My muscles tense.

Little does she know that’s a perfect fucking example of what I’ve explained to her. Why I gave her that insight, I don’t fucking know. I’ll have to fix this and quick.

I manage to lift my shoulders. “Maybe, but I guarantee there’re still others out there. Word travels. Want to be the girl known as the tease who loads but can’t pull the trigger and cuts before release?”

Her glare gets a little more profound.

She stands there for a solid five minutes, probably playing every fucking situation over and over again in her head, before she growls, tosses down her little bag and flops on the bed beside me.

She twists her body, facing the opposite wall. “My room is somehow right next to yours. I should have left the damn adjoining door unlocked, and I’d be in my own right now.”

“Too bad for you.”

“I can’t stand you,” she growls, angrily hitting the pillow to get comfortable.

“Don’t care.” I toss the remote to the side, lay back and close my eyes. “And unless I’ll be waking up with your lips wrapped around my dick, don’t fall asleep in here.”

She gasps and I smirk.

That’ll shut her up.

“Demi, wait up!”

I pause mid-step, my head snapping over my shoulder to find Alex jogging toward me, just as Nico said he would.

That alone is almost enough for me to be instantly annoyed.

Almost.

Alex grows closer, so I spin to face him better.

“Hey.” He grins, running a hand through his blond hair.

“Hey.” I laugh, pushing my sunglasses up on my head.

“Didn’t see much of you last night,” he says as his hands find his hips.

A slight frown takes over – clearly my efforts were more than lost on him.

I brush it off, allowing a smile to take over. “Me and the girls hung out on the beach before dinner, then the dance floor called my name.”

His grin deepens. “You like dancing, huh?”

My mouth opens but nothing comes out.

Is he for real?

He has to know I’m on the dance team at the very least. I mean... right?

“So uh...” he begins, pointing to the barstool area of the coffee hut I was headed toward. “I was about to eat, are you grabbing something, too?”

“Just a coffee to bring me back to life. I’m gonna lay out a while, I’m exhausted.”

He chuckles, but it’s quickly cut off when his eyes fly over my shoulder.

“’Course you are.”

My muscles lock with Nico’s intruding voice, and I’m stiff as a damn board as he wraps his long arms around my middle, not so gently tugging me against him in a way that can only be his show of dominance. He kisses my cheek and my skin tingles in embarrassment.

I stand frozen, too shocked to do or say a damn thing.

Course, Nico has to go for that extra point.

“If you weren’t, that would mean I didn’t do my job last night,” he mumbles near my ear, his face dipping into my neck and my stomach muscles grow tight. “And we both know that’s not true.”

What the hell is he doing?

I chance a glance at Alex who eyes me curiously. He pointedly looks from Nico to me and I so badly want to tear myself away right now, but the quizzical glare suddenly taking over Alex has me stuck.

No way Nico was right...

“Yo, Alex!”

We both look to the side to find a few of our classmates standing at the top of the small sand hill.

“We’re going for breakfast at the cafe,” our mutual friend, Frankie, announces, examining me and Nico while speaking to Alex. “You coming? Wait, that you, Sykes?”

The merriment in his tone has me considering elbowing Nico in the gut.

Nico lifts his head, nodding in their direction.

“Mornin’, Demi,” another guy from school sing-songs.

I offer a flat smile.

“Alex,” Frankie prompts again.

Alex swings his gaze back to Nico, then me as he nods. “Yeah. I’m coming.” He gives me a smile. “I’ll find you later, Demi.”

“She’ll be busy,” Nico tells him.

I have to pinch myself to keep from frowning.

Alex glares as he walks off. “Nico.”

“Dick,” Nico says.

“Sykes, you guys wanna go?” Frankie yells again.

“No,” I say quickly in case he gets a bright idea to agree. “We don’t.”

The guys laugh.

Nico doesn’t move until the group is out of sight.

His arms fall and he strides past me without so much as a glance my way or a single word of explanation.

It takes a second but then I dart forward. “What the hell?!”

“You say that a lot.”

“Yeah, well, it’s pretty warranted, don’t you think?” I snap. “We’re hardly even, as in not at all, friends, Nico. You ignore me unless we’re in class and no one else is paying attention or around. You’re as hot as you are cold and it’s ever-changing. Now you’re acting all demanding like you have the right.”

He gives a half glance over his shoulder, ignoring everything I just said, and then turns back, stepping up to the cashier lady. He orders, coming back to stand right in front of me.

A cross between anger and aggravation is etched across his face, neither of which make any sense.

“It was one thing – still a bad idea – to pull the shit you did last night, but to basically confirm the rumor I’m sure has already started to spread? Dick move.”

He shrugs. “Hammons has to think I’m into you, takes more than a night for that to happen.”

“Because who could possibly tie you down?” My tone drips with sarcasm.

Nico catches me off guard when he grins. “Exactly.”

I’m stuck for a second, the sight so foreign but then I snap out of it.

“Are you insane?!” I shout. “I don’t want people to think I hooked up with you, let alone that I’m, what, dating you?!” My words are laced with a mocking laugh.

“Yeah.” His expression grows fierce, and he rushes in, closing the gap between us and forcing my spine straight. “And why not?”

My forehead creases. “Why are you pushing this?”

His jaw clenches. “Don’t you get it? People saw us last night. Now they’ll assume you’re a far different girl than they know you to be,” he says, almost troubled. “That what you want?”

I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head. “Oh my god.”

I’m no saint, but there isn’t anyone who could claim I’m easy or slutty either. Now they just might. I shouldn’t care what others think, it’s just name calling, but this is high school, and people can get nasty quick and for less.

My eyes pop open. “This is all your fault!”

“Getting the dumbass you want to notice you is my fault?”

“He noticed me before, we’re friendly, asshole! This isn’t some Pleasantville bullshit, the girl can do the asking and I planned to soon, especially after he wanted to hang out last week.”

“Yeah, how bad did he want to, D?” He gets in my face. “Your boy couldn’t even show up, bet he didn’t respond after you told him you were home, which I’m sure you did the second you got in the door.”