AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, I won’t sit here quietly while you defend him. He should have been here to protect us.”
I lower my eyes, ashamed they needed protecting in the first place.
Tristan sees my regret and kindly reaches for my hand, squeezing it softly. Sadly, this simple gesture sets off a clusterfuck of events.
“Pollyanna, go to your room!” Cynthia demands, standing up and thumping her fist on the table, which surprises me because I’ve never seen her this angry before.
“No!” Polly screams, jumping up and stomping her foot. “You can’t just send me to my room. I’m not a child anymore. I won’t censor my thoughts because they hurt your delicate feelings.”
Tristan squeezes my hand once again when I let out a small sigh because I feel remotely sorry for Cynthia.
The gesture is purely innocent, but in a room filled with crazy, angry people, Tristan’s hand may as well have squeezed my boob.
“How ’bout you keep your hands to yourself, Tris?” Quinn barks from across the table.
Tristan apprehensively loosens his grip, but he doesn’t let go.
“She’s a big girl and doesn’t need you to hold her hand.”
“What the fuck is your problem?” I retort, my last tether of patience snapping as I glare at Quinn.
As he clenches his jaw, I stupidly say, “I think you and Polly need to chill the fuck out.”
The moment it’s out, I know that comment will bite me in the ass.
“I’m not going to chill out. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for you!” Polly yells, pointing her finger at me. “So fuck you.”
I rip my hand out from Tristan’s grip, who looks hurt that I’ve broken our connection. “How about you stop being a spoiled brat for one second and—”
“You destroyed my life!” Polly cries.
“Polly, that is enough!” Cynthia cries, horrified.
But Polly ignores her as she kicks back her chair and stalks over to me.
Tristan is up in an instant, ready to protect me. He stands in front of me, acting as my human barricade.
But Quinn adds fuel to the already out-of-control fire as he snarls, “She doesn’t need your protection, Tristan.”
“But she does yours?” Tristan spits back, turning to glare at Quinn.
“Stop it!” I yell, looking across the table at Quinn, who looks ready to explode. “What is the matter with you? Stop being such a jerk.”
“You’re the jerk!” Polly suddenly screams, advancing forward, but Tristan remains my bodyguard.
“Excuse me?” I gasp, leaning to the left so I can look at her without Tristan’s broad back in the way.
“You heard me,” she replies, stopping inches from Tristan’s chest. “It’s so damn obvious that these two”—she gestures back and forth with a finger between Tristan and Quinn—“are in love with you, and you’re just stringing them both along. How about you choose one and put the other out of his misery?”
How. Dare. She.
There is no truth to her lies, but as I look at Quinn, I can see that he might actually agree with her. And the fact that Tristan hasn’t piped up in my defense is a sure sign that he doesn’t entirely disagree with her.
I don’t understand; how did I end up being the bad guy?
The bad guys are the ones who did this to us. They’re the ones who forced us to run, and now we’re stuck in this cabin of confessions where I’m the monster. Well, fuck them all.
“Choose one?” I spit out, pushing past Tristan, who tries to put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, but it’s too late.
