Page 52 of Unbidden

Thankfully, before he can respond, Tinsley pads down the hallway. “Time for bed.” She leans up and kisses Reed on the cheek before grabbing my arm and pulling me into her room. “Good night.”

She shuts the door before he can say anything.

I chuckle. “You’re tempting fate, girl. He’s already mad at you, and then you shut the door in his face?”

“I was trying to save you. You looked pissed.”

“Did I? We were talking about you.” I sigh. “He does make me a little twitchy sometimes.”

She giggles before going to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she comes out with a freshly clean face. “He can be a jerk, but he’s a good guy. Deep down, but still.” She hesitates. “I’m sorry if this makes school rougher on you. I plan to tell them everything tomorrow. I’m going to make sure they know you were only looking out for me.”

“Don’t worry about me. You need to tell them the truth about everything because it’s the right thing to do, not because you want to keep me out of trouble. Be prepared though. If you think what I did to Asher was bad, Reed and Keaton are going to be three times worse.”

She climbs into bed, and I climb in beside her. “I know. I almost want to lie because I don’t want them to hurt him.”

“I know you like this kid, but what he did was wrong. He should have never taken you to a party during your first date.”

She lets out a snort. “I’m not concerned for him. I’m concerned for my brothers. I don’t want them to get in trouble when they beat him up. While I had a good time at first, I didn’t like how he was talking or how he treated you when you showed up. Keat and Reed are going to murder him, and I still need them,” she says in a quiet voice, then follows it with “Don’t you dare tell them I said that.”

I smile as she leans over to turn off the lamp on her bedside table before getting comfortable. “No worries, T. Neither of your brothers will ever know. I don’t think they would believe me anyways. Reed would consider it another one of my wicked games I supposedly play.”

She giggles. “He’s an idiot. If Reed, Sterling, and Finley even took five minutes to get to know you, they would see what I see. You’re a great friend and an even better person. You didn’t have to do all this for me today, but you did. You didn’t get anything out of it. That’s what makes you better than everyone else in this place. You don’t have an agenda.”

“Everyone has an agenda. Even me. It just so happens that mine doesn’t involve anyone here.”

“What is it, then?”

“To survive until I turn eighteen, then leave. I won’t have the state telling me what I have to do or where I have to live at that point. I can truly be free.”

“Free sounds nice, but it also sounds lonely. When do you turn eighteen?”

“About six months from now.”

“Will you keep in touch with me when you leave?” Her voice sounds so small.

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” And I know this is a promise I’ll keep. Too many people have abandoned her. I can’t do that too.

After a few minutes of silence, she speaks again. “Hey, Sage?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something, but it stays between us?”

“Of course.”

“What’s sex like?”

Her question catches me off guard, and I hesitate for a moment.

“Sex? Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m still a virgin,” I admit softly.

“Really?” I expect her voice to hold some kind of surprise in it, but what I hear is relief.

“Really.”

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