Page 167 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

“Maybe if you let her cool off—”

“Yeah, maybe.” I jammed my good hand into my pocket and took off down the Farises’ driveway.

“What the hell are you doing?” Cole shouted after me. “I called a cab.”

“I’m going to walk. I need some fresh air.”

Maybe it would clear my head and help me figure out how the fuck I was going to fix this.

I took the long route home. Cole didn’t follow but he did text me to make sure I hadn’t decided to do anything stupid.

As the buzz from the alcohol wore off, the pain in my hand got worse until I couldn’t clench a fist without tears burning my eyes. I was screwed if I’d broken my knuckles, but that was the least of my problems right now.

A muffled groan slipped from my lips when I reached my house and realized someone was still up. The door swung open and Dad appeared on the porch, disappointment radiating from every inch of him.

“I should drag your sorry ass down to the police department and let them throw you in a cell for the night.”

“Sofia and Ezra made it home then.”

“Yes, and they filled us in on everything.”

“Great,” I muttered.

“I’m disappointed in you, Son. You’re a Bennet. That isn’t how we conduct ourselves.”

I didn’t even bother replying because I was disappointed in me too.

His cool gaze followed me as I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “So I’ve heard their versions of events.” His voice cut the silence like a knife. “Want to tell me yours?”

“I fucked up.”

“I can see that.” He ran a clean towel under the faucet and motioned for me to give him my busted hand. “Does it feel broken?”

“I’m not sure. It hurts like a bitch though.”

Wrapping the towel around my hand, Dad secured it and said, “Start from the beginning.”

“Something happened… with Poppy.”

“I see.” His lips pursed. “Is this where I need to warn you that she’s like a daughter to us and that Jase will kick your ass six ways to Sunday if you ever hurt her?”

“Trust me, I’m well aware of what Jase will do.”

“You know, I’ve always wondered if your friendship had ever crossed that line. But you’ve never brought it up and I figured that maybe it was better to let you find your own way.”

“It hadn’t.” I blew out a steady breath. “Not until recently.”

“You care about her.”

“It’s more than that,” I confessed. “She’s important to me, Dad.”

“I see. And something happened between the two of you tonight?”

“Not exactly.”

“Come on, Aaron, work with me here. Jase is my best friend. Poppy is his daughter. I need to at least know whether I need to get you out of the state or not.” His lips twisted with amusement, but the joke was lost on me.

When Coach Ford found out what I’d done—to Poppy and to Eli—I doubted I’d live to tell the tale.

---