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“I know. I just hate that Parker is always around. He’s literally in our face the entire time, and it gets frustrating. But he isn’t the problem. Denton is back in town, and he’s staying with us for a couple of days.”
“Are you alright with that?”
“Of course not. I’ve been in my room since I got home.”
“Do you need me to come over?” I climb off my bed, pacing the room.
“It's okay. I’m just going to go to bed after dinner. I think I can tolerate him for an hour.”
“I’ll come over on Friday, we can talk about everything, maybe see a movie?”
“Yeah, that’ll be cool. My parents are away for the weekend anyway.”
“Good night, Bre. Call me if you need me.”
“Bye, Nate.”
I end the call and stare at the screen for a long time. I make my way downstairs, and everyone is already sitting at the table. My father looks at me disapprovingly.
“Are you feeling better, honey?” My mother asks.
“Yeah,” I say, dishing up pasta and sauce.
He’s sitting across me, and I can feel his eyes on me. Ignoring his existence isn’t difficult after all.
I help Mom with the dishes after dinner, and I hear the television on in the living room.
“You know you can talk to me, right? About anything,” my mom says.
“There are some things that aren’t worth talking about, Mom,” I say as I turn toward the back door. “I need some air.”
There’s a chill in the air, and I zip up my jacket. There’s rain expected this week. I sit on the swing that’s been in my backyard since I can remember, my chucks kicking at the ground.
I see Denton approaching out of the corner of my eye. “Hey,” he greets.
I look out at the suffocating darkness of the small forest behind our house.
“Are you just going to ignore me forever?”
“If only that were possible, Denton.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“Brianna…”
“What, Denton? Brianna what? You’re sorry you’re such a cowardly asshole? Because that is pretty much all you should be saying to me right now.”
“Cowardly asshole?”
“Yes. Denton. A fucking coward. I have nothing to say to you. Just stay out of my way while you’re here.”
I stand and start walking back to the house. His hands wrap around my arm. “Wait.”
“Let go of me,” I growl, shrugging his hands off me. “What you did was fucked up, you hear me! It was bullshit!”
My heart pounds in my chest as I make my way back inside and up to my room. My eyes sting from unshed tears, but I won’t let them fall. Not for Denton fucking Duke.
I toss and turn all night, unable to get my mind to calm the fuck down. Around three a.m, I get out of bed and make my way down the hallway. I stop at the guest room door contemplating whether or not this is a good idea. Actually, I know it isn’t, but I have never been sensible when it came to Denton. I don’t knock at the door. He never respected my privacy in the past, so why should I respect his?
When I enter the room, I’m not surprised that he’s also awake. He sits on the edge of his bed, shirtless, a familiar sight. His head is in his hands, his shoulders hunched over. I hate the fact that he’s as attractive as he is—bathed in the moonlight. The balcony door is open, and a chilly breeze shifts the air. He looks up when he hears the door, and looking in his eyes, I realize I’m not angry anymore. It’s so much more than that. I am hurt, but I have no right to be.
