Page 57 of Rules

“I was not!” I protest at the same time Jeanette groans loudly. Her head falls back, touching the back of the couch, hand covering her eyes.

“Did you have to say that?! That’s my brother we’re talking about. You can’t say shit like that. Now the only thing I can see…” She shakes her head, presumably to clear her mind of the picture of her brother and me… Yeah, you get the idea. “Somebody pass me the bleach before I gag.”

Lia starts giggling, and I can’t help but join in. “That’s what you get for asking questions you shouldn’t be asking.”

“Touché.”

Jeanette’s face is still curled in disgust, and I can’t stop the laugh that comes out. Unfortunately, Lia’s not so easy to steer away from the subject.

“I don’t see what the big deal is. I can totally see the two of you together. It’s not like either of you are into somebody else or anything.”

Jeanette’s eyes land on me, but I can’t hold her heavy stare for long, so I break away. I love Lia, but sometimes she’s so clueless, and that’s why this whole thing hurts even more.

“Right,” I agree half-heartedly, getting on my feet. “I should go. I have things to take care of.”

Lia frowns. “What things?”

Pulling my backpack over my shoulder, I shrug, turning away. “Things.” Looking back at them, I give a weak attempt at a smile. “I’ll see you at school.”

Chapter Nineteen

MAX

The black screen of my phone draws my attention for the umpteenth time. Sighing, I push my notes to the side and grab it, swiping my thumb over the screen only to find a few notifications and a bunch of stupid-ass videos in a team group message.

Don’t they have anything better to do?

Throwing the phone back on the stack of papers, I lean back in my chair, my hands going through my hair, pulling at the fine strands.

Jeanette still hasn't gotten home, but for the first time, it wasn’t her I was worried about. It was Brook. I saw Anette and Lia haul her out of school after class, and they’ve been MIA ever since. And after everything that happened today in the art room…

I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it. One minute we were at opposite sides of the room, just like any other morning during homeroom, and then we weren’t. I was on the floor, and Brook was sitting on my lap, wiggling her little ass to the point my pants became embarrassingly tight, only she was clueless about it, too immersed in getting back at me for leaving a teeny-tiny smudge of color on her face. And then she was so close I could feel her warm breath touch my cheek, so close her honey scent wrapped around me like a cocoon. So close I could feel her lips on mine, but then the two of them came in and it was like a bucket of ice water was poured over us.

My whole body shivers with the memory of having her so close.

Brook only wanted to be friends, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it, not after today. I’m not sure what we are exactly, but whatever it is, I need to figure it out. That one little misstep brought back all the memories of that one night. There was no fooling myself anymore. I wanted her. And no amount of pretending otherwise would change it.

Unable to take the silence anymore, I get up and grab my stuff.

If she’s not going to answer my messages, I’ll pay her a visit.

Taking two steps at a time, I descend the stairs. Not that long ago, Mom checked in before she left with her friends, so the house was now dark and quiet. Just as I’m putting on my shoes, I hear keys jiggling and then the door slides open. Turning around, I’m prepared to see my sister, but it’s not her.

“Hey, Dad,” I greet.

“Hi, son.” The briefcase falls with a loudthump, and he starts to shrug out of his winter gear. His tired eyes look me over. “Going somewhere?”

He’s been working a lot since we moved here. Well, longer days than normal. We’ve been used to him not being around much, with him being a doctor and all, but it seems like since coming to Greyford he’s been working crazy long hours, and with Mom gone most of the time, it was just Jeanette and me.

“Just need to get some fresh air.”

He looks skeptically through the window at the snow slowly falling. Running one hand over his face, he says, “Just be careful.”

“Will do.”

Dad bends down to pick up his briefcase as I put on my jacket.

“Anybody home?” He grabs his phone out of his pocket.

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