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“She’s not even out here.”

“She could walk out.”

The inhale he pulls in is blaring.

I just shrug.

“Why do you care so much about her approval when you know you’ll never get it?”

My laugh sounds as sad as it feels.

“I don’t need her approval. I just don’t want her wrath.”

“I would never let her do anything to you.”

Will you even be here that long?

The unspoken truth sits between us. He refuses to be my boyfriend, to make this—us—official. I’m not going to piss off my mom for a guy that admits he’s not in this for the long haul. I’m just not.

Nothing left to say on the matter, Khaos smacks the button for the garage door, triggering it to rise.

“Good luck today.”

With a forced smile, I turn and head to my car. Khaos is gone by the time I’m situated inside, starting the engine.

Immediately, a notification dings, informing me my front passenger tire is low.

“Please be a glitch.”

Getting back out, I see the tire is not only low, but flat, the rim basically on the cement.

“No-o-o,” I cry. I can’t drive anywhere like this.

I pull my phone out and find Guy’s contact info. Hesitating, I stare at the name I’ve called in every other emergency I’ve had in the last four years. Would he answer? Would he help me? Aside from that missed call after 7 Minutes in Sea Haven, he hasn’t tried to contact me once. Not to apologize, not to talk, nothing. I expected a text at the very least. I expected something. Anything.

I don’t know what else to do. Khaos is a new driver, so chances are slim he knows anything about vehicle maintenance. As for Graham, I suspect he knows even less. I used to think he let my mom drive all the time because he was a passenger princess but now I’m pretty sure it’s because he can’t drive either. If he did, he probably would’ve been the one to teach Khaos how, not Dex.

There’s my dad but how much help could he be from an entirely different state?

“Crap.”

I hit Call and hold my breath.

An automated voice tells me the number I’m trying to reach is no longer available but that’s impossible because Guy’s had the same number since he first got a phone.

Did he…block me?

I hang up and try again, only to get the same annoying recording. Unavailable. Inaccessible. Un-freaking-believable. I’m blocked. Guy blocked me. He cheated on me, then blocked me. Me.

I—

“What’s wrong?” I hear and almost drop my phone.

Khaos is standing in the doorway, his face full of concern.

Lowering my phone to my midsection, I grip it in both hands and turn it over as discreetly as possible.

“I have a flat.”