Chapter thirty three
For the rest of the night Anika stayed with Ryleigh as they danced to every song. The wide variety of music choices shocked Anika. Everything from Frank Sinatra to All American Rejects and anything in between and outside the box came through the speakers but Anika stayed on the dance floor the whole time. With a few tentative kisses on the top of her head, Ryleigh kept her smiling all the way through the night right up until he walked her back to her cabin. Goodbyes were exchanged on the porch step and Anika hadn't hesitated in hugging him. After he had left, Anika continued to stare down the path still lit up by glow sticks. She was alone when she went to bed; something Ryleigh didn't seem comfortable with seeing as he hadn't spotted Victoria at all when they were setting up for the party, or at the party for that matter.
When Anika woke up though, both her cabin mates had returned sometime in the night and were sleeping soundly in their beds on the other walls of the room. Soundlessly, Anika crept out of her bed before dawn since she couldn't sleep anymore with her mind rerunning last night's events. She quickly changed out of her night clothes and into a fresh pair of shorts and tank top with her bathing suit since she planned on going to the lake before everyone was awake.
The glow sticks from last night were still dimly lit but some of the paint had blurred against the tree bark from the morning dew.
"Can't sleep?" Anika hadn't' even noticed Ivy sitting at the edge of the dock until she was a few yards behind her.
"Something like that." Anika shrugged even though Ivy had her back faced to her and wasn't looking over her shoulder.
"How are you feeling?" Ivy glanced to the side where Anika slowly lowered herself to carefully sit at the edge beside her.
"Besides the massive head ache and how my whole body wants revenge on me for last night, I'm doing pretty swell." Anika nodded honestly.
"Could that have anything to with Ryleigh? I mean, the swell part." Ivy kicked her foot up so the water was disturbed for a moment before it settled into glass again.
"I heard you two were pretty close on the dance floor and he walked you back to your cabin. Did he kiss you goodnight too?" Ivy bumped shoulders with Anika.
"He didn't kiss me good night. Sure he kissed the top of my head when I hugged him, but he left after that." Anika smiled at the memory.
"Did you want him to kiss you?"
"Maybe." Anika sighed as she looked over her knees into the water that threw her hair-framed reflection back at her.
"I think he's trying to test to see where we are. Not all of us simply click like you and Skin." Anika threw a smirk at Ivy to let her know she was teasing.
"Yeah well, remind me to never give Skinner alcohol. He becomes a huge son of a jackal." Ivy scowled into the water.
"Are things okay?" Anika gently pried.
The pink haired girl sighed and the energy physically left her slumped body. "Things are fine. He's passed out in the infirmary."
"And? You wouldn't look like crap if things were fine." Anika ignored Ivy's defensive stare.
"Gee thanks." Ivy sighed again. Anika reached an arm around her shoulders and pulled Ivy so that she laid her head in Anika's lap.
"Whatever he said, just remember he was drunk for what probably was the first time." Anika soothing ran her fingers through Ivy's short hair.
"I know that. But it was like I became the bully trying to harm him. All I tried to do was stay with him. I don't know, just to keep him company or something."
"And you did." Anika paused her hand. "How long have you slept?"
"Six hours... The night before last night." Ivy replied tiredly with a yawn.
"He's asleep, so why aren't you?" Anika asked.
"Don't feel like seeing Victoria. She hasn't been around much, which both worries me and makes me happy. But if she is there, I don't feel up to her crap."
"Sleep in my bed then. I'm not going back till after breakfast. Go get some rest girl, you're running on empty right now." Anika advised and allowed Ivy to sit up slowly.
"Thanks. I'll try." Ivy picked herself up with a few quiet groans before she trudged off to Anika's cabin.
With a hiss, Anika pulled her tank top off shortly followed by her shorts. A groan rumbled in the back of her throat as she dropped into the water inch by inch until her head was submerged with only her hands grasping the dock edge. Anika waited until her lungs ached with the need to release built up carbon dioxide before she let out her breath through her nose in one continuous stream of tiny bubbles.
Her head broke the surface as she came up gasping for air, fully awake now. Releasing her grip on the dock, she swam a few yards out before ducking under the water again.
Although Anika couldn't see the sun through the trees, she admired the gold and oranges painting the sky over the tree tops. She floated on the top of the water and stared up at the fading stars.
"If I had known that there were sun rises like these, I'd wake up early every day." another voice was muffled by the water in Anika's ears.
"Do you come out here every morning?" Anika turned around and treaded water while she studied Ryleigh. His dirty blond hair was messy in a cute boyish way like he just got out of bed, which he had. His blue eyes were lighter this morning than last night, Anika noticed as he dropped his gaze to her before looking back up at the sunrise.
"Just when I can't sleep." Anika replied softly as she swam back around to face the sunrise.
It was quiet for a few minutes and Anika would've thought Ryleigh had left her if it weren't for the weight of his gaze on the back of her head.
"Is everything alright?" the worry in Ryleigh's voice surprised Anika. She swam back to the end of the dock and rested her arms on it.
"Yeah. You know when your mind wont stop running so you can't sleep? That's my problem."
"Oh. So what's on your mind?"
"Everything." Anika mumbled into her arms and heard Ryleigh chuckle. "What about you? What made you wake up this early?" Anika asked.
"Just thinking, I guess." he sat on the dock edge by her arms.
"About?" she pried curiously. Anika had to admit, she had the most fun she had ever had last night with him. Right from where she kissed him on the beach to when he walked her back to her cabin.
"You." Anika lifted her head to search his face to see if he was teasing her. The small, sincere smile that he tried to hide his embarrassment behind made Anika realize he was serious.
It was true though. Technically, Ryleigh had been brainstorming what her past was. He had it pretty rough, but Anika? Gelsey had said they had both equally dysfunctional pasts, but how could Anika- a girl who smiles and laughs everyday with her new found friends- have anything happen to her? Then again her mother did overdose, but she wouldn't have seen it. Would she? The questions ran through Ryleigh's head; the same one's that he mulled over the second after he woke up from his own nightmare.
"I didn't know thinking about me could be so painful." Anika tried to hide the hurt under her sarcastic remark. She watched the sadness wash over his face followed by his other battling emotions. Regret. Anger.
"What?" Ryleigh snapped out of his thoughts to see Anika glumly looking at the dock as she scratched her fingernail against the wood.
"Nothing." her voice held an edge to it as she held in the tears that wanted to escape. Damn it, Anika cursed in her head. I don't think I've cried this much in a given time period. She hated the fat drops that struggled to drop because they made her feel helpless like that night in the alley. The same night Greg saw her cry for the first time.
"Anika-" Ryleigh tried to call out to her but she had pushed off the dock and swam away under the water.
"What did I do?" he asked her when she resurfaced a few yards out.
"It doesn't matter." Anika forced her voice to sound void. "I'll be leaving so you can enjoy the dock and sunrise."
"Wait." he caught her arm after she pulled herself up and started to walk away. Anika kept her head down so that maybe she'd still have a chance on making him think her tears were just lake water droplets on her face.
"Hey, Nick, I'm sorry." Anika's body betrayed her as she felt herself relax once he cupped the sides of her face with his hands and gently swiped his thumbs over her cheeks.
"You don't have to be. If you didn't have fun last night then that's your problem for not saying something when you should've." Anika reclaimed her body's actions and pushed his hands away.
"What?" Anika wanted to think that the confused expression on Ryleigh's face was adorable, but her heartache was overpowering her thoughts. Why did she feel like this? She didn't even like the guy all that much. Her heart skipped a beat in contradiction. She wouldn't have kissed any guy if she didn't like him to start with.
"I had fun last night." Ryleigh said after her words digested in his ears.
"I'm going back to my cabin now." Anika rolled her eyes and turned to walk away when Ryleigh grabbed for her arm a little more forcefully. She froze and Ryleigh immediately dropped his hands down.
"Sorry." he quickly apologized and made a mental note of her reaction. "Anika, I don't know what you're thinking but I'm thinking you're crazy."
He continued, ignoring her glare as she came back to her prior mood. "You're crazy because I thought you could see how much fun I had last night. How much I enjoyed the party. I don't do dancing. But I did with you. I don't eat fluffy pink and baby blue cotton candy. But with you it didn't matter that it looked like I was devouring clouds out of some stupid barbie movie or something."
"If you didn't want to, you should have spoke up then. Not now."
Ryleigh frowned in frustration as he took a step closer to her and held her face in between his hands. "You're not listening to me. I loved the party last night. Well, not the part with the guy and all... but I liked the competitions. I liked the dancing. And if I may say, I like you."
"No you don't." Anika whispered. There was no way he could like her. She was broken. As much as she tried to hide it, she still felt helpless at night when the alley men haunted her sleep.
"Why not? Please, tell me why I don't like you when I say I do." Ryleigh bent his head closer to hers and stared into her grey eyes at her level.
"I-" she swallowed thickly. "You don't know me." Ryleigh leaned forward the rest of the way until his lips met her forehead before he pulled back and gently started to stroke her cheek until she looked up at him again.
"I want to know you. If that's the only thing keeping you from seeing how much I like you, then let's talk. There's no bon fire tonight so we can meet there." he paused to study Anika's features as she internally battled with herself.
"I want you to know my past but I don't want you to feel pressured to tell me yours. I'll wait until you're ready." he assured her.
"Tonight?" Anika looked up at Ryleigh through her wet lashes.
"At the fire pit clearing. After supper. We'll tell everyone we have to see Gelsey or we'll go for a walk." Ryleigh inwardly smiled when Anika gave a small nod.
"Okay."
"Thank you." Ryleigh stepped forward to wrap his arms around her in a hug.
"Ryleigh!" Anika choked on her chuckle as she felt herself land in the water.
"You're dead!" Anika threatened as she broke the surface and caught Ryleigh moving to sit down on the edge of the dock with his signature smirk on his face.
"Whoops." he shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.
Without warning, Anika pulled her arm back and sent a miniature title wave splashing over him.
"Nick! I have clothes on!" Ryleigh cried in fake shock.
"Thank god." Anika snickered at the playful glare she received after her diss.
"You know what? I think you splashed me so I would have to take my shirt off and come into the water with you." he raised a brow and smiled when Anika rolled her eyes.
"Sure." she drew out the word.
Like he said, Ryleigh pulled his shirt over his head using one hand and Anika admired the way his hidden muscles suddenly rippled under his smooth skin. She shivered at the thought of how warm he felt against her skin all the times they brushed up against or held each other last night.
"I guess I could use my utter deliciousness as a distraction." Ryleigh raised his pitch to sound like a girl. Or that's what he thought it sounded like. Anika chuckled and swam away as he came closer and closer to catching her.