Cloud Walking (Find You in the Dark #1.5)(2)
Author: A. Meredith Walters

“Good point. Maybe I can get out of my dad’s work thing. I could go see the movie with you,” Maggie suggested. I linked my arm with hers as we walked down the hall.

“Yeah, maybe. But are you sure you wouldn’t rather be hanging out with librarians on your Saturday? I mean that sounds like a barrel of fun,” I teased as we made our way to our biology class. I watched as Maggie’s eyes zeroed in on a dark-haired boy at the end of the hallway. Her entire body froze up and she had stopped listening to me.

At that same moment, I saw Daniel walking toward us, an obnoxious smile on his face. Both Maggie and I were stuck in some sort of lovesick paralysis. I was the first to snap out of it. I pulled on Maggie’s arm and she startled, as though she forgot I was there. Hmm. I had never seen her so fixated on someone before. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think about that.

“Come on. Before I’m forced to talk to him,” I told her, motioning discreetly toward Daniel, who had been stopped by his friend, Jake Fitzpatrick before he could make it over to us. Maggie clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“You can’t hide from him. He’s one of your best friends. You really should talk to him before things get even more awkward than they already are,” she advised. I grit my teeth. That was easier said than done. I was not a confrontational person, choosing instead to let things lie until I exploded.

But I think I was almost at implosion point. “Yeah. Okay,” I said, hurrying her down the hallway, her head still craning over her shoulder, looking for that dark head again as I staunchly refused to allow my eyes to wander to the person they so desperately craved. The pair of us were a mess.

Chapter Two

~ Daniel~

“Rachel! Maggie!” I called out, following them as they left the school at the end of the day. I had been trying to find them all afternoon. Rachel and I had plans to go see a movie tomorrow. It was the new action movie I had been wanting to see and she had offered to come with me. But now, Kylie wanted to go out. I was torn. I was always f**king torn. I hated to disappoint Rachel. It was the worst feeling in the world. But Kylie was so damn demanding sometimes.

So why do I put up with it? Why do I keep going back for more? Well, it’s hard to break it off when you’re led around so easily by your dick. Kylie was hot and she knew it. When we had first started dating last year, I was really into her. I thought she was really nice and sweet and she seemed to make an effort to get along with my friends.

Then we started having sex. I had been a virgin. So once I got a taste of that, it was like a drug. And Kylie knew it. Then she changed. She became a controlling, possessive witch. And there were days when I wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. Then there were the days that I couldn’t stay away.

I knew Maggie and Rachel got sick of my relationship drama. And I didn’t blame them. I was sick of it. The guys on the soccer team gave me a good amount of shit about it. But I was stuck in an endless cycle of being stepped on and in turn stepping on everyone else. I needed to grow a pair but it seemed a long time coming.

And here I was about to stomp all over my best friend’s feelings because I couldn’t man up and say no to the girl I was sleeping with. I gave guys a bad name. And that made me a world-class ass**le. I liked to play the oblivious idiot, but that didn’t mean I was one. I guess it was easier to pretend you had no idea when you were hurting someone, then to address it head on.

“Rachel!” I yelled again. I knew she heard me. I could tell by the way her shoulders tensed up. Wow. She was mad at me again. I could tell. I let out a breath as they slowed down so I could catch up with them. I couldn’t help but check out Rachel as I got closer.

She really was pretty. Long brown hair and pretty dark eyes. She was short but she worked it anyway. Today she was wearing a tight fitting black skirt that stopped mid-thigh. My eyes flitted down her body and I realized that at some point, I had stopped seeing her as just my best friend, but as a girl. And a damn fine girl at that. But I sent that thought deep into the recesses of my head. No sense in dwelling on it.

Maggie looked amused when I finally reached them. I loved Maggie. She was the closest thing I had to a sister. She never put up with any of my bull and I totally respected her for that.

“Yo, Danny boy,” Maggie said as I fell into step beside them.

“Hey girls. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” I asked, looking down at Rachel, who had not as yet acknowledged my presence. I couldn’t help but frown. She was pissed about something. It felt like she was always mad at me anymore. And I hated it. Nothing sucked more than those gorgeous brown eyes looking at you as though you were crud on the bottom of her shoe.

“We were just heading to my house to hang out for a bit. You wanna come?” Maggie asked me and I didn’t miss the glare Rachel shot her way. Okay, clearly I was not wanted.

But because I was feeling a bit antagonistic and because maybe I couldn’t miss an opportunity to drive Rachel crazy I gave them both my biggest shit-eating grin. “Sure, I’d love to come,” I announced as if it were the best idea I had ever heard.

Yep, that was Rachel groaning under her breath. So, I slung my arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Will you paint my nails, Rach? My cuticles are a mess,” I taunted, brushing her hair off her shoulder. And maybe my fingers lingered a bit over the curls that I somehow never noticed were really soft. And was that a new shampoo she was using? I tried to surreptitiously sniff Rachel’s hair. I always loved the way she smelled.

Okay, enough of that train of thought.

Rachel smiled a bit and I figured she was on her way to forgiving me. Because even though she was so easily mad at me, she usually got over it just as quickly. That was the beauty of our dynamic. She found my charm irresistible and I wasn’t afraid to use it when necessary.

She held up my hand, her petite fingers curling around mine as she inspected my nails. Huh. I liked the way she held my hand. Were those little shocks of electricity where our skin touched? Nah. I was imagining things.

“Yeah, a manicure is definitely needed. You really need to stop chewing on your nails. It’s disgusting.” Rachel dropped my hand and I off-handedly noted that it made me a little sad to lose the contact. I dropped my arm from her shoulder and examined my fingers.

“They’re not that bad,” I complained. Rachel only laughed and I was relieved that we had drifted into our normal banter.

I watched as Maggie pulled up short, her eyes following some dude in a green army jacket. It was that new kid, Clay Reed. Maggie had jumped to his defense last week after Paul Delawder tried to use him as a new punching bag. They had apparently talked a few times and now she was fixated on him in a way that was completely out of character for her.