Crazy For You Alexander, S.B. (ebook reader 8 inch .TXT) 📖

say goodbye to him, or a last-ditch effort to convince him to stay.

I hopped off my board, ready to scream. I’d never obsessed over a guy like that. I needed to skate to clear my mind—and not around the track, but at the skate park. I needed to catch air, concentrate on jumps, and feel like I hadn’t lost who I was.

Georgia was going to be furious with me. We’d agreed to meet at her house after school, but for my mental health, I had to do something to tame the thoughts running rampant in my head. Maybe Colton had left. He didn’t say goodbye. He was going to stay with a girl.

Then my worry over Dad wormed its way in. The night before, Dad had had a near-death choking episode at dinner. I’d never seen Nan so scared. Dad’s face had turned a thousand shades of blue, and I’d held my breath, praying he wouldn’t die right in front of us.

I silently scolded myself. I was worrying about a guy, and my dad was on the fast track to live with the angels. It was time to get my head on straight and focus on the most important person in my life.

I patted my ass where my phone should have been, but it wasn’t in my pocket—then I remembered I’d forgotten it at home that morning. I was surprised my head was still attached to my body. Even in class, I hadn’t paid an ounce of attention to any of the teachers or their lectures.

Georgia had chided me. “Who forgets their phone? You’ll die without it.”

By the time I’d met her and Mia at the Latte House before school, it had been too late to go home. And that morning, I hadn’t been in the mood to rush home, then explain to the vice principal why I was late. We couldn’t use our phones in class, anyway, which would’ve been his retort.

I clenched my teeth, walking over to Mia. She and her cheer squad were in the middle of a routine, their collective voices loud as they shouted one of their cheers. The upcoming home game that week was a huge deal. We were playing one of our biggest rivals.

I waved at Mia, hoping to get her attention, but three girls who had just climbed down from the bleachers garnered mine.

The blonde in the group said, “I saw Colton at Amanda’s last night.”

I swore the sky darkened as my blood gelled. Sure, they could’ve been talking about some other Colton and Amanda, but the odds were nil that another couple in our small school had the same names.

“I thought Colton didn’t want anything to do with Amanda?” the petite brunette of the three asked.

I wondered briefly if the brunette was the same one who’d had her tongue down Colton’s throat the week before.

The blonde shrugged. “I guess that was just a rumor.”

Rage seized my muscles. I gulped down a growl. What the fuck? So many things ricocheted off the inside of my skull, faster than a rocket shooting into outer space.

Mia jogged up to me, out of breath. “Girl, what’s wrong?”

I lifted my chin. “Can you tell Georgia I’ll call her later? I have something to do.”

I set my skateboard down, ready to ride like the freaking wind, when Mia’s nails dug into my arm. “Wait. What’s going on?” Her hazel eyes were filled with fear. “Is it your dad?”

Air punched from my lungs. “God, no.” The minute the words came out of my mouth, I felt the need to lose my lunch. Since school was out for the day, I didn’t have any way for Nan to get ahold of me. “I need to go.”

She wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her hand. “I’m almost done here. I can give you a ride.”

“I want to skate.” As I hopped on my board, tears stung my eyes.

“Skye!” Mia shouted.

I waved her off. “I’m fine.” That was the biggest lie I’d ever told. I was far from fine. I was about to break down. I was about to have the worst crying session yet.

Hearing that Colton was at Amanda’s felt like someone was carving out a hole in my chest. I skated past the three girls until they climbed the grassy knoll up to the parking lot. When I reached the cement stairs, I had no choice but to get off my board.

I took the steps two at a time, grinding my molars down to nothing and shaking my head like I had some sort of nervous tic. Once on the parking lot pavement, I got on my board, ready to blow that popsicle stand, when I spied a certain guy with shoulder-length hair. I wavered, practically falling off my board.

Great. Way to make an idiot out of myself.

Colton rushed over like a Greek god ready to save the woman he loved.

A maniacal laugh barreled out of me like an F-5 tornado as I managed to stay on two feet. My skateboard, though, decided it’d had enough of me and traveled toward Colton’s truck like the stupid piece of wood missed him.

Thank God his truck was parked. I would seriously deconstruct into a blubbering mess if the one thing in my life that kept me sane busted once again.

Colton’s strong hand latched onto my arm. “Are you okay? Is it your dad?”

Words were on the tip of my tongue, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out, which was a good thing. I would have stuck my foot in my mouth and said something brilliantly stupid, such as “How’s Amanda? Did you screw her again?”

He prodded me with those brown eyes, drinking me in and revving my pulse.

We stared at one another until a car drove up, breaking our connection.

I pushed out the breath I’d been holding until I saw the driver. Then I laughed again. Amanda fucking Gelling was behind the wheel of her convertible, looking beautiful with her auburn hair tied up on her head,