Coastal Runaway (Coast to Coast #1)

Fifteen

fifteen

Keegan

“Okay guys, bring it in!” I yelled as practice came to a close. The team made their way to the center of the practice field and sat surrounding me.

“Good practice today, I really appreciate you all working so hard this year.” I looked around at all of their sweaty faces, “as we all know, this is a bye-week so there’s no game tomorrow. Use this time to take a break and have some fun. Don’t do anything stupid and I will see you all at practice on Wednesday.”

I expected the team to disperse but everyone stayed seated. Maeve stood and wore a goofy grin that instantly made me think that she was up to no good.

“I think you’re forgetting about something, captain.” She winked at me before pulling out her phone. Suddenly the tune for Happy Birthday came roaring out of the speakers above the practice field and two of the guys approached me with a gift bag.

“You guys didn’t have to do anything.” I blushed, taking the bag.

“Like we’d forget your twenty-first birthday,” Maggie teased with an eye roll, “go on, open it!”

Looking around at the team that I loved so much, I opened the bag and looked down. Inside was a neatly folded piece of material covered in black marker. I unfolded it to reveal the school flag covered in a ton of signatures.

Looking closer, the flag was covered edge to edge with thoughtful and loving messages from the members of the team. One by one, each team member came up to give me a hug and wish me a happy birthday.

I felt the tears before I could register that I was crying. I didn’t deserve this kind of love and respect; the feeling was overwhelming.

“Thank you guys so much. This means a lot to me,” I said while wiping my eyes.

“There's one more thing!” Maeve handed me another bag, this one suspiciously tall and skinny. I reached my hand in and pulled out a bottle of Casa Azul tequila that had a distressed looking blonde barbie doll with smudged makeup wrapped about the neck of the bottle. I burst into laughter at the sight of the hungover doll.

“We better see all of your shining faces tonight! Party starts at 8!” Maeve yelled as everyone started packing their things.

Nolan and I would turn twenty-one at midnight tonight and we were celebrating by throwing a party at the house. At midnight anyone who was of age was going out to an exclusive, invite-only, night club named Anonymous.

You’re given a mask at the entrance that you had to wear to keep your identity hidden. The club was very popular with celebrities due to its exclusive nature and ambiguity. Lucky for us my dad was able to make a call, and the club was more than happy to extend us an invitation and set aside a table for the KavTech dynasty.

After grabbing our bags we left the practice field and headed towards Baby Blue. I went to open the driver side door when Meave stepped in front of me. “Not so fast,” she held out her hand out, “keys, please.”

I scoffed, “and why would you be driving us home?” I tipped an eyebrow and kept the keys tight in my fist. If there was any person in this family that was worse at driving than me, it was Maeve. She had totaled so many cars that dad put her on a two-year ban of getting her a new one.

“Becauseeeee,” she dragged out the word, “we're not going home.” She snatched the keys out of my hand and put her hands on my shoulders, guiding me around to the passenger side door. “We’re going to pamper you and buy you a new outfit for your big LA club debut! Now get in!”

With a reluctant sigh, I got into the car. I knew there was no talking Maeve out of this and besides, I could use a little retail therapy.

Later that night, the party was starting to pick up downstairs while I was still finishing my makeup in my room. As much fun as turning twenty-one was, I couldn’t help but feel a little lost thinking about how different it would be if my mom was around .

I imagined a world where she was downstairs popping the champagne with my dad before sending us off for our first legal drinks. I could feel myself getting emotional so I pushed the thoughts down and locked them away where I knew they were safe.

Happy with my makeup, I stood and looked in the full length Anthropology mirror that leaned against the wall opposite of my bed.

My pale blonde hair was voluminous with a slight curl thanks to our trip to DryBar earlier. If it weren't for Maeve’s weird ability to bend body tape at her will then I would have been convinced that my boobs would fall out of this dress.

I was wearing a black strapless velvet dress that had a U-shaped cutout in the middle which pushed my boobs up, making my cleavage look stunning. It was skin tight and just long enough to cover my ass.

Knowing my feet were going to regret it later, I threw on my Valentino platform pumps and set up my phone to take a few pictures. I posted the cute photo with a cliché Twenty Fun caption and headed down to the party.

As I descended the stairs, all eyes were on me. I looked around at the sheer volume of people currently at the party. Practically every student athlete was here ready to celebrate with me and my brother.

I thought back to the timid seventeen year old girl who shrunk at all of the attention. That girl was nowhere to be found as I confidently strutted through my party with my head held high.

As I made my way into the crowd I was overwhelmed by how many people stopped to wish me a happy birthday. I figured more people were here for Nolan than me.

Off to my right, in the living room, I saw Nolan and Aiden staring at me with a frown. I walked towards them, saying hello to more guests as I passed.

“Where the fuck is the rest of your outfit?” Nolan demanded as I approached. He was clearly pissed off about my lack of respectable clothing and had the inability to hide any emotions from his face.

I smiled, knowing it would piss him off further, “oh I think I actually left it at the store,” I shrugged, “my bad.”

“I’m going to need a lot more to drink if I am going to have to be around you, looking like that all night.” Nolan gestured up and down to my outfit before walking past me towards the full bar that Owen and Aiden stocked in the kitchen.

“Don’t listen to him, you look great.” Aiden reassured while pulling me into a hug, “and Happy Birthday, baby sister.”

I relaxed into his embrace. While Nolan and Luke always took on the bruiser roles as my protectors, Aiden always had a softer approach. He was still protective but gave me the space to protect myself first, and ask him for help when I needed it.

I used to think he kept his distance because he was upset that he wasn’t as close as Nolan, Luke, and I were, but living with him these past few years showed me that Aiden just showed his love in other ways.

Having five siblings meant that everyone was always fighting to be seen or heard. Aiden decided a long time ago not to lean into the fight for attention and faded more into the background, allowing him to keep his peace and preserve his sarcastic, happy personality.

When he got frustrated he usually escaped into the detached garage that he turned into a woodworking shop. He released his frustrations in private, never wanting everyone in his business, but he was there every time I needed him in my corner.

A squeal sounded behind us, and we turned to find Maeve and Maggie bouncing on their toes.

“Oh. My. God. The dress. The shoes. The hair. I truly outdid myself this time,” Maeve said, giving herself a high-five above her head.

I laughed, “Some of the guys have a problem with your sense of fashion. I thought Nolan was going to throw-up for a second at the sight of my boobs.”

Maeve rolled her eyes, “Yeah, well Nolan wouldn’t know fashion if it was attached to a football and thrown at his face.”

Maggie burst into a fit of giggles. The three of us walked arm in arm to get a drink and mingle as I looked around the party again. While there were more people here than I ever thought possible, I couldn’t help but notice who wasn’t here. The crowd was missing a particular set of blue eyes.

The night on the beach aside, the last few weeks Luke and I had been civil. We mostly stayed out of each other's way as we navigated classes and the current football season. Between coursework, practices, and home games, I was rarely home. Luke seemed to be equally busy as he usually left the house early in the morning and didn’t come home until after dinner .

We had barely seen each other since our kiss in the hallway. I feared what I would’ve let Luke do to me against that wall if I hadn’t peeled myself away. I was so consumed by it— by him— that I forgot for a brief second that he was a lethal drug with the power to unravel me. I got myself out before I got burned, but my body had been craving him ever since.

“He said he was coming later to the club but had to do something beforehand,” Maeve reported, eyeing me warily.

“Who?” I asked, feigning indifference as I shrugged one shoulder and brought my champagne to my lips. I took a hefty sip, loving the feeling of the bubbles on my tongue.

Maggie looped her arm in mine, “no one important,” she said, dragging me further into the crowd, “now, let's find you some new eye candy to really make this birthday special.” Ignoring the subtle disappointment I felt that Luke was not here to celebrate my birthday, I pasted a fake smile on my face and vowed to enjoy the night.

I thought that having distance from Luke would make me happier. That’s what I wanted wasn't it? Living in the same space but not having to face each other? It was hard enough that the room that Aiden assigned him was coincidentally located right next to mine.

Really subtle, Aiden.

Our back doors shared an oversized balcony that was hidden from the rest of the house and had the best view of the ocean—the balcony that had been my safe space since I moved here.

Now, every time I was out there I glanced towards his door, secretly willing for him to come outside just so we could talk like we used to. A few moments hidden away from the world where we could be ourselves. While I still hated him, I found myself missing my former best friend.

Snapping out of my train of thought, I took the shot that Maggie handed me. I threw it back and embraced the burning pain that the harsh liquid caused as it ran down my throat.

My best course of action right now was to push away all the feelings I harbored for the broody asshole that was Luke Cavan and forget that he existed. It was my birthday and I planned to have fun. I just might find a cute anonymous man tonight who could serve as the ultimate distraction.