I looked at her again. Really looked. Not the sharp-tongued hurricane I’d first met. Not the tightly wound firecracker I’d butted heads with for months. This was a girl rebuilt from shards, wearing scars like warpaint, still standing somehow. I wanted to grab her and pull her close, shield her from the wind and everything else that could ever touch her like that again. But I didn’t because she’d told me why she didn’t like to be touched. I understood what that meant now. And Misfit? She wouldn’t take kindly to me going soft. She didn’t do comfort. Didn’t trust it. If I reached for her now, if I showed even a fraction of what was swelling in my chest. It’d break whatever fragile understanding we had. So, I buried it. Shoved that tidal wave of protectiveness into the same pit where I’d buried my own nightmares. Locked it down, tight. That was the thing about anger: I knew what to do with that. Rage made sense. But this? This warmth curling under my ribs like a live wire, this want to be near, to understand, to be her fucking shield. It scared the shit out of me.
“Misfit…” I said her name quietly, unsure why I was speaking at all. She didn’t move. Just blinked slow, steady. “Remind me never to piss you off.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she turned from me, heading for the metal steps.
“Where are you going?” Watching as she glanced back over her shoulder at me.
“Your place. I’m wet.” My lips pressed together as I tilted my head to the side. I let out a sigh as I followed her, still clutching the half-drunk bottle in my hand.
CHAPTER 22
Neither of us said anything on the way back. The rain had softened to a mist, clinging to our clothes and hair with the weight of everything we had just said, or couldn’t in my case. I paused with my hand on the door, turning to her under the flickering outside light.
“Before we go in…” I said, “Squeeks is here.”
Misfit’s eyes flicked up to mine, “Why?” Her voice quizzical.
“She showed up after a blow-up with Danny. She needed a place to stay, and well, I couldn’t exactly say no.” Misfit nodded slowly.
I pushed the door open. The soft hum of the fridge and the faint scent of bleach lingered in the air. That was Squeeks. When everything cracked, she got to work glueing the pieces back together. The place looked spotless. Even better than when Chester lived here, but that just filled me with heavy guilt. I completely trashed this place and then fucked off at a time she needed someone. Too wrapped up in my own shit yet again to notice my sister wanted her big brother.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I spotted her curled up on the sofa. One arm tucked under her head, the blanket from the bedroom draped over her slight figure. I held the door open as Misfit crept inside, closing it carefully to avoid waking Squeeks. I gently caught her arm and nodded towards the bedroom with a tilt of my chin before leading the way. We moved silently past Squeeks, her breathing soft and steady.
Inside the bedroom, I closed the door behind us, leaning my forehead against it as my shoulders dropped. Misfit had already crossed the room, stripping off her soaked jacket and kicking off her boots. I peeled off my drenched shirt, dropping it to the floor as I searched for a towel. Goose bumps rippled over my skin as water dripped from my hair down my body. I glanced at Misfit holding her arms out slightly from her damp clothes, with an evident discomfort on her face.
I smirked at her as I dried my hair, “They're where you left them.” She looked to me confused. My hand gesturing to the door, “My clothes, the ones you wore last time you were here. They’re still in the bathroom.” She nodded quickly, heading for the door. A flash of a cocky comment entered my mind, but luckily for me, my brain-to-mouth filter was very much working. Surprising even to me.
After she left the room, I got to removing the rest of my soaked clothes, my jeans sticking to my skin. A pair of loose-fitting joggers was a welcome feeling after the wet night we had endured. My body shuddered as I searched the floor for my favourite black hoodie. I glanced up as Misfit re-entered, closing the door behind her. Holding her arms tightly around her visibly cold body, her damp hair now loosely tied back, with a few tendrils dropping on either side of her face. Her skin looked paler somehow. I figured it was the cold getting to her, as the heating in this place was non-existent. I offered her a half smile as I shifted a pile of clothes with my foot, revealing my hoodie. I picked it up, hesitating with it in my hand before throwing it in Misfits' direction. “Put it on, it will keep you warm.”
She caught it, looking to me with questioning eyes. I raised my eyebrows to her, “If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.” Reaching out towards her, she shifted back slightly, gripping it tighter to her chest.
“I didn’t say that.” I scoffed as I turned, looking for something else to wear. She shifted herself over to the bed, tucking her legs up towards her chest as I pulled a t-shirt over my head.
“Screech…Who’s Selene?” I froze in place. Fuck! This chick doesn’t miss anything, regret flaring inside me at my earlier episode of trauma dumping. I didn’t turn around; she would spot my shifty expression straight away. But I needed to answer quickly, no hesitation. I ran a hand through my hair, buying seconds. I shouldn’t have said her fucking name. I forced a short breath through my nose, “Selene? Just someone I used to know. Old shit.” I kept my voice light and casual, like the name hadn’t just triggered a minefield in my head. “She was part of a crew I ran with. Nothing serious.”
I heard the faint creak of the mattress as she moved, still watching me. I raised the towel and wiped the back of my neck, trying to keep moving so she wouldn’t see the deception on my face.
“You talk like it was more than that,” she said quietly. I smiled or tried to.
“Yeah, well. I talk a lotta shit when I’m pissed off and soaking wet. Don’t read into it.” Delivering it as smoothly as I could manage. I turned, finally meeting her eyes, throwing on a tight grin.
Hers narrowed as she studied my face, “You’re a terrible liar.”
I scoffed, “I’m not lying,” retaining my best fake upbeat tone.
“You said something else,” she continued, pressing me further. “Out there. When you were…unravelling.” I raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.
“I said a lot of things.”
“No.” Her eyes pinned me in place. “You said you were bought. That someone bought you. What did you mean by that?” My jaw tensed before I could stop it. Another fucking slip.
I looked away, “Does it matter?” I said, “Half the shit I said was just adrenaline and alcohol. Don’t go digging into it.” I could feel her annoyance starting to radiate at my uncooperative answers.
“You're hiding shit again, Screech.” I forced out a long sigh.
“It meant I made some deals I shouldn’t have. Took offers when I didn’t have a lot of options. We all do it.” I offered a crooked smile, one that felt more like a grimace.
“That’s not what it sounded like. Was it with Selene?” she asked.
