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“Fuck you right back, Sammy.”
I drove straight home without thinking and then sat in my driveway, staring at my closed garage door. I needed to work out the weird energy rolling over me but I couldn’t stand the idea of going to the gym, where other people would be. Closing my eyes and dropping my head back against the seat, I considered upgrading to a bigger house for the first time.
Staying in the same modest house I’d started in was a point of pride for me. After watching my dad ruin everything he built by living bigger and bigger, I never wanted to be that way. I wasn’t flashy. The idea of a home gym sounded nice right about then, though.
After a few moments of contemplation, I decided a run would be just as good as the gym. I went inside and changed and then started at a jog toward town.
Jealousy. That was the feeling that had crawled all over me when I saw Poppy in Sam’s bed. I’d been angry at Sam for touching what felt like mine. Poppy wasn’t mine, though. Any possessive feelings were unwelcome.
I slipped into a run, setting a hard pace.
It was supposed to be one and done with Poppy. I shouldn’t care that she’d slept with Cyrus and Sam. It wasn’t my business. Except, it felt like my business. It felt like they’d encroached on my territory. I was having all of the caveman feelings.
I ran harder.
Seeing Poppy stretched out naked for someone other than me made me want to break shit. As she’d slipped out of Sam’s bedroom, I’d wanted to toss her over my shoulder and take her somewhere to remind her that she only needed me. I’d had to stop myself from reaching for her.
My lungs burned as I pushed my body to go farther and faster.
Poppy wasn’t mine. I had to remember that. She wasn’t any of ours. Or she was all of ours.
I stumbled to a stop as that thought banged around my head. Bending over and gasping for breath, I pushed the thought away. It made no sense. Nothing made any sense.
“Fuck!”
Turning back toward home, I started running again. I would just push my body until I was too tired to think.
32
***Poppy***
Ilookedattheclock on the wall for the hundredth time and still jumped when the bell rang. “Alright, guys. Have a good weekend.”
My last class of the day on Fridays was always brutal, thanks to it being home ec, but it’d been especially torturous that day. I hadn’t even bothered unpacking my bag so I just grabbed it and walked out with the rest of the class. The halls were packed with noisy teenagers and puberty odor as I shuffled toward Sara’s classroom. Breathing in was painful when the halls were full, but I was too impatient to get to Sara.
She was standing at her desk when I walked in, but I was too stressed-out to notice that she wasn’t alone. I just started ranting right away. “It’s been a week. A whole week. Obviously, they hate me. Right?”
“Hey, Poppy! Morgan was just telling me about her date tonight.” Sara gave me a pointed smile and nodded to Morgan who was sitting on a desk right in front of Sara.
I looked at Morgan and saw she was especially made up, her hair all twisted in a fancy updo and her makeup extra nice. My stomach sank and rage came over me out of nowhere. “Who’s your date?”
Sara moved to stand by my side and tucked her arm around me. “She’s going out with Joey, Sam’s cousin. Isn’t that great, Poppy?”
I blew out a sharp breath and sank into her desk chair. “That is great. Good luck, Morgan.”
Morgan shrugged and looked at me like she had something to say. Self-preservation didn’t win out in the end. “I should thank you for that stunt you pulled last weekend. I don’t know what game you were playing with Sam, but thanks to you, I’ve got a hot date with a guy who owns a sailboat.”
“You’re welcome.” I paused. “His daddy owns the boat, though.”
Sara slapped my arm and motioned for Morgan to leave. “Poppy is a little stressed-out. End of the year grading, you know?”
I dropped my head to her desk and groaned. Something was wrong with me. I was losing my mind.
“Okay, woman. You need to get those guys back around because you’re violent without them. I thought you were going to jump on that poor girl when I mentioned her date.” Sara sat next to my head and began braiding my ponytail. “I can’t believe you thought Sam would’ve agreed to a date with her. That is what you thought, right? That her date was with Sam?”
I groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You need to talk about it. Withthem.” She continued braiding and sighed. “Honestly, for best friends, you four don’t talk.”
