Dirty little Summer

Trouble looks good here

Aurora's pov

“Hey, get back here!!"

Someone screamed before I hit the water. Might’ve been me.

The hit was hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs and for one terrifying second, everything went black. Above me, people screamed. Then I started laughing underwater.

By the time I broke through the surface again, thunder cracked across the lake and neon lights from the beach club blurred against the dark water.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” someone yelled from the dock.

I shoved wet hair out of my face, still laughing as I floated on my back beneath the storm clouds.

“A lot actually,” I shouted back.

Music pounded from the club behind them. The kind that sounded better drunk. Someone tossed me another beer from the edge of the wooden platform. I caught it one-handed, the cold aluminum slick against my palm.

The crowd on the dock erupted loudly while I swam toward the ladder like I hadn’t just jumped fifteen feet into black water after three vodka shots and half a joint. Honestly? I’d done worse.

The second I climbed onto the dock, rain started drizzling lightly against my skin. My oversized Misfits shirt clung to my body instantly, revealing the black bikini top underneath and the tattoo running along my ribs.

A guy near the giant speakers whistled.

“Jesus Christ, Rory,” Anna laughed breathlessly, handing me a towel she’d snagged from the lounge. “One day you’re actually gonna die.”

“Probably.”

I snatched the cigarette from behind her ear before she could stop me, lighting it with a flick of my damp lighter. “That’s because I’m fun.”

“You’re psychotic.”

Music blasted through giant speakers while drunk college kids danced beneath strings of lights wrapped around palm trees. Rich parents owned most of the houses surrounding the lake. Their kids spent summers acting out with daddy’s money.

And tonight I was one of them. Mostly because I planned on forgetting my entire life existed for at least six hours.

As I took a drag from the cigarette, my eyes drifted toward the outdoor VIP lounge.

Jack was there. He had finally put on a shirt—a dark gray henley that stretched dangerously tight across his shoulders—and he was leaning against the railing with a drink in hand.

I looked away, taking another sip of my beer, but my gaze pulled right back to him a minute later. He was laughing at something a guy next to him said, his head tilted back, the sharp line of his jaw catching the purple neon light. He looked devastatingly handsome, the kind of effortlessly attractive that made you angry just looking at it.

I checked him out one more time, just intending to glance, but unfortunately, right at that exact millisecond, he turned his head.

Our eyes locked.

Even across the crowded, pulsing deck, the impact of his stare hit me straight in the chest. His eyes narrowed slightly, acknowledging me, holding my gaze. My heart did a stupid, violent flutter.

I forced myself to look away first, snapping my chin toward the bar and taking a hard swallow of my drink.

“Oh, wow,” Anna whispered right in my ear, her voice dripping with sudden amusement. “You two are doing the thing.”

“We are absolutely not doing any thing,” I snapped immediately, my voice coated in total disgust. “Your brother looks and smells like locker rooms. I’d rather drink lake water.”

Anna smirked, completely unconvinced. “Sure, Rory. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Change the subject before I throw you back in the water,” I muttered, tossing the towel onto a nearby stool.

Before she could reply, a voice cut through the music.

“Hey.”

I turned toward the voice. A blond guy leaned against the outdoor bar watching me openly. Boat shoes. Rolled sleeves. Expensive watch. Definitely rich.

“You’re Aurora, right?”

“That depends,” I said, exhaling a plume of smoke. “Are you trying to sleep with me or insult me?”

His friends laughed immediately. He smirked, leaning his weight onto one hip. “Can’t it be both?”

“Creative.”

“I’m Daniel.”

“Condolences.”

Daniel laughed anyway, stepping closer until I could smell his expensive cologne. “You always this hostile?”

“Only when approached by men named Daniel.”

“Ouch.” His eyes slowly dragged over me, taking in the wet fabric clinging to my curves and fixed on my breasts. Normally, I enjoyed attention, but his gaze felt cheap.

“You know,” he said casually, “you’re way hotter than people said.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You kinda have a reputation.”

“Do I?”

“Crazy girl. Smokes too much. Fights people. Commitment issues.”

“Wow.” I exhaled smoke straight into the air between us. “And here I thought I sounded mysterious.”

His friends laughed again. Then he ruined it. “You honestly look like the type girls warn their boyfriends about. I mean… you seem like fun for a night but definitely not girlfriend material.”

The insult hidden inside flirtation. Classic rich boy behavior. They thought their bank accounts gave them a license to evaluate you like cattle.

I stared at him for two long seconds. Then my gaze dropped casually toward the heavy Rolex sitting loose around his wrist. And suddenly, a wicked idea sparked in my mind.

“You know what?” I said sweetly, stepping into his space until the tips of our shoes touched. “You’re right.”

His expression brightened immediately, standard arrogance flaring up. “I am?”

“Absolutely.”

I leaned in closer, tilting my chin up like I was about to whisper a secret against his lips. My fingers moved with practiced, liquid speed. I slid the expensive watch smoothly off his wrist, concealing it in my palm as I stepped back and walked away.

It took him exactly four seconds to realize his wrist was light.

“WAIT—”

Too late. Anna nearly collapsed laughing as I held the Rolex up triumphantly under the neon lights.

“You’re actually insane,” she wheezed, jogging to keep up with my stride.

“He’ll survive. His dad probably owns three yachts.”

“AURORA!”

I looked back just in time to see Daniel shoving through the crowd toward me furiously, his face twisted in rage. “You stole my watch!”

“That cost twelve thousand dollars!”

“And yet somehow your personality is still the ugliest thing here.”

Several people nearby burst out laughing. His face turned bright red, veins bulging against his neck.

“Give it back.”

“Ask nicely.”

“You little b***h—” His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist too hard, his fingers digging into my skin.

Everything in me snapped instantly. The lingering adrenaline from the morning, the raw anger I’d been burying since graduation night—it all flooded my veins. Before Anna could even react, I smashed my beer bottle against the wooden railing right beside his head.

The entire dock went dead silent as rain began to pour harder around us. Daniel stumbled backward immediately, his eyes wide with sudden terror. I stepped closer calmly, the broken glass still gripped firmly in my hand, pointing right at his chest.

“Try touching me like that again,” I said softly, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “and next time I won’t miss.”

Someone near the bar yelled, “HOLY SHIT.”

Music started blasting again seconds later like nothing had happened. That’s how parties around here worked, as long as nobody was bleeding out on the floor, people moved on fast.

Daniel looked completely humiliated. Good. I tossed the Rolex against his chest, watching him scramble to catch it.

“Buy a better personality.”

Daniel caught the watch against his chest, but his face twisted with dark fury. Instead of walking away, he took another step toward me, his hands curling into fists. "What do f**k is your problem, b***h?"

Before he could get any closer, a massive shadow fell over us.

Jack suddenly stepped right between us, placing a solid, heavy hand flat against Daniel’s chest. The sheer size of him completely blocked Daniel from view.

“f**k off, Daniel,” Jack said. His voice was low, calm, and absolutely terrifying.

Daniel sneered, looking up at Jack, then looked at the crowd watching them. Realizing he was completely outmatched, he spat on the ground, turned around, and walked away into the crowd.

Jack stood there for a second, his shoulders rising and falling with a slow breath. Then, he turned his head, gave me a single, unreadable glance from beneath his dark brows, and walked away without saying a word.

I turned on my heel and walked off the dock before security could decide I was tonight’s problem. Anna hurried after me, a mix of shock and pure exhilaration on her face. “You have serious anger issues.”

“I prefer sparkle.”

“You literally almost stabbed him!”

“That’s not the point!”

We cut through the edge of the crowded beach club, heading toward the quieter path that led back to the Jordan property. The rain was coming down in sheets now, washing the lake water from my skin, but the heat under my flesh wasn't going anywhere.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, the screen glowing bright against the dark path.

It was Nick.

Are you still upset? the text read. I'm sorry.

I stared at the screen, my jaw tightening. I didn't reply. I just watched as the little three-dot air bubbles appeared at the bottom of the chat, showing he was typing. Then they disappeared. Then they appeared again.

A second later, a photo popped up. It was a d**k pic, followed by a short caption: I miss you.

I let out a harsh sigh and sneered at the screen, immediately hitting the delete button.

Anna noticed my expression and leaned over to look. "What's that face for?"

"Nick was just being a d**k," I said briefly, slipping the phone back into my shorts. "But I'm done with that asshole."

Anna smiled wide, bumping her shoulder against mine. "Better. It was long overdue anyway."

We kept walking, the noise of the beach club fading behind us as we got closer to the grand, glowing house.

Standing on the edge of the dark lake, looking back at the flashing neon lights and thinking about the hot, glistening body of my best friend's brother waiting near the shore, I knew the chaos had already followed me here.

"Oh, f**k me."

Right on cue, Anna’s phone buzzed loudly in her hand. She looked down at the screen, her eyes lighting up.

“Speaking of that,” Anna said, turning to me with a bright grin. “My dad’s home, and he wants to see you.”