Page 11 of No Romeo
“Emma’s my mom.”
Of course. Same blond hair. Same blue eyes. And that made him Gracie’s foster brother. I instantly resented him.
I grabbed a handful of napkins and shoved them into my apron. “And you’re the guy she’s living with.” Instead of me.
He at least had the decency to look guilty about that. “I’m sorry, I know—”
“You don’t know.”
He couldn’t possibly know what it was for me to raise my baby sister. To watch her being taken away and have no power to stop it. I’d lost her and Hendrix, everyone I loved, in one fell swoop. He didn’t know.
I didn’t want to discuss the shitshow that was my life with him. I just wanted to get my tips, get through my shift, and get out of this place. My phone buzzed in my apron pocket as I walked off, and I checked it.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Make it 6 tomorrow.
Ignoring it, I saved Hendrix’s number on my phone as Satan. Because my life already felt like literal hell, and he was my own personal demon fanning the flames.
Chapter5
HENDRIX
Tuesday morning, Wolf and I sat on the back of his tailgate, selling dime bags to the students before they headed into school. If I was lucky, by the end of the week, I’d have enough to keep my power from getting cut off.
“What time is the girl supposed to come look at the place?” Wolf asked.
“Six.”
“If she’s hot, rent it to her.”
“Man, my power is about to get cut off. If she looks like Quasimodo’s twin sister and smells like a can of open ass but can pay, I’ll rent it to her.”
I’d just taken ten bucks from some kid wearing headgear when I noticed Kyle’s faded-red Honda parked up on the opposite side of the lot. He climbed out, nearly stacking it to the concrete when he reached back in for his bookbag. Good, I hoped it was a case of massive blue balls weighing him down.
Wolf knocked his shoulder to mine. “What the hell are you looking at, dude?”
“Fucking Kyle…”
“Why do you hate that dweeb so much? He’s wearing aStar Warstank top, dude…”
“And that’s reason enough, Wolf. Just look at him.” I pointed toward the sack of shit as I pocketed the money.
Wolf didn’t know exactly why I hated him. None of the guys did. It was something I couldn’t bring myself to admit.
“He’s the definition of hateable.”
Then the passenger side door opened, and Lola got out.
I glared over the rusted-out hoods at the traitorous, Medusa spawn of a woman. A breeze caught the baggy T-shirt she had on, plastering it to her perfect tits. That’s all it took for my blood flow to shift a little.
Wolf leaned up, blocking my view. “Wonder if they’re fucking.”
I slapped the back of his sweaty head. “She’s not fucking him, ogre-face turd disposal.”
She wasn’t. He was everything I wasn’t, a delicate flower with manners. Lola was a rebel with a temper that almost matched mine. No way in hell she’d find him attractive. And even if she was banging him, I shouldn’t give a flying evil monkey shit. I’d burned all the shits I had to give…treehouse included.
“If he’s not, he’s at least trying. And you know I’m right.”
Lola slung her backpack over her shoulder. It caught on the tail of her shirt, pulling it up and showcasing her incredible, make-Beyonce-jealous ass. Right at that very moment, Kyle pulled his inhaler out of his pocket.That’s right, Kyle. She’s too much for you to handle.He may as well retreat to his Wookie hut and beat one out to his Ewok porn.
