It wasn’t the best plan. Neither of us were good at planning, we’d both gotten shit scores on it in the military. No one cared about my scores except my father, but Rafe was expected to be some fantastic strategist at only eighteen.
It was such a joke, especially considering the man was twenty-eight and still only acted like an adult when he felt like it.
Levi would undoubtedly tell his children we’d gone to question him, so Rafe and I were prepared for that, too.
I was going to take the blame.
Zephyr already hated me down to the mitochondria in my DNA, and Skye was already so hurt from my previous actions, what was a little more betrayal?
I didn’t like it. Rafe really didn’t like it. But it was our best bet.
I sighed now as I walked down the beach, trailing behind everyone else.
Skye walked with Rafe, while Aiden was next to Zephyr in front of them. I told myself I was taking up the rear as some form of defense, but really, I was the fifth wheel that no one wanted here. The feeling of disappointment was getting old, but I wasn’t sure how to fix it.
Being alone so often had given me a lot of time to reflect.
For so long, my father had been disappointed in me for things I couldn’t control.
Was I not doing the same to Skye? Judging her for affinities she couldn’t control?
I’d watched her kill Landon.
She’d nearly been sick after.
He’d been begging her to help him, but…no, he’d asked her to kill him. That’d been loud and clear to everyone watching, including Coach.
God, I still couldn’t believe Coach sort of knew what was going on with Skye. I’d wanted to ask Skye how Coach was acting toward her and Aiden, but after the detention situation…
I breathed out harshly.
Thatidea had backfired spectacularly.
When I first saw the required counseling session from Coach, I’d been excited. I knew Aiden wouldn’t show, and I wasn’t going to fault him for that, but Skye? I expected Skye to at least show up and snark at me.
But that didn’t happen. So, instead, my plan had been to order the detention so she’d come to my office and snark at me, and that didn’t happen, either.
She’d attended the detention, with Aiden going for moral support. I’d been suspicious about her silence for exactly three hours when Rafe and I had realized someone hadfucking gluedeverything down onto my office desk.
It should’ve been funny, but it wasn’t. I was pissed, so I’d issued another detention. She hadn’t seen it yet, thankfully, and I was wishing so hard that I could take it back. When she inevitably read the email, we’d be back to hating each other again.
I’d wronged her so badly, I wasn’t sure how to fix it.
My mind was constantly swirling.
Willow. Lauren. Skye. Fuck, even Mia.
They all needed something from me and I was letting each one down.
I chewed my lip as Skye laughed up ahead over something Rafe said. She took his arm and then leaned into him, and he glanced over his shoulder to wiggle his eyebrows at me.
Dick.
“Zephyr, I have a question.” Rafe said, slowing his pace so that they were right in front of me. Zephyr and Aiden slowed as they glancedback at Rafe. “Did you and Skye play pranks on each other growing up?”
“Not really,” Zephyr said flatly. “That usually ended up in my fingers being broken.”
Skye’s jaw dropped. “You asshole. Those were accidents.”
