Page 15 of Find Me

Creed went first. “If I win, I get ten questions of anything I want to know about you answered honestly.” My heart rate picked up. I didn’t know what he wanted to know, but there were some things I couldn’t answer. For one, it was for my safety and two, depending on what he asked, I didn’t know if I could emotionally handle it. “Three questions,” I countered.

“You want me to be your bitch for an entire semester. That’s not worth three questions. Five questions.”

I shuffled from one foot to the other. Was I confident I could beat him?Maybe. “Alright. Five questions.”

Everyone looked to Colt.

“I want the same,” he said.

I had to take a calming breath. If they both beat me, I could owe ten questions total. I suddenly didn’t feel as confident as I had a minute ago. I nodded, reluctantly. The twins bet chores at home if they beat each other and when it came to the stakes with Ethan, losers had to be the designated driver at the next few parties.

The four of us lined up, counted down, and took off. I paced myself as I knocked out one lap after another and to my surprise the guys did the same. As we passed other students, it seemed we were the only ones who were actually taking running the track seriously. Pretty much everyone else was walking.

The four of us were evenly matched. As the last couple of laps came upon us, I picked up my speed. Creed and I battled back and forth over first place. With the finish line in view, I pushed my muscles until they burned. Breathing heavily, sweating profusely, I ran with all my might. To both mine and Creed’s surprise, Ethan zoomed past us, then Colt. Ethan took first place, Colt following in second. Creed and I…well, we tied in last place. The upside to that was at least our bets to each other were voided.

“Crap,” I puffed with my hands on my hips. I was pacing back and forth, trying to cool down. Colt and Ethan were lying in the grass off to the side of the track. Creed was breathing heavily while bent over with his hands on his knees. “It’s so freaking hot,” I growled as I unzipped my sweatshirt and fanned it open and closed.

“You need to take off your stupid sweatshirt before you pass out,” Creed snapped.

My eyes traveled around us. The rest of the students were heading back to the locker rooms, leaving the four of us behind.

Creed watched me and clearly picked up on my nervous behavior. “It’s the end of class. Everyone is heading in if that’s the reason you won’t take it off.”

I debated for a moment. It was unbearably hot out. I didn’t think they’d tease me about my scars. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t ask about them. I didn’t have to answer Creed or Ethan if they asked. However, if Colt decided to use one of his questions…Maybe I could be vague.

With my mind set, I shrugged off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist. I held my arms out wrists up so Creed could look his fill. It was better to get it out of the way now versus them sneaking glances. “This is why I’m wearing a sweatshirt.”

Creed stared down at my scars, without saying anything. Colt and Ethan sat up, squinted at my arms, then got to their feet. As they approached, I dropped my eyes to the ground. I was past the point of no return now. I hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

Colt took hold of my arm that had the long, jagged scar. Very delicately he flipped my hand over, seeing that the scar around my wrist went full circle. “Your wrists match your ankles,” he murmured as his thumb lightly brushed over my inner wrist, right along my scar. Creed and Ethan stepped back to look down at my ankles. “You look like you were tied up,” Ethan blurted, and Colt glared at him. Ethan winced. “Sorry.”

I didn’t confirm or deny. Instead, I worried my lip. When I couldn’t take their stares any longer, I pulled my arms away to cross them over my chest.

“Please, don’t make fun of me because of this. People, especially girls, can be mean, and I could really do without the teasing and assumptions,” I said, pleadingly.

For the first time since I’d met him, Colt’s eyes turned cold and angry. “Why would we make fun of you? If anyone did, that just shows their shitty character, not because anything is wrong with you. Everyone has scars.”

Not like these,I wanted to say.

“This is why you were nervous about gym? You were worried about changing in front of the other girls?” Creed stuffed his hands into his black basketball shorts’ pockets as he stared down at me for confirmation. I guessed he’d been listening to Colt and me talk in the lunch line.

I nodded. Looking at the three of them, I could see the question they were itching to ask.How?How did I get these scars?I thought for sure Colt would use one of his questions to ask, but the question never came.

“We better head inside and change. School is about to end, and we have to get to practice,” Creed said to Colt. The four of us started in the direction of the locker rooms.

“I forgot when I had registered, they’d mentioned there was a pool on campus. It’s in that building, right?” I asked, pointing to the square building with a bunch of windows next to the gym.

Colt looked in the direction I was pointing. “Yup. You haven’t been in there yet?”

I shook my head.

“You should come watch us practice.”

“Can I come another time? I have a few errands to run right after school. I also didn’t go for a real run this morning and planned on going to the gym, too.” A run in the air conditioning sounded a lot better than running in this heat.

“What gym are you a member of?” Creed asked.

I looked from Colt to him. “Desert Stone Fitness.”