Page 30 of The Girl Who Was Taken

“There’s no secret. You guys just wouldn’t get him. He’s not like the guys we hang out with. Like all the losers last weekend who were too scared to drop their shorts at Matt’s party. I mean, what’s the big friggin’ deal? It’s a penis, get over it.”

Rachel and Jessica laughed.

“I’ll never forget Chris Harmon’s face,” Jessica said. “He was literally gawking at you on the platform. Like, he didn’t even care that you noticed. I think he was in a trance.”

“I’m probably the first naked girl he’s seen that wasn’t on his computer screen. Little perv. And, of course, he was the only one who didn’t do it.”

“Him and Brandon. Thank God,” Rachel said. “Could you imagine his scrawny little body all naked and wet?”

“Oh,” Jessica said. “Stop!”

“You’re going to make me puke,” Nicole said as she pushed herself up onto her elbows and surveyed the growing pack of boats around them. It was Friday afternoon and the bay was packed. “What I’m more shocked about,” Nicole said, “is that those prudes actually got naked.”

“Who? Megan?”

“Yeah. Blew me away.”

“She was cool that night,” Rachel said. “She hung out with all of us.”

“She only came out to the platform because of Matt. She couldn’t stand the thought of him out there all alone with me. God forbid!”

“Just tell her you’ve got a mystery boyfriend,” Jessica said. “Then she won’t be so worried.”

Just as Jessica said this, a water balloon fell from the sky and splattered on the deck next to them.

“What the hell?”

They looked around and saw Matt with his friends on the boat across from them.

“Bombs away!” Matt yelled.

Nicole raised her middle finger to them.

“Better put that away,” Matt yelled from across the water. He stood shirtless on the bow of his boat, his toned stomach tapering to his swimsuit, the band of which rested low on his hips. His chest hair ran to his navel and then down to the band of his trunks. Nicole admitted, as tired as she was of high school boys, Matt Wellington still piqued her interest. She’d secretly watched all the boys last weekend, determining Matt to be the only man among them.

“Or what?” Nicole shouted.

“Or I’ll come over there and put it away for you.”

Nicole simply smiled behind her big aviator sunglasses and kept her middle finger raised, then lifted her hand higher. Without hesitation, Matt dove into the bay and freestyled over to Rachel’s boat, lifting himself effortlessly out of the water and onto the back platform. His body poured water as he climbed ontothe boat. Jessica and Rachel laughed as he approached.

“You’re screwed, Nic,” Jessica said.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Nicole said, but her smile betrayed the aggressive voice she fronted. And she meant for it to. She wanted his hands on her.

Matt picked her up, towel and all, while Nicole screamed. With her in his arms, he jumped into the water. This brought some hollers from the surrounding boats as everyone watched the show. They splashed into the bay, Nicole grabbing for her sunglasses before they sank, Matt collecting the towel as he surfaced.

“You’re an ass,” Nicole said in the water.

“You gave me the finger. Next time, heed my warning.”

Nicole rolled onto her back and floated, her sunglasses back on her face. “I’m too tired to swim. Float me over to your boat.”

Matt came up behind her, grabbed her lifeguard-style, and swam her to the back of his boat.

“You guys have beer?”

“Yeah,” Matt said. “We snuck a few from my dad’s stash in the garage.”

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