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“I don’t need a lecture or a bodyguard.”
“Are you okay?” His voice is soft, low.
“I’m fine.”
“I should’ve been here last night.”
“You being here wouldn’t have changed anything. I did something without thinking it through, and that picture was Kodiak overreacting as a result. If it wasn’t him, it would’ve been you or Mav.” I turn to face him.
He’s frowning, as usual. He still looks angry, but he also looks something else . . . Confused? Sad?
“I don’t get why you would do something like this in the first place. You hate the attention, and it’s really not like you. And since when do you own a thong bikini?”
I answer the easiest question. “Since Gigi took me tanning before we went to Cancun last year.” She said it would be better for avoiding tan lines. I ended up with a seriously burnt ass. I have fair skin, and apparently when a butt has never seen the light of day, it’s more susceptible to sunburn, even with sunscreen.
“It still doesn’t explain why you’d wear it in public, though.”
“Because I’m tired of the bullshit.”
“You mean Kody?”
“I mean all of it. The double standards, the never being able to date without you guys attacking whoever it is like starved, angry pit bulls. I need a break from this.”
“I should’ve said no to him moving in here.”
“It’s not just him.”
“But he’s part of it.”
“He’s going to be here no matter what, River. He’s Mav’s best friend. They play hockey together, and he lives down the street.”
“It never used to be like this with you two.”
I rub my temples. “It’s been a lot of years since it was like anything.”
He drops his head and nudges my foot with his. Like the rest of me—apart from my boobs—my feet are small. His are ridiculously gigantic. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, but I reserve the right not to answer if I don’t feel like it.”
He nods once. “Did I fuck that up for you? Am I the reason it’s like this?”
“No, River. I’m the reason it’s like this.”
He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, looking more kid than boy-man. “When we were kids, I hated him.”
I laugh. “I don’t think much has changed.”
He shrugs. “I didn’t like that he always seemed to be there when you were falling apart.” He’s quiet for a few moments, but I wait, aware that he’s not done. “And now, I don’t know. I feel like maybe I made things worse.”
“Why would you think that when you have nothing to do with it?”
His gaze remains focused on our feet. “I kinda do.”
“Can you explain that, please?”
He blows out a breath. “I overheard Mom and Dad talking after that thing happened at the middle school. When Kody got in trouble for lying to his dad and missing hockey practice?”
It’s funny how we all experienced that event differently. “Because of me. He got in trouble because of me.”
