He seems to dismiss the first part of what I just said and instead easily asks, “Doyouthink you were confused?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
“Well, just becausehesaid you were, it doesn’t mean you actually were. You don’t have to listen to him. I know he’s your uncle and all, but ifyouknow something was off, then go with it.”
He’s definitely making this whole ‘hating him’ thing worse when he says things like that. Things that I need to hear that just make sense.
“I know,” I say. He nods once. Twice.
“Listen,” he begins, shifting his gaze from my eyes to the floor. “I know you don’t want to talk about whatever happened tonight, but just so you know-”
The door to my apartment swings open, and I stumble back in my heels, but Evan reaches out and he catches me.
He catches me.
He grips onto my hand, pulling me up into a standing position. I don’t even get time to register the sharp electric pang that shoots from my hand to my brain because his hand is shoved in his pocket just as quickly. His eyes roam over my body for a second, possibly checking for injuries, but when he sees I’m fine, he scowls at Kennedy who’s standing beside me, smiling ear to ear.
“Maybe check the peephole before opening the door, Ken,” Evan says to my best friend in her Christmas pyjamas.
“If I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have opened it at all,” Ken says. God, I’m going to kill her. She looks at me, still smiling. “You should have told me you were going on a date with Evan. I wouldn’t have burst through the door. YourFind my iPhonewas still on, but you’ve been in the building for fifteen minutes. I thought you were getting attacked.”
“We didn’t go on a date,” Evan says sternly. I was going to say it, but the way he seems slightly angry by that pisses me off. Yes, it’s true. But the irritation in his eyes and the tick in his jaw makes me queasy. As if just the thought of being on a date with me repulses him.
“Ken, I told you it was with Max,” I say to her.
“Could've fooled me. You guys have been sneaking around with this top secret project for class,” she retorts, trying to sound casual, but Kennedy does not do casual, so she sounds like she’s up to something. “I thought it was about time you two banged out-”
This time I cover her mouth, doing exactly what Evan did to me as he smirks. I swear this girl is a ray of sunshine when she’s not trying to meddle.
“Okay,” I drag out, walking us backwards into the apartment. Evan still stands at the open door, grinning at us.
“I don’t think Kennedy finished her sentence,” he teases. “You know, if you wanted to tell her to be quiet, you could do that in a million different ways.”
“Goodbye, Branson,” I say, kicking the door shut with my foot. When he’s out of sight, I turn to Ken who’s smiling like a clown beneath my hand, so I drop it. “You’re so annoying, sometimes, you know that?”
“Ah, but you love me,” she says, waving me off.
“You’re still annoying.”
“No, it means that you love me.” She beams at me. “So, I take it the date didn’t go to plan if you ended up with Evan.”
I sigh, walking into the kitchen. “It’s for the better.”
“You’re just telling yourself that,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to be closed off with me, Scar. I pride myself on being able to read people, but recently, you’ve been making it difficult. I want to be here for you.”
I know I’ve been off with her and Wren, but sometimes I feel like they won’t understand what it’s like to be in my position. They always have their own things going on. And though I know they’d never say it, I’m sure they would realise that my problems can’t be that big if I have money and a decent family to solve them.
When I look at Ken who has moved away so far from her family and doesn’t have her dad anymore after he passed away, I shouldn’t be allowed to complain about my dad who is still technically alive. When Wren talks about her parents and their divorce, I can’t talk about how sometimes I feel ignored in my own family even when my parents are happily married, which is why I've put off therapy for years. I don’t want to take up space in a place where some people have real problems when mine can be fixed temporarily by throwing money at it.
“I know, Ken and I’m sorry,” I say truthfully, pulling her into a hug. She somehow always manages to smell like a beach even when she hasn’t been to one in a while. She constantly smells like summer despite her last name. I breathe her in. There is nothing quite like a Kennedy Wynter hug.
“I know how you can make it up to me,” she muffles into my skin. I hum in response, recognising that slight child-like mischief in her tone. “Miles is doing a Halloween-themed game night at his house next weekend. It’ll be a few of the hockey guys and Evan too. You should come.”
“I’ll be there,” I say, squeezing her again. A day not thinking about my dad and the company could be good. I need a few days to recoup and start working on a different theory. Something about what Gio told me is still not making sense to me.
I’m missing something.
22
