There seemed to be one problem after another, and by the time she had a moment to herself, it was her turn to be manning the help desk which monitored the event. When her shift ended, it was well past four am. The DJ and food trucks had long packed up their stuff and left and most of the people were fast asleep with a few night owls still milling around.

The air was damp as she exited the tent, the early morning dew starting to form. She knew Garrett was most likely asleep, but she headed to her box anyway. To see if he's really there.

She was surprised to see Garrett very much awake. He'd flipped the box around so instead of something over his head, it was completely open. His earphones were in, and his head was tipped back as he stared at the stars. She didn't know what alerted him to her presence, she hadn't made a sound, but somehow he knew she was close.

She shivered as his gaze roamed over her like fingers brushing her skin. She felt exposed but had no desire to cover up. She wanted him to look. To covet. She wanted him to be as confused and messed up about her as she was for him.

He moved to make room for her, but she crouched outside of the box because no matter how she wanted, she couldn't be selfish. "You doing okay?" she whispered, the sound echoing off the nearby boulders.

Weariness was stamped on his face as he patted the inside of the box. "Get in."

"I just came to check on you. Sorry I haven't stopped by. I was slammed."

"I figured, but I knew you wouldn't break your promise to me."

"That sure of yourself, huh?"

He shook his head, his dark cap of hair flying around his face. "That sure in you."

His declaration took her breath away, and she wanted to believe him, but experience had taught her it wasn't that easy. Life had a nasty habit of stepping in and sweeping everything in the garbage.

"You look like I killed your cat," he said, a hint of amusement beneath his long lashes. "Is it that wrong to believe in you?"

Sadness swept over her. "According to my dad, yeah, it is."

"Then your dad's a jackass."

"Life's been a jackass to him first," she countered. Apache Crossing had been vicious to him. They said horrible things like he wasn't man enough to keep his wife satisfied and he only married to get control of the mill, not to mention the racist comments that made Arianne's stomach turn.

"Still doesn't give him the right. Not to his daughter." Garrett reached down to where her hand lay on her thigh and twined his fingers with hers. His fingers were long and lean like a conductor, but they were rough. They had calluses. These hands worked hard. She fought back a shiver as she imagined them on her skin, touching her, playing her. What kind of symphony would he create on her body?

"So you don't have anything to do with your mom, and I take it, it's the same thing with your dad. Do you have anyone to rely on?" he asked.

"Morgan."

"Anyone not your roommate?"

She grew embarrassed and a little angry he was putting her on the spot. "You make me sound pathetic."

"Not pathetic. Just lonely." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back, taking the sting out of his words. "It sounds like the people who were supposed to love and support you let you down."

"You have no idea." Her parents, her ex-boyfriend, her high school friends, even Harvey, had abandoned her. At least it felt that way. He couldn't control his death, but his passing still felt like a betrayal. "Let me guess this is the part where you tell me you won't be like those people and that you'll always be there for me."

He bristled at the sarcastic note in her voice. "I let someone down once, and it ended with their death, so I take these type of promises very seriously."

She kicked herself for being insensitive. "Your brother?"

The depth of pain in his green eyes tore her to pieces. "I let him down in the worst possible way, and I have to live with that reality every day."

"I'm sorry," she said, her thoughtless comment the cause of such hurt. "I tend to think the worst about people."

"It's okay." He rubbed her hand against his lips like a security blanket, his hot breath branding her skin. She didn't think he was even aware of it. "No, actually I take that back. It's not okay, but I understand why you said it. I wish you would trust me enough to let me in."

Everything inside of her protested, but she knew what he was asking was more than fair. "Not here. There's too many people." She didn't know who might be listening and she couldn't bear to be the center of gossip again.

Garrett hopped out of the box and pulled her to her feet. "I have a place we can go."

"Now?" she whispered incredulously. He tugged her toward the main section of the park. "I can't leave this event."

"The place is technically in the park, but if it's too far, we can leave."

They zigzagged their way through the maze of boxes, occasionally coming across people who were still awake. They received curious looks, some more blatant in their speculation than others. She wanted to shout they weren't leaving to hook-up but she knew it was pointless. All she could hope for was that no one recognized them.

As they walked, she noticed one cardboard set-up she'd been eyeing all night. Multiple boxes were stacked in the shape of a fort complete with a drawbridge and plastic garbage bag moat. They must be having a party in there because she heard whoops and shouts of laughter.

She was so busy staring at the structure, she stumbled over her own feet and pitched forward. Garrett caught her mid-fall. "You okay?" he whispered. "What happened?"

"I swear I'm not normally this clumsy, but every time I'm around you I turn into the female version of Goofy."

Garrett grinned like it was a badge of honor. "My powers over the-"

Someone poked their head out of the fort. "Garrett? Is that you?"

"Marcus?" Garrett asked, squinting into the darkness.

"I thought I heard your voice." The guy crawled out of the fort and unfurled his body. Damn. If Garrett had trouble fitting into one of the boxes, how did this guy?

"I didn't know you came tonight," the boy mumbled, his words sloppy like he'd been drinking. Arianne could feel the tension sparking between them and had the ridiculous urge to throw herself in front of Garrett and protect him.

"Um, yeah. I'm here to support Arianne. She helped put this whole thing together." While he introduced them, she wondered how Garrett knew she was behind the event. "-I play ball with him."

The last remark had Marcus' fist clenching even as he swayed slightly. "So that's how it's going to be?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?" Garrett challenged. "We play ball. That's it."

As Marcus stepped forward, Arianne caught sight of his narrow face, wide mouth, and subtly pointed chin. She'd seen him before. He'd been one of the guys who tried to comfort Garrett after the game, but Garrett brushed him off. He'd been concerned back then, his worry evident, but now that was replaced by anger and disbelief. "So you'll support some random chick you want to bang, but you won't be there for your own friends?"

The air crackled as the spark of tension suddenly turned into a live wire. Arianne tried to grab Garrett's hand, but he pushed her behind, shielding her from view. "You don't know what you're talking about," he growled.

"You ignore us all fucking week, but you'll give her the time of day. I tried to tell Stephan you'd snap out of this moody shit, but clearly, I was wrong. You're determined to drown in your own self-pity. Well, have at it." He brushed the air like he was flicking off a piece of dirt.

She felt Garrett's back muscles bunch underneath her hand. "You're drunk. Go back inside, and we'll talk tomorrow."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Is that code for you'll ghost us and then act like we're the douchebags?"

Another head popped out from the box. "What's the hold-up, Perkins?"

Marcus snorted. "Look who I ran into."

The guy scrambled out as Garrett muttered a curse. He wasn't as tall as Marcus or Garrett, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in attitude. His scowl was as telling as a billboard. "Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up at something other than practice or a game."

"Stephan, not now," Garrett said. Their angry voices carried across the park making people stir in their boxes.

"Come to pay us a visit?" Stephan sneered.

"Oh, he's not here for us. He's here for her," Marcus said, stabbing his finger in the air.

Garrett sent her an apologetic look as he reached for her hand and gave it a commiserative squeeze. She appreciated it, but it wasn't his fault these guys had come out swinging. However, she was worried about the number of people peeking out of their boxes to get a good look at them. The mere thought of being caught in a scandal broke her out in a sweat.

Stephan scoffed. "Good luck with this one sweetheart. We call him Saint for a reason. Hell, Harmony's been trying to get into his boxers all year with not so much as a kiss of interest." He appraised her like farmer assessing his chickens. "If Harmony couldn't do it..."

Arianne refused to feel embarrassed or insulted. Okay, maybe a little insulted, but she pushed past it for the swell of indignation she felt for Garrett. These were his teammates. They were supposed to have his back. Well, if they were going to fall down on the job, then she had no problem picking up their slack.

Wrapping her outrage around her like armor, she stepped out of Garrett's shadow. He protested, but she held up a hand. She didn't need anyone protecting her. "I don't know what's happening here, but everyone needs to lay off Garrett and call it a night. If you have a problem with him, pick it back up tomorrow when you're not tired and drunk."

Stephan's face mottled with resentment. "You're right. You don't know what's happening here so how about you back the fuck off."

"Hey!" Goosebumps ran down Arianne's arm as Garrett's voice cut across the stillness of the night like a whip. "Don't talk to her like that again. She's innocent in all of this."

A bolt of panic shot down Arianne's spine as people spilled out of their boxes, their phones already pointed at them. She tugged on Garrett's sleeve and said in a low voice, "Let's just go. You're not going to get anywhere with them tonight."

He took in Arianne's pale face and then looked around, his eyes growing wide. "We're out of here," he muttered, putting his arm over her shoulders and tugging her past Marcus and Stephan who looked stunned by his behavior. A strange feeling overcame her as he angled his body around her, trying to create a shield with his body.

"Thank you," she murmured, her heart pounding in her chest. She let her arm drop to his waist, and he immediately pulled it tighter around himself as if he was as grateful to her as she was to him.

"Vultures. All of them," he hissed.

"You must hate gossip as much as I do."

"Worse," he uttered.

"Not possible." Her whole life had been paraded around for Apache Crossings to play judge, jury, and executioner.

His gaze was speculative as he glanced down at her. "We'll have to trade stories when we reach the top."

"The top of where?"

"You'll see."

They hurried past the playground, down the sloping hill, and into the gully. She should have been scared as they went through a pitch black tunnel, but she was surprised to discover she trusted him with her safety. And that scared her.

She didn't know where they were as they came out on the other side of the tunnel. He ushered her up a small trail with a steep incline. It wasn't an easy feat in her combat boots, and a couple of times she slipped, but he was always there to catch her. At the top was a spectacular view of the park and the glittering college skyline. "I had no idea this was here," she said with wonder.

"I found it one night while running." He brought her to a bench perched at the edge. In an unspoken agreement, they sat side by side, their legs and arms pressed against one another. "Sorry about my friends. They're drunk and pissed. Lethal combo."

"You sure about that friend status because I'd rethink it if I were you. Did this start because of what happened at the game?"

"It's been brewing for a while now. They've been on my case, but I don't know. Recently, I heard something that got me thinking and..." He looked at the park below, his Adam's apple bobbing. "You see a situation and think you know everything, but how can you, when it's from one viewpoint?"

"And how are things from this viewpoint?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out." His bottom lip stuck out a little as he frowned and she wanted to tease the frown right off him, but what he said next made her stomach drop. "So tell me why you hate gossip so much."

She'd rather talk about him and his friends or hell, anything else, but the stubborn tilt in his chin said he wasn't going to let this go. Bending her knees, she brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, holding on tight, holding herself together so she wouldn't fall apart. She drew strength from the knowledge that once the truth was out, he'd understand why she was hesitant to let people in.

She told him of Apache Crossing, the small town mindset, and how her family pretty much ran the town. She explained the growing distance between her parents along with the ever increasing bitterness of the townspeople. "But despite all that, I thought I had it all. Parents who loved me, a steady boyfriend, good friends, and then...and then it all came crashing down."

She rested her chin on her knees and watched as the lights of the college twinkled against the first streaks of dawn. "The summer before my senior year, I spent two weeks with my grandparents in California. When I got home, I noticed Chase acting differently. He wasn't as affectionate and kept putting off our dates and he wouldn't call me, only text."

Her stomach twisted as she recalled, "It was a Thursday afternoon. I had gone with my dad to a Paper Expo, and we weren't supposed to be back until Saturday but I had gotten sick so my dad told me to drive home, and he'd catch a ride with one our employees. I remember thinking my mom and I could make it a girls' weekend and watch all our favorite movies that Dad hated." The memory so clear she could still taste the ginger tea she'd bought at a gas station which she'd promptly thrown up half an hour later.

"Hey," Garrett said. His gentle tone made her eyes prick. "If it's too much you don't have to-"

"I need to get it out." The truth sat under her skin throbbing like a splinter waiting to be removed. "I, um, I walked into the house and saw clothes strewn about the entryway. Deep down, I think I knew my mom was having an affair. She'd been getting dressed up and going to the gym more. So when I saw those clothes I knew. I knew-" Her voice broke off. She didn't know why she walked into the living room when she heard the moans, only that she wanted to confront her mother, maybe scare her enough to stop, so their lives could return to normal.

"But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I honestly thought it might have been our handyman or the cleaner, but...but..." She buried her head in her hands and pressed her thumbs into her eyes as if it could erase the memory. "It was them-my mom and Chase-and I....." Something in her died that day. It was more than her childhood. More than her innocence. It was her self-worth. Her confidence.

"Ari..." His tone was soft, but the air around them turned thick with anger. She could feel it rumbling off of him like a thunderstorm.

She forced the rest out, the words like shards of broken glass. "At first, they tried to deny it, said it was an accident, but I got a hold of my mom's phone. I saw their emails and texts and photos." In one photo, her mom had even posed on Arianne's bed. She went from a caring mother who packed little love notes in her lunch box to a competitor. A love rival. And how sick was that?

Looking back, she saw the way their relationship had changed. It was little things at first, a passive aggressive comment about Arianne's looks, or changing the subject when her dad praised her for getting a good grade on a test, but then she became more vocal in her put-downs. Several times, Arianne had run to her room crying, thinking her mom hated her, but an hour or two later, her mom would apologize profusely explaining she'd had a hard day and hadn't meant to take her anger out on Arianne.

Of course Arianne forgave her because while Arianne had been accepted into the community, her mom had not. She'd been bombarded with snide insults and racists comments at every turn. The same with her dad. But while her dad had withstood the pressure, her mom hadn't. It turned her into a bitter woman jealous of her own daughter.

"They promised they would stop. Begged me not to tell my dad especially because both of Chase's parents worked at the mill, so I didn't." Not for Chase. But for her dad. For her family. Because as broken as they were, she still loved them. "But a few weeks later, my dad found out along with the whole town, and well, I'm sure you can guess the rest."

She could feel the questions forming on his lips with good reason. She'd only told him part of the story, but the other half wasn't something she was willing to share. "So you see why I hate gossip?" she asked. "Why I don't let people in?"

His hand slipped down her hair to the back of her neck, shackling her in a firm grip. She braced herself for his pity as she looked up, but the moment their eyes met, all she saw was a profound sense of pride. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Author Questions:

1. Did you think it was Arianne's place to stick up for Garrett even though she didn't understand the situation with his friends?

2. Do you think Marcus and Stephan's anger is justified or are they overreacting?