Page 33 of Pretty Wild

Which brings me to Vaughn. What a smarmy douche, if you ask me. I can tell by his pictures he’s a high-maintenance, spoiled jackass, who wouldn’t know how to find a clit with a compass and a map. The thought of him having his hands anywhere near Ryan makes me want to kill someone, which I can’t understand. They’re dating—orweredating, depending on which headline you read. Scrolling through my phone, it was a reminder I should stay as far away from her as possible.

Yet here we are.

“Tell me about LA.”

She glances up, yet her eyes are shielded by the brim of the ball cap. “I thought we were supposed to be quiet.”

Kicking my feet up on the side of the boat, I remove the cap on my water bottle and say, “Humor me.”

She sighs and returns her gaze to the water. “LA is…fast. Everything is done in a hurry, but there’s so much to do or see, always some place to go, a hand to shake or a cheek to kiss.” Her tone is thick with…melancholy, but I try not to dive too deeply into why. Maybe she’s missing the hustle and bustle of the big city. Pine Village doesn’t hold a fraction of the fame, glitter, and lights that a place like Los Angeles does. I can see how someone who’s used to the city life would long for it again when facing a small town like Pine Village. Not everyone is made for this kind of life.

Me? I never want to leave.

“Sounds…fun.” There’s no hiding the fact it’s not my cup of tea.

She giggles. “Yeah, clearly. You’d probably hate it there.”

“Probably.” I won’t hide the fact.

“Anyway, my dad is a pretty big deal, and so is my mom. When I was eighteen, I started doing these online videos for other girls about the right ways to apply makeup, how to pick the correct colors for your skin tone, things like that. It took off, and the next thing I knew, I had my own YouTube channel with sponsors.”

“Really? There’s money in that?” I ask, trying to understand the concept.

She gives me a look. “Alotof money in it. So, when I was twenty-two, I decided to invest my money in myself. I started my own makeup brand.”

Okay,thatimpresses me.

“Wow, that’s cool.”

She smiles warmly. “Thank you. I love it. Some people may not consider it a job, but it is. It’s a lot of hard work, honestly. Everything from the product development to testing and marketing. I had no idea how much went into it, but now that I have my hands in it, I feel like I’m finally doing something. Not just for me, but for others too.”

Ryan stares out at the water but isn’t really seeing it. She’s lost in her own head, so I give her a little bit of time to work through it. Buddy rests his head on her bare legs, as if sensing she needs a friend. Her hand runs across the top of his head, her fingers combing over his ears as she gazes off into nothing.

Just as I’m about to ask about Vaughn, her line jumps. It catches her by complete surprise, and she yelps, gripping the pole in her right hand tightly. “Oh my God!” she bellows, her brown eyes wide with shock. “What do I do?”

“You reel it in,” I start, reaching out my hand before quickly pulling it back. She needs to do this on her own. “Slowly,” I clarify, giving her the steps she needs to pull in her fish. “The hook appears to already be set, so lift up and then turn the reel as you bring the end of the pole back down toward the water.”

She follows instructions, her face lined with determination. She does as she’s told several times until the fish is right outside the boat. I can tell by looking at it, it’s a decent-sized rainbow trout. Grabbing the net, I steady the end of her pole and move to the side of the boat. “Hold still. I’m going to help you get it into the boat.”

I bend down and scoop it out of the water with the net. With my hand on the line, I stand up and lift the fish. “Nice catch. I’d say he’s probably twenty inches long, and about five pounds.”

“Holy shit,” she replies, laughing and taking in the fish hanging on the line. Her eyes are sparkling like chocolate diamonds. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“See? You’re a total badass,” I say, wearing a smile on my own lips.

“Oh my gosh, that was a total rush. Now what?”

“Now, you take the fish off the hook.”

Adamantly, she shakes her head. “No. No way. I’m not touching that…thing!”

“Aww, come on, Princess. You already touched a worm and put it on the hook. You can do this.”

“No I can’t,” she insists, shaking her head.

“Sure you can. Here, hold the fish,” I say, practically thrusting it at her.

She screams and jumps back. The moment she does, the boat pitches hard to the right, and as much as I try to find my center of balance, I don’t have time to adjust to the quick movement. The result sends me flying. My hands reach out for anything to stop me from falling, but it’s no use.

---