and smiled and then he slowly brushed my hair across my forehead.
"I pick this dock to escape everything and then you just appear. How did that happen?"
"I don't know."
"Kismet?"
"Cassie! Cassie!" A voice on the dock carried below deck. Addie. I felt RD tense up and my heartbeat raced, beating so loudly I could feel it in my whole body. He jumped away from me as if I was toxic. I felt like we'd been caught, even though we'd only been talking.
"It's my sister," I said. "I don't know what she's doing here. I should go."
He nodded and looked at the hatch. "Why don't I go up first," he said. "You can use the head if you need to. I'll tell your sister… what's her name?"
"Addie."
"I'll tell her you'll be right up."
"Okay."
"We probably shouldn't hang out down here anymore."
"Okay," I said. I felt so breathless and nervous. He'd touched my face. Nothing had happened. I had no reason to feel guilty, so why did I feel like we'd done something wrong?
"Hey, don't look so freaked out,” RD said. “You're good. No laws broken. Everything's going to be okay."
When RD spoke, I felt like he could, somehow, realign the planets in my universe. And in that moment, looking at RD, the way he smiled at me, I felt so lucky that he'd found me. I felt like he'd chosen me to help him because he could see that we needed each other. We had a connection and I knew that something had almost happened between us and I liked that feeling. Like standing at the edge of a cliff and looking down the rock face knowing that, if I jumped, I would fly and not fall.
RD opened the hatch and climbed up the steps. The flash of sunlight from above looked so out of place in the cool darkness all around me. It seemed impossible that the world outside had continued while we'd been below deck.
Everything's going to be okay , I repeated. Taking a deep breath, I tried to will my heartbeat to slow down. Everything's going to be okay . I believed RD. I believed every one of his lies.
Chapter 14
I waited for a minute before I stood up. I strained, listening for my sister's voice, but there was nothing, nothing but the quiet touch of the waves against the boat. I went to the bathroom to fix my hair and to make sure I looked okay. There was a small mirror over a super-tiny sink. It was about as big as a closet. Looking at my reflection, I could see a few new freckles. I had gloss in my pocket and I took it out, slowly painting the shimmering pink over my lips. It made me think of Priya. I had never thought about it until now, but we used the same pink lip gloss.
Above deck, RD sat on the bench, legs stretched out. "False alarm," he said, grinning. "She's not here."
Confused, I looked around for that signature red, curly hair. "Trust me. She's here. I heard her." I scanned the docks, catching a glimpse of Addie's head between boats on the next dock over. Addie jumped up and down when she spotted me and ran, even though running on the docks was a major don't in Mom's book of rules.
"Found her," I said. Addie's feet thundered as she approached.
"Where were you?" she gasped when she arrived hands upon her knees. "I walked by here like a million times."
"Never mind," I said. "We should get out of here." The less Addie knew about RD, the better. The last thing I needed was for her to mention to Mom that I'd been hanging out on some boat. I knew Mom wanted to give me space today, but that would leave me wide open for an interrogation.
"Mom told me to come get you. I saw your bike. Ew, your knees."
Blood had dried through the gauze patch in a round, brownish-red circle. "I crashed earlier. Is Mom here?" I swallowed, my stomach turning, as I looked up the dock, terrified that I'd see Mom striding in our direction.
"No," Addie said, looking at RD. "Can I take your picture?" She'd already raised the camera and snapped a picture before RD had a chance to answer. "I'm going to be a photographer this summer."
"What’s with the paparazzi?" RD said, holding his hands
"I pick this dock to escape everything and then you just appear. How did that happen?"
"I don't know."
"Kismet?"
"Cassie! Cassie!" A voice on the dock carried below deck. Addie. I felt RD tense up and my heartbeat raced, beating so loudly I could feel it in my whole body. He jumped away from me as if I was toxic. I felt like we'd been caught, even though we'd only been talking.
"It's my sister," I said. "I don't know what she's doing here. I should go."
He nodded and looked at the hatch. "Why don't I go up first," he said. "You can use the head if you need to. I'll tell your sister… what's her name?"
"Addie."
"I'll tell her you'll be right up."
"Okay."
"We probably shouldn't hang out down here anymore."
"Okay," I said. I felt so breathless and nervous. He'd touched my face. Nothing had happened. I had no reason to feel guilty, so why did I feel like we'd done something wrong?
"Hey, don't look so freaked out,” RD said. “You're good. No laws broken. Everything's going to be okay."
When RD spoke, I felt like he could, somehow, realign the planets in my universe. And in that moment, looking at RD, the way he smiled at me, I felt so lucky that he'd found me. I felt like he'd chosen me to help him because he could see that we needed each other. We had a connection and I knew that something had almost happened between us and I liked that feeling. Like standing at the edge of a cliff and looking down the rock face knowing that, if I jumped, I would fly and not fall.
RD opened the hatch and climbed up the steps. The flash of sunlight from above looked so out of place in the cool darkness all around me. It seemed impossible that the world outside had continued while we'd been below deck.
Everything's going to be okay , I repeated. Taking a deep breath, I tried to will my heartbeat to slow down. Everything's going to be okay . I believed RD. I believed every one of his lies.
Chapter 14
I waited for a minute before I stood up. I strained, listening for my sister's voice, but there was nothing, nothing but the quiet touch of the waves against the boat. I went to the bathroom to fix my hair and to make sure I looked okay. There was a small mirror over a super-tiny sink. It was about as big as a closet. Looking at my reflection, I could see a few new freckles. I had gloss in my pocket and I took it out, slowly painting the shimmering pink over my lips. It made me think of Priya. I had never thought about it until now, but we used the same pink lip gloss.
Above deck, RD sat on the bench, legs stretched out. "False alarm," he said, grinning. "She's not here."
Confused, I looked around for that signature red, curly hair. "Trust me. She's here. I heard her." I scanned the docks, catching a glimpse of Addie's head between boats on the next dock over. Addie jumped up and down when she spotted me and ran, even though running on the docks was a major don't in Mom's book of rules.
"Found her," I said. Addie's feet thundered as she approached.
"Where were you?" she gasped when she arrived hands upon her knees. "I walked by here like a million times."
"Never mind," I said. "We should get out of here." The less Addie knew about RD, the better. The last thing I needed was for her to mention to Mom that I'd been hanging out on some boat. I knew Mom wanted to give me space today, but that would leave me wide open for an interrogation.
"Mom told me to come get you. I saw your bike. Ew, your knees."
Blood had dried through the gauze patch in a round, brownish-red circle. "I crashed earlier. Is Mom here?" I swallowed, my stomach turning, as I looked up the dock, terrified that I'd see Mom striding in our direction.
"No," Addie said, looking at RD. "Can I take your picture?" She'd already raised the camera and snapped a picture before RD had a chance to answer. "I'm going to be a photographer this summer."
"What’s with the paparazzi?" RD said, holding his hands
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