Chapter 16

At first, Jo worried she was a charity case inclusion to Lexi's lunch group--maybe Lexi was feeling sorry for the new girl in town. But she quickly realized not only did she enjoy hanging out with them, but they seemed to be comfortable including her as well. They told several stories about growing up in the town that had her laughing, and her story about twisting her ankle and being stuck with Ryker carrying her back had them laughing as well.

"Who knew Ryker was such a big softy," Eli snorted, seeming pleased at gaining such information on Lexi's older brother. Oops. Hopefully Ryker wouldn't kill her later.

"I knew he had it in him," Lexi said, grinning at Jo. "The real test will be so if he ever acts like that in public though."

"So he's normally grumpy and growly with people besides me?" Jo asked, not sure what exactly she was feeling right now. On one hand, the thought of him being a softy with someone else out in public--even though that wasn't exactly what had been suggested--made her insides twist a little. But then the thought of her not being a direct cause of his grumpiness made her feel some relief, before everything twisted right back up again. She thought for some reason maybe he was different with her. But that was silly, she'd only known him for a few days. Damn, this man was making her ridiculous.

All three burst into laughter. "I guess you could say that," Lexi said, smirking, "though you seem to bring out a whole new level in him."

Jo flushed and shook her head. "It was because of a misunderstanding when we first met," she said in protest. Which reminded her. "Do y'all really have a lot of problems with people hiking off the trails round here?"

Lexi nodded, her expression becoming serious. "We're always having to rescue people who got lost trying to have some kind of nature experience," she said, rolling her eyes.

Katie nodded. "My older brother's on one of the volunteer rescue teams. During peak tourist seasons I feel like he gets called in at least a few times a week."

"Oh wow," Jo said. Okay, so maybe Ryker's annoyance was slightly justified. She wondered if he was on one of the volunteer teams too, but she'd already asked several questions about him and didn't want to bring the topic back there. So instead, she asked them about what scenic things people came to see in the town, wanting to get to know the new place a little better.

Katie and Eli had to leave first for their next class, but she and Lexi still had another hour. Both girls pulled out their laptops to get started on some work, occasionally chatting as they sorted through the various syllabuses they had received. As they headed off to their next classes, Lexi received a text that caused her to snort in amusement. Lexi spoke before Jo even had a chance to be curious.

"I'm telling Ryker to stop worrying about you," she said, fingers flying over her phone. She grinned. "I promised I didn't eat you for lunch."

Jo rolled her eyes. "I think he feels responsible for me because he found me but it's not like he threw me down the mountain and twisted my ankle himself."

"Yeah, that'd be a little out of character for him. The whole tossing people down mountains thing." Lexi shrugged, very engaged with her phone. "But I wouldn't worry about it. I think he just wants to help."

"Well, tell him to stop texting you about me," she said with a hint of amusement, but it did annoy her a bit. Had Lexi invited her to lunch because Ryker asked her to again? It hadn't seemed that way but maybe they had agreed on it before he came to pick her up that morning. She let out a tense breath. While she did like Lexi, she wanted Lexi to spend time with her because she wanted to, not because her brother asked her to. But directly questioning her about it...well, Jo didn't want to alienate her, either.

"Oh, I will," Lexi said. She tightened one strap on her bag as they continued toward the quad.

Around the quad, people were laying out in Eno hammocks strung between trees or poles that seemed to be just for that purpose and avoiding the bright summer sun. Some students were sprawled out on blankets or towels in the shade with their laptops and books, though most of those seemed to be ignored in favor of conversation or playing some game that involved pulling cards and then thumping each other on the back of the hand.

For some reason, Jo hadn't really thought about how it would still be hot in the mountains at this time of year. In most of her few memories of visiting her grandparents, the air was crisp and chilly, often overcast with the occasional bright bursts of sunshine. She had known it would be warmer since August in North Carolina was often a scorcher, but she hadn't been entirely prepared for the oppressive mugginess.

The humidity in the afternoon was like putting on a wet cardigan and attempting to live in it. She couldn't wait for the temperature to actually cool off, though she wasn't necessarily looking forward to the snow.

Where she lived, it snowed sometimes, but when it did, no one was expected to go anywhere or do anything. Here they'd probably pull out snow chains or skis and come to school anyways. Or snow tires? Oh man, she didn't really know anything about living in a snowy region.

Jo needed to get back to the humanities building, which was where Lexi needed to go too, but as they got closer, Lexi slowed down. She was staring at a group of people sitting underneath a big tree not far from the front entrance to the building. One of them, a guy with shaggy dark hair, waved at her cheerfully. Squaring up her shoulders, she ignored him and tossed a smile over at Jo, but there was an uneasy edge to it.

"Your class is on the first floor, right?" she asked, even though they had already gone over that back at the student center.

Jo nodded, glancing over at the group under the tree. The guy with the shaggy hair was getting to his feet, and a moment later, he was walking toward them. Once he was in the sunlight, she could tell that he was a redhead. Sort of? It was a brownish-red. He was tall, somewhere over six feet, and it looked like he might have a long-term membership at a local gym. He grinned, bright green eyes dancing, as he stepped into the path, locking his thumbs into the pockets of his purposefully ripped jeans.

"Well, hey, Alexis," he said, "How's it going?"

Lexi lifted her chin and looked over at Jo. "Come on, we'll be late." She went around him, and he fell into step with her. She shot him a hateful look, one that Jo hadn't expected to see from her. "Think carefully about it."

"Oh, I am," he said, putting more space between them but staying close. "I just wanted to say hey."

Jo swung her crutches forward, inserting herself between the two of them as she hopped forward. She didn't like the way Mr. Shaggy Hair was looking at Lexi, half-menacing and half-interested. He seemed amiable and friendly, but she had met plenty of guys like that back home. Still, she had to be careful...she couldn't get too upset.

She couldn't have a repeat of last time.

"Hey," she said, giving him a ferocious smile of her own. She looked over her shoulder at the shorter redhead. "Lexi, wanna say hey?"

Lexi laid a hand on her wrist. "Jo, wait--"

"I think two hey's are enough," Jo said, turning her attention back toward the guy. "You said hey, I said hey, and Lexi doesn't feel like it." She shrugged. "Wanna leave it at that for now?"

The guy tilted his head to the side and looked her up and down. For a second, it looked like his nostrils flared--was he sniffing at her?! Like an old-timey novel where people sniffed to show their disdain? Seriously?

"I don't think this is any of your business," the guy said, his eyes dark as he looked down at her. Honestly, Jo was a little surprised at herself too. She didn't know if it was something about this guy that set her on edge, or maybe the fact she was feeling protective over one of the first friends she'd made here, but this situation was feeding straight into her temper.

Not good. She took a deep breath as Lexi spoke while stepping up next to Jo, stopping them a few feet away from the door to the building. "You don't want to go there, Jake," she said coldly.

Jake smirked. "I think I do, Princess," he said, trailing a finger against Lexi's arm.

Okay, touching Lexi was going too far. From Lexi's reaction, she obviously wasn't welcoming that gesture, and Jo had had enough.

"Don't touch her!" she said, shoving him away. The instant she did, she knew she'd lost control of her temper, though no one else would know in what way. Heat shot through her fingers, untamed and unwanted.

Jake stumbled, caught by surprise, so Jo took the opportunity to grab Lexi's arm and yank her away from the guy before using her crutches to propel herself rapidly the last few feet into the building. Hopefully Lexi hadn't had time to notice the weird melty patch on Jake's book bag or seen the shot of flame that had been there for a split second. Luckily she hadn't scorched Lexi's longsleeve when she grabbed her.

The only good thing right now was that the damage had been small.

"Screw you guys!" Jake said as they walked away. "This isn't over, Alexis." Lexi turned and gave him the finger, but kept moving, holding the door open for Jo.

Control her breathing, she needed to control her breathing. Jo could feel the tension in her body, and it wasn't just going to go away on its own. "Um, I just need to go to the bathroom real quick," Jo said, turning to Lexi.

"Want me to come with..."

"No, it's fine," Jo said, rapidly shaking her head.

"Thanks, by the way." Lexi said, smiling at her. "He's always trying to mess with my family."

Jo nodded, wishing she could continue this conversation, but it was taking everything in her right now to hold her temper back. "No problem, that's what friends are for," she said with a tight smile. "Anyway, see you later," she added, giving a brief wave before escaping to the bathroom. Please let there be no one, please...

There was only one person, but they were leaving, luckily. Jo waited a moment, then turned on the sink faucet and stuck her hands under the cool water, growling in frustration. Steam rose from the water, but luckily, that was it, as she could already feel her temper fading. Damnit. Jo let out a sigh. At least this time she hadn't hurt anyone, but that had been way too close.

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A/N: It's the two week mark! Thank you to everyone who is reading along and voting and commenting, it's so very much appreciated. <3 After today, this story will officially update on Wednesdays and Sundays, with the occasional surprise chapter thrown in.