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“I can go out there and—”
“Get into another fight?” Twice now, I’ve had to listen to them argue because of me. As if I wasn’t already hurting enough, I now also feel guilty for ruining their friendship. “No. No, it’s okay.”
“A normal person would’ve gotten the message after their car got wrecked, but not him.”
I’m not sure why, but that makes me smile. The fact that he keeps coming back in spite of all the shit Casper is giving him. Besides, the Merc was his favourite toy…aside from the Ducati.
“He’ll keep this up, you know? Freddie’s like a dog with a bone.” The grit in his voice tells me he’s waiting for me to give him the A-okay to go all macho big brother again, even though I’ve already told him no. He’s chomping at the bit, and if I really had stopped caring, I might let him. However, the thought of anyone or anything hurting Freddie makes me feel sick.
“Well, when he realises I’m not here anymore, he’ll stop. Also, I need you to get the rest of my stuff. So there’s a reason for you not to be all dickhead older brother. You can do it when I’m gone.”
“Do your own dirty work if you don’t want me to take matters into my own hands. Oh, and we both know that he’s not going to stop. He’ll find you, Georgina,” Casper sighs, head tilting to the side with that knowing look in his eyes as he adds, “Because you want him to…and because he’s a fucking stalker. I mean, of all the creeps out there, why did you have to go for the fucking biggest bellend of them all? He’s a bloody nutter…”
“I should ask Fleur the same thing. No?”
A chuckle vibrates from him as I look over my shoulder at the window. Cursing myself for drawing the blackout curtains, I face Casper again to find him closer.
“If you think I’m a bigger nutter than Fleur…” he laughs. “You don’t know her at all.”
“I think you’re as bad as each other. She’s just prettier and has better sass and great fashion sense to hide behind.”
“You mean she gets away with her cunning, batshit crazy ways because she’s a woman?”
“Don’t be so fucking sexist.” Rolling my eyes, I get back to packing the few things I brought with me. “Misogyny is so…old.”
“Old. Old?”
“Yeah, you’re showing your age.” I stick my tongue out at him over my shoulder and throw my dance shrug into my bag, followed by the leotard and tights. “How old are you now? Forty? Forty-something?”
Before I can stop him, he wraps his smelly T-shirt over my face, laughing as I flail to get free of it.
“Oh my God, you’re a pig!” I growl at him when I manage to get it off me.
The smell of Grace’s sick makes me heave as I gulp in breath after breath to try and clear my airway of it.
“Watch who you’re calling old, brat. Besides, Freddie’s the same age as me, so…”
“Fuck, you’re gross.” I heave with a shudder before I add, “And he’s actually a year younger.”
“Oh, big deal. One year, what a massive difference.”
“It might not be massive, but it still makes you old…er,” I sing over my shoulder as I head towards the bathroom, giving him the finger as I lock the door behind me and continue teasing him. “Old, old…old!”
“You understand that I’m the one carting you around tomorrow before you run off to the academy.”
“I’m not running off, I’m working.”
“Volunteering.”
“Actually, I’m giving back some of what was given to me when I was there. Because I’m amazing, and at least someone knows it and wants me.” It’s not until the words leave my mouth that I note what I’ve said, and it instantly sobers my laugh because the one person I wish saw it doesn’t.
This is the only thing my thoughts need to start reeling. Wondering what Freddie does see when he looks at me.
“I need to be out of here early tomorrow morning, so be ready,” he tells me, his voice muted from the other side of the door as I quickly wash my face.
“I don’t need you to drive me to the Aviary. Cooper’s coming with me.”
“Of course he is,” I hear him mutter through the closed door.
