Taylor woke me up when it was still dark outside.

I slowly became aware of him stroking my arm. He started at the top of my shoulder and ran the back of his hand down to my hand, then went back up my hand to my shoulder, to tuck my hair away and kiss my neck.

"Crash," he whispered in my ear. "I have to go."

I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. His body was giving off more heat than a fireplace.

"No," I said grumpily, nuzzling his chest like a kitten.

He husked a laugh and pulled me into his body, throwing a leg around mine until he was a Taylor-blanket.

"It's almost six," he said. "Garret gets up soon, and it wouldn't be good if he found us."

My eyes opened; the happy lethargy leaving me. "Okay," I said, putting my hands on his warm chest and pushing away.

He tightened his arms so I couldn't move, and rolled us until he was on top of me. I gasped when I felt another part of his body press into me. I looked up quickly into his face, but he was a sort of white blob in the darkness. I lifted my hands to cup his face. He was scratchy, and my fingertips could poke his dimples.

So that's what I did.

I put both my fingers in his dimples and poked him.

"Crash," he laughed. His entire body shaking, pressing into me in ways that made me shudder and gasp and arch.

"Crash," he said again, his amorphous face moving closer to mine.

I lifted my head to kiss him and felt a shock of electricity, like I had scuffed my feet back and forth along the carpet and touched the doorknob."Ouch!" I hissed.

"Shit!" Taylor whispered, rolling until he fell off the end of the bed and hit the floor.

I heard the doorknob shake, and then click, and the door creaked open. "Lyric?" Garret asked, switching on the overhead light.

"Yes?" I replied, squinting and pulling the covers to my chin before sitting up and trying not to look around the room suspiciously.

"Time to get up," he said, his eyes roaming around the room before settling on me.

"Okay," I answered, "but I have an alarm, so you won't need to wake me up again."

"Oh," he said, smiling. "I don't mind. I like to see your smiling face right off."


"Garret?" Kate asked, poking her head into the room. She looked a little confused, but covered it, "What are you doing in here? Nevermind... Lyric, Garret can bring you to school, but you need to leave in thirty. Bathroom's yours."

"Thanks," I said. This was a lot of conversation for just waking up. "But the boys will pick me up."

Garret's eyes narrowed and Kate gave him a strange look. "That's great, Lyric," she said, watching Garret closely before shaking her head. "Really helpful actually," she added before asking. "What about after school?"


"The boys can bring me home and I can watch Marie until they pick me up for our study group," I answered.

"Is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to my nap?" she asked joking.

I noticed Garret staring at me, as if willing me to say something, but I had no idea what he wanted me to say. If he expected me to argue, he was crazy. I wanted every spare minute I could get with the guys.

"They'll be here soon," I said. "So I should probably get dressed."


"Of course," Kate nodded, and grabbed Garret's elbow, pulling him out of the room.

I waited until I heard them move away from the door and then pulled myself over to the side of the bed, where Taylor lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"That was close," I whispered.

Taylor nodded, not looking at me. "The door was locked," he said finally.

I nodded, realizing that the sound I heard was Garret unfastening the door somehow.

"How'd you know?" I asked, remembering how Taylor had been able to roll off the bed right before the door opened.

He looked at me, his face going from angry to sheepish, and sat up, reaching under the sheets to pull out his phone. I looked at it confused. "It rang?"

He shook his head. "No," he answered. "If there's an emergency, it issues a small shock."


I stared at him a moment, and then laughed. "I thought it was you!" I said, resting my head on my hands.

"Me?" Taylor asked, confused and then his face cleared as he realized what I was saying. "You mean my insane hotness sent a jolt of electricity through your entire body?"

I smiled, a little embarrassed. He reached for me, pulling me down until I was flush against his body and he could lean back. He put one arm under his head so he could see me, while I braced myself over him with both my hands.

"What do you think?" he asked in a low tone, his eyes darkening with something that made me shiver again. "Do you feel it now?" 


I nodded slowly, and he lifted his head to mine. His lips touched mine and I swore, I did feel the shock again. I angled my head and lightly touched his bottom lip with my teeth, nibbling gently before sucking away the hurt.

His tongue licked at my lower lip, asking permission for entry. I opened my lips and he touched my tongue with his. His breath was warm against me and I imagined that the air from his lungs was going directly into mine, like he was keeping me alive.

"I love you," Taylor said against my mouth.

My only answer was to kiss him deeper. I let the fingers of one hand trace his ribs, counting them until I could grip his hip and reach under the elastic of his boxers. I didn't know what gave me the courage, but I thought about how good he made me feel and I wanted to return a little piece of it.

He gripped my wrist, stopping me. "Lyric," he whispered. "Don't."

"Please," I asked, wanting to explore him. I loved the way his skin felt against my skin; the way it rasped and tickled mine. I loved how his lips could be so soft, but so firm, and the way he could kiss me with complete confidence, but tremble as he held my hand now.

"I want to," he whispered. "Believe me. I really really really want to. But it's not the right time."

I opened my eyes. Taylor was staring at me, willing me to believe him and to listen to him.

I curled my fingers against his stomach, lightly scratching while I pulled my hand from his shorts. "Of course," I answered. "I'm sorry." 


"No!" he said, "No. Please. I just... I don't want to rush. When we finally touch each other, I don't want it to be on the floor of this bedroom."

I smiled at him, trying to reassure him. "I love you Taylor Curtis. Wherever we are, it will be perfect." I moved to the side, sitting cross-legged. "But you're right. This isn't the right time. I'm sorry I pushed you." 


Taylor smiled relieved, and pulled my head forward, kissing the back of it before picking me up and depositing me on top of the bed.

He reached for his jeans and pulled them on, then bent over to pick up his shirt without buttoning his pants. When he turned toward me my eyes were drawn to his smooth tanned stomach. I clenched my hands to keep from reaching out to touch him. Taylor gave me a wicked smile and kneeled next to the bed, scooting over to me before giving me a quick kiss, and pulling away. "Fifteen minutes," he said.

I was half off the bed, straining toward him and he chuckled at me.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Be ready," he said again, standing and moving to the window. "We'll be here in fifteen."

It was still dark outside. "Be careful," I told him.

He smiled and backed through the window. "Get dressed," he mouthed before descending down the ladder.

I went over to my suitcase and pulled out an outfit before looking around and going back to the door to push in the lock. Maybe Garret could still open it, but at least the click would give me a warning. I stood with my back against the door and changed out of my clothes. I wondered if the boys could see me, and then I wondered if I cared.

I grabbed another set of underclothes from my suitcase and stuffed them into my backpack before opening the door and going down the hall. Marie's door was still closed, so I assumed she was sleeping, but I could hear Garret and Kate talking softly in their bedroom. I hurried past, going down the stairs, and opening the front door.

"Bye!" I called out in a whisper, just so I could say I said goodbye if I needed to explain myself later. This was a habit I'd developed with my mom. I would go through the motions of doing what I thought was the "right" thing before moving onto what I actually wanted to do.

Once I was outside, I heard the roar of a truck, and smiled to myself.

Taylor.

He was going to wake up the whole neighborhood in that thing. I watched him drive up. He had huge rooftop lights illuminated on top on the truck along with what could only be extra-bright headlights. It looked like his truck traveled with it's own spotlight. It was not at all inconspicuous, but then again, that was Taylor. He didn't really care about blending in.

The truck stopped in front of me and Taylor jumped out of the cab, coming around and opening the door.

"Your chariot," he gestured. 


I laughed and took his hand, hoisting a leg up onto the running board. "I can't wear skirts if you pick me up in this truck," I told him, looking back at him over my shoulder.

He was staring at my butt. "What?" he asked.

"Tex!" I laughed and he winked at me before jumping back in and driving us to school.

The parking lot was half-full even though we were early. The football team had morning practices and so did the soccer team, so that accounted for some of the cars. I found myself bouncing up and down in the seat as I scanned the parking lot for Kell and James.

Taylor pointed. "There," he said, knowing who I was looking for.

I saw Kell and James standing next to James' car. "Too cold for the bike," Taylor said. "Plus, Kell wants to be with you after school. He wanted alone time."

I looked over sharply, but Taylor didn't seem to be too bothered by the idea of me spending time with Kell. He parked and opened his door and in the dome light saw my face. "It's okay, Lyric," he said seriously. "We're all okay with you spending time alone with each of us," he squeezed my hand. "It's what we want. As long as I get alone time with you too, I'm happy."

I nodded, still feeling a little nervous, but mostly excited about time with each of them. "I really liked waking up with you," I told him.

His answering smile was blinding. "Me, too," he answered and opened his mouth to say more, but the door next to me was jerked open.

"Too fucking long," Kell said, pulling me out of the truck and into his arms.

"My Kell," I answered, burying my face against his leather jacket and winding my arms around his waist tightly.

He straightened until my feet dangled off the ground. One of his arms went under my butt and I wrapped my legs around my waist. I heard him give a grunt before he squeezed me tighter. My head was higher than his now and I pulled back to look at his face.

"I'm not too heavy?" I asked.

He cocked an eyebrow. "No," he answered and leaned toward me.

He was going to kiss me. Finally.

I leaned toward him and pressed my lips to his. His arms squeezed me tightly and his tongue pushed past my lips. The kiss lasted just a moment, but it was potent enough to make me squeeze my legs around his waist even tighter.

"Priya," he whispered against my lips as I untangled myself so he could lower me to the ground.

I glanced at Taylor and James who looked smug. "Finished?" Taylor asked with a wide smile.

"Hardly," Kell answered, not looking away from me.

We started walking to the school. "I need to use the shower in the locker room," I told them after we entered. "So I'll see you guys in class."

I saw understanding dawn on James' face immediately; his skin paling and lips thinning. "We'll wait for you," he told me directing me toward the gym and locker rooms.

"Jamie!" I heard a voice call out as we walked.

I'd stopped when I heard the female voice, and felt my stomach drop when I heard her use my nickname for James.

Melanie was jogging down the hall to meet us.

"Hey," she said breathlessly when she caught up. "Hey Lyric," she said politely.

"Hi," I answered, pushing my finger to my lip.

She turned to James. "I wondered if we could make a time to meet?" she asked. "For the Humanities project?"

The jealousy I suddenly felt was a tangible thing. I really didn't want James doing a project with Melanie.

"Oh yeah," James answered. "Well, I'm meeting with Lyric, Kell, and Taylor tonight so you could join us."


No, I thought, childishly. I didn't want her joining us. I had to resist the urge to cross my arms and stamp my foot.

"Um," Melanie began nervously. "I was thinking we could work, um, just the two of us?"

"I'm with Lyric and the guys almost every day," James answered kindly. "But we're all working on different things, so it wouldn't be a problem if you joined us."


I suddenly realized what he was doing. He had to work with Melanie on a project, but by including her in our group, he was showing me that he didn't put her ahead of me. He was also letting Melanie know, in a kind way, that he wasn't interested in studying alone with her, and whatever doing that might imply.

"It'll be fun," I said, my jealousy disappearing with my realization. "Join us."


She looked at me a little unsure, then shrugged and smiled. "Okay," she said. "I have field hockey practice at three, but I'm done by five-thirty."

"I babysit until eight, so we usually meet then," I answered.

"Oh," Melanie answered. "That's fine. It'll give me time to eat and do some other stuff. Pick me up?" she said turning to James.

I had to hand it to her, she was persistent.

"Sure," James answered, "tell me where you live and I'll swing by after I get Lyric." 


I could have kissed him. Actually, I would kiss him, just as soon as I got him alone again. He met my eyes and smiled at me. I bit my lip, but smiled back happily.

"Okay," she answered. "See you then. See you later Lyric," she told me and gave me a small wave before heading back to the waiting group of girls.

"Sorry," I apologized to James, who was still watching me closely.

"Were you jealous?" he asked surprised.

"Um," I answered, clearing my throat nervously. "She called you Jamie."


I saw his eyes widen before he understood what I was saying. "Oh!" he answered and then smiled. "So you were."


I narrowed my eyes at him, debating what say. Finally I threw my hands up in the air. "Fine!" I answered quietly. "Okay! I'm jealous. I was jealous. I'm not jealous now. But I was. I don't like other girls looking at you guys, but..." I looked at all of them. "Look at you! Of course they're going to look."

Taylor took a step toward me, but James shook his head even as he reached toward me and had to draw back his own hand. Kell put his arms around me and kissed my head. "You don't have anything to worry about," he told me.

"I know," I answered, "but still..."

Taylor pulled his hair back from his face with one hand and held it there. "Can I hug her?" he asked James.

James shook his head. "Only Kell at school," he said, looking at me a bit longingly. "We agreed."

I could guess what they agreed and so didn't feel the need to ask for clarification, but I felt a little annoyed that they hadn't asked me first. Maybe I didn't want to pretend one of them was my boyfriend and the others weren't, but in the next breath I understood what a target I would make both them and myself if I was affectionate with all of them in public.

"I need to..." I pointed to the locker room.

James nodded. "We'll wait for you here," he said.

I walked inside and heard Taylor ask in a low voice, "... alternating weeks?"

I giggled as the door closed behind me and then sighed as I looked around. I was back to the quick, cold, morning showers.

But not for long, I reminded myself. Soon enough I would be enrolled in the Academy and maybe there would be hot showers there. I didn't know for sure about the hot showers, but I did know that I would be safe there. I could tell after talking to Constance. Even if I didn't agree with what she said about wanting me to join other teams, she seemed to have the best interest of my team at heart.

I got my toiletries set up and my clothes. I stripped down quickly and jumped into the shower, adding the shampoo and quickly scrubbing my body. I was finished in a minute and turned off the shower, reaching around the shower curtain for my towel.

It wasn't within arm's reach, where I had been sure to put it, so I peeked around the curtain. Riley stood just inside the changing area. She held the towel on her index finger, watching me smugly.

"Hey Charity Case."