Page 95 of Rebellious

Fenn spits, rushing Drew and me.

Quickly, I put a hand to his chest. “Whoa, calm down, crazy.”

He rears back. “Crazy?”

I nod, wiping under my eyes and avoiding Bennett’s seething stare. “Me? Crazy?” He straightens, knocking my hand off his chest. “I wasn’t the one who packed up and left without saying shit to anyone.”

My head drops in shame. “I was going to.”

Fenn laughs sardonically. “Oh, sure.”

“Okay,” I agree. “You’re right. I wasn’t going to say goodbye.”

I would have, had my brother been home, but he wasn’t, and I couldn’t risk waiting around and Bennett waking.

“I’m sorry.” I take a step closer to my brother. He huffs, but he doesn’t shrug me off when I loop my arms around his shoulders.

“The summer wasn’t over,” he mumbles.

But it was.

It had to be.

Every day I stayed with Bennett would only prevent us from saying goodbye. We are habitual exception makers. I couldn’t let Bennett give up one more thing in his life. He deserved more. His life is worth more than sacrifices and it is time someone made one for him.

“Be good, Fennius,” I say, fighting through tears. “Don’t get suspended.”

Fenn pulls back and levels me with a flat look. “Liam is a cocksucker. Why didn’t you want to stay and work for Thad?”

I sigh. This is the hard part.

“I needed a change.”

A clean break from the boys I’d always go back to.

“Aspen,” Bennett says, his voice a hard edge.

I give Fenn one last squeeze before stepping back and finding Bennett’s outstretched hand. “Walk with me?”

He sounds resigned and not like the angry Bennett I dealt with this morning.

I nod, taking his hand and letting him lead me past several rows of cars before pulling us to a stop.

“Is this about earlier?”

Be strong, Aspen.

“No.”

It’s the truth. This isn’t about earlier. This is about him and his damn honor.

“No?” His brows arch. “Then what made you flee to the airport two weeks early?”

I sigh. I can’t leave without him knowing the truth. Spending even another week with Bennett would have been torture for the both of us. “I—”

“Is this about marriage? Kids?” He’s confused, his voice pitching.

“What? No.”

---