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“The triplets. Yeah.”
That was all he’d said about me?
Scout wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at his mom, his expression unreadable.
I didn’t like that. Not one bit.
“Can I—” I indicated Scout. “Can we talk?”
He gave me the slightest nod.
I led the way, going up to his room. He shut the door behind us.
“Your mom is here?”
“Hold on.” He passed me and turned on the fan before his hands went into his pockets. “What are you doing here?”
“Why’s your mom here?”
“My mom’s none of your business.”
I took a step back. “Scout.”
“You know—no. Don’t do this shit. We fuck, and that’s it. Right? I’m tired of all this shit I’m getting about you and me. If I wanted people up in my business, I’d tell them my business, but I don’t because I don’t want this.”
This. He didn’t want this.
My chest started tightening. “This?”
“Yes,” he snapped, a hand thrusting through his hair. “You and me. This shit. Alex is up in my face. Trenton and Clint threatening to beat the shit out of me, then trying how many fucking times? I’m done with this bullshit. You’re in my face. We had some moments—”
“Don’t!” My tone was cold right back. I didn’t know where this came from, but he’d been avoiding me at school. I was seeing why. This—him—fuck him. Just fuck him.
His words struck and they struck deep.
God.
They pierced me harder than I wanted, cutting me.
I refused to let him see that my hands were shaking. I tucked them behind me. “Don’t do this. Why are you doing this? I don’t understand.”
What had changed? What was different?
He was tense, not looking at me.
His mom. “Your mom is here—”
“My mom is none of your business.”
I held firm, not stumbling back from that shout.
He wanted to be done with this? With me?
I was burning up on the inside.
My chest was all the way tight now. “Fine.”
“Fine.”
We both glared at each other.
“I’m up in your face because you said something to Kira, who said it in front of Gem, and I need to know what it was because my real friend is pissed at me. So, what did you say? Not me. You.”
He was still scowling before he blinked. He raked another hand through his hair, turning away. “Jesus Christ. This bullshit.”
“What’d you say?” My voice rose.
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying, like you’ve been lying all this time.”
“What? I never—”
“What’d you say, Scout? That’s all I need to know.”
God. His face was so hard. His eyes blazing so fierce.
Did he care? Even a little? Was this ripping his insides out like it was mine?
But no. Shut it down. He didn’t care. He said it himself.
Shut. It. Down.
I was shutting it down. I forced a breath around a giant boulder squishing my lungs.
“Ramsay—” He’d gentled his tone.
He didn’t get to gentle his tone. Not now.
“What’d you say?” I screamed.
“Nothing!” he yelled back. “She could tell at your cousins’ barbeque that I wanted you. That’s it.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. I told her to shut her face.”
I winced, imagining those words being said to another girl, but not now. I couldn’t think about that now. I nodded, the numbness starting to slip in. The boulder edged to the back. The answer was gotten. It was time to retreat.
I couldn’t look at him anymore. It was searing me, so I jerked my gaze to the side and rasped out, “We’re done.”
I rushed past him for the door, but he blocked me.
“Ramsay.”
I wasn’t looking at him. I wasn’t paying attention to how his tone sounded regretful.
“Listen,” he started.
I clipped my head from side to side. I was done, so done. “No.”
“I—” He cut himself off.
I would not cry over this one. I was done crying because of guys. “Move.”
“Listen—”
“Move!”
He waited until I yanked my gaze up to his, and I fought past my own emotions to see he was battling something as well. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were focused on something beyond me before he stepped away, gutting out, “Fine. We’re done.”
I yanked open the door, then heard his parting words. “It’s better this way.”
I didn’t ask what he meant. I was gone.
77
SCOUT
I knew she’d come in because there was no way she hadn’t overheard that. My door creaked open a minute later. “Honey?”
I was throwing my shit into a bag. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
The floorboards protested as she came in. “She’s not just Alex’s cousin, is she?”
“Mom.” God, I was fucking tired. Of everything. “Don’t—”
She rushed forward. “Listen to me, Scout. Listen.”
More floorboards sounded and then her hand was on my arm. She pulled me to look at her. She’d been crying. “Listen to me. You can’t do this.”
“Mom—”
She’d never understand how tired I was of this. From my whole life.
Her fingers tightened, a determined expression hardened her face. “This isn’t your fight. You’ve been saying this all along. This is mine. I’ll handle it.”
