Page 58 of Paper Hearts

I scoot to the other edge of the truck and before I know it, Ender approaches, cowboy hat on and his boys following close behind.

“What’s are you guys doing out here?” Ender asks, his tone sharp when he notices the empty bottle of fireball now on the barn floor.

Arya shoves her finger into his chest. “What does it look like, fuckface?”

Ender rolls his eyes and kicks the bottle under the truck, his jaw tightening, his eyes cold as ice. He sweeps his hair from his eyes. “How much have you had to fucking drink?”

Arya says something to him, but I don’t hear it. I can’t. I think all the blood in my body has gone to my ears. They literally have their own heartbeat and feel like I’m underwater.

I look up, but all I see isherbehind him, walking too close. He’s not touching her or holding her hand, but it’s clear she came with him.

My eyes shift to Roman, and then Walker, both clearly drunk and still wearing their uniforms. And then they land on Kamila, half-lidded brown eyes barely open and swollen red lips. Her long dark hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she’s wearing Ender’s baseball jersey. The same one from his game. The same one he let me wear two nights ago by the bonfire.

Ender moves to the side of the truck near Carter, but then his demeanor begins to shift when he meets my eyes. When he sees I’m not wearing any clothes and my bikini is the only thing covering me. We exchange a look and I inadvertently touch my fingertips to my lips. They burn, having been kissed by someone other than him.

Carter bumps Ender’s fist. “Nice game, bro.”

Ender returns the gesture, glancing up to him briefly, and then our eyes meet again. He breathes in through his nose, shaking his head in disappointment.

“How was the tournament?” I force a courageous smile. I shouldn’t care, though, because I can’t forget who’s behind him and the reason he said he’d be here and wasn’t.

My stomach twists inside out, waiting for his response.

“3-0,” Ender mumbles, not meeting my eyes.

I watch his breathing, the steady rise and fall of his chest and the strained muscles as he leans into the side of the truck casually. His eyes move to the bottle, to Carter, and then mine again. He’s not stupid. He knows what we were doing out here. Licking his lips, he studies me with predator’s eyes, and I can see him considering his move. Will he call us out? Does he care?

Pressing my lips together, I glare at him, willing him not to make a scene, but when his condescending smirk surfaces, I know what he’s going to do. His eyes narrow and if I had to pinpoint what his expression holds, I’d say it’s a mixture of disappointment, regret, and maybe even betrayal. He thinks I’m his and if anyone even looks my way, they’d answer to him.

“Why do I fucking bother?” he asks, shaking his head as he drops it forward. It’s not a question he’s expecting an answer to.

To my right, Roman is watching Arya carefully, glaring when she reaches for the bottle still rolling around in the bed of the truck, the motion catching Ender’s stare.

“What are you doing?” Ender snaps, taking Arya’s drink from her and smelling it. Scowling at her, he takes the bottle from the truck and sends it flying toward the wall, only it hits a tractor and shatters. “You’re too young for this shit.” He raises her cup higher when she jumps for it.

“You drink all the time.” She reaches up for her drink, but Ender tosses the remaining liquid over his shoulder. She punches his chest with both hands balled up. In an attempt to push him away from her, she makes contact with his jaw and nails him in the chin. “Fuck off and leave us alone.”

Roman and Walker stand back, waiting for what Ender’s going to do. Scowling at his sister, he shoves her away from him. Not hard, but it’s clear he’s annoyed with her. “Knock it off.” He barks at her. “You’re acting like a fucking kid.”

“I am one!” she yells at him. “I’m fifteen,remember?” She’s mocking him, and maybe even Roman because he treats her the same as Ender treats me. We’re too young for them. Or so they think.

“Come on, let’s go.” Ender’s voice is calmer than I would have imagined, steady and just as commanding as Theo can be. He motions behind him to his truck. “Get in the truck.” And though he won’t look at me, subtly ignoring me, he’s paying closer attention than I give him credit for because when I trip over beer bottles getting down out of the truck, Ender reaches out to steady me in the darkness.

“What about me? There’s not enough room for them,” Kamila points out.

Ender turns, looking back at her, but doesn’t say anything.

Arya, refusing to be told no, gets in Ender’s face again. “Where the fuck were you three hours ago? You’re not my dad. I don’t have to listen to you.”

Ender doesn’t miss a beat and takes a hold of Arya and hauls her over his shoulder. His eyes meet Kamila. “Why would I care how you get home?” With a tip of his head, he gestures back at the truck full of guys where I’m still sitting. “I’m sure one of them will take you. Maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll let you suck their dicks too. And take my fucking shirt off.”

Kamila draws in a heavy breath and hits Ender right across the face. She put everything she has into that hit too. It looks like it hurts, and he blinks a few times, his cheek turns pink.

Ender glares at her, breathing kicking up. “That’s not going to help your cause here,” he snaps, taking a step toward her and backing her up against the side of the truck. Arya is still on his shoulder, but he passes her off to Roman. Squaring his shoulders, he regards Kamila. The way he glares at her, I’ve never seen such hatred from him. It’s… intimidating, scary, and everything I’ve heard he can be. Licking his lips, he shakes his head. “These boys listen to me, not some fucking slut who can’t keep her legs closed.”

Kamila blinks, taken back by his harshness. I’ve never been on the receiving end of his cold words before, but I know the meaning they hold. Not many will cross Ender, but Kamila did, and by the tears in her eyes, she knows she fucked up. “You’re an asshole,” she spits, throwing his shirt at him, and stomping toward the back of Carter’s truck.

Ender laughs at her at picks up his jersey she threw at him. “Says the cunt who fucked my cousin the other night.”

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