Page 78 of The Lucky One
I grabbed my knife and made the first cut.
The sun heated my skin when I stepped out into the parking lot after school. Jon was waiting for me at his BMW. I sniffed my hand and made a face. The smell of meat stuck with me despite my best efforts at the sink.
“What’s up with your hand?” Jon asked. His fingers traced a brief line over my left ring finger.
“I smell like chicken,” I warned, pulling my hand away.
“Do I look like I care?” He reached for it again, his touch firm yet gentle. “Ich habe dich vermisst,” he whispered, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“Missed you too.” Each kiss, imbued with the faint scent of his musky cologne, felt like it could last forever.
I was startled by a car horn blaring. From their jeep, Aiden and Leni stuck out their tongues at us like little ten-year-olds. “Yo, German,” Aiden called. “You wanna come to the lake with us or not?”
I turned to Jon with a question mark on my face, but was met with a frown. “Since when are you friends with Aiden?”
“We’re gym buddies.”
His jaw tightened. “Gym buddies?”
I smirked. “Didn’t you know? I can squat one-fifty.”
“No wonder, with that juicy butt of yours.”
“C’mon,” Leni shouted. “We don’t have all day!”
Jon ignored him. “Don’t you normally like to plan this type of stuff?” he snarked at me, leaning against his BMW. “You don’t even have your swimsuit.”
“I’ve got my underwear,” I retorted, but he crossed his arms, unimpressed. “Come on, Jon, let’s loosen up a bit! We can mope around in your room on a cloudy day.” Walking backward toward Aiden’s jeep, I shot him a mischievous grin. “Or I’ll go without you...”
Jon sighed. “Fine, you dopamine addict.” I squealed and ran the rest of the way to the jeep.
The wind tousled my hair as we sped down the road, but I didn’t care, proud that I had made a friend on my own. When Aiden greeted me with a fist bump, Jon had scowled and placed a possessive arm around my shoulders. I reassured him with kisses to his ear that Aiden was like this with every girl.
The sound of laughter and the distant splashing of water greeted us as we arrived at the lake by the woods. It was a popular spot: the place was dotted with groups of friends, some of them drinking. Aiden parked the jeep and we all tumbled out. Leni set up a blanket and Aiden brought out a cooler full of brews. They stripped off their clothes, ran down the dock and cannonballed into the water. Aiden resurfaced, tossing his hair back with a grin. “Come on, guys! The water’s warm!”
I started taking off my shirt, eliciting a grin from Aiden. But Jon stepped between us, a low growl escaping his lips. “Little German,” he muttered.
“What?” I shrugged. “I don’t want to get my clothes wet.”
Jon glanced around, biting his lip in agitation. “Fine.” He peeled off his own shirt, revealing his bare torso. “Take mine.”
“You’re compromising. I like it,” I teased, and put it on before wiggling out of my linen shorts.
“Have fun.” Jon leaned in to kiss me on the cheek.
“You don’t want to come?”
“Maybe later,” he said, and I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek myself before running to the dock. A rope hung off from a tree branch above it, awaiting dive-bombers.
“Woo! Go German!” came Leni and Aiden’s enthusiastic shouts from the water.
“Jump in!” came another familiar voice, and I turned to see Hannah on a water donut a bit farther down the lake, accompanied by Brandon. I waved enthusiastically. We were finally hanging out again, as if everyone had awoken from their winter slumber.
As I stood at the edge of the platform, ready to jump, I couldn’t quite put into words the surreal feeling in my chest. This year had been a roller coaster of ups and downs, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows—but in this moment, my friends cheering, the lake beckoning, everything seemed to align perfectly. I turned to see Jon looking at me. His hands were in his pockets but he wore the cutest grin ever.
“C’mon, German!” Aiden called, and I twirled around and took a running start to grab the rope. All my strength training was worth it: I held on effortlessly in midair, relishing the feeling of weightlessness. Releasing my grip at the perfect moment, I flew through the air, legs pumping as if pedaling through the sky, and landed in the water with a terrific splash.
The moment I broke the surface, I wanted kill Aiden. The water was fricking freezing. But what did I expect for 20 degrees Celsius (or as Americans would say, 70 Fahrenheit)? I came up gulping for air. “Aiden!” I yelped, and he laughed as I splashed water into his face.