Page 49 of Endgame

“Want to change the subject?” she offered kindly.

I nodded in relief. “Please.”

“Great. Let’s talk boys,” Molly suggested happily before sinking down on the couch beside me.

“Boys?” Pulling myself up, I repositioned myself so that I was sitting cross-legged and facing her. “What boys?”

“Rourke,” Molly offered with a knowing smile, mirroring my actions. “You like him, don’t you?”

“What? Are you crazy? Of course not,” I quickly protested, cheeks burning.

That only caused Molly to laugh. “Oh, you so do. The second I mentioned his name, your eyes flashed with something.”

“Yeah,” I shot back. “They flashed withhorror.”

“Maybe,” she teased. “But I think there was something else there, too. Attraction?”

I pulled a face at her, unsure of what to say in response. I couldn’t exactly say Rourke wasn’t attractive. It was damn obvious the guy was beautiful in every way. “He drives me crazy,” I finally settled on staying.

“Yeah?”

“And he’s an asshole,” I offered lamely, clutching at straws.

Molly nodded knowingly. “He can be.”

“All of the time,” I grumbled. “He can’t stand me, Molls. Like for reals can’t stand me. Rourke spends most of his days glaring at me.” I shook my head and exhaled a weary sigh. “It’s like he’s judged me based on every bad decision his father has ever made.”

“And that bothers you?” she offered in a gentle tone.

“Well, yeah,” I muttered. “Of course itbothersme.”

“Why?” Molly smiled. “What does it matter to you what Rourke Owens thinks?”

“Because I want him to like me ba –” I slapped my hand over my mouth before I finished the sentence. “Oh my god, you’re good,” I breathed, looking at Molly with reluctant admiration.

“I know,” she chuckled. “It’s a gift of mine; exposing other people’s true feelings.”

“I don’t want to like him, Molly,” I whispered, feeling a huge chunk of shame and resentment land on my shoulders. “He’s a real dick to me.”

“But?”

I had no idea why I was opening up to this girl. I wasn’t the type of person who confided in… well anyone. It wasn’t me. Never had been. But Molly? She obviously had one hell of a gift, because I found myself pouring my heart out to her.

“But when he’s not being a complete dick ninety-nine percent of the time, I see something in him.” I sighed heavily before forcing myself to say the words I dreaded to acknowledge, “Something I think I like.”

Mercedes

I TOOK BACK EVERYTHING I had said to Molly the other day. There wasnothingabout Rourke Owens that I liked. Nothing at all. In fact, the boy was driving me freaking crazy.

Our parents had gone out for the night and Rourke had filled the house with people. I dreaded to think of what was to come when they actually left for their trip. If this was anything to go by, I was in for some sleepless nights.

A small part of me knew I should go down there and try and socialize. Very soon the horde of drunk teenagers’ downstairs would become my peers at school.

But then I thought better of it. I’d never cared about fitting in with people and it would be a cold day in hell before I tried to fit in withhiscrowd.

And besides, I wasn’t a fan of parties. I’d had a bad experience in my early teens that had put an abrupt end to any potential carefree teenage years.

Damn him, I was trying to get some much-needed sleep. I’d worked a late shift last night and an early one this morning. I was bone tired, but it was obvious from the sound of the music blaring down stairs that I wasn’t going to get any sleep in this place tonight.

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