Just her speaking those words angered me. Mostly because I was pissed at her, but also because I knew she was right.
“I know,” I sneered.
“Come with me now, then. Dutch is waiting.”
I stomped back to her until I was inches from her face. “Just to be clear: we might both be going into protection, but there isn’t any ‘me and you.’ I’m going alone, and so are you.”
“Why do you have to be so mean to me all the time?”
Every tic in my body was set in motion. “You know why.”
Her lip quivered, and a tear slipped down her cheek. She looked away. “Can I at least drive you there?”
“Someone gaveyoua car loan?”
“No. I stole it.”
I shook my head, laughing at the absurdity of it all. “As tempting as the offer is, I can’t leave until Friday.”
“Why Friday?”
“It’s the Homecoming dance.”
30
RORY: THE END
Quinn appeared out of nowhere, the force of his thrust knocking me to the ground.
“What the fuck?” I swore, and I got to my feet only to be shoved back down again.
Quinn threw my backpack at me. “Get out!”
Things were moving too fast to comprehend. “Dude…?”
“I saw you,” he growled through clenched teeth.
“What did you see?”
“Who is she, Rory? How long have you been cheating on my sister?”
My eyes rounded in horror. “No. Quinn. That’s not… no… you have it all wrong. That girl out there, she’s my sister.”
Quinn was not interested in the truth. He kicked me while I was already down. A foot in my face. Pain exploded through my cheek, and my head bounced off the grass on the rebound. He lunged for me, and I only barely managed to roll away and rise to my feet. My fists curled at my sides.
“You fucking liar.” He jabbed his finger at me, poking into my chest. “I saw you kiss her.”
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“It was on the lips, Rory. There’s no explaining that—and if she’s really your sister, then you’re not only a cheat but a sick pervert too.”
“She’s my foster sister, dude. We’re not related.”
I sounded like Nikki, explaining the unexplainable away. It didn’t matter, though, because Quinn was not having it. He pulled out his phone and held it at a distance, presumably so I couldn’t rip it out of his hand. When he pressed play, my face instantly fell. He’d caught our exchange. Her hand on my face. The kiss. Out of context and under the glow of a streetlight, it appeared all the more intimate. It had meant nothing, but now it meant everything. I was doomed. There was nothing I could say to satisfy his rage.
The porch lights flicked on, and Grace stepped out on the landing.
“Rory? Quinn?”
