Page 38 of Bring You Back

She hates this stuff. Parties. Anything involving Banks. And if I attend, too, we’ll be doing exactly what we’re doing now—glaring at each other across the space between us.

“I told him not to tell you,” Banks complains at her, a piece of turkey now hanging off his chin.

“And he didn’t listen,” Camille returns with a tight smile.

Banks rolls his eyes. “Obviously.” He wipes at his chin, addressing my now confused stare. “I got it all worked out. I texted Timothy, told himnotto text her,” he emphasizes with a finger-point at Camille, “and told him to text Blondie. We’re all going.”

Tommy doesn’t need to text Reyna, considering they’re together.

I clap my hands, once, in mock compliance, then say, “I haven’t agreed to this.”

“But you will. Because you need this.” Banks points at me before turning the finger on himself. “I need this.” His finger circles the air. “We all need this.”

“One day, Banks, somebody is gonna bite that off,” Camille chides in reference to his finger pointing.

“Will it be you?” he teases.

“Why?” I ask him, my curiosity showing. In other words,What sort of shit did you get yourself into now?

“Life sucks, dude.” A simple answer that explains everything. He lists off the ways, starting with Camille and ending with me. “Your brother’s dead, and your parents suck. And so do mine,” he adds. “Everyone should take a cue from me and stay the hell away from their parents.”

“You haven’t been doing that very well,” Camille says as a dig at his departure from our group.

“I don’tstaywith them, Isleepwith them.” Banks divides a look between my raised brows and Camille’s narrowed stare. “You know what I mean.”

I know there’s more. An impatient sigh leaves my mouth and he finally delivers.

“And the girl I just started dating dumped me.”

Ah ha. Women. The bulk of his highlights and his problems.

“What’d you do this time?”Damn my curiosity.

“I pointed to my junk and told her to give me a kiss.”

“Oh, well,” Camille chimes in as a chuckle escapes me, “that would scare anyone off. You ever thought of kissingherfirst?” She points down between her legs and my eyes drop for a second before springing back up to Banks whose eyes have also dropped, but fail to rise, earning him a glare from Camille.

“I don’t do that,” he says with a shake of his head, looking up and gesturing to his hair. “Their hands always mess up my spikes, and I work too hard for them.”

“God forbid,” Camille deadpans.

I’m laughing again, and this time, I let myself. I also admit that Icanfunction without Banks, but I can function better with him.

“Fine,” I say, and my ex-friend possibly renewed perks up. “I’ll go with you.”

He throws his hands up in victory, effectively flinging the last of the turkey in his hand. The slice hits the counter with asmack.

I point in the direction it landed. “You’re cleaning that up.”

He brushes off my order with a smile, still happy over his win. “Yeah, I’ll get to it.”

“Congratulations,” Camille drones at Banks, then shifts a hard stare at me. I know what she’s thinking—how I’m accepting Banks back with open arms, but they’re still closed to her.

“You’re not a hugger,” I say, folding my arms across my chest for the full effect.

She smirks, and I have to shift my stare to Banks before I can smirk back and fall completely into our banter.

Fuck, I’m giving myself whiplash.

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