Atlantis Tide Breaker

Atlantis Tide Breaker, Chapter Four

A hairdryer.

My shoulders slumped. Disappointment threaded through my veins losing all my energy. I let the hairdryer fall to the ground.

Most of the other girls had headed to the showers so I rifled through Ashtyn’s extra clothes and swimsuit hanging in the locker. I couldn’t let a first defeat stray my course. I searched through all her glam-girl products sitting on the bottom shelf. I even opened her purse.

And found nothing.

I wanted to toss her stuff to the ground and slam the locker shut. Instead, I huffed my frustration. I’d ordered Gill to flirt with Ashtyn and I couldn’t find the nautilus. Right now, he was probably working his charm on her like he had on me this summer.

My heart squeezed tight, wishing for the same treatment.

I remembered how he’d regarded me, how his lips had moved when he’d talked, how he’d flirted. And how I’d learned later that none of it had meant anything to him.

I’d forced him to do the same thing to Ashtyn. I totally empathized with what she was going through.

I rushed out of the locker room and stopped short at the doorway.

“So, it’s a date.” Ashtyn’s laughter percolated like over-done coffee. “I’ll see you at Barney’s at six o’clock.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Gill didn’t sound sure. He sounded shell-shocked.

So much for Gill steam rolling Ashtyn. She’d taken control and convinced him to do what she wanted. And people called me Tori the Tornado. If I was a tornado then Ashtyn was a category five hurricane.

“Your cousin is so hot.” She smirked when she walked past me and toward the locker room. “What happened to you?”

Insults flew off her tongue constantly like rain had been falling from the sky. Especially at me.

My hands itched to slap the smirk off her face. Instead, I fisted my fingers together and clamped my mouth shut. I walked to where Gill stood. “What happened?”

He didn’t move. He didn’t blink. “Did you find the nautilus?”

I hated dashing the hope in his voice. “It wasn’t in her locker. I wonder if she gave it to one of her peeps to hold.”

He slammed a fist into his other hand. “Why would she do that? Why would she take it in the first place?”

“To attract your attention.”

“Well, it worked didn’t it?” Red spots flagged his cheeks. “Now, I have to go out with her.”

“Cancel.”

“I can’t do that.” He ran his fingers through his hair spiking it higher in places. “What if she gave the nautilus to someone like you said.”

Gill was right.

Me and my big mouth. First, I’d told Ashtyn he was my cousin so Sky didn’t get the wrong impression, and then I insisted Gill talk to Ashtyn.

Not only was I not going to date Gill, but I was practically wrapping him in a bow to give to another girl. Blood pumped through my veins and rushed my ears. I might act stupid, but I wasn’t. Then why did I feel like I deserved the idiot award?

***

I decided not to wait for Gill to stop at my house to give me his date deets. Spying was the next best thing to being on the date. Not that I wanted to be on Gill and Ashtyn’s date. I didn’t want them to date at all.