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“You signed up for my sister. She had always wanted to be like those girls in the movies. She convinced you to join, and I think you liked it sometimes. Especially during the games. You always had a huge smile on your face,” I respond naturally, and Gracie laughs.
“I guess people change then because sitting here four days a week is torture,” she groans. “I’d rather stay at home during one of my mom’s drunken rants or discuss my sex life with Gray again,” she mutters, and I choke on the sip of cider I just took.
What the fuck?
“Sorry, that was too much information. I know you hate me now, but for some reason, I find myself opening up to you easily,” she says, then stands. “You can keep the thermos and cookies; I have more. Night, Ash.”
She grabs her bag, then walks to the parking lot, leaving my head spinning from her confessions.
Carter
“Fuck, my ribs are throbbing,” Dom moans as we change after practice. “I might need to jump into an ice bath tonight,” he continues, and I grunt in acknowledgment. Someone clears their throat behind us, and I spin around.
“You look like shit,” I mutter, and he nods with a wince.
“I feel like it too. Can we talk? Go back to my place and hang out?” Ash asks the three of us, and I look at King. He’s smiling like he knows what this is about, and I kinda want to punch him.
“Yeah, but you have to feed me,” Dom says, and Ash laughs.
“Done. You always were a cheap date,” he jokes, and my eyes widen. Even though he looks like he just woke up from a six-month bender, he seems lighter. “Oh no, not tonight, Ashton. I want Bennies,” Dom says, and I groan.
“Yes, please,” I agree, and King claps me on the shoulder before pushing us toward the exit.
“So what’s this about?” I whisper to him when Dom and Ash go ahead of us up the stairs. King shakes his head, but he’s still grinning.
“You’ll see,” he says, then shoves me aside and walks toward the door leading to the parking lot.
* * *
We grabBennie’s to go because they were packed for it being a Wednesday night, then drive over to Ash’s place. We don’t bother turning on the lights and head for the basement. This is where we would always hang out anyway.
I shiver when we reach the game room, and Ash flicks on the lights. It looks the same as it always did. Ash drops onto the leather couch and kicks his shoes off. He looks like he wants to take a nap, but that’s not happening. Dom places the food on the coffee table, and King grabs the game controllers, switching the TV on.
I sit next to Ash, and he groans, rubbing his eyes. Dom starts to hand out our food, and I don’t hesitate. Creamy diablo sauce hits my tongue, and I moan. Ash laughs and opens his seafood pasta.
“I forgot how good this was,” he groans as he starts shoveling it into his mouth. We watch as he eats like he’s never had food before. “What?” he mumbles, noticing we stopped eating.
“You okay, man?” Dom asks, and he shrugs, putting his fork down.
“I haven’t ordered this since Gracie,” he grunts, then bends over and sets his food on the table.
“We know. But that’s not what I meant,” Dom continues, “Why are we here, Ash? The last time we talked, it almost ended in a fistfight.”
Ash sighs and runs his hand across his face. “I talked with Gracie today. I think she’s starting to remember some things…” he trails off and smiles. Uh oh. I know what that means.
“You can’t have her back,” I blurt out, and he frowns.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Carter. Gracie and I are over.” Dom scoffs, and King snorts.
“Should we discuss what drunken Ash told me last night? Hmm,” King says, and Ash crosses his arms.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s the reason my sister is dead. Even if I still loved Gracie, that doesn’t change shit,” he grumbles, and I sigh.
“Okay, then, what are you trying to say, Ash?” I ask, trying to get this conversation back on track.
He grumbles and grabs his food again. “I was going to suggest we help Gracie get her memories back. I know we can’t outright tell her things, but if we were to slip them into conversations or take her to some familiar places, it might jog something,” he says, and I think it over.
“It’s not a bad idea, but how are we going to do that? Unless it’s at school. Her family is all up her ass now. Gray is even living at home. He claims Anna kicked him out, but I think someone is trying to keep Gracie’s memories secret.”
