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“You’re not getting shit. Consider it a sixty-dollar lesson not to buy drugs from a fucking high school kid,” Dare spits. Jess smirks triumphantly, and the other guy’s pale cheeks burn bright red with rage as he grits his teeth. He wants to argue, but thankfully, he doesn’t. I close my eyes and exhale in relief once they’re gone.
“What are you thinking?” I yell, slapping Jess upside the back of the head. “What happened to keeping your head down and getting through school? Do you want to move back home?”
“They’re just some stupid yuppy college kids, Lo. It’s not a big deal.” Jess tries to play it off because we’re in public, but I can tell he’s feeling sheepish. I see it in the way he averts his eyes and in the nervous laugh that slips out. Siblings know how to read each other better than anyone else.
“This is our only shot. Stop trying your best to mess it up.”
“My bad, Lo. Fuck.”
“How’d you get here?”
“My board,” he says, gesturing to where his skateboard lies on the floor next to the bar.
“I didn’t drive.” I rise onto my tiptoes to scan the crowd that has already forgotten about this little altercation and has gone back to dancing and drinking, but I don’t see Sutton anywhere.
“I’ll take you guys,” Jake says.
“It’s your bar,” Dare points out before turning back to me. “I’m taking you. Come on.”
Dare places a palm at the small of my back and guides me toward the door. I reach behind me, pulling on Jess’ sleeve to make sure he follows. I catch Jake’s eyes as I do, and he shakes his head, as if he’s disappointed.
Dare opens the truck door for us, and Jess flips the bench seat forward to climb in back. I grip the side of the door to pull myself up, but before I do, two hands grip my waist, lifting me up and depositing me onto the seat. It smells like him in here. Like pine trees and leather seats. Dare slams the door shut and walks over to the driver’s side, and Jess clears his throat from the back seat.
“Shut up. You don’t get to give me shit about anything right now.”
“I didn’t say a word,” Jess says, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
Dare hops in and looks over at me, his ocean eyes bright under the dome light.
“Your house?” he asks, turning the ignition.
“My car is at Sutton’s.”
“I’m Jesse, by the way,” Jess says, resting his elbows against the top of the bench seat, chin propped on his forearm. “Lo’s brother.”
“I gathered that,” Dare says flatly. “How do you know those guys?”
“I don’t.” Jess shrugs. “They approached me for some bud when I was skating earlier. Guess I just have that kind of face,” he says sarcastically. “I saw an opportunity to make some cash, so I took it. Told them I didn’t have it on me, and they told me to meet them over here later. I knew Lo was at the costume party. Guess they followed me once they realized it was oregano.”
I roll my eyes, resisting the urge to slap him again.
“They’re East Shore kids,” Dare says. “They wouldn’t do shit.”
“That’s not the point,” I say. I turn toward Jess, and he smothers a smile. “What?” I snap.
“I just know you’re about to lecture me again, but it’s really hard to take you seriously when you look like that.”
I completely forgot I was in costume. I flip down the visor to look in the mirror. My lipstick is smudged, but other than that, I don’t look too crazy. Dare looks over at me, his eyes heating as I fix my lips with the tip of my thumb, and I know both of us are mentally replaying how it got smeared in the first place.
If Jess hadn’t intervened, Dare would’ve fucked me on that desk. I don’t know whether to hate him or thank him for it. I know it would have been a mistake. A big, fat, glaring mistake. I know that, but even now, even after the haze of lust has cleared, I want to do it again.
I shake my dirty thoughts away, turning back to Jess.
“Just…please, Jesse. Try. I don’t want to go back there. I can’t. And if you go back, I go back.” I choose my words carefully, not wanting to get too personal in front of Dare, but Jess knows exactly what I’m referring to. Eric. Mom. Everything.
“You’re not going back, and he’s not getting near you,” Jess swears, his voice resolute and intense. I look at Dare from the corner of my eye, and though I can only see his profile, I see his eyebrows tugging together, curiosity piqued.
I nod to Jess and pat his arm before sitting forward in my seat.
