Page 108 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

“You good?” Peyton asked me, and I nodded, the muscle in my jaw working overtime.

A fight.

Only my sister and Poppy could go to some bar and end up in the middle of a fight.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked Sofia and she nodded.

“I don’t want Mom and Dad to know.”

And there it was. The reason we were standing here. Because she needed me to bail her out.

“Sofe…”

“No, Aaron. I can’t deal with Mom’s overbearingness. I’m fine.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” I shrugged out of Peyton’s grip and approached Poppy. “Does it hurt?”

I was surprised when she let me cup her face and gently brush my thumb over the bruise.

“I’ll live,” she said, looking right at me. The air crackled, jolting through me. I needed to say something—anything—but my words had all dried up, the roar of blood in my ears making it difficult to think.

“Okay,” Peyton’s voice popped the bubble around us, and I stepped back, shoving my hand in my pocket. “We should probably go.”

“Yeah, okay.” I glanced back at Poppy but she was no longer looking at me.

“Come on, Brother.” Sofia tucked herself into my side. “I need my bed.”

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