“James!” Will said immediately. “Apologize now.” James didn’t even hint at putting his sneering to a stop.
“Hey, June White.”
I glared at him, since I already knew he was screwing with me.
“Sorry,” he added in a really fake tone.
Will turned around to put the mug in the sink and added, “And fuck you, since you’re here.”
“Maybe I’ll go home,” I said.
“James.” Will was firmer this time.
“What the fuck? I already apologized.”
“Everything’s fine, Will. My mom will already be furious. It’s better if I go. Do you have a toothbrush I can borrow?”
“Yeah, there’s a new one under the bathroom sink.”
I cleaned myself up, put my hair in a messy bun, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and went down to grab my backpack. But just as I was putting on my shoes, I heard the two of them whispering at the door.
“I wanna go get it back.” James was the one talking.
“How?”
“They’ll never give it back to me if I don’t take it by force. Taylor’s dad will kill me if he finds out.”
“How would he find out?”
“Because if he’s just as much of a control freak as his daughter is, he’ll find out eventually. Besides, we can’t trust Taylor—Jackson said that sooner or later I’ll do something to really piss her off, and she’ll get back at me.”
What were they talking about? I stuck my head out beyond the wall and saw William run his fingers through his hair, with a glint of excitement in his eyes.
“Okay. Let’s go now,” he suggested.
I took a step and joined them in the kitchen.
“Now?” James seemed perplexed, then he turned around to look at me.
“I wanna come too.”
My words even made William turn around. He scrutinized me carefully. James, on the other hand, laughed so raucously that he almost started crying.
“Listen to you. Shut up. You look better when you’re quiet.”
“I won’t let you drag Will into another mess.”
My protective instinct gushed out so much that even William was stunned.
But something clicked in my head: James must’ve been in these situations because of something Will did, and if he got out of them, Will wouldn’t owe him anything anymore.
“I’m not kidding,” I reiterated.
“For fuck’s sake, you’re such a riot. Go back to Mommy and quit fucking around.”
“I think Ethan Austin has a weakness for June,” interjected William, holding me back just as I was about to react.
“So? What do we have to gain from bringing her with us?” James took a sip of his coffee, skeptically.
