Page 40 of Driftwood Daffodil

No shit Sherlock.

“Are you at home?” Carissa asked in a tone that could easily be mistaken for worry.

I knew better. I’d seen firsthand how good her acting skills were.

“No, I'm not at home.”

I didn’t like being there. There were constant reminders of Atlas everywhere. Pictures on the wall, the mug he used in the morning, and the crack in the corner of the kitchen table from when he came home drunk. Not a single room in that house held any kind of escape. And the ones that did were stained with my mother’s blood. It was a wonder I could sleep at all.

“So this girl…”

“Novalee,” I finished for her.

“Do… you like her?”

My brows knit at the speaker where Carissa’s voice was coming from. “No I don’t fucking like her.”

Did I like Novalee? What kind of question was that? I’d like her a lot better after I plucked her eyes out of her skull.

“So… you don’t want to punish her.”

Oh, I wanted to punish her, and her whole fucking family.

Just when I was starting to move past Atlas’s death, there she was. Like a goddamn nightmare with a face I couldn’t get out of my head. That was the part that really pissed me off.

Those pouty fucking lips and bright hazel eyes were like a punch in the gut. Kato’s sister had the same sneer as him. I wanted to rip it off her face and fuck her at the same time. For two years not a single chick in school could get my blood roaring, and now my dick wouldn’t fuck off. I’d been hard since lunch.

All this time I’d been telling myself that I’d find someone who could fill the need Carissa met. And who was it that finally called to that dark part of me? Novalee fucking Ford. Not some cheerleader or random pick up that I’d be more than happy to use, but the sister of my sworn enemy.

What kind of backwater, bullshit irony was that?

I should kill her. Or better yet kill her brother and make her watch.

“Gio, are you still there?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’m still here.”

Though I don’t know why I called Carissa in the first place. I was so pissed off at my dad that I needed to hurt someone, or fuck my frustration away and I found myself calling her.

“I know exactly what you need.”

I just bet she did.

“Why don’t you come over and I’ll help you forget all about this girl.”

Letting out a long exhale, I hung my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m not interested in getting in your pants.”

My dick wasn’t going anywhere near her. Not that it agreed.

“I’m not wearing any pants.”

Of course she wasn’t. “Listen Carissa…”

“Gio,” she cut me off. “I know what you’re going to say, but… this wouldn’t be anything other than one friend helping out another.”

That was a PG way of putting things.

“Carissa,” I sighed. “It’s not a good idea.”

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