Outcast (Wiltshire University Book 1)

Chapter 7

Pulling into the hidden faulty lot I realized Tanner was right, this lot was a lot closer than the one we just left. Tanner coasted the car into a spot by the break in the winding brick wall that concealed the lot from grounds. Tanner had given me back his phone before we left the student lot, but I had to wait until I was back outside in the rain to wiggle it into my wet pocket. It took a little more effort that I was anticipating, and I found myself doing a little wiggle dance as I tried to squeeze the device into the uncooperative fabric without accidentally pantsing myself.

Phone finally secured, I joined Tanner around the back of the car, trying hard not to notice the smile he was working hard to conceal. Hunching down against the pouring rain, we sloshed through the narrow gap in the wall. The main part of Wiltshire was built long before cars were invented. While you could find all sorts of conveniently placed hitching posts, parking lots tended to be sparse and inconveniently placed in terms of modern standards. So, although we parked in a faculty lot, we still had a little bit of a walk to get to the historic bell tower. To make things worse, a good chunk of our walk was unpaved; fine for a normal day, a nightmare in this downpour.

Wishing I had a hat or an umbrella or something to keep this driving rain out of my eyes, I followed Tanner as he picked a path through the muddy lawn. I was being generous still calling it a lawn at this point when really the open expanses of grounds were looking more and more like cranberry bogs as the sky continued to deluge a month's worth of rain on us. Taking a wide step to avoid a particularly large puddle, my footing slipped and I was sliding along the muddy grass like a skim boarder at the surf's edge. Out of instinct I threw up my arms, waving them about wildly, trying to maintain my balance as I prayed I wouldn't wipe out. My stomach slammed against a bar that appeared out of nowhere, and I was suddenly flung back into something warm and hard.

"Well that was impressive," Tanner chuckled into my ear, his breath warming my neck causing goose bumps to sprout and a shiver to run down my spine, "but why don't we save the X-Games stunts until after we've collected everything." Slowly my brain caught up, Tanner had thrown out his arm lassoing it around my waist and pulling me back against him as I slid by saving me from eating mud, literally. I could feel my cheeks heating with embarrassment.

"Come on; we're almost there," Tanner coaxed, sliding his hand into mine.

"Fine, but when I just miss making the Olympic Grass Freestyle Sliding Team, I'm coming for you." I cringed the moment the words were out of my mouth. Grass Freestyle Sliding Team? Seriously where did that come from? Why did I have to be such a dork!

Tanner burst out into a robust laugh that had my stomach doing crazy somersaults; his hand squeezing my hand as his body rippled with laughter. "You make the national team, and I'll make sure you have the best facilities and coaches to guarantee you a spot on the Olympic team."

"Ok," I shrugged, "but I'm holding you to that." Who is this person controlling my body and saying these things? This definitely isn't me.

"Oh, I intend to pay up," Tanner chuckled leading me into the now flooded subterranean tunnel and releasing my hand. As Tanner's hand slipped from my own, I couldn't help but frown, missing the warmth of him already. Tanner, seemingly oblivious to my discontent at the loss of our closeness, turned down a part of the path I had yet to explore. Trailing behind him as we rounded the corner, I spotted a nondescript short wooden door hidden in a wall opposite the base of the tower.

"Be right back," he called over his shoulder disappearing inside the dark space before I had a chance to object. I guess being "team leader" only gets me so far, then again, team leaders are probably exempt from spider infested dens, and that is a spider infested den if I ever saw one. Standing alone in the quiet corridor I nervously twisted the bottom of my shirt, ringing out as much of the water as I could, keeping one eye open for escaping spiders.