Don’t Let Go

42. Tyler

42

Tyler

We’ve been living in white noise. Tuned to radio silence. Reduced to black and white snow that once danced across TV sets with no signal. It’s been almost a month, and the mob hasn’t done anything to Rory for shooting Paolo’s cousin. Sofia has been released from the hospital and placed on bed rest at home. Franco and Lorenzo glued themselves to her side, making sure she had everything she needed. Carmen and Rory hovered over their mother too, when they weren’t in school. There was nothing in this world Sofia couldn’t have if it were up to her children.

“It’s prom week!” a girl cheered when I stepped into my English class. She clapped her hands as her best friend ran over. Their happy banter killed my thoughts.

“I know! I already have my dress. What about you?” the girl’s friend said.

“Of course. The limo has been rented. We have cute dates. I think we’re set.”

I rolled my eyes and slumped into my chair. I had no idea prom was this week. It was plastered all over school, yet I was blind to it.

Did Rory want to go to prom and forget about her life for a night? Maybe I could ask her friend Chloe if she knew if Rory felt up to going. I didn’t want to make it awkward by asking Rory out and shutting me down.

After class, I exchanged my English textbook for my math one at my locker when I spotted Chloe walking to lunch. “Chloe,” I said, waving at her.

She stopped, giving me a quizzical look before coming over. “Yeah?”

“Have you talked to Rory?”

Chloe shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She blew a piece of blue-streaked hair out of her face. “As much as I can. She doesn’t like talking.”

I nodded. “Umm.” I scratched my leg with the top of my shoe. “I was wondering if I should ask Rory to prom. Do you think she’d be up for that?”

She squished her lips over to the side. “Are you serious?”

My stomach knotted itself into a pretzel as she looked at me like I was crazed. “You… you don’t think it’s a good idea?”

She shook her head, and her blonde hair whipped around her shoulders. “Prom is lame. We don’t do typical things like that around here.” She leaned forward, whispering, “At least not the cool people.”

I pressed my lips into a firm line. “Okay… so what do you do?”

Chloe shrugged, fixing the strap on her backpack from falling down her arm. “The anti-prom.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, mildly confused. “That’s a thing?”

Chloe linked her arm with mine, towing me toward the cafeteria. “Yes. It is. Just dress your best and I’ll text you the info on where it will be. Don’t worry about Rory. I’ll take care of her and make sure she attends.” She winked before running off toward her other friends.

James came up behind me as I entered the cafeteria. “Hey, man,” he said. We bumped fists.

I got into the food line, and James was right behind me. “What’s up? Are you going to prom?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Nah. We don’t need that crap. Besides, this year’s theme is the Renaissance. That’s lame.”

I kicked the tile, and my sneaker made a high-pitched squeaky sound. “Are you going to this anti-prom thing?”

“Hell yeah!” He hit my shoulder. “I didn’t know you knew about it. We were going to tell you about it in a few.”

With a tray in hand, I went down the line, snagging one of the last burgers and a cup of fries that was nearly full. “Just heard about it. My other school never did anything anti-prom. At least not that I knew of.”

James grabbed two slices of cheese pizza and tossed them on his tray. “We’re more badass than Scottsdale. I thought you were getting that through your thick skull.”

I grabbed a can of soda and a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in plastic before picking up my tray and walking over to the back table reserved for the basketball team. James snagged a carton of chocolate milk and followed close behind.

“I’m starting to see that now,” I admitted. After all I’ve seen since living in South Phoenix, this place was way more intense than Scottsdale could ever be.

James and I sat at the table; we were the last to join.

“Anti-prom is going to be in the desert this time around,” Christian said.

Bryce rubbed his hands together as a sinister smile cracked his face. “I love me a good bonfire in the middle of nowhere.”

James raised his chocolate milk. “It will be epic.” He elbowed me in the side. “You’ll see how crazy our partying can be.”

I raised my soda before taking a sip. “I’m looking forward to it.”

A bonfire in the middle of the desert did sound fun, but I hoped to get closer to Rory. Maybe break that shell she built around herself and get that wild girl again who kissed me and drove all the nerves in my body haywire. I wanted to taste her and feel her skin against mine again. I think we both needed a spark to feel alive again.

We drove two cars into the desert. The bonfire was already ablaze, standing over ten feet tall as the flames licked up toward the darkening sky. Christian killed the engine and leaned over the center console to grab the six-pack of beer hiding under my seat. “You ready to party? This is always better than prom.”

I had to agree. “It does beat cheap decorations hanging around a gym.”

Christian hit my arm before getting out of the car. “That’s an insult. We’re not that poor. Prom is alright, but it’s for those who show off. The ones who think they’re better than us, hence why there’s a king and queen crowned. Here we are all the same. This is like Burning Man. We are kind to each other and have fun. We also clean up, so there’s no evidence.”

“Sorry, man,” I said, swinging my feet out of the car. The dirt danced in the breeze, already coating my shoes with dust. “Doesn’t all this dust bother you?”

James and Bryce came around the car. James kicked a rock, making a mini dust storm. “Nah, you get used to it.”

It was like none of these people heard of Valley Fever.

Bryce put an arm around my neck, leading me closer to the fire. “What you need is a few drinks in you, and then you won’t give a shit.”

Christian lifted the case of beer as a gesture. “Just like at the rave in that hotel. You got over the asbestos pretty quick after you tossed back a few.”

The heat of the flames whipped my face within yards of being near it. People stood around in circles laughing and drinking. Couples made out on long logs as shadows danced across their faces. Music blasted from someone’s wireless speakers playing some pop song I didn’t know.

“I’m going to put these in the ice bucket,” Christian said, moving toward the area where all the drinks were.

“I gotta go get my girl,” Bryce said as a cute brunette waved at us before shaking her hair from a ponytail.

James hit Bryce’s back as he jogged away. “Have fun, man!”

Bryce turned around to give a thumbs-up. When he caught up to the brunette, they kissed and danced to the beat.

I looked around the faces having fun but didn’t see who I wanted.

James hit my shoulder with his. “You looking for Rory?”

“Yeah. I was hoping to catch her here. She needs a good distraction after everything that’s happened.” My throat closed off after I said that, worried I shared too much. Did anyone else know the horrors Rory had been through?

“I hear ya. Between whatever happened between her and Paolo and losing her sister like that, I can’t blame her for having a black cloud over her head.” James tapped my arm and motioned behind me. “Maybe you’ll get your chance.”

James walked off, leaving me standing alone. Chloe spotted me first and gestured toward me. Rory looked up and she didn’t appear haunted like she has been these last few weeks. She hugged Chloe and walked over to me.

“Hey, you,” she said softly.

“Hey, yourself. You look better.” I sucked in my teeth. “I mean better than you were. Not that you’ve never not looked beautiful. I should shut up.” My shoe toed at the dirt, digging a tiny hole.

Rory laughed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I get it. I’ve been nuclear since I lost Lizzy.” She shrugged her one bare shoulder. The dress she had on was light pink. As I slid my arms around her waist, I could feel how soft the cotton was.

“If I could, I’d give up my life so you could have Lizzy back,” I whispered into her ear.

She hugged me tight around the torso, resting her cheek on my shoulder. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here. You don’t know how much I needed you.”

She smelled like fresh roses. I couldn’t help but kiss her shoulder. “As I told you before, I’ll never let you go.”

“I had to go to a meeting earlier. That’s why I was late coming here.”

I broke our embrace, holding Rory at arm’s length with my hands resting on her hips as I stared into her green eyes.

She turned to face the fire. The yellow and orange in the flames made her skin glow. “What happened?”

“I’m free. They’re not going to punish me for what I did. They understood I was under duress. The mob is more upset at Paolo for undermining them. He’s being flown back to Italy tomorrow morning to answer to his grandfather in person.”

I grimaced. “Uhh. That would be super awkward answering to the boss.”

“Yup. But I don’t care. I never have to see him again. Usually, those who see the boss don’t come back.” She moved her arms from my waist to around my neck. “But enough of that idiot. I want to enjoy tonight.”

My fingers brushed her jawline. She smiled, pulling me in closer for a kiss. She tasted like cherries, and she seemed playful—mischievous.

“Did you drive here?” she breathed, her lips brushing against mine with more passion than before.

“No. I came with the guys,” I replied, my heart racing as she stepped back and reached for her car fob. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her even more.

“I drove here,” she said, watching me with those beautiful doe eyes that always seemed to captivate me. She giggled and tugged on my hand, leading me toward the red Charger parked not too far away.

As we approached the car, she unlocked it and opened the back door. She got in first, pushing some extra clothes to the floor to make room for us. I followed suit and climbed in, closing the door behind me before caressing her.

Rory unbuttoned my pants and tugged on my zipper. I had to move back so she could yank my pants down my thighs. I kicked them away.

She hungrily licked her lips and stroked my dick with her hand over my boxers, feeling how much I needed her.

My hands slid under her dress. I was eager to explore every inch of her skin. My fingers couldn’t resist running over her silky panties between her thighs. She was already wet. Rory wiggled her hips as my thumbs hooked onto the waistband and pulled her panties down. She arched back and I couldn’t help admiring how stunning she looked as the moonlight streamed in through the back window.

“Rory,” I breathed, bending to kiss her lips. “Do you know I’ve fallen for you?”

She laughed softly, her arms moving behind her head as she welcomed my touch. “I already know because I’ve fallen for you too,” she replied, gazing up at me with adoration.

She slipped out of her dress and unhooked her bra. I palmed her breasts, giving each nipple a quick lick before devouring her mouth. She moaned in pleasure, bucking her hips against me.

Feeling emboldened, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a condom that I had hidden there just in case. Her lips curved into a wicked grin as I kicked off my boxers.

Rory grabbed the collar of my shirt with one hand and brought our lips together in a passionate kiss as if she needed me to breathe. Her hands explored the plains of my stomach as she kissed along my throat until she bit into my shoulder. The pain only made me want her more.

I chuckled at her playfulness, my heart swelling with affection. For the first time in weeks, I saw a genuine spark of joy in Rory.

She straddled my hips as I guided myself into her folds. “Is this okay?” I asked.

“Perfect,” she replied, slowly accepting me. She had to move a bit to make room but we fit like puzzle pieces.

We moved together, savoring each touch, each kiss. The world outside faded away until it was just us, wrapped up in each other. Our sweaty bodies pressed against the backseat of her car. All I could smell was sex and her apple shampoo.

She nipped at my shoulder as she came. It wasn’t long until I followed. I laid beside her the best I could as we caught our breath. Rory rested her head on my chest, her long dark hair splayed across my skin.

The windows steamed up from our heat. She giggled and pressed her hand along the foggy glass before dragging it down, revealing glimpses of the starry night sky outside. The moment felt perfect and I knew that I was right where I belonged—in Rory’s arms, with nothing but love between us.

The handprint on the window slowly faded as our breathing returned to normal. Rory’s jade-green eyes locked with mine, a mix of contentment and mischief dancing in their depths. She reached to brush a strand of hair from my forehead, her touch lingering.

“That was...” I started, searching for the right words.

“Incredible,” Rory finished, a soft smile playing on her lips.

I nodded, drinking in the sight of her flushed cheeks and tousled hair. The weight of everything she’d been through in recent months seemed to have lifted, if only for this moment. I wanted to freeze time, to keep her safe in this bubble of happiness we’d created.

“We should get up before my leg cramps,” she joked.

I nodded and we peeled ourselves off each other. I got dressed outside, using the door for cover as she slipped on her dress and left her panties discarded.

She sat on the car's hood with her arms behind her and leaned back to stare at the millions of stars above us.

“I love the desert for this reason. I can see all the stars,” Rory said, pulling me onto the hood and snuggling under my arm.

“I have to agree.” My foot brushed against hers, making her turn to look at me.

“Graduation is in a few weeks. Can you believe it?” Her voice sounded distant, almost wondrous.

What would the future hold for us?

I turned my head, losing myself in her siren-green eyes. “It’s crazy, but I’m looking forward to putting high school behind me.”

She flicked my forehead and giggled, gazing at the stars again. “Of course you are. You’re a hot talent with all the colleges wanting you to play ball for them. Have you decided where you want to go yet?”

“Not sure. I’m thinking maybe California.”

She nudged my cheek with her nose. “You stalking me?”

“I’ll follow you into the depths of hell.”

Rory stretched her neck and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’d love it if we were at the same university, but I don’t want you to be on a subpar team because of me.”

I rolled onto my side to look at her better. “It’s just a lucky thing. Where you’re going is a good team.”

She leaned back on her elbows. “You promise?”

I hooked my pinky with hers. “I promise.” I slid off the car and grabbed both her hands, pulling her up as well. “I’m never letting you go, remember?”

“Good.” Rory wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me. “You better hold on tight.”

Rory was something special. I kissed her lips, and we swayed with the music drifting from the bonfire party. It was insane how my life was in shambles when I met Rory, and somehow our shattered lives found a way to be whole.