Page 22 of Fractured Mind

Suddenly, I’m in the air and being thrown over a shoulder, and then I’m staring at Ashton’s ass. Instead of yelling at him, all that comes to mind is that he has a great ass. “Put me down,” I protest weakly.

“Nope!” he replies.

Everyone chuckles around me while I’m still upside down, swaying from side to side.

“You aren’t going anywhere. You agreed we’re going to get to know each other again.”

I growl at him, but secretly I’m loving it.

“Aww, that was cute!” Levi taunts. “Did kitten just purr?”

I suppress a smile at his playfulness. When I’m placed on my feet, I narrow my eyes at Ashton while he struggles to keep a straight face. Ruby and I place our towels on the sand and lie down. Ashton freezes, his eyes roaming over me with... hunger?That can’t be right... Maybe I’m reading him wrong.

Ashton takes his shirt off, showing his ripped muscles. My mouth goes dry. Up close, I see each indent clearly. “Oh my,” slips out of my mouth before I can stop it, and Ruby laughs. My cheeks flush, but thankfully no one else seems to have heard me. Internally, I’m torn between needing to look away and the undeniable curiosity drawing me back in. I reluctantly look away so he doesn’t catch me gawking at him.

Levi grabs his surfboard and jogs toward the water with the biggest smile on his face. I’m straining my neck, trying to see Jackson’s tattoos. They’re fascinating to me. Then Ashton, Roman, and Jackson run to the water and dive in.

I turn my attention to Levi and watch as he waits on his surfboard in the water. As a wave forms, he paddles out and pops up on his board with ease. His surfboard glides up and down the wave. When he does it again, he rotates and does a three-sixty. My eyes widen at his talent. “That was amazing!”

“It sure was,” Ruby says proudly. “Though I’d never tell him that. He should compete because he’d do well, but he wants to focus on school because he wants to be a doctor like the rest of his family. He jokes around a lot, but he’s smarter than he seems.” Ruby turns to face me. “So... Ashton said you two are going to spend some time together.”

I try to conceal the excitement in my voice. “He mentioned it today at school.”

“And what are your thoughts on that?”

“After the accident, Mom never talked to me about my past. Each time I brought it up, she said she didn’t want to talk about it, so that part of my life is blank. I thought it’d be good to talk to someone who can tell me about it.” I’ve wanted to know for so long; now I finally get a chance to find out.

Ruby’s sunbathing and turns over onto her front. “You and Ashton were best friends. We were friends at school and hung out, but it was mainly just you and him. You did everything together.”

“It’s strange knowing that I would have stayed here if it hadn’t been for the accident. My life would’ve been completely different.” These thoughts always crept into my mind—wondering how my life could have turned out. My throat tightens knowing how much I’ve missed out on.

Ruby gets up onto her elbows, frowning. “I wish you’d stayed here too.”

Roman and Jackson get out of the water, grab a football, and throw it to each other.

Levi jogs up to us with his head tilted back, which makes his wet blond hair drift away from his face. “Get your asses up and come for a swim.”

Ruby flashes a smile at me, a devious look in her eyes.

“Not a chance.” I refuse to risk my bathing suit becoming see-through.

She cackles and gets up, wiping the sand off her. “You sure?” she asks me with one raised brow.

“Yes.” I speak with absolute certainty.

She wanders after Levi, and I sit up to watch them. When Ruby reaches the water, she walks in one slow step at a time. As she gets in deeper, past her waist, Levi splashes her. Her arms are up, and she shrieks at him while he bellows out a laugh.

I turn my attention to the guys. Roman squints and focuses as he throws the ball with precise accuracy to Jackson. Then, when it’s his turn to catch it, Roman runs fast, even though he’s running on sand, and catches it effortlessly.

Ashton walks over and plunks down next to me. Drops of water from his hair and body fall on my shoulder, sending goose bumps over my skin. I scoff while brushing the drops off me. He grins, shaking his head so more water drops onto me. I lean over, nudging my shoulder into his. He’s playful... and I like that about him. He chuckles, and a brief silence descends on us.

“You’re different . . .”

I can’t tell whether that’s a good thing. “How?”

“You were a brat before.” A cheeky smile flashes over his face when I scowl at him.

“Can you tell me about what I used to be like?” I’ve always wondered.