Chapter twenty nine
"Don't look over your shoulder, but you have an admirer." Mel bent forward to speak in Anika's ear. The girls had been dancing for a few songs before they decided to hit the refreshment stand early and grab a piece of cake that Gelsey and Genevieve were spreading out on a table.
Anika rolled her eyes and pushed Ryleigh from her mind as she swallowed another mouth watering bite of cake and frosting.
"This is delicious." she mumbled, forking another bite into her mouth.
"I think he just licked his lips at you." Keira teased, subtly jabbing her elbow in Anika's side.
"When I say ignore him, I don't mean for the whole night, you know." Mel gave Anika a look.
"I know. But I'm eating my cake right now." Anika finished her dessert and took a swig of her water.
"So, now you're going to go talk to him? Right?" Keira stared at Anika's face. The black haired girl just offered an innocent smile with an underlying hint of a dark smirk.
"Who said anything about talking with him? I already apologized." Anika winked and dragged the girls back onto the dance floor giving them just enough time to place their plates back on the table. A new song came on, shaking the already buzzing dance floor.
Anika released her friends' wrists and started to dance like she's never before. Her hips circled and twirled as she lost herself in the beat.
"What?" Anika sent a smirk to Mel and Keira who stood in shock with their mouths dropped open.
"Where in the hell did this come from?" Keira shouted, gesturing wildly to Anika's slender body.
"Oh shush and dance already." Anika laughed and turned away from her two friends to dance with a kid that she noticed was watching her, or well, her body.
"Hey." he shouted over the noise. Anika decided he was cute with his shaggy brown hair and light brown eyes. A light dusting of freckles scattered over his nose and cheeks and his attempt on grinning sexily had been anything but and Anika found herself thinking of a small puppy.
"Hey." she hid her chuckle and looked up at him with a happy smile.
"So you dance?" he raised a brow as Anika spun around, circling her hips and ended up brushing against his arms as he pulled her closer. One of his legs slipped between hers so she could dance against that side of his hip.
"I'm dancing now, aren't I?" Anika chuckled. His eyes widened in surprise at her witty comeback.
"Um... yeah." he recovered with a smile. His hands roamed down her back and Anika unconsciously took a step back and stopped dancing.
"You okay?" the kid asked with a raised brow as he tried to pull her back into him.
"Of course." Anika forced a smile and gently pushed his hands away. Her fingers fiddled with her tank top line as she bit her lip nervously. A few yards away, she caught Mel and Keira's worried eyes as they slowed down their dancing with the guys they were next to. Anika shook her head and took a deep breath before turning her attention back to the kid in front of her.
"Need help?" he asked, not waiting for her reply as he gripped the hem line of her tank top and pulling it over her head so she was left in her grey bikini top when he threw the piece of clothing over their heads to the side of the dance floor.
Anika recovered from her brief shock and smiled tightly at the kid. "Thanks. I was hot."
"You still are hot." he winked and pulled her closer. She shuttered as his rough hands gripped the bare skin on her waist a little too hard that she hissed at the sting. Taking her reaction as a good thing, the kid lowered his head to kiss her neck.
"Song's over!" Anika jumped back in a panic as she mentally closed all the memories that now suddenly haunted her when she blinked.
"I guess it is." the kid replied smoothly, oblivious to Anika shaking in panic.
"Anika!" Ivy appeared out of nowhere. Skinner was pressed against her back, glaring over her head at the kid Anika was struggling to find an excuse to get away from.
"Dance with me!" Ivy continued her bubbly act, when all she really wanted to do was rip into who ever this guy was.
"Sure!" Anika all but pushed her way through the kids on the dance floor with Ivy and Skinner following closely behind.
"You okay?" Keira asked, emerging from the wall of kids to the side of them once they stopped at the corner of the dance floor.
"Yeah." Anika shook the disgusted feeling away before it completely consumed her and had a chance to ruin her night.
"Where's Mel?" Anika spun around trying to locate the red head.
"She was right behind me..."Â Keira frowned at the absence of her other friend.
"Stay away from her!" Anika's eyes widened at the voice.
"Oh shit." Ivy cursed and pushed her way to the section where a ring was forming around three people. Anika's dance partner was sprawled out on the floor, propped up by one elbow as he cradled his nose with his other hand. Mel was nearly being toppled over by a fuming Ryleigh as he tried to get around her.
"Ryleigh." Anika's soft voice was drowned out by the next song the DJ was playing. Luckily only the people that were around to see what was going on were the only ones to see it other wise the whole dance floor would've noticed and they'd really have a problem.
"Are you blind? She was trying to get away from you!" Ryleigh shouted. His face was turning red with anger and Anika watched a vein following his hair line bulge slightly.
Anika snapped out of her thoughts on how he looked even more attractive when he was angry, when Mel's string of curses brought even more attention to the fight as Ryleigh was able to side step her and deliver a swift kick to the kid's ribs.
"Ryleigh!" Anika found her voice before he could pull his leg back for another blow.
HIs head snapped up in her direction and Anika drew in an intake of breath at how his blue eyes were nearly black in rage.
"Come on." Anika ran over to him and tugged on his arm. Her hands gripped tightly around his wrist as she leaned back but he still didn't move or take his scowl off the groaning kid on the ground.
"Hey!" Anika pulled her fist back and swung it into his upper arm. When he looked at her with the same scowl, she fought not to shiver but instead match it with her own boiling stare. She was angry at herself for what happened. If she hadn't danced with whoever he was, then Ryleigh wouldn't have punched him and there wouldn't be a reason for him to get in trouble because of her.
Ryleigh yanked his wrist out of her hands and stalked off. Anika looked at her hands for a second before she found Mel's eyes. She mouthed a word to her at the same time she felt Ivy push against her back. Go.
Without being told twice, Anika ran after Ryleigh and followed him to the beach. Surprisingly no one was here. Everyone must be at the clearing, Anika thought. She slowed down to a walk once she noticed Ryleigh was stopped at the edge of the water.
"Why'd you do it?" Anika flinched and halted a few paces behind him at the hard tone in his voice. She didn't need to see his face to know that he was blistering with anger.
"Why'd you say you wanted to be left alone?" Anika shot back. Her voice clouded with her own anger despite how scared she felt as her stomach tightened again.
"What?" Ryleigh spun around on her. It was then that Anika noticed how he was nearly a foot taller than her. How had she not noticed his towering height before?
"You wouldn't have punched him if you didn't care." Anika stepped up to him, her face upturned to meet his squarely.
Ryleigh's dark eyes lightened a bit before they clouded over again with annoyance. "What do you want from me?"
This is it, Anika thought as she felt tears well in her eyes. "What I said was wrong-"
"You said that before." he rolled his eyes and Anika didn't hesitate on pounding his chest with her fist once.
"Let me finish." she growled. He looked down at the few inches of ground that separated them. Anika couldn't help but notice the fight leave his leanly built frame.
"What do you want from me, Anika?" he asked again quietly.
"I'm sorry, Ryleigh. I admit I was stupid before when I said what I did. I thought it would be best, but that was just my fear talking." Anika dropped her head in her hands.
"What would you have to fear?" he gently pried but Anika shook her head.
"You."
"Me?" he parroted back with surprise etched in his voice. "Listen to me Anika, yes I was a drug dealer but-"
"I don't want to get into our pasts now." Anika quickly cut him off and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Oh..." Ryleigh said disappointedly.
"No, I mean I want to listen but then I'd have to tell you my story." Anika struggled to make him understand.
"Well, don't feel like you have too." he scoffed and Anika felt a wave of dread clench in her stomach.
"No- gosh I'm screwing up." she mumbled to herself and rubbed a hand down her face. "What I meant is that I wouldn't want to ruin the night for either of us. If I were to tell you now, then my past is all I would think of for the rest of the night. And I don't want to think tonight." Anika finished tiredly.
"Clearly you weren't thinking on the dance floor. What were trying to do? Why would you dance with some random guy?" Ryleigh scowled.
"You're some random guy, too." Anika shot in his face without thinking her words through.
"Anika." he narrowed his eyes at her. "Give me something to hold onto before you throw me onto another roller coaster ride."
Anika frowned at her hands as she twirled her thumbs. Taking a deep breath, she decided on her next move. She could continue talking and potentially say another wrong word, or....
Anika leaned her head back and placed her hands on his shoulders so she could lift herself onto the tips of her toes. In one swift motion she pressed her lips to his.