A Bad Boy's Brother (Book #2)

4. Bikini Top

Ryder's P.O.V.

The party wasn't completely miserable, in all honesty. Cain had ended up showing up as well as Aiden, Kelsey, and Jason, and it was actually kind of nice to be at the water park again. Kelsey was right; I loved it there. Now, I was laying on one of the white chairs by the side of the pool, having flattened it as much as possible as I laid on my back, attempting to tan. I felt someone block the sunlight. "If you put water on me I will cut you."

"I wasn't planning on it," Cain said, chuckling.

"Good choice," I said, sitting up to look at him. "So...I'm sorry I punched you."

"My brother probably deserved it. And hey, twins can feel each other's pain, so maybe it got through to him too a bit," he joked.

I smiled. He wasn't a bad guy; a lot friendlier than Corey had been, and nicer. Funnier, even. I liked him. "So he's your twin," I started, "That has to be kind of fun. He never mentioned you though, did you two fight a lot?"

"I didn't exactly get raised with him all the time. My grandparents could only handle raising one kid at the time, so I was in foster care a lot of my life before I moved in with them when I turned twelve. A few years later, my grandmother died, so I stayed behind to take care of my grandfather, while Corey went to live with my parents again. Until about a year ago, I'd never met them before." His dark green eyes had a smile in them rather than resentment when he said it. "They're good people. And I love my sisters."

"I babysit for them all the time."

Cain raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just a bit surprising, I guess. You wanted to attack Corey, but you're really some sweet girl that enjoys babysitting?"

I snorted. "I'm far less than sweet, Cain. I just made Emily a promise, that's all. And the twins are having it rough right now. Sixteen years old, right?"

"Yeah."

"Tough age."

"I agree."

We talked for a few more minutes before Kelsey ran over to us, still dripping wet. "We're going to do cannonball falls!" she announced.

My heart plummeted. "No we're not."

"Yes we are! You promised me that we would do it!"

I grimaced, trying to think of how I could deny it. But I remembered exactly when I had promised that to her, so I couldn't even deny having said it. Great. "If I die," I warned, "I swear to every deity in the universe that I will come back and haunt you, do you understand me, Kelsey?"

"Yep," she chirped.

"I'm confused," Cain said, looking between the two of us. "What's cannonball falls?"

"Basically it's a water slide," I explained, "except it stops. Like, the slide just stops. Then you fall about ten or fifteen feet in to a pool of water, and from there you go in to the lazy river thing. It's terrifying."

He grinned. "Sounds right up my alley."

I groaned. "Great, another adrenaline junkie like Kelsey."

"Come on, come on, come on!" she squealed, yanking on my arm.

"Oww," I complained as she dragged me toward the slide of death. This was not going to be fun.

When we reached the top of the stairs, we all looked down, with the exception of Aiden and Jason, who were at the bottom to take pictures of us as we fell. "I can send three at a time," the person managing the ride informed. "Two on the open slide, one on the tunnel slide. Decide how you want to split up between them, please."