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“He likes you,” I say. I’ve noticed the way he watches her and picked up on the fact everyone gives him shit about it.
“No, he doesn’t. He feels sorry for me.”
“Abi, I’m sure that’s not—”
“It is.” She lowers her face, letting her hair shield her scars. “I’m not like the girls he messes around with. Sexy. Confident… Experienced. Even if he did like me a little bit, he wouldn’t act on it. He sees me as a little bird that needs sheltering. Protecting. It’s sweet but it also hurts.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“I’ve thought about it. But then I’d lose him completely. Having him care about me as a friend is better than not having him at all.”
I’m not sure I agree but I don’t argue. Because she has a point. Elliot would eat a girl like Abi alive. And I’d hate to see her get hurt.
“You could have told me, you know,” she adds quietly.
“I didn’t think there was anything to tell.” I shrug.
“And now?”
I glance over at the boys, trying to tell myself that this doesn’t change anything. That my plan is still the same. Turn eighteen and get the hell out of here.
I don’t belong here, I never will, no matter how much I want to sit here and pretend.
“It’s just a bit of fun.” I meet her knowing gaze and force a smile.
“Does he know that?”
“I—”
“If you want pizza you’d better get in here before Reese eats it all,” Oakley chimes.
“Fuck off, arsehole. I’ve had like four slices.”
“And a whole box of dough balls.”
“So, I’ll work it off later when I’m balls deep in your sis—”
“Let’s not do this again, shall we?” Liv gets up and goes over to them, perching on the arm of the sofa beside Reese. But he wraps an arm around her waist and drags her into his lap.
“Here, eat.” He hand feeds her a slice of pepperoni much to Oakley’s annoyance.
“You not going to feed your girl, Teddy?” Oak teases, and I glower at the lot of them.
“Leave it out.” Theo leans over and whacks him upside the head. “If Raine wants to eat, she can feed herself.”
“Spoken like a true gentleman,” Tally snickers.
“Because Oak is such a nice guy,” Elliot scoffs, and she frowns.
“Oh, I don’t know. He sure knows how to treat me right.”
“Damn straight, Prim. I’m all about the giving.”
“Does every conversation you have turn into a sexual innuendo?” I ask, mildly amused.
“Pretty much,” Elliot grumbles. “But you’ll get used to it. So, Raine Storm—what kind of fucking name is Raine Storm anyway?”
Everyone looks at me and I want to shrink into the ridiculously comfy sofa. “My mum was a bit kooky.”
