Chapter 17

Shay-Lee

"I'll see you all by the pool in five," Coach yelled as he left the locker room, leaving us all to change.

"Since when do we have swimming class instead of good old PE?" Kamper complained beside me as he got undressed.

"Coach said it's a new thing," Ty answered him. "The PTA thought it was essential."

"That's bullshit," Kamper grunted as he covered his pale ass with swimming shorts. "Don't you agree, Rogers?"

"What?" I asked after I gave zero attention to his whining.

"Dude! Were you even listening to us?"

Looking up at Kamper's impatient face, I shrugged. "Actually, no, not at all." Ever since Jordan moved to New York and the shithole twins went to prison, Kamper was sticking to me more than before, probably hoping to replace them by my side. As if. I barely tolerated the asshole.

I stood to change into my swimming shorts. The second I unzipped my pants, my mind went back to last night and to the way Nero undressed me. I recalled how his fingers tangled with the waistband of my slacks right before he pushed them to the floor and moved his hands over my heated skin.

Fuck.

It seemed that no matter what I did today, my mind kept wandering back to last night and to all the glorious ways Camilotore me apart. After waking up this morning, he was all I could think about, from when I took a shower to eating breakfast, driving to school, and sitting in class. My mind was solely focused on him. I couldn't explain it, but last night changed everything. It wasn't just the sex that made me feel closer to him but the way he shared himself with me, starting with telling me his name. Between recalling every second we had spent together and tracing my fingers along the marks he had left behind on my skin, I also kept saying his name over and over in my head.

"What's going on with you?" Kamper whined, pulling me out of more pleasant thoughts.

I smiled at him. "Nothing. I wasn't paying attention, that's all."

He pointed at my neck. "Does it have anything to do with all those hickeys? Found yourself a new girl?" The smirk he gave was ick, and I had to restrain myself from gagging.

"Fuck off, Kamper. I was just thinking of something else."

Usually, brutal sex was my escapism. When high and drunk enough, sex made everything blurry until my mind grew numb. But not last night. When not only was I sober, but I had no need to escape. Well, that was until the adrenaline wore off, and I was left with the realization of what we just did.

After we both calmed down from our release and Camilo hugged me while I wrapped my arms around him, my mind had been at such peace that it scared the living shit out of me, and I panicked simply because I was terrified it would all go away. The moment fear entered the picture, so did the guilt and disgust. The idea I'd just enjoyed sex to that extreme horrified me.

What if I enjoy it when he does it?

Scared, I tried to push away from him, but Camilo wouldn't allow it and instead hugged me tightly without a hint of doubt, whispering simple words that might have been trivial to anyone else but not to me.

With the right person, sex should feel exactly as it did just now.

The same sense of comfort I felt back then took over me again and brought an easy smile to my lips. A part of me struggled to believe that Camilo actually meant what he said, but from the way he held me so close that I had nowhere to escape and so tight that there was no way I'd fall, he'd managed to convince me it might be real. And God, did I want this. I wanted him. I wanted Camilo like I'd never wanted a soul in my life. Miles, even Jordan, felt like a joke compared to him. The emotions I held for them didn't come near to what Camilo was beginning to make me feel. I was utterly and totally consumed by him.

"If I catch you smoking in my gym one more time, I'll make sure to expel your sorry ass!" Coach's screaming jolted me out of my thoughts, and I looked at the room's entrance, as did the others, to see him standing with his arm crossed over his chest while waiting for someone to walk in. A moment later, with a look in his eyes that could kill, Diesel entered the room. Dressed in dark clothes that covered him to the bone, he looked threatening. The black baseball hat he wore was pulled low, creating a shadow over his already intense features and making him even more unapproachable.

"Get changed quickly and meet me outside," Coach told him before he turned to look at the rest of us. "What the hell are you all waiting for? Get your asses moving!" Coach barked, and it was enough to get the guys rolling.

"Aww, got scolded by Coach?" Kamper snorted once Diesel passed by us, thinking he might get a reaction from him, which he didn't. I wasn't surprised, considering how a guy like Diesel wouldn't take an idiot like Kamper as a threat. Since Diesel had already kicked the guy's ass once and would probably do it again without even sweating, I had no idea where Kamper found the courage to be this dumb.

"See you outside," Ty said to me before he and Kamper headed out. I still had to finish getting ready, so I pulled on my swim trunks and put the rest of my things inside my locker. I was ready to go when someone spoke and caught my attention.

"I can't believe I need to get my hair wet." It was Miles's voice, and I peeked aside to find him, Andrei, and the rest of their group standing beside Diesel, who was still dressed.

"Don't fuss over it," Andrei said, and I wanted to roll my eyes at the stupid smile he gave Miles while poking his nose. Instead of doing that, I tore my gaze away from them and scanned Diesel one more time. I recalled the last time he punched me, reminding me of how much I hated the guy. Now annoyed, I slammed my locker and walked outside.

Diesel

"So, you agree?" Jessie asked me with eyes full of impatience and lips that tried to hold back a smile as we walked out of the locker room. "C'mon, D, please say yes, and don't be like Andrei who said no 'cause he's boring."

"Hey," Andrei cut into his words. "I said no because I have plans with Miles that day."

Jessie's attention switched from me to Andrei. "How do you know you have plans weeks in advance?" he squealed.

"I just do." Andrei sounded a little defensive, and I snorted.

"Plans can be changed, you know… Anyway." Jessie came back to look at me. "Because Andrei has other plans,I really need you to say yes. The friend of a friend who hooked us up with the gig said he needs at least three people. That's why Levi and I aren't enough." He spoke way too fucking fast, and I struggled to keep up. But that was Jessie for you, high on fucking life. "It's just one evening." He raised a finger in the air. "And all we need to do is wait on some rich-ass people, and we'll get five hundred bucks each." As if saying it once wasn't enough, he repeated himself. "Five. Hundred. Bucks! I need the money so fucking bad so I can buy a new tablet."

Before Jessie could tell me the story of how he broke his tablet for the third time, and because I was in a fantastic mood, I said, "Sure, I'll do it."

"Seriously?" Andrei's eyes shot to me, as did Miles's and Levi's, their brows almost reaching their hairline.

"Yeah, why not?" I shrugged. "You said it's one evening?"

"Yes." Jessie beamed.

"And they pay on the spot?"

"Double yes."

"And we're basically waiters?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I told you, a friend of a friend knows a guy who runs this fancy catering company that does these A-list parties. He's looking for some extra staff for this huge event, and I pushed us in."

"Sure, why not? I can use the extra cash." Working at the Venetian paid well, but I could still use more money.

Ah, fuck.

Thinking about the club made me think about Llorónand how much I wanted to see him tonight. But it also made me wary that Llorón might not show up, so I tried to avoid thinking about him like some middle-school kid with a crush. I was pretty convinced he would show up, but what if he didn't? How would that make me feel?

"What took you so long?" that idiot geezer barked at us as we reached the Olympic-sized swimming pool. The smell of chlorine burned my eyes, and the sounds of water splashing and whistling irritated my ears. If only I hadn't been obsessed with thoughts about Llorón earlier, I wouldn't have been distracted enough to be caught smoking by this walking stereotype of a football coach.

After shouting at me some more because, apparently, that was all he knew how to do, the coach ordered me to go to the farthest lane on the right and to be ready to do some freestyle laps. I walked and stopped at the edge of the pool, doing as he said, only because the last thing I wanted was to see Mrs. Morrison for telling a teacher to fuck off. While waiting for the guy swimming in the lane to finish his lap, I ignored the dozens of eyes staring at me. I knew it wasn't typical for a guy in high school to have as many tattoos as I did, which was why I made sure to dress in a way that covered them at school. Then again, if I were already half naked, I'd better make the most of it, so I fixed my swim trunks to sit lower on my hips.

The guy swimming in the lane was finally done, and I looked down. After taking off his goggles and cap, he ran his fingers through his long blond hair, moving it away from his face. Placing his hands on the edge, he was ready to climb out of the pool when he looked up, and our eyes met.

"The fuck are you staring at?" I hissed after Shay-Lee remained frozen, half of his body still in the water while he looked at me like someone who'd just seen a ghost.

Fucker.

Shay-Lee

Finishing my second lap, I pulled my head out of the water and stood up so only my bottom half was still underwater before I quickly got rid of the swimming goggles and stupid cap. Pushing my soaked hair back so it wouldn't get into my eyes, I moved a tired hand over my face. Swimming was never really a favorite activity of mine because it reminded me of my mom. She used to love swimming.

Forcing the thoughts out of my head, I spat some water and then took two steps until I reached the end of the pool. Ready to climb up, I placed my hands on the coping and began pulling my body out when I noticed someone was standing right above me. My eyes climbed up the man's body, slowly taking in the details, and as they went up, so did my nerves. The dark ink decorating his tan skin and covering his long, toned muscles was all too familiar, causing my blood to run cold and my breath to catch, even more when I reached the pink buzz cut. At the same time, everything around me turned to white noise until I reached his face. Those dark eyes I had become obsessed with were looking down at me with nothing but contempt.

No.

This can't be.

There was no way my Camilo was…

My heart stopped.

How could it be that the kindest man I had ever met, the one who held me so gently before taking me apart, was him?

"The fuck are you staring at?" Diesel hissed, scratching his neck where I'd left a bite mark. I suddenly realized I was staring at him with my mouth open. Did he not know it was me? He obviously didn't because if he knew, he would have—Oh, God.

Nausea took over me, and the whole space began spinning around before I somehow managed to get out of the water and take a few steps away from him. I have to get out of here. My heart thrummed in my ears as my chest grew tight, and breathing felt impossible, like my lungs couldn't find air.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Diesel asked, and I turned to look at him one more time to make sure this was actually happening and that this wasn't some horrible nightmare. As horrifying as it was to acknowledge, there was Camilo, or should I say, Diesel, standing on the edge of the pool and looking at me like I was the most despicable human on Earth. But that was exactly what I was to him. The one standing before him wasn't his Llorón but Shay-Lee Rogers, the jackass who'd been giving him and his friends hell since they joined BH—a terrible human being who deserved to be hated and looked at with disgust.

As the cruelty of reality continued to sink in and the dream I'd held on to for the past few weeks busted in seconds, I felt sick to my stomach.

Hold on a second.

I actually was about to get sick and could feel it all coming up, so I stepped back. From the horrid look on Diesel's face, it seemed like he realized what was about to happen, too, only that it was a little too late, and the next thing I knew, I poured my guts out all over him in the most humiliating and embarrassing moment of my entire fucking life. And if that wasn't enough, a second later, his fist collided with my face, making me regret everything I did that had led me to this point.