In Riptides

12 | rumors

N A T E 

"Jesus, what happened to you?" Rob asks as soon as he drops onto the passenger seat, throwing his crutches in the back.

His eyes are fixed on my cut lip and the swollen bruise on my jaw. The damage isn't too bad, but it's noticeable enough, and Rob's confusion is confirmation that Lia didn't tell him about the fight at all. But I don't really want to get into it. Alex swore Clara to secrecy, so he has no idea what's been going on in this last week, what happened with Alex. Any of it. And I wouldn't put it past him to add a couple more bruises if he knew.

"SoundWave." I shrug. "You know how it is."

This simple explanation is all it takes and he nods in understanding, looking a little jealous that he missed out on the chaos of the festival. A lot jealous, actually.

When I moved to Oceanview, I used to steer clear of Rob for two reasons. First, his protectiveness over Lia and not needing a single word to convey how much I'd regret it if I made a move on her. And second, his ability to be more reckless than me, Blake, and Ollie combined.

It's not like there's a bunch of rumors floating around about him; people love him. He's fun, he's on the baseball team, and he somehow fits into any clique he walks into. But once you talk to Rob, once you're at the same party or anywhere he's letting loose – you don't need much more than twenty seconds to know he's a wild card.

You never quite know what his next move is. Who he's going to piss off, who he's going to pick a fight with, or which girl he's going to disappear with. Whether she has a boyfriend or not.

Committing to Clara was just about his most wild card move yet.

I glance at the front door of the house. "Did Lia ride with Matt?"

"She was already gone when I woke up, so yeah, I guess," he mutters in distraction, adjusting the seat to push back and give more legroom for his cast. "Hey uh, sorry it didn't work out with you guys," he says as I pull onto the road. "I dunno if she even wants to be with Matt anymore, I think it's just habit, you know? She's always been scared of change, so I wouldn't take it personally."

That's the only way I'm taking it.

Rob does most of the talking on the drive to school, and while I'm not totally tuned out, the festival stays in the back of my mind like it has been from the moment I saw Lia in the crowd. It's almost like she didn't even care what happened with Alex anymore. The way she was acting was so... robotic. Like she had been programed to try and keep me away, to go with Matt after the fight. To turn off emotion. But I caught a glimpse of it when I hugged her, when she was on the brink of tears, talking about the party.

I shouldn't have let you leave again.

Did she see me at the party when I came back? Was she in one of the rooms when I was calling her? Those words have been gnawing at me all weekend.

When I pull into a parking spot, Rob is quick with his crutches to make his way to Clara sitting on the wall with Blake and Ollie. She hops off and meets him halfway, taking his backpack to help. As shitty as it is having a broken arm and not being able to surf, it beats having a broken leg any day. They wander off together, and I'm almost at the wall when a whistle pierces the air.

"How was she, Miller?" Tommy Sellers calls from the steps with a grin, the group around him all wearing equally stupid grins.

Confusion strikes me first, and then the atmosphere does. The murmurs and direct eye contact, the weight of it all pressing on my skin.

"Is it just me or are people acting weird?" I ask Blake and Ollie. They exchange a muted look and the confusion deepens. "What?"

Ollie nods to my pocket. "Check your phone."