Page 100 of Rebellious

“You all right in there?” Drew’s voice is hesitant.

When he and Fenn arrived back home earlier, I had been sitting on the sofa, three beers down, the rule on the inside of my forearm glaringly obvious. My new ink and mood said it all. Both guys made an excuse to leave, which I appreciated.

I would rather simmer in my own failures alone since, apparently, solitude is in my future.

I lie back on my bed, a hand over my forehead. “I’m fine,” I clip out.

“Have you eaten?” Concern is woven throughout Drew’s question, which only serves to piss me off further.

“Don’t talk to me like a fucking kid,” I bite out. “I can handle myself.”

He better not think he needs to take over Aspen’s role now that she’s on a plane, heading to Boston and right into Liam’s arms.

My jaw clenches, tension coiling through my entire body.

“Perfect,” Drew returns, completely unaffected, “I was worried you might continue acting like a fucking brat.”

I jump up, ready to pick a damn fight, and throw open the door, finding Drew casually leaning against the wall.

“Evening, sugar,” he teases. “Can we help you pull your head out of your ass before we grab dinner?”

I fist his shirt and haul him to my chest. “Leave me alone.” My voice has taken on this scary growl, which should warn my brother away from any further taunts. However, I forget he’s an idiot and subtlety is not his thing.

“I take that as a no, then?”

Fenn approaches, a reserved look in his eyes. “Come on, dude. Let’s get out of here for a while.”

He says it like we’ve been here, at the townhouse, all summer, and not at the lake house with Aspen for the last six weeks.

“I’m fine,” I tell him, sighing. I let go of Drew’s shirt. “Go without me.”

We only have a few things in the pantry. I need to go to the store but that, too, conjures up memories of this summer.

“Maybe a change of scenery will help?” Fenn tries again.

His eyes are the same color as Aspen’s. I pinch my eyes shut, pressing my thumb in the corner as if a crazy headache is coming on.

“Thanks for the offer,” I finally tell him, turning around and heading back into my bedroom.

“We’re all going to miss her.”

I spin around at Fenn’s confession.

He shrugs. “The three of us need to learn how to function without her.”

Easy for him to say. He gets to visit her when his parents fly to Boston in the next couple of days and help her move in. She’ll still talk to him. He didn’t ruin her life and choose his family over her.

Without saying a word, I turn and slam the bedroom door closed behind me. I don’t need girlfriends or therapy chats. This day has been brewing since we were kids. I’ve prepared for it as best I could but that doesn’t mean I can’t be an angry asshole for a few days.

An annoyed slapping sound rattles the door. “We’ll bring you something back. Don’t drown in your tears.”

Like Aspen, my brother has had many years of learning how to ignite my rage. However, I’m not taking the bait. As much as I want to punch something, I refuse to hit him.

I can deal with this.

I just need to get through this first night.

Going to the window, I pull the curtains back so I can stare at Aspen and Vee’s back door. Now it’s just Vee to watch over. Although, I highly doubt she’s in there. She’s probably next door with Sebastian, if she even came home yet. The window is still unlocked, a habit I’ve not been able to give up.

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