Page 8 of The Plan

I feel my jaw clench at the mention of her name. I know she’s asking because she cares, but I don’t have the energy to talk about it. I rest my head on the back of the couch and turn to look at her. “Can you just drop it?” I know she isn’t going to since she’s been asking the same question for the last four years. It is still worth a try, apparently.

I know me and Vidia breaking things off the way we did hurt her a bit. She lost a friend, and although I’m sure Vidia didn’t cut her off on purpose or probably even still talks to Sage a bit, if I was her, I’d cut my siblings off, so I can’t blame her if she did.

Sage gives me a sympathetic look, and I’m reminded of another reason why I don’t talk about Vidia. I don’t need anyone's sympathy. “Come on, Sire. You used to talk about her like she was the love of your life, and from one day to another, you just hate each other? Seriously, what happened?”

I let out a breath while I run a hand through my hair, and I think about how I lost everything that night. I feel Sage staring at me like she’s trying to read my mind. “Did she cheat on you or something?” I smile at her assumption. God, I wish it was something that simple. It’d probably hurt a lot less than this.

She starts playing with the bottom of her braids as she thinks out loud. “That girl looked at you like you rose the sun and moon simply for her, so I doubt it.” I think back to our college years, trying to remember the way she looked at me, but all of the good memories are tarnished.

I’m still watching Sage as she goes completely still. “Shoot, didyoucheat onher?”

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head at the dumbest thing she could’ve guessed. “You know damn well I’d rather cut my balls off before I cheat on anyone.” I don’t get why people do that shit. Just break up with them.

She nods thoughtfully while she taps her chin. She opens her mouth to spit out another guess, but my door opens again. We both turn our heads to see August holding his leg. “I think I need to get my knee checked.” Shit. I give August a look to stop talking, and Sage looks between us, confused.

“What happened to your knee?” She hates when we hit each other, and I don’t feel like hearing her rant about how we don’t hit those we love since I just got out of that talk.

We both reply at the same time, saying he fell. She takes that as her opening. “Yes! Go get it checked. As a matter of fact, Sire can go with you and see…” She hesitates, not wanting to say her name. “And see his physical therapist.” She smiles, and I do not.

I get up, rolling my eyes. I should’ve just said I hit him and let her talk our ears off. “He knows how to get to the doctor's office, but if you’re afraid he’ll get lost, I’m sure he’ll love your company.” I don’t even have physical therapy today. I have it tomorrow and this weekend. I don’t feel like seeing my doctor three times in one week.

I hear her following me to my room. “If you love me, you’ll go.” She always pulls this card, and it isn’t going to work this time.

“Stop being manipulative, Sage.”

“August Hale, the doctor willsee you now.” I swear this is the last time I’m letting Sage get her way. August looks over at me togo in with him, and I roll my eyes, slouching into my seat. He can go by him-damn-self.

“Dude, don’t let me go in there alone.” I’m not going.

“If you love Sage, you’ll come in with me.” Manipulative asshole. I’m not going in there with him. “Come on, Sire. You did this to me.”

I snap at how annoying he’s starting to sound. “Fine, just shut up already.”

He’s smiling like an idiot, and I get up and follow him to the room all the way in the back. Are there seriously no other doctors in this place? The room looks completely different. The bed was moved to the wall to the left, and there’s a lot more PT equipment, a treadmill, those big yoga ball things. The main difference is the walls. She had them painted a pastel blue. A small smile I was fighting breaks through, and I shake my head.Stupid pastel blue.

I hear the door open but keep my eyes looking out the floor-to-ceiling window. “I heard you specifically asked to see me.” Of course he did. That dickhead. I turn around and see August walk over to her; he isn’t even limping anymore. That fucking liar.

He goes in to hug her, and I feel my jaw tick. “Of course I did, V. I’ve missed you.” Does he seriously need to hug her for this long?

They finally pull away when Vid says, “How did you miss me? You hung out with Hazel, Sage, and I the other day.” Those fucking traitors. Sage bringing up Vidia earlier makes a lot more sense since they were just together. Where can I get new siblings?

I know I usually call August dramatic when he gets upset about anyone hanging out without him, but I actually feel some type of way that they were all together without me. I wouldn’t have gone, but they could have invited me…

I clear my throat, and when they turn to look at me, I keep my eyes on August. He gives me a worried look and fake limps to the bed.

I fold my arms across my chest and lean against the window. “You can drop the act already.”

Vidia walks over to him and pulls up his sweatpants, revealing a swollen knee, and I push myself from the window. Shit, I didn't think I hit him that hard. She checks it out for a minute and gets something in the cabinet behind her. “It’s not broken or anything. Just keep it elevated and ice it every hour.”

He lets out a relieved breath, and now I really do feel bad. He tries to extend it all the way but flinches and sucks in a breath. “Can I play at our game in a few weeks?”

When she nods, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. She rubs some sort of cream on his knee and then hands it to him. “You can apply some of that the night before and the day of your game if it still hurts.” He thanks her, and then she turns to me. “Are you two incapable of being separated?”

I roll my eyes at her and glance at the other end of the room. “August apparently is.” She knows that, though. She just likes to annoy me. I avoid her gaze as my eyes cut to August. “He moved in next door to me because he can’t stand being apart from me.”

A smile grows on his face, and he shakes his head. “Oh, shut up. You know you love living next door to me.” I do. I’d never admit it, though. When I steal a glance at Vidia, she has the tiniest hint of a smile on her face, but it’s gone so fast I think I imagined it.

She looks over at me with a fire in her eyes, and now I’m sure I imagined it. “Let's just get your session out of the way since you’re here. I don’t have any other patients right now.”

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