Crazy For You by Alexander, S.B. (love story novels in english TXT) 📗

took them two at a time, and when I reached the bottom, Georgia was sitting on a plush bench near the front door, looking like she’d had a wild night too.

Her blonde hair was matted to her head and sticking up in some places, and her eyes looked like a raccoon’s with her smudged mascara. She yawned and popped to her feet when she saw me.

“Are you waiting for me?” I asked.

She yawned again. “I woke up a minute ago and was going to look for you, but my stomach protested. I had to sit.”

“Let’s get out of here.” I rushed to the massive wooden door.

She hurried behind me with a groan.

Once outside, I squinted so hard, I lost my balance.

Georgia latched onto my arm. “We need coffee and food.”

I blinked several times, the sunlight blinding. “For sure. But I have to call my dad.”

Out of nowhere, she handed me my phone.

I raised an eyebrow. “You had it?”

“When we were dancing, it fell out of your pocket. I was going to give it back to you until you ran into the ocean.”

I scrunched my nose. “I did what?”

Her green eyes glistened in the morning light. “Colton rescued you before you dove under.” She delivered those words like it was no big deal.

My jaw hit the wood slats on the porch. “For real?”

She held her stomach, looking pale. “You passed out not long after that. But I texted Nan from your phone to let her know you were crashing at my place.”

I didn’t know whether to hug her or demand more answers—answers I was sure I didn’t want. “He was in bed with me.”

She gave me a smug grin. “I know. I stayed with you until he came in. Then he told me to go back to the party.”

I clutched my neck, rubbing a knot I’d just realized was there. “And you listened to him?”

“Sorry, chica. But he was adamant about watching you. And Mia dragged me out. Honestly, I thought it was sweet that Colton wanted to be your bodyguard. I think he was afraid you would wake up and wander back in the ocean.”

The haze was clearing from my brain. “Where was Amanda? You know, his girlfriend? The one he screwed five times last week.”

“She didn’t screw him.”

My eyes bugged out. “How do you know that?” That, I had to hear.

She climbed down the porch steps. “Amanda’s all talk. She was trying to get under your skin. But I’m not one-hundred-percent certain.” She dug her car keys out of the pocket of her shorts. “I need coffee. We can chat more in the car, and you can tell me how you gave your virginity to Colton.”

I laughed so hard I couldn’t get air in my lungs. “I wish.”

Once we were on the road with the top down and the morning breeze blowing in my face, I checked my text messages from Nan.

Text one: Have a good time. I’ll let your dad know you’ll be home in the morning.

Text two: Oh, and your Aunt Clara didn’t make it in. I’ll explain when I see you.

Maybe things were looking up.

13

I pushed food around on my plate as the hum of voices in the cafeteria droned.

Georgia tapped my tray with her fork. “You need to eat.”

I wasn’t hungry and hadn’t been for the three weeks since I’d found myself in bed with Colton. Life had been up and down. I’d learned that my aunt couldn’t commit to being my guardian. She’d recently been offered a higher position within her company, which would keep her on a plane five to six days a week. She’d canceled at the last minute because she had to go to Japan.

I was super stoked because that meant I wouldn’t have to move to California. Dad, on the other hand, had been extremely quiet. In part, I suspected he was a little hurt that his sister had reneged.

Regardless, my future wasn’t important at the moment. I was biting my nails because I was losing Dad faster than I wanted to. He wasn’t able to lift a cup to drink anymore, he was sleeping a lot, and in just three weeks, he’d seemed to diminish greatly.

I cried most nights, and if someone looked at me the wrong way, I broke down.

Every night, I got up at the same time—three a.m.—and checked on him. Nan and I were taking turns, but Nan wanted me to get as much rest as possible because of school.

I didn’t care about school.

A tear escaped as I lifted my gaze to my BFF.

She was at my side in less than a second, throwing her arm around me. “I’m here for you.”

I couldn’t cry in a room full of nosy students. It wasn’t that I cared what they thought. I didn’t want to fly off the handle. If one student mocked me, I would probably punch her lights out. And Amanda had been testing me for a few weeks.

Apparently, she blamed me for Colton wanting nothing to do with her anymore. I didn’t know how that was my fault. Colton hadn’t said a word to me since that morning in the bedroom at Grady’s place. Well, that wasn’t all true. I did ask him about my skateboard.

“Sorry. I’ve been busy,” he’d responded in a terse tone, as though I’d been the one to ruin his relationship with Amanda. I suspected his irritation with me stemmed from that night in Grady’s bedroom, when I made the comment about how my dad might’ve thought I’d drowned. I knew the word “drowned” had to have spurred memories of his brother’s drowning.

In all fairness to me, he and his dad were arguing more and more as of late. It was hard not to hear them, or when Colton peeled out of his driveway like he was taking off in a drag race.

My bottom lip quivered. “I need to go to the skate park.” I was itching to get back on my board and ride. The strands of my sanity