Page 52 of Jaded

“How the fuck much did youdrink, kid?” I ask, pinching my nose. On Avery’s other side, Olli tips his head up towards the sky. Syd lingers behind us, staring at the toes of her pink Converse.

“Oh, like we’ve never been here before,” Olli says, still staring into the sky like the splatter of stars that pokes through the city smoke is terribly fascinating. “I know I have. You gotta live the mistake to learn from it, right?”

I grunt in reluctant admission. “Yeah, fine. I have. But it’s different—”

It’s different when it’s your kid, I don’t say. Because Avery isn’t my kid.

“I get it.” Olli slips back under Avery’s arm as Avery straightens. “I don’t have siblings, but I totally get not wanting to watch them live through our mistakes.”

I wince. He thinks Avery’s my brother, even though we look nothing alike. I guess we’re molded from such similar clay—such matching character archetypes—it’s natural to assume.

“Actually,” I say, and my breath catches as Olli turns. His eyes meet mine behind Avery’s tilted head. “Syd’s my daughter. Avery’s her boyfriend.”

His eyes pop in surprise, so wide that white shows all around the brown.

But he doesn’t stumble or falter or exclaim in shock. All he says is, “Truck’s right here.”

The silver Tacoma at the edge of the yard beeps as Olli unlocks it. Syd climbs wordlessly into the back, and Olli and I heave Avery into the passenger seat. I squish in beside him, and Olli hands me a bucket.

“I’m fine,” Avery insists, but I settle it on his lap anyway.

“Do you even know how to drive on this ice, Florida?” I ask as Olli puts the truck in gear.

“I’m Canadian.” His words are serious, but his mouth twitches with amusement.

“Oh.” Why the hell does that surprise me? I knew on some level that he wasn’t actuallyfromFlorida, right? That was his most recent team before this one. I knew that, right?

I guess I’d never thought about it. I’ve been too caught up in myself, in how his presence makes me feel, to wonder about the real him—the man beneath the pretty face.

“You’re gonna tell me which dangerously icy roads to take, though, right?” he asks, jerking me out of my thoughts. “Since I’m so bad at driving them.”

“Right. Yes. So, probably easiest to get on the highway from here. You know how?”

“Left?”

“Yeah. There.” I point towards the ramp, and in no time we’re zooming along a nearly abandoned stretch of darkened highway, heading into the city.

“Please don’t bring me home,” Avery groans, tilting his head back against the seat. “Mary will kill me. And then Dad will legitimately whoop my ass.”

I wince, because he probably does mean that. I don’t know Avery’s dad, but I’d bet there’s a reason Avery’s so much like me. My dad was an asshole too.

“We’ll go back to my house,” I reassure all the current occupants of the car. “Exit four.”

“Brenda is really the scary one, though,” Avery moans. “Because she’s nice.”

“My stepmother,” I inform Olli. “Syd’s step-grandma, Avery’s unofficial aunt-mother . . . We have sort of a wild family tree.”

“Like a venus fly trap,” Syd offers helpfully from the back seat. “Watch out or we’ll suck you in!”

“Thank you for that, Sydney,” I sigh.

“Ooh!” Syd chirps. “We’re like the Cullens! Picking up strays. Just, you know, without the fangs and animal blood and shit.”

Behind the wheel, Olli’s laughing. “I can totally see Nat being like Carlisle. You know . . .”

Syd and Olli both dissolve into giggles, and I want so badly to be annoyed, but—“What the fuck’re you two talking about?”

More laughter. Avery groans. “Fuck Twilight.”

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