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“Anyways, we just realized that we wanted to make sure that she got to decide what she wants moving forward.”
Trent laughs before I can say anything else, and I stop what I’m doing to look over at him. Nothing about his laugh has a hint of humor; instead, it’s more mocking.
“That’s fucking great, you know. I know you guys are assholes, but sometimes you exceed even my expectations of what I think you're capable of.” He damn near spits the words at me through his teeth. His jaw clenched tight in a way that reminds me a lot of Rick when he’s upset.
I set down the gas tank I had just finished taking off the frame and turned to face him. Whatever crawled up his ass needs to be addressed if I hope to get shit accomplished on this bike today.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What the fuck is your problem?” I pull the rag from my back pocket and wipe my hands. I know I said I wouldn’t let his shit mood bring me down today, but his venom seems to have taken a turn towards me at some point. I might not want to argue with him, but I won’t sit back and let him take his shit out on me. It’s just not who I am, no matter how badly I want to work on this bike.
“My problem?” He shouts, pointing to his chest before he turns his finger to point at me. “I think you should be asking what the fuck your guys' problem is.” I push to my feet as he starts to walk towards me, his face twisted in a look of pure rage that I haven’t seen on him in a long time.
“You want to talk about how you want to let her choose. You guys act like you’re here to help her, putting her in classes and buying her things, but you can’t even get over your bullshit to let her have a fucking chance!” His finger connects with my chest, and I fight the urge to hit him. I’m not sure what the fuck he's talking about, but something about the look in his eyes has me hesitating.
Man, do I want to hit him. I won’t lie; I’ve been dying for the chance to lay into him for years now, but something feels off, and I’m never one to overlook a gut feeling.
I reach up and grab his wrist before pushing his arm away from me, making no other move against him. Judging by the quirk of his brow, I’m not the only one who’s shocked that I didn't turn this into something more physical.
“I’m going to need you to take a breath and calm the fuck down.” I tell him in a calm but serious tone. I need him to understand that while I haven't hit him yet, that doesn’t mean I won’t, and if he wants any hope of this not going there, I will need answers now.
He takes a breath before yanking his hand from me, where I still hold it at his wrist. His anger’s still evident on his face even though he no longer looks like he’s about to charge at me.
“Explain.” I demand.
The look he gives me lets me know the last thing he wants to do is take orders from me. Too bad Trent knows me. I’m sure he can see what a fine line he’s walking right now.
“You guys act like you care, but you don’t care enough to put simple shit behind you.” He combs a hand through his hair before he turns away from me and takes a few steps, then turns back to face me. “Jade likes school, and she wants to do well. In class, she's trying, and she fucking deserves to get the chance to succeed.” He tells me like he’s trying to convince me of something.
I nod because I don’t disagree with anything that’s come out of his mouth so far. Shit, I’ve seen just how hard she’s working, and it’s only the first week. Not to mention Trent only knows a small piece of her past. I’m well aware of just how much she deserves this piece of normalcy.
Some of the anger bleeds from his face when I don’t protest.
This is the second time today I’ve been part of a conversation that makes zero sense to me, and I can’t say I’m a fan.
“So, if you can see that, why are you guys trying to fuck it up for her?” He asks, throwing his hands up in defeat. “I get that we don’t all get along anymore, and that’s fine. I’m fucking trying.” He gestures to the bike behind me. “So why can't you guys do the same? I don't need us to be friends again. I know that ship has sailed, and that's shitty but understandable. But please don’t punish her because of me. If you don’t want me around, call me, tell me. I won’t pretend I’m okay with it, but if I have to stay away so she can get what she needs, I will.” He drops his arms and sighs as his shoulders drop, and all the fight leaves him with that one breath. “Fuck. I will, man, okay?”
He sounds so defeated, and the sudden change in emotions would usually be enough to pull me from my thoughts, but something isn’t adding up, and I can’t put my finger on it, but I know it’s not good.
My stomach knots the more I think over his words, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Before I even make a conscious choice, I’m moving toward him. I grip the front of his shirt in my hand and pull him toward me. It’s not easy. Trent’s taller than I am, just like Rick and Spencer, though he’s not quite as built as they are. The only reason I manage it is because I’ve caught him off guard, or it might be from the pure adrenaline running through my veins as my panic rises with each passing second.
I’m missing something important here. But I’m done with questions. I need answers, and he’s going to give them to me.
Right now.
His head whips up to look at me, but I don’t give him a chance to do anything else.
“Nobody is punishing her. We’ve been doing everything we can to keep her happy.” Well, minus Spencer, but that doesn’t matter right now.
“So tell me exactly what the fuck you’re going on about right now.” I say, dropping my hand from his shirt as he staggers back from me.
“She never showed.” His voice is low, but he might as well have screamed them at me as they hit me like a ton of bricks.
FUCK!
My phone is in my hand without me even remembering pulling it from my pocket. I press Rick’s contact and throw it on speaker as it rings. I can feel Trent looking at me, feel his eyes on my face looking for answers, but I can’t bring myself to so much as look at him while I wait for the call to connect.
Fuck, Rick, answer the call. I mentally plead as my panic continues to rise by the second.
