Page 92 of Habits

Leaves me … alone.

Jeanette

“She’s in her room,” Max says to somebody on the other side of the closed door. “She’s been in there for the last few days. I tried talking to her but …”

Tightening my grip around the pillow, I refuse to lift my gaze off the screen. Klaus is just about to rip someone’s throat out, and I’m in the mood for some bloodshed.

“Has she started getting ready for tonight?” The voice is low, almost tentative. Lia.

“Nope, she said she isn’t going anywhere.”

“What? Then I’m out too…”

“Brook! You’re going, and Jeanette is going, and everybody is going!” Lia’s voice rises with every word. I can feel her frustration all the way from here.

“Obviously not,” Brook says, and I can imagine her rolling her eyes. Then she continues loud enough so there is no way I cannothear it: “Her royal bitchiness is too busy to spend some time with peasants!”

I cover my mouth to muffle the laugh that wants to erupt from me. She’s good, I have to give her that. Quirky almost. The way she always finds something new and creative to say to mess with somebody, but I don’t have to admit it out loud.

After that night she showed up on my doorstep drenched like a rat, our relationship has been … strange, to say the least. We aren’t friends, but we aren’t enemies, either. Once Lia jokingly said Brook and I are the definition of frenemies, and I guess she might be right.

Clearing my throat so there is no trace of amusement in my voice, I yell, “I heard that!”

“You were meant to!”

Soon after, the door bursts open and there she is, standing in the doorway in her stupid ripped jeans and hoodie with her arms crossed over her chest. “Get your scrawny ass out of the bed, Princess.”

I shoot her an annoyed glare from my position in bed, pulling the blanket tighter around me. “I don’t think so. I’m fine the way I am now.”

“You said you’d go to the party with us.” Lia’s head peeks over Brook’s shoulder, her strawberry hair pulled in a messy bun on top of her head.

“Well, I changed my mind.” I shrug my shoulders, my way of brushing them off while actually beingnice.

Lia’s shoulders slump, but Brook’s prudent green eyes keep staring at me. I return her stare, not backing down. I lift my brow, challenging her to say whatever’s on her mind or leave me the fuck alone. She smirks slowly at me, making me narrow my eyes.

What does she think she knows?

Turning on her heels, she shoves Max in his chest. “Off you go, this is a girls’ zone only.”

Max opens his mouth to protest, but she shuts the door in his face. Rubbing her hands together, she turns toward me. “Now, spill it. What did he do?”

Ignoring her, I turn my attention back to the screen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She can’t know, can she? The smirk on her lips and almost satisfied tranquility mixed with the knowing gleam in her eyes make me think otherwise, only there’s no way … nobody knows, not for sure. I haven’t been going around telling people my business, and I can’t imagine Andrew sitting down for tea and gossiping about our sex life.

Brook comes to my bed and yanks the blanket off of me.

“Hey!”

“Something must have happened for you to close up in your room and avoid Andrew’s house like a plague.”

“Mhmm …” Lia nods her head in agreement. “Just remember what happened the last time I tried doing that.”

Ignoring Lia because there is no way her and Derek’s situation can even compare to me and Andrew—not like there actually is me and Andrew—I give my full attention to Brook. “Why are you even going over there? I thought that wasn’t your crowd.”

“Derek’s going, which means Lia’s going, which means …” Sighing, she waves her hand. “It’s beside the point. What did that asshole do?”

Pulling the pillow in front of me, I hug it tight to my chest. She took my blanket, but at least I still have this.

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