AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What was that about?
Sullivan says he doesn’t like bullies.
That’s ironic considering the way he behaved back in school.
This new version of him confuses me. Charming, deliberate, controlled—until he isn’t.
I’ve seen Sullivan lose control once before. It was fucking terrifying.
Prom night. The last time I saw him for about eleven years...
Sullivan’s lucky he didn’t end up in jail.
He sent my date to the ER with a broken nose, three broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder.
It came out of nowhere. At the start of the night, Sullivan and Davis were sharing sips out of Sullivan’s pocket flask. Two hours later, he attacked without warning, beating the ever-loving shit out of my date behind the school gym.
I asked Davis what happened during our six-hour wait in the emergency room. He said,That’s just how Sullivan is; he’s got a temper—especially when he’s been drinking.
I notice Sullivan doesn’t drink much anymore—he nursed the same Dirty Shirley for hours while the rest of us were getting tipsy.
Yet he still lost his shit on Angus when Angus shoved me off the boat.
Maybe people change. Or maybe they just get better at hiding it.
I glance at Sullivan once more. As if he can sense it, he turns and catches my eye and smiles.
I don’t smile back.
“Martinique…” I draw closer to her so Sullivan won’t hear. “Is there any way I could stay at your place next week? My apartment’s being fumigated.”
“Sure!” How quickly she answers makes me want to hug her. “But you know I only have one bed.”
“No problem—I’ll bring an air mattress.”
“Why are they fumigating? You don’t have bed bugs, do you?” She inches away from me by several degrees. “My mom had bed bugs once, and I still get nightmares of creepy-crawlies climbing my legs…”
“No bed bugs,” I assure her. “Just the world’s most disgusting cockroaches.”
“Never thought I’d be relieved to hear that,” Martinique snickers. “How come you don’t stay at Sullivan’s place?”
How come, indeed?
“He…snores.” I squirm at even that pathetic lie.
Martinique doesn’t seem to notice. “Glad to hear he’s not completely perfect.”
“What are you two girls whispering about?” Angus interrupts.
He grabs a stick and starts poking at the clams, which really annoys me because he’s letting out all the steam.
“Nothing,” I say, snatching back the stick.
“Theo and I are planning a week-long sleepover,” Martinique informs him, ever the blabbermouth. “Her apartment is being fumigated.”
Angus pretends to wrinkle his nose at me. “Well, that explains the smell…”
“They don’t start until next week,” I say with as much dignity as possible considering I’m holding a filthy, sand-covered stick and probably do smell like smoke, sweat, clams, and fish guts.
