for her outside the courthouse with a bouquet of flowers. He knew she was upset that the charges had not been droppedher next court appearance was scheduled on August 28, three days after hed leave for collegebut knew hed done the right thing by showing up when she accepted the bouquet with a shy kiss.
She surprised him by getting a part-time job at the aquarium. She didnt tell him about her plans beforehand or ask if he could put in a good word for her. Frankly, he hadnt even realized shed wanted a job. When hed asked her about it afterward, shed explained, Youre working during the day, and my dad and Jonah are making a stained-glass window. I needed something to do, and besides, I want to pay for the lawyer myself. Its not like my dad has a lot of money.
When he picked her up after her first day of work, however, he noticed her skin had an almost greenish tint to it. I had to feed the otters, she confessed. Have you ever stuck your hand into a bucket of dead, slimy fish? Its disgusting!
They talked, endlessly. There didnt seem to be enough time in the world to share everything they wanted to. Sometimes it was simply talk to fill the quiet momentswhen they debated their favorite movies, for instance, or when she told him that even though she was a vegetarian, she still hadnt decided whether eggs or milk counted. But at other times the conversation turned serious. She told him more about her memories of playing the piano and her relationship with her dad; he admitted that he sometimes resented the fact that he felt a responsibility to be the kind of person his mom insisted he be. They talked about her brother, Jonah, and his sister, Megan, and speculated and dreamed about where theyd end up in life. For him, the future seemed tidily planned: Four years at Vanderbilt, and after graduation hed gain some experience working for another firm before coming back to run his dads business. Yet even as he recited the plan, he could hear his moms voice whispering her approval, and he found himself wondering whether it was what he really wanted. As for Ronnie, she admitted that she wasnt sure what the following year or two would bring. The uncertainty didnt seem to frighten her, though, which made him admire her even more. Later, when he reflected on their respective plans, he was struck by the realization that of the two of them, she was more in charge of her own destiny than he was.
Despite the cages that had been built to guard the turtle nests up and down the beach, raccoons had burrowed beneath the wire mesh and destroyed six nests. As soon as Ronnie learned what happened, she insisted they take turns guarding the nest behind her house. There was no reason for both of them to be there all night, but they spent most nights holding each other, kissing, and talking quietly until long after midnight.
Scott, of course, couldnt understand it at all. More than once, Will was late for practice and hed arrive to see Scott pacing in agitation, wondering what had gotten into his friend. At work, in the rare instances that Scott asked how things were going with Ronnie, Will didnt volunteer muchhe knew Scott wasnt asking because he was truly interested. Scott did his best to keep Wills attention focused on the upcoming beach volleyball tournament, usually pretending either that Will would come to his senses soon or that Ronnie didnt exist.
Ronnie had been right about his mom, though. While she hadnt said anything directly to him about his new relationship, he read her disapproval in the way she had to force a smile at the mention of Ronnies name and in the almost formal demeanor she adopted when he brought Ronnie to the house. She never asked about Ronnie, and when he said something about herabout how much fun theyd had or how smart she was or how she understood him better than anyonehis mom would say things like, Youre going to be at Vanderbilt soon, and long-distance relationships are hard or would even wonder aloud if he thought they were spending too much time together. He hated when she said those things. It was all he could do not to snap at her, because he knew she was being unfair. Unlike practically everyone else Will knew, Ronnie didnt drink or curse or gossip, and they hadnt gone any further than kissing, but he knew intuitively those things wouldnt matter to his mom. She was locked into her prejudices, so any attempt to change her opinion of Ronnie would be pointless. Frustrated, he started making excuses to stay away from the house as much as possible. Not only because of the way his mom felt about Ronnie, but because of the way he was beginning to feel about his mom.
And about himself, of course, for failing to call her on it.
Other than Ronnies preoccupation with her upcoming court appearance, the only blemish on their largely idyllic summer was the continuing presence of Marcus. Though theyd mostly been able to avoid him, it was sometimes impossible. When they did run into him, Marcus always seemed to find a way to provoke Will, usually with a reference to Scott. Will felt paralyzed. If he overreacted, Marcus might go to the police; if he did nothing, he felt ashamed.
Here he was, dating a girl whod stood in court and admitted her guilt, and the fact that he couldnt summon the courage to do the same had started to torment him. Hed tried talking to Scott about coming clean and going to the police, but Scott had rejected the idea. And in his own indirect way, he never let Will forget what hed done for him and his family that horrible day when Mikey died. Will admitted Scott been heroic, but as the summer wore on, he began to wonder whether a previous good deed meant a later bad one should be completely overlookedand, in his darkest moments, whether he could bear the true cost of Scotts friendship.
One night in early August, Will agreed to take Ronnie out to the beach to hunt for spider crabs.
I told you I dont like crabs! Ronnie squealed, grabbing hold of Wills arm.
He laughed. Theyre just spider crabs. They wont hurt you.
She squinched up her nose. Theyre like creepy, crawly bugs from outer space.
Youre forgetting that doing this was your idea.
No, it was Jonahs idea. He said it was fun. Which serves me right for listening to someone who learns about life by watching cartoons.
I would think someone who feeds slimy fish to otters wouldnt be bothered by a few harmless crabs on the beach. He swept his flashlight across the ground, illuminating the fast-moving creatures.
She scanned the sand frantically, lest another crab dart near her foot. First off, there arent a few harmless crabs. There are hundreds of them. Second, if Id known that this is what happens to the beach at night, I would have made you sleep by the turtle nest every night. So Im a little angry at you for hiding this fact. And third, even though I work at the aquarium, it doesnt mean that I enjoy having crabs run over my feet.
He did his best to keep a straight face, but it was too hard. When she looked up, she caught his expression.
Stop smirking. Its not funny.
Yes, it is I mean, there must be twenty little kids and their parents out here, doing the same thing we are.
Its not my fault if their parents lack common sense.
Do you want to go back?
No, its fine, she said. Youve already lured me out here into the middle of the infestation. I might as well put up with it.
You do know weve been walking the beach a lot lately.
I know. So again, thank you for bringing the flashlight and ruining the memories.
Fine, he said, turning it off.
She dug her nails into his arm. What are you doing? Turn it back on!
Youve made it perfectly clear you dont like the flashlight.
But if you turn it off, then I wont see them!
Right.
Which means they might be surrounding me right now. Turn it back on, she pleaded.
He did, and as they started down the beach, he laughed. One day, Im going to figure you out.
I dont think so. If you havent done it yet, it just might be beyond you.
That could be true, he admitted. He draped an arm around her. You still havent told me if youre going to come to my sisters wedding.
Thats because I havent decided yet.
I want you to meet Megan. Shes great.
Its not your sister Im worried about. I just dont think your mom wants me to come.
So? Its not her wedding. My sister wants you there.
Youve talked to her about me?
Of course.
What did you say?
The truth.
That you think Im pasty?
He squinted at her. Are you still thinking about that?
No. Ive forgotten all about it.
He snorted. Okay, to answer your question. No, I didnt say you were pasty. I said you used to be pasty.
She elbowed him in the ribs, and he pretended to beg for mercy. Im kidding, Im kidding I would never say that.
What did you tell her, then?
He stopped, turning her to face him. Like I said, I told her the truth. That youre smart and funny and easy to be with and beautiful.
Oh, well, thats okay, then.
Youre not going to say that you love me, too?
Im not sure I can love such a needy guy, she teased. She slipped her arms around him.
Or you can take that comment as payback for letting crabs run over my toes. Of course I love you.
They kissed before resuming their walk. Theyd almost reached the pier and were about to turn around when they saw Scott, Ashley, and Cassie approaching from the other direction.
Ronnie tensed under his arm as Scott veered off to intercept them.
There you are, man, Scott called out when he was close. He stopped in front of them.
Ive been texting you all night.
Will drew his arm tighter around Ronnie. Sorry. I left my phone at Ronnies. Whats up?
As he answered, he could feel Ashley staring at Ronnie from a distance.
I got calls from five of the teams that are going to be in the tournament, and they want to do some pre-tournament scrimmaging. Theyre all pretty good, and they want to put a miniboot camp together to get everyone ready to face Landry and Tyson. Lots of practice, lots of drills, lots of games. Were even thinking about switching up the teams now and then to improve our reaction times, since we all have different styles.
When are they coming?
Whenever were ready, but we were thinking this week.
How long are they going to be here?
I dont know. Three or four days? Pretty much right up until the tournament. I know youve got wedding stuff and rehearsals, but we can work around all that.
He thought again about the fact that his time with Ronnie would soon be coming to an end.
Three or four days?
Scott frowned. Come on, man. This is just what we need to do to get ready.
Dont you think were ready now?
Whats gotten into you? You know how many coaches from the West Coast are coming to watch the tournament. He pointed a finger at Will. You might not need a volleyball scholarship to go to college, but I do. And this is the only chance theyll get to see me play.
Will hesitated. Let me think about it, okay?
You want to think about it?
I have to talk to my dad first. I cant just agree to take off work for four days on such short notice without asking him. And I dont think you can, either.
Scott glanced at Ronnie. Are you sure that work is what this is all about?
Will recognized the challenge but didnt want to get into it with Scott right then. Scott, too, seemed to think better of it and took a step back. All right, fine. Talk to your dad. Whatever,
he said. Maybe youll find a way to squeeze it into your schedule.
With that he turned away, walking off without a backward glance. Will, unsure what else to do, started leading Ronnie back to her house. They were out of earshot of Scott when Ronnie wrapped her arm around his waist and asked, Was he talking about the tournament you told me about?
Will nodded. Next weekend. The day after my sisters wedding.