Page 82 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

God, I was in trouble.

So much trouble.

* * *

I heardthem before I saw them.

My brother’s familiar laugh, mirroring Dad’s deep chuckle.

“Hey, there she is.” Dad smiled, apology glittering in his eyes.

“Hey,” I said, making a beeline for the refrigerator.

“You know you basically slept the day away, right?” Aaron asked, a slight coolness to his voice.

Oh, he was pissed all right, but he was stewing on things rather than confronting them head on.

I guess I couldn’t say much there since I was doing the same thing.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“Sofe—”

“Honestly.” I gave him a weak smile. “I’m fine. Where’s Mom?” Maybe she could temper the tension between us.

“She ran to the store to get some salad for dinner.”

“Oh.” I slid onto a stool at the breakfast counter.

“Do you want— Hold that thought.” His cell phone started blaring. Dad checked the screen and grumbled, “I need to take this.”

He disappeared out of the kitchen leaving me alone with Aaron.

“So…” my brother said.

“So…”

“You’re banging my best friend.”

I winced at the accusation in his voice. “Aaron. We’re not… it isn’t like that.”

“Yeah, Kandon said the same thing.”

“You’re pissed.”

“I’m… honestly, I don’t know what the fuck I am. I thought I was cool with it. I spent all last night telling myself it didn’t matter. But I don’t know, Sofe. Were you ever going to tell me?”

“You make it sound like it’s been going on behind your back for weeks. It hasn’t.”

“He said that too.”

“Because it’s the truth. It just… happened.”

“You like him? Really like him?”

I nodded, too choked up to reply.

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