Page 2 of All the Ways You Save Me
“You must be having a really bad day if you’re already giving yourself a pep talk at eight in the morning.” He casually slides his hands in his pockets and rocks backward in his battered black Vans. “But hopefully it’s not any worse than my day. I almost got hit by a car back there.”
The heat of my cheeks moves lower, and from past experience, I know it’s morphing into crimson splotches across my chest. Why did I wear a low-cut T-shirt today? But as his gazedips to my neckline and then back up to meet mine, there’s nothing but appreciation reflected in his aquamarine eyes.
“I’msosorry about earlier. I’m new at this.” I wave my hand out at the parking lot. “At driving, I mean. Although, I’m new at this school, too. It’s a lot to take in. But I should have been paying more attention. I’m sorry you were nearly a casualty.”
“Ah.” He nods like I’ve explained everything. “I didn’t think you looked familiar.” He cocks his head, an eyebrow lifting. “Idefinitelywould have noticed you around here.”
I immediately feel my shoulders relax. He may be one of the best-looking guys I’ve seen in this town, but he’s obviously not averse to speaking in clichés. “Okay, I felt bad until you pulled out that line. Now I’m wishing I hit you with my car.”
His laugh is like warm honey, and as he tosses back his head, I notice that one of his bottom teeth is slightly crooked. That slight imperfection makes him even more handsome.
“Please don’t tell me I should join the track team because I’ve been running around in your dreams.” I wave my keys at him. “Because I’ll get in and finish the job.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He lifts his hands in surrender. “I regretted it the minute the words came out of my mouth. Let’s start over.” He holds out a palm. “I’m Adam.”
I hesitate for the briefest moment before sliding my hand into his. I’m not surprised when a warm current creeps up my arm, but I wasn’t expecting it to radiate down to my toes. “Madeline.” The word comes out breathier than I intended.
“Welcome to Maple Ridge High, Madeline,” Adam murmurs. My hand is still firmly in his, electricity still buzzing through me, when a car comes to a stop half in and half out of the spot where we’re standing. The driver waits for us to move.
I reluctantly let go of Adam and step into the patch of grass between the parking lot and the school building. The thrill running through me a moment ago fizzles out, replaced by a cold dread. For a second, I was able to focus on something otherthan the fact that I’m still the new kid here. Josie told me to walk in with confidence, but that’s easy for her to say from her dorm room at Berkeley, where all the brand-new freshmen are in the same boat.
I take a deep, shaky breath. The bell is about to ring.
“Can I walk you in and help you find your class?” Adam tilts his head toward the high school, and I know he’s probably just being polite, but I want to hug him. Now that it’s looming in front of me, I can see that this building must be about five times the size of my school on Sandy Harbor. I’m suddenly aware of the very real possibility that I could get lost on my way to class and end up wandering the halls like a sad kitten while everyone stares at me.
“That would be great,” I say with a relieved sigh. “We moved here over the summer, and I didn’t have time to tour the school. I have literally no idea where I’m going.”
Adam falls into step beside me as we head across the grass. I can’t help but notice how tall he is when my shoulder brushes his elbow. He must be a senior like me. The boys on Sandy Harbor were all bony knees and elbows in their swim trunks until junior year, when they suddenly started showing up with muscles and awkward patches of chest hair.
Adam seems well past the awkward phase, and I can’t help but wonder how he’d look in a pair of swim trunks. I steal a glance at the curve of his bicep beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt. He’d probably look broad-shouldered and chiseled like the lifeguards my friends and I used to parade past in our bikinis in the hopes that they’d notice us.
“Where did you move from?” Adam gently takes my elbow and guides me out of the path of a group of younger boys jostling each other across the grass.
“Sandy Harbor Island, New Jersey.” I feel a tiny hint of disappointment when the boys pass and he lets go of my arm. “I grew up there.”
“Oh, wow. This place must seem like a completely different world. Did you spend a lot of time on the beach?”
I feel a familiar rush of longing for my hometown. Sandy Harbor is a close-knit community where the locals look out for each other. The kids in my high school class were the same ones I went to preschool with. When I went into the bookstore, the bakery, the grocery store, people knew my name, they were happy to see me. It was safe and comfortable. It was home.
I glance up at Adam and realize he’s waiting for me to answer his question. “My friends and I would be in the water or lounging on the sand all summer. And then, we’d have a bonfire on the beach to celebrate the start of school.” I try to keep my voice buoyant, like those bonfires are a fond memory, and not something that breaks my heart because they’re over—at least for me. If I ever go back, it won’t be the same—my friends and classmates will have headed for the mainland for college or jobs. They’ll go abroad in the summers or find internships in the city instead of coming home to the island. They’ll move on without me.
I remember my texts with my friends yesterday. Their breezyWe miss you!Got to go!messages. They’ve already moved on without me.
Despite my best efforts, Adam must sense my mood shift because he stops walking. “It must have been rough to leave.”
I’m tempted to brush it off. But something about the way he’s looking at me tells me he knows the truth. “It was really hard. I’m still kind of in shock.”
“Are you a senior this year?”
I nod.
“It’s too bad you couldn’t have stayed one more year to finish high school there. I’m really sorry.” He tilts his head. “I mean, not that I’m sorry you’re here. I’m definitely glad you’re here.” His lips quirk. “Except for the fact that I’ve known you for five minutes and you’ve already threatened to kill me.”
I laugh, and a warmth rushes over me that’s different from the heat I felt when he touched me earlier. For the first time since I moved to this town, I feel a tiny flicker of hope that it won’t be as bad as I’ve been imagining.
“We just have regular house parties around here,” Adam says. “Not nearly as much fun as a beach bonfire. But maybe—” His cheeks have turned a tiny bit pink, as if he’s suddenly nervous. But whatever he’s about to say is cut off by a broad-shouldered guy in a Maple Ridge Swim Team T-shirt crossing our path.
“Dude, Jay was looking for you,” the guy says.
