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“Usually, yes. If I prescribe the pills, they’ll be ready at your pharmacy in an hour or sooner.”
“Let’s do that,” I said, standing. “Please.”
Once Dr. Patel nodded, I walked back into the lobby to meet Maddie and Piper, who were talking sneakily to each other about me getting with Redwood’s bad boy. When I approached, Maddie stood and looped her arm around mine, guiding me back to the car.
“So,” she asked, “what happened?”
“I have some pills being prepared for me at CVS.”
She grinned and nudged me toward the car. “CVS, here we come.”
Five minutes later, we walked into CVS. Jim was behind the counter, reading one of the machinery books he’d checked out from the library, and I did everything in my power to ignore his curious stares. I bounced on my toes, waiting in line with Maddie and Piper to get my prescription.
“Back again?” Jim asked, standing a bit too close behind me.
I leaped into the air, clutched my chest, and turned around. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Who’s this?” Maddie asked, brow arched.
I gave her thatdon’t ask; he’s annoying as helllook with my eyes, and she immediately snapped her lips closed. Thankfully, the pharmacist called me to the counter next, giving me an easy excuse to get away from him.
After taking my medication from the counter, I grabbed both Maddie’s and Piper’s hands and pulled them out of the shop without even looking at Jim again. I didn’t know what his problem was, and I didn’t plan on sticking around to figure it out.
“Please, just drive me far, far away from here,” I said to Maddie once we made it to the car. I looked back at the doors to make sure he wasn’t following us and sighed when we made it onto the main street alone.
I pulled the package of pills out of the white paper bag and stared at them, unable to believe that I was really doing this. After popping out the first one, I took a deep breath and swallowed it. These next seven days were going to be hell for me.
Because I couldn’t have sex,andBlaise was going to blackmail the shit out of me.
“I’m taking you home, right?” Maddie said, turning into the slums.
“Yeah, I gotta make sure Mateo’s okay.”
The moment that Maddie pulled onto my road in the slums, I spotted Blaise’s expensive car parked on the side of the road—in front ofmyhouse. My heart raced in my chest, and I jumped out of the car the second Maddie pulled up to the curb.
“See you tomorrow, I guess.” Piper laughed. “Have fun with your boy.”
But I wasn’t going to have fun.
All I could think about was that Mateo had been home alone and Blaise wasn’t in his car, which meant that he was either … talking to João, who lived across the street, or he was inside my house with Mateo, doing God knew what.
I didn’t care what Blaise did to me, but nobody touched my brother.
ChapterFifteen
VERA
If Blaise had laid a single hand on Mateo, I would—
I shoved the front door open to see Mateo and Blaise sitting on the couch in the middle of a heated game of Raid of Durnbone with fantasy creatures. They were both leaning forward, forearms on their thighs and controllers in their hands, staring and shouting at the TV.
Furrowing my brows, I stared at them with wide eyes. Mateo was one of the least social people ever, had one or maybe two friends at school, and … didn’t really interact with anyone. And now, he was … playing video games with Blaise?!
What the fuck was happening in my life?
They continued playing the game, so focused that I didn’t even think they had seen me. I couldn’t comprehend what the hell was going on right now, but one thing was for certain: I didn’t want Blaise influencing Mateo in any sort of negative way.
Blaise was a bully, a blackmailer, and a bad boy. He didn’t need to focus on school, didn’t need to get into a good college. He probably had a job in his family’s business lined up for him as soon as he got out of high school.
