“Me?”
“Yes, you! Fucking you, Gauge.”
“Fucking me?” Iscowled in confusion. “Care to elaborate?”
“Care to elaborate?” she mocked, her gaze narrowing. “Light the cigarette, Gauge.”
“What?”
“Light the fucking cigarette!”
Iscowled harder. “Why?”
“Why won’tyou?”
“Because it’syour room and it smells like perfume and girly shit, and despite you smoking, your mom clearly doesn’tlet anyone smoke in her house. Besides—”
Jolie barked out acondescending laugh. “Oh please, so you give ashit what me or my mom think or want all of asudden? Like you respect women?”
Idragged ahand down my tired face. “It’sway too early for this shit, Jolie. Can you just say what you wanna say without all the melodramatics?”
She was stunned into silence momentarily before finding herself again, and then Jolie began grabbing things, anything, that was within arm’sreach and began launching them across the room at me. Pillows, teddies, mugs—you name it and she threw it.
“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Jolie!” Iyelled, ducking from aframed picture. “Will you give it arest!”
“Get out of my room!” she screamed at me before throwing asizable hairbrush toward my head.
Ithrew open the bedroom door and stormed out, slamming it closed behind me. Breathing hard, Ifought to control my temper, of half amind to go back in there, throw her over my knee, and teach her afucking lesson. The fact that Imanaged to control myself by any sentiment was agoddamn miracle.
Adoor opened from across the hallway and aman…no, aboy, around Jolie’sage stood in the doorway. He was wearing aletterman jacket, his dark hair slicked back and his white sneakers pristine. He looked like acharacter fromHigh School Musical. His features were what threw me though, because they were just like Jolie’s: full lips, round eyes, high cheekbones. This, Irealized, must be her twin brother. Icouldn’tremember his name, or maybe I’dnever been told it, but either way, Ialready didn’tlike him. His expression remained impassive as we stared at one another, so Itook that as my cue to head out for acigarette and to speak to Beefcake’sprospects outside. I’donly been awake for five goddamn minutes, and I’dhad things thrown at me and now this kid was attempting to stare me down. By the time I’dreached the bottom of the stairs, he was right behind me, and Imean right fucking behind me, so Iquickly turned and grabbed him by the collar before slamming him against the wall.
With my face an inch from his, Iglared at him. “You like the smell of my sweat, boy?”
Little bastard didn’teven flinch. “Nope. Just going down my stairs.”
Inarrowed my eyes before releasing him and taking astep back. He pushed away from the wall and straightened his jacket before leveling his gaze with mine.
“You should take her with you when you leave,” he said, moving past me.
“Who said I’mleaving?” Ireplied, trailing after him.
“With the way she just kicked you out of her room, you clearly aren'tstaying.” He chuckled when he said that and my anger grew. Who the fuck did this kid think he was talking to? “But that’sokay, not many tend to stick around.” His laughter grew. “Clearly you’re not the first. But Ithink that was pretty obvious, right?”
“Ileft. There was no kicking out,” Isaid, realizing how pathetic my argument sounded but unable to come up with anything else because Iwas in shock at what he’djust said to me about his own sister. Weren’tno family loyalty there, that was for damn certain.
He laughed harder as he walked but Icaught up, grabbing him by ashoulder and turning him back to face me. When he rolled his eyes it took everything Ihad not to knock his perfect white teeth out.
“What?” he asked coldly, clearly unperturbed by my growing anger, almost like he was daring me to hurt him.
“You need to watch your mouth,” Isnapped.
He shrugged me off and straightened himself for the second time. “And you should wear two condoms with her,” he replied, and then he stalked confidently away.
Istared after him incredulously.
Jolie and Dom had been right: this family was fucked up.
