My stomach twisted up in knots and I wanted to be mad at her for making it do that. Again. Maybe hanging around with her wasn’t such a good idea anymore, but I liked it.

I liked how she made me feel.

I liked the calm she brought to my life when I spent time with her.

Besides, she was the only one who stopped the noise in my head.

She was the only one who stopped the anger in my heart.

Stifling my secrets, I shook my head and reached for her hand. "Come on. Let's bounce before he sees us." If Wren came outside to check on me and found me coercing with the enemy's daughter, I would be toast. Lately, our parents hadn't been getting along, and I had been given strict instructions to stay away from the Peterson girl. Too late for that.

"Don’t worry." She placed her small hand in mine and squeezed. "I'll protect you from Wretched."

Wretched was Molly's nickname for my stepfather and I loved her for it. She was the only person in this town that saw him for what he really was. Not the good, wholesome family man that had generously taken on a little boy that wasn’t his, but an asshole bully.

Breaking into a run, our feet pounded the sidewalk, neither one of us stopping until we reached the sandy beach at the back of Rourke's sprawling property. He was already in the water, lazing on his surfboard, and looking like someone had pissed in his cornflakes.

Nothing new there.

Breathless and laughing, we broke apart on the sand with only one task in mind; getting in the water.

Making a point to turn my back when Molly yanked her dress over her head, I quickly peeled off the clothes I'd been forced into wearing earlier this morning, feeling more relaxed with every layer that I tore from my body.

When I was down to my boxers, I turned back to face her and frowned.

I was tall for ten, but Molly was ridiculously small. She barely reached my shoulder in height and she had itty-bitty muscles.

Dainty is the word my mama once used to describe my best friend and I agreed.

She was dainty.

Like a doll.

Molly-Dolly.

Wearing a pair of yellow panties and a plain white tank, she looked up at me and gave me a huge, megawatt smile. Her body was lean and tanned, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief, as her long, golden hair splayed in the light summer breeze. "You ready, D?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, and even though I knew she was far from a girly-girl, I couldn’t help thinking that hers was the nicest girl's voice I'd ever heard.

"Well?" she pushed me with a laugh, before lunging for my back. In one fell swoop, she was on me, arms and legs locked around my waist and neck, making everything inside of me grow hot and confused.