I was looking forward to living with Nix, but she went and ruined it.
And Darian ruined it by being an idiot last night.
I’m kind of pissed off with both of them, actually.
The thought of having to put up with that kind of thing throughout the year is painful, though, so yeah, living in the same house as both of them would be the worst.
But still… I’d had high hopes it would all work out, and now they’re completely dashed.
“Who’s it going to be, then?” I softly ask.
“I don’t know yet. But we’ll figure it out before we leave today.” Darian turns back to the mirror and cringes at his reflection, lightly poking at his missing eyebrow.
“Think we should run some more tests?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Maybe we should just go by gut feeling, you know? Let’s watch how everyone deals when they’re hungover and feeling like shit.” He spins back to face me, jabbing his long finger in my direction. “And if you hear anyone laughing about this behind my back”—he points at the hairless patch above his eye—“they’re off the list. Got it?”
“Got it.” I nod and stand up, giving my brother’s arm a light squeeze before heading out of the bathroom.
I’m feeling like shit over this whole thing. I don’t want him to notice how disappointed I am.
Wandering down to my bedroom, I find Nix sitting on the bed cross-legged. She’s playing some game on her phone, and I cross my arms and frown at her until she glances up at me.
“What?” Her shoulder hitches.
“You know what.” I sigh and plunk down on the bed opposite hers. “I thought we were going to come up with something together.”
“The idea hit me, and it was too good to ignore.”
“Phoenix,” I whine her whole name, really trying to make my point.
Her face flushes, and for just a second, I think I spot a flash of guilt or remorse or something.
“Think you could apologize?” I ask hopefully.
She scoffs, then starts to laugh. “Highly unlikely, I’m afraid. He deserved exactly what he got, and I’m not saying anything to that man.”
“Well, he never wants to talk to you again either, so I guess that works out well.” My words come out terse and sulky, but I don’t care. Iamannoyed and disappointed about this whole thing. And dammit, I’m allowed to show it.
Tucking my hands under my legs, I bob my knee and gaze out the window with another sad sigh.
Nix’s little fingers brush over my knee. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I know you two are close, and I’d never do anything to disrupt your relationship. We’ll just hang out when Darian’s not around.”
I give her a pained frown and she swallows, going back to the game on her screen like she didn’t just carve a canyon through the middle of my life.
Two of my favorite people have just gone to war.
How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?
35
MAC
I happento be walking down the hallway when Darian and Charli stop together by the bathroom door. He’s just coming out, and she’s walking past. They pause to have a little chat, and I narrow my eyes as I watch them. Something feels kind of off, and I can’t put my finger on what it is.
I heard about the eyebrow thing and thought it was fucking hilarious. Darian has always cared too much about his looks, and I needed to see his humiliation for myself.
The second I spot that hairless patch on his face, I nearly laugh out loud, but the sound is stolen because my suspicions are growing. Maybe they’ve been brewing all weekend. I don’t even know if I was aware of it, but it’s pretty fucking clear right now. These two are up to something.
