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He looks me up and down. "You gave me the biggest freaking scare."
"I'll try not to get beaten up again," I mumble.
Butch and V spot me, heading over to also pull me into a hug. V gets to me first, lifting me off the ground as his strong arms squeeze the life out of me.
"I'm so glad you're in one piece."
"Barely," I chuckle.
They don't know I'm not talking about the Norsemen, but that's okay. That's today's secret.
Butch motions to Volts to bring us a round of drinks. He nods, disappearing behind the bar while I follow Butch and V back to the booth. I scoot in first, followed by V. Butch sits across from me, and I can see the faint markings of healed bruises on his face too.
"Are you guys okay?" I ask quietly.
Butch nods once. "We're all fine. We were more worried about you. I'm sorry it's taken so long to catch up. We had to lie low while the cops investigated."
"I understand," I say, looking over at V. "I'm really sorry."
"Hey, it's not your fault," V states firmly. "Those assholes should have kept to themselves. Thankfully, they haven't shown their faces here since."
Volts walks over, pushing some beers towards us. I look at him with gratitude.
"Thanks, Volts. You're a champ."
He grins shyly, waving me off. "I'm just happy to see you again."
Butch and V nod in agreement, picking up their beers and taking a sip. I follow suit, leaning back into the booth seat.
"So, what else is new?" Butch asks.
I feel my throat clench up as I drop the bomb shell I know they won't like. "I'm moving in a few days. Finally heading up north like I've wanted."
"Dang," Vito sighs. "Who else is going to deal with our shit?"
Butch hums thoughtfully. "And what does your stepbrother think of that?"
"Why do you ask?" I question quickly. Probably more quickly than I should.
Vito snorts while Butch looks at my skeptically.
"There's something going on with him," he answers simply.
I take a gulp of my beer, hastily trying to figure out what to say next. But, I don't need to. Butch beats me to it.
"He wants you."
"He's my stepbrother," I offer, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep lying. I'm lying to myself, but I'm hoping if I say it enough, I'll start to believe it.
Butch shakes his head. "It's not blood. But, I'm telling you. That boy is trouble."
"Don't I know it," I mutter.
Conversations from this morning replay in my head, reminding me of the mess I keep finding myself in. I tell myself it's Asher's doing. But, maybe Danielle is right – I do attract drama. Things are so far out of hand that I have to wonder if they will ever recover.
"Just, be careful," Butch says, giving me a tight smile. "Nothing good ever comes from playing with fire."
The whole drive home my mind was going crazy. The Game 2.0 is set to begin tonight. I've made my terms clear – I'm only doing it for three days. I wanted two, but Asher argued with me, saying it wasn't fair and that everyone should at least get to fulfil one dare from each participant.
