Page 13 of Please Hate Me

“I’m okay.” I squeaked, waving them off.

Lucian’s nostrils flared as he reached for the zipper of his jacket. The chipped black polish on his nails blended into the material as he removed it, but he didn’t stop at extending it to me. Instead, he forced it onto my shoulders.

Even if he hadn’t given me the jacket, the gesture itself would have been enough to keep me warm. I silently pleaded with every divine being to extinguish the blush I felt rising in my cheeks. Sebastian’s icy gaze sliced through me, and instantly, I tried to shrug off the jacket.

“If you take that off before we’re in the car, you’re both homeless. Do you understand?” Lucian commanded as he pulled on Cameron’s enormous coat.

My breathing went shallow as I nodded, pulling the fabric back over my shoulders. Suddenly, I could feel every seam in my clothing slicing into me like a thousand knives. I pulled at myshirt, trying to prevent the stitches from rubbing against my skin as we finally finished the trek to the car.

The metallic jingle of keys filled the air as Sebastian unlocked his vehicle. A sleek blue Range Rover stood before us, its polished exterior gleaming under the pale glow of the streetlights. Lucian marched toward the passenger seat.

“Lucky, that’s for Mason,” Sebastian said matter-of-factly.

Lucian looked over his shoulder, barely giving us the time of day. “My bag is here. It’s my seat.”

“That’s not how–”

The door opened and slammed shut before Sebastian could formally protest.

“That’s fine. I don’t mind the back seat,” I assured Sebastian.

But I could tell Lucian had already soured his brother’s mood. All the Castillos were hot-headed, but the only one who had any conflict resolution skills was their older sister, Leona.

If only she could be here to help me through this mess.

Sebastian took my bag and popped the hatch, and I sat directly behind Lucian. I reasoned that if I sat here, it’d be difficult for him to see me, and if I was quiet enough, he could forget I existed. The hatch slammed shut as Cameron and Sebastian finished loading their stuff in, cursing Lucian and me with just a moment of solitude.

“Why are you with that creep?” he snorted, breaking the blissful silence.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

I wanted to press him more, to defend Sebastian’s honor, but the car quickly filled with the remaining members of our party. I could practically feel the vehicle shift under Cameron’s mass. His knees rubbed against mine as he fought to fit into his half of the car. And then, just when he’d finally gotten settled in, Sebastian shoved the driver’s seat back as far as it would go.

“Can ya scoot up just a hair?” Cameron asked.

Sebastian glanced at him through the rear-view mirror.

“No.”

Cameron shifted again. I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, but part of me was afraid to make Sebastian any angrier than he already was.

“We can switch—“

“No.” It was Lucian who said it this time. “If I’m forced to look at you for the whole hour-long drive back home—rear-view mirror or not—I’m going to vomit.”

“Lucian.” Sebastian and Cameron both warned in unison.

But the damage was done. I felt a shameful burning begin to grow in my throat. Luckily, my father had taught me how to turn off my emotions like a switch. I would still have to deal with them later, but it left me able to breathe until I got to a space where I could melt down in peace.

The car fell into silence as Sebastian turned on the vehicle. Instantly, some overly peppy radio host flooded through the speakers as Sebastian backed out.

“Alright, I hope everyone is buckled up because we are breaking into the top ten songs on the Billboard Top 100! Or should I say, prepare for the Mason Albright marathon?”

I sunk into the leather seat as Cameron’s gaze shifted to me. “Hey, that’s kinda cool… a pop star has the same name as you.”

I shot him an askance glance, and I patted at my pockets, desperately hoping to find the earbuds I knew were in my carry-on—the one Sebastian had so kindly stored out of my reach.

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