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He flicked his head to the old porch swing, and I followed him.
“You fucked her.”
“I… yeah.”
“You’re an asshole, Z.”
“It wasn’t like she didn’t want it. She was practically—”
“It was her first time.”
“What?”
His words reverberated inside me because I couldn’t possibly have heard him right.
“You heard me. She was a virgin.”
“Nah, no way. Her and the Mulligan kid—”
“She came over covered in dirt and blood and told Harleigh what happened.”
“She was a virgin?” The words tasted like acid on my tongue.
Nix nodded gravely.
“Fuck,” I breathed. “I didn’t know. I didn’t…”
“She said you were drunk too.”
“I’d had a few beers. It’d been a shitty day.”
“So you thought you’d take it out on Celeste? Jesus, Z, what the fuck were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t okay. I needed something to take the edge off and we—” I stopped myself. He didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell him.
“Finish the sentence,” he said coolly.
“We’ve been fooling around.”
“You’ve been… Fucking hell, Zane. If her parents find out, do you have any idea what they’ll do?”
“She’s seventeen. The age of consent—”
“I’m not talking about the age of consent, asshole. I’m talking about her. Her mom and dad are already freaking out that she’s throwing away her future because of Harleigh. Do you really think they’re going to be happy she gave herself to…”
“Go on, say it. A guy like me?” My jaw clenched.
“That’s not what I meant. Don’t twist my words. You’re a good guy, Z. One of my best friends in the world. But this thing between you and Celeste, it only ends in heartache.”
“Because she can’t possibly want me? Because it’s just a game, right? A chance for her to live a little before Mommy and Daddy dearest marry her off to Vincent Moneybags the third.”
“You say it like she’d be the one breaking your heart.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, asshole, something tells me Celeste is more like her sister than either of them realizes. And maybe, just maybe, she’s prepared to give it all up for a broken boy from The Row.”
“Speak for yourself,” I spat. “I’m not broken.”
