Noah stalked off, slamming the door like an enraged child.

Lainey looked around, chewing her fingernail. The girl had nervousness written all over her face.

I sighed, finally giving in. I looked at Mason. “I have a swimsuit in my bag. Let me grab it,” I said. Lainey lit up from head to toe.

“Mason are you coming too?” she asked. Mason nodded, heading back to the duplex with me.

“You’re not one to be so agreeable—what’s up with that,” he said as we walked to the duplex.

I shrugged. “They mean no harm. They’re the first people I’ve met who are decent and kind.”

“Are you falling in love with the thought of their happy family?” He grinned.

“Mason, knock it off. She really likes you,” I said. Mason just glared at me.

“I’m not some prostitute you can pawn off. I’m not going to sleep with her to make you or her happy. What the heck is wrong with you people?” The shocked expression on his face made me want to laugh.

“I didn’t ask you to,” I grumbled, heading up the stairs. He just stared at me, like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. I was beginning to think Mason thought I had no morals at all.

“I just want to get out of here,” he said, going inside.

After throwing on our swimsuits, we headed back through the woods to the water. Lainey proved to be quite the country girl. She knew every step of the way. To me it was nothing more than a mass of trees. I’d have been lost in seconds if I were alone. I found it interesting how similar, yet so different, I was to her. We were both from the South, but I didn’t feel “southern” anymore. I’d grown up in nearly every other state, so the South had been sucked out of me a long time ago.

“Well, here we are guys,” she said, standing at the edge of the water. Tall trees lined the edge, like a scene right out of the movies. I just hoped I wouldn’t come out covered with blood-sucking leeches.

Mason pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the ground. He took off before Lainey could give him another dreamy look.

I wiggled out of my shorts, dropping them at my feet. Lainey watched, before taking her own clothes off. She was comparing herself with me—typical girl thing to do. I was comfortable in my skin, always had been.

She was skinny but in a sporty way, not an underdeveloped girl way. Her hair glistened in the sun, her purple bikini made her alabaster skin look even more porcelain-like.

“I love your swimsuit,” she said, pulling her hair back.

I smiled, securing the ties on my hot pink bikini. It was the girliest thing I owned. And I loved it.

I wasn’t skinny like Lainey—I wasn’t fat either. I had the body of what a woman was meant to look like. I had a tiny waist, small hips, and muscular legs—probably from all the running I did. My arms were long and thin and toned. I had a rear that went well with anything I wore. My butt was my favorite part of my body.

Mason always said I was the most incredible looking girl, and that my body drove him crazy. He said I was made that way to get men all revved up. I always thought he didn’t know what he was talking about.

But as I watched him watching us, it was obvious whose body was drawing all his attention. Lainey grabbed my arm and started running toward the water. I quickly shook my sandals from my feet before our feet hit the water.

We both went under simultaneously. The cool water filled my ears and shocked my hot skin. I immediately opened my eyes, seeing a million particles floating past my face as I swam. I could see Mason and Lainey standing a safe distance away from each other. I stretched my arms and legs, swimming farther.

As I swam, I relaxed and felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was in the here and now and nothing else mattered.

I’d never known what it felt like to have someone worry about me or to care about me. Living like I did, it was impossible to be normal—whatever normal was.

I tried to not feel sorry for myself and I didn’t want to be sad. I never saw anything good in my mother when I lived with her. In fact, I didn’t see much of her at all. She was never there, never cared, and I was alone nearly every day.

I got used to it, though, and discovered that I was my own best friend. But, even I couldn’t give myself the love and care I needed.

And like a leaf in a stream, I was swept through life’s current, and no matter what was happening around me, I still had to move on.

My mother was never angry and bitter like Wanda. She was the opposite. My mother was overly emotional. She was always crying or upset about something. What? I’ll never know.

My mother sought her comfort—or torture—in men. She was a beautiful woman with a broken soul. She and I may have lived in the same house, but I was a burden to her—a burden she ignored and never looked at. Not once did I feel like she was my mother.

I resurfaced once my lungs were on fire and begging for air. Mason’s body was floating off in the distance. Lainey trailed behind him, caught up in the conversation they were having, as they drifted farther away.

I decided I’d had enough swimming and headed back up the hill, grabbing my clothes from the ground. They’d never even know I was gone. This would give Mason a chance to make Lainey happy. He would never treat anyone badly if he didn’t have to. There was really no reason that I knew of to not trust Lainey.

As I headed through the trees, I hoped I knew the way back. I could hear the birds chirping overhead as I moved along.

Twigs snapped behind me. Startled, I spun on my heels and screamed. It was Noah. He was wearing board shorts and had a towel slung over his shoulder.

“Were you trying to go back?” he asked.

I couldn’t form words. I was too shocked to see him. He waited for me to say something, but all I could do was nod.

“Well, you’re going the wrong way,” he said, turning around and heading back the opposite direction.

I stopped in my tracks, worried going back with him wasn’t the best idea. But pushing all the negative vibes away I followed him until I realized we were nowhere near the house or water anymore.

“This doesn’t look like the right way,” I said. Noah turned and shrugged.

“I’ve lived here my entire life. Of course it’s not the right way,” he said, watching me.

I kept my expression stoic. I wasn’t going to panic. This wasn’t the worst set of circumstances I’d ever faced.

He grabbed me by the arm, squeezing it tightly. “You think it’s okay to make me look like a fool?”

I pulled at his hand. His grip nearly crushed my arm.

“I don’t like looking like a fool, either. And I wasn’t about to let you do what you wanted to do.” My heart was racing, my mind trying to come up with a plan for what could happen next.

“I don’t like girls like you. You and your so-called family come here pretending to need a place to stay. But I know you’re all a bunch of con artists. I know you are,” he insisted.

I pulled away, backing up to a tree when I tried to get away from him.

“I’m not a con artist. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let me go before you do something really stupid,” I said.

Noah shook his head, wrapping his arms around me. He kicked my feet out from under me with one quick kick to my legs. We fell to the ground with a thud, his body falling on top of mine and knocking the air out of me.

“You were willing to let my dad have what he wanted, weren’t you?” he asked, pulling at the strings of my bathing suit top. I closed my eyes, his hands clamping down on my throat.

Noah was nuts.

“Just tell me. I want to hear you say it. Say you were going to bang my old man.” He pushed my face into the dirt and leaves.

“No.” I choked, his hand crushing my windpipe.

“What kind of girl does that?”

“I don’t know,” I said, squeezing my eyes tighter so I didn’t have to look at him.