Page 45 of Five

“Cliff bought me that phone as an end-of-year present.”

“End-of-year… just what the fuck, Rory? You know better than to accept gifts like that from strangers. I know your dad told you that. I’ve heard him say that to you almost as many times as I heard my own father tell Kate.”

“In my defense,” I say, wiggling my t-shirt over my head, “he’s not a stranger. I probably know him better than you at this point.”

The glare I get from Five Aston would be amusing if he wasn’t so serious.

“Don’t look at me that way. You’ve been gone for six years. I’ve been BFF’s with Tera all through college. And I’ve known Cliff just as long. He’s a friend.”

“He’s not a friend. Didn’t I just tell you—”

“You didn’t tell me shit except you two are in some secret rich kids’ club. It sounds kinda ridiculous, Five.”

“Well,” he huffs. “When your father finds out—”

“If you tell my father about any of this,” I say, pointing a finger at his face, “I’ll never speak to you again.”

He stops talking, drops it and says, “Let’s go.” Then he’s got his phone out, pressing things on the screen.

“What are you doing?” I ask, jogging a little to catch up to him.

“Calling Middleton, what do you think? I’m gonna threaten to upend his whole life if he doesn’t bring me that phone right the fuck now. Then we’re gonna push all your data to the cloud and—”

I snatch the phone for his hand and stop walking. “You’re not going to do any such thing. I’m gonna take care of this myself, Five. And you’re going to keep your big brain out of it. I don’t know what’s really going on, but I do know there’s no way I’m giving up my best friend over some suspicious feeling you have about her and her brother. I know them, OK? And you’re not gonna upend anyone’s life. Certainly not mine. Not after what you did six years ago.”

He stops. His face goes white. And maybe I’m imagining it—because it’s pretty dark out here—but I don’t think so. “What do you know about what happened six years ago?”

“What?” I say, shaking my head. “Are you serious? You fucking walked out on me and never looked back, you asshole!”

“Oh.” He laughs. “That.”

My eyebrows shoot all the way up my forehead. I’m actually speechless for a few moments. But when the words finally come out of my mouth, they are low. And they are angry. “‘Oh. That?’ Are you fucking kidding me right now, Five Aston? ‘Oh. That?’ You are some kind of jerk if you think breaking my heart isn’t even worth your time.”

And I do not care that I stomp my foot. Put it firmly in place right on top of the line in the sand that is my limit tonight. I do not care.

I throw his phone at him, grab the keys from his hand, and get into his car.

“What are you doing?” he asks as I start it up.

“Leaving you here,” I say, slamming the door closed so hard, he has to get his fingers out of the way before I crush them. He just stands there staring at me, not even trying to go around to the passenger side to get in before he gets stranded.

But I push the button on the door locks anyway. And it feels good when I back up, spinning the tires of his rental car in the loose gravel of the driveway, and leave him behind.

Fucker.

He’s got another thing coming if he thinks I will just forget and forgive how he left me behind like that.

Oh. That.

Asshole.

I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt earlier. I was in some kind of sex-deprivation rush over seeing him again.

But not now.

Because Five Aston left me behind and that little laugh back there was proof that I am definitely not why he came back to Colorado. We’re not back together. Not at all. I’m just here out of some weird coincidence cooked up by my little brother.

Well, fuck him.