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“Will you come in? Will you talk to me?”
Nick glanced at his own door. “I’m tired.”
“Nicky.” Gabriel’s voice was rough. “Nicky, I just—”
“Stop,” said Nick. He realized he didn’t want to listen to this.
He didn’t want to hear it. He wished he had stayed with Adam, and Michael’s worry be damned. He wanted to run to his room and slam the door and never face his twin brother again.
No. That wasn’t true.
Nick stepped up to Gabriel and kept his voice very low. “Save it. Don’t apologize. I might have saved your life, but that doesn’t mean we’re okay. You said in the car that you wished you knew why I was keeping something from you. I guess you got your answer, didn’t you?”
Gabriel visibly flinched. “Nicky—”
“Stop calling me that. Stop talking to me. You can’t undo what you did. Ever. Do you understand that?”
He didn’t wait for an answer but turned for his bedroom. He didn’t bother with slamming his door. He just pushed it closed.
For half a second, he wished Gabriel would push it open.
He didn’t.
Nick stared at the paneled wood and wondered if what he’d said was true.
You can’t undo what you did. Ever.
He thought of Tyler coming back for Quinn. Or in the woods, grabbing Nick’s arms and reminding him of past wrongs, feeding him enough power to stop the Guide.
Or later, Tyler with a gun, pulling a trigger to save Michael.
Risking his life. Tying himself to their fate.
Had that undone the years of torment?
Nick wasn’t sure.
He thought of everyone around him, what they wanted, what they needed. It felt so natural, so comfortable, rearranging what he wanted to fit what he thought they needed.
He almost went back into the hallway to listen to his twin brother.
But then he stopped. He thought about what he wanted.
What he needed.
Without hesitation, he went to his desk and pulled out the stack of college envelopes he’d hidden.
Then he slid his finger under the first flap and started ripping.
CHAPTER 34
Quinn was in French class Wednesday morning when the call from the guidance office came.
And just like that, she knew.
She’d been living with Adam, and she’d told him it would only be a few days, until her mom dried out. He’d told her she could stay as long as she needed. And the longer she went with a quiet home, a clean shower, and eight hours of sleep, the less she wanted to leave.
But she knew that was unrealistic. Adam had one bedroom and one bathroom. He was dating Nick, and she felt like more of a third wheel with them than she had with Chris and Becca.
