“Stay here, June,” he whispered in his usual soothing voice.
“Ethan’s coming. He said that he doesn’t want to see Hunter, just you,” announced the girl, showing William the way.
“Where are you going, Will?” I tried to call him, but he turned to Jackson.
“I have to talk to Austin. Jax, stay with her.”
“Absolutely not,” complained the blond, shaking his head.
“If something happens to her, Jackson . . .”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s always the same story. I hate you, June White.” I heard him grumble as his phone started ringing.
“Oh no, my grandma.”
Under other circumstances, I would’ve cracked up.
“Then why don’t you answer her?”
“I just hope the principal didn’t fucking call her. She’d have a heart attack. Stay here, okay?”
I looked at him, hoping that he’d go to the backyard ASAP.
“Answer me, White. You’re always talking. Cat got your tongue?”
“Okay, I’ll stay here,” I answered quickly to get rid of him, looking innocently at him. But Jackson seemed to understand what kind of person I was.
“Try not to drag me into my friends’ messes.”
“Sure.”
“Fuck, I don’t even understand them,” he spat irritatedly, before walking through French doors.
I took in the morning silence surrounding me. The house was so empty that our voices echoed unnaturally between the walls.
The scent of new furniture mixed with bleach made me a little nauseated.
Why had Will insisted on coming here?
Ignoring Jackson’s suggestion, I went up the marble stairs that I’d seen Will walk up a moment before.
The Austins must’ve been rich. Very rich. Not just well-off or upper middle class—this house looked like it was out of a big, modern movie set.
I wondered how private school students like them could end up tangled up with people like this.
“Will.”
My whisper landed on the floor that Will was staring at. I caught him waiting in the hall, sitting on a rounded leather couch.
He was fiddling with something between his hands.
“What is that?” I asked pointing at the phone he grasped nervously between his fingers. “Whose phone is that?”
“June—”
“Did you hurt someone, Will? Just tell me this. I won’t ask you anything else.” I needed to know if I could trust him or not.
“Yeah.”
