Chapter Eighteen

I hop in Matt's older red Jeep Wrangler with a giddy grin on my face. I love Jeeps. It's like he's singing the song of my people right now.

I look at Matt looking at me. "Why are you grinning like the Joker right now? " I love your 'car.' Seriously I'm obsessed with Jeeps." He grinned proudly. "Thank you, I bought it myself." He really does work for what he wants.

I feel my phone buzz.

Trevor Lyles: Where the hell are you, Riley?

I laugh cynically and Matt leans over to see what's so funny. "Post a selfie with me, Riles." My mouth forms an "O." He's evil. I like it.

We pose for the picture and I caption it "A little less lonely." *Post* If I'm being completely honest though, I'm feeling a little guilty. But then Claudette comes to mind and I push the guilt to the back of my mind. Screw him. My phone buzzes again.

Trevor Lyles: What the hell did I do to you? All I've done since you moved here was try to win you over. I let you see a side of me that no one else has ever seen.

Riley Brinks: Was my first kiss a bet too?

Trevor Lyles: What are you talking about? No one even knows about that.

Riley Brinks: The fact that you don't know tells me more than enough. Have a nice life.

Trevor Lyles: Oh, this is far from over baby girl. I've got eyes all over this city. You better not fucking kiss him.

Riley Brinks: Who says I haven't already? Bye, now.

I turn my phone off and look at Matt. "So, where are we going?" He smiles.

"Somewhere I think you'll appreciate." I giggle a little in anticipation and his smile turns into a grin. "That was cute, girl. Can I hold your hand?" My heart melts a little. I like that he respects me enough to ask. I take his hand in mine and we enjoy the rest of the drive in a sweet silence. His thumb lightly rubbing my knuckles, my hair blowing in the wind. I probably looked like a hot mess right now but I could not care less.

When he parks the Jeep I look around us and squeal like a pig at feeding time. "An aquarium? You brought me to an aquarium! This is amazing! Thanks, Matt." He grins and comes around to open the door for me.

"Thank you for accompanying me. I saw on your Facebook page where you're interested in marine biology. Have you ever been to an aquarium?" He is such a doll. Why couldn't he be my first kiss?

"Nope, my dad worked a lot from home and rarely left the house. I am so excited." I can't stop grinning. This was probably the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me.

"You're always beautiful, Riley. But when you smile like that- I've never seen anything like it. I feel like I'm on top of the world because you're here with me." I blush. Hard. He caresses my cheek softly. "Let's go in before I mess up and kiss you." I giggle again. What is wrong with me?

We walk into the aquarium hand in hand and for the first time since arriving in California I feel at peace. Maybe losing a little focus wouldn't hurt. Even if it did, I have a feeling it would be worth it.

We have a blast as we explore the different exhibits. We laugh, we take pictures, we even dance. And of course he made pajama jokes when we visited the penguins. I hear him swear under his breath as we're making our way to the Jeep. I look up and instantly see why. "Trevor."

"You're lucky you didn't kiss her, Snyder. Riley, you're riding home with me." I walk up to him. I couldn't help myself. And I slapped him. Hard. His pretty face now had red imprint of my right hand on it.

He doesn't move. He doesn't even flinch. "Get in the car." I stay put. "You don't own me, Trevor." He scoffs. "You sure didn't have that attitude when I was in your bed earlier, Peaches." He looks pointedly at Matt. Unbelievable.

"You mean when you nearly busted my door so I had no choice but to open it? You mean when you stole my first kiss? Is that the time you're referring to?" He grins like a mad man and starts pulling me towards the car.

"You kissed me back and you know it. Now get your ass in the car." Matt steps up to us then and blocks our path to the car.

"I don't think she wants to go with you, man." Trevor's eyes flash with anger. Oh, no. Not again.

"No one asked you 'man.' We both know the only reason you're interested in her at all is because she means something to me." Ouch. That stung a little but I can tell there's more to it by the way he said it. I look to Matt for answers.

"Riley. No. That isn't true. I'm crazy about you." He steps closer and I'm yanked away by Trevor. That's it!

"Trevor, I am not your fucking rag doll!" My mouth feels like I just swallowed a bitter pill. I hated cussing. "I don't know what's going on with the two of you but you need to fix it. You need to fix it and you need to leave me out of it." They're still staring at me, mouths agape. I use the element of surprise and yank my arm out of Trevor's grasp.

"Riley Brinks. You cussing has got to be the cutest thing I have ever heard. Do it again." Matt laughs at Trevor's words and nods his head in agreement.

"Really? The one time you two can agree on something it has to be at my expense? Unbelievable." I snatch Matt's keys and make a run for the Jeep. "Have fun on the ride home together guys!" I hop in, throw the keys in the ignition, and peel out.

I look back in the rear view mirror to see Matt running after me and Trevor doubled over laughing. Serves them right. Neanderthals.

I park the Jeep at the coffee shop and hide his keys under a tire. I hop in the Black Beauty and head home. What a day this had turned out to be.

I decide to turn my phone back on when I made it to the comfort of my room. I let it finish buzzing before I look at it.

Trevor Lyles: Bye my ass, you ain't going nowhere.

Trevor Lyles: The aquarium? Really? How cheesy is that?

Trevor Lyles: UGH.

Trevor Lyles: Could you guys hurry up? I've been waiting out here for the past hour.

Matt: That was cold Miss Thing. But I guess I deserved it. I'll explain everything if you'll let me.

Matt: By the way, I think he really cares about you.

Matt: But so do I.

I ignore both of them and check my notifications out of curiosity. I click the picture of Matt and I to see what Trevor commented. "You're a dead man." I roll my eyes. So dramatic. I see a notification alerting me that Matthew Snyder tagged me in a photo.

I smile. It's a picture of us in front of the Beluga Whale exhibit. He's smiling down at me while I grin at the camera. It's captioned, "My favorite part of the aquarium." I snicker at his cheesiness and put my phone down.

I hear something tapping on my door and go to check it out. I open the door and step outside. Trevor Lyles is standing on my lawn with a small Bluetooth speaker above his head. I laugh when I hear "Check Yes or No" coming from it.

He grins up at me. "I can read your Facebook page too. Forgive me yet?" I shake my head. He sighs and makes the music play louder. "Can I at least come up?"

"Oh, so you're asking me now?" I snort. He steps closer to the wall. "Don't push it, Peaches. I'm really trying here." I sigh.

"Go try with someone else Trevor. I'm not worth it. I'm leaving the day we graduate." He looks hurt by my words.

"I know and I've thought about that. I'm going with you. You aren't getting away from me that easily, Peaches. I've never felt this way before and I'm not looking to stop."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for him. But I'd also be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for Matt. My feelings for Trevor were intense and scary, whereas my feelings for Matt were sweet and safe. I was so confused. I still needed to talk to Trevor about Claudette.

"If I let you come up will you keep your hands to yourself?" He comes up without answering and I laugh. "We really need to talk, Trevor." He nods.

"So let's talk. I'm an open book with you." He sits on the sofa in my room and pays the spot beside him. I sit down and smile. Here goes everything.