Page 62 of Revelry

“She can’t quit,” I reply.

“Who can’t quit? Red?” Deb asks. “Red quit?”

“When?” Zed asks. His eyes are bloodshot and his legs are jittering from the come down. He can’t sit still, and rocks back and forth at a pace that lets me know he’s close to losing his shit.

“This morning,” I say, avoiding their unimpressed faces.

Zed balls his hands into fists and he actually looks as if he might hurt me.

“I found her in Levi’s bed,” I add, because even though I fucked up, I’m not the only one to blame here. I’ll be having a little chat with Levi the second I get him alone.

“Nice one, shithead,” Deb says, throwing her magazine on the dining table. “Maybe if you hadn’t called her by your baby mamma’s name she wouldn’t have run into Quinn’s open arms. Who am I supposed to steal tampons off now?”

“You called her Holly?” Ash asks, screwing up his baby-faced features in a what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you expression.

“I was drunk,” I protest, running my hands through my hair. My head is throbbing like a bitch. “I don’t even fucking remember it.”

“Well that makes you even more of an arsehole,” Zed says, surprising me with the venom in his tone.

I sigh and throw my head back, glaring at the ceiling, and then I head to the front of the bus, past James, who’s been waiting patiently all morning for us to get our shit together and get on the road. But just as I step off the bus, Levi approaches, and behind him, carrying her faded frayed Slayer backpack with all her clothes in it, is Ali. I let out a sigh of relief.

She points her finger at me. “I am not here for you.”

I nod, because even though it cuts me all up inside to think about her fucking Levi, I’m glad she’s here. I screwed up. I hurt her, and that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do, but I made my drunk and disorderly bed, and now I get to lie in it.

“Fine,” I say, and try to act all non-fucking-chalant. She glares between us and then she brushes past me onto the bus.

“Hit me again and I’m hitting you fucking back,” Levi says, as he stares me down. I step in front of him and put a hand on his chest, stopping him from going any farther.

“You had your fun, but if you fuck with her again, I will not hesitate to kick you off this bus,” I warn.

“And if she wants to fuck with me?”

“She’s off limits.”

“Since fucking when?”

“Since the second I met her. I fucked up. You got lucky, but you go there again and I will castrate you myself.”

“She’s a sweet piece of arse, Coop. It might be hard for me to keep my distance now that I’ve had a taste.”

“Let it go, Levi,” Ash says, and we both turn to look at him. Ash, who ordinarily avoids conflict at all costs; Ash who always has Levi’s back, no matter what. Ash stands on the stairs, his grey knit cap that he never takes off pulled low on his forehead.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Levi asks.

“Leave it the hell alone, man,” Ash says.

“Why? So Coop can have her?” he hisses. “Oh, poor, Coop. He lucked out again. Let’s all feel sorry for him and maybe Ali can give him a pity fuck. Screw that shit, man. You’re not the only one that might want a taste of something real.”

I feel as if I’ve just been sucker punched. We both stare at Levi in shock. He runs a hand over the back of his neck and shrugs. “I like her. She’s an awesome chick.”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, and push past Ash to get inside and away from the fucking ridiculous notion that Levi might want something more from a woman. Frommywoman.Fuck. She’s notmywoman at all. She’s notmyanything.

Fuck.

Ash and Levi board the bus and move to their bunks. Zed, Deb and Ali are already in theirs, or they’re in the back room. I lean over the kitchen counter, gripping the edge of the smooth black veneer until my knuckles ache.

“Fuck!” I slide my hand out and sweep the contents of the counter on to the floor. Canisters of coffee and sugar that someone hadn’t put away land at my feet, and I throw my head back and glare at the ceiling, trying to gain control of my temper before I lose it entirely, pull Levi out of his bunk and start beating the shit outta him again. When I get my breathing under control, I lower my gaze and see Ali standing in the aisle beside her bunk. Her face is wet with tears, and I feel like a complete arsehole.

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