But Everett loves to be a pain in my arse. Knowing he won’t hesitate to drag me out of the house butt naked, I rush through my shower, brush my teeth, and throw on a pair of jeans and my Beckford U hoodie before hightailing it downstairs to find them in the kitchen.
Ritter hands me a cup of coffee, which I acceptgratefully.
“Are we really doing this?” I ask, taking a sip.
Everett grins. “Oh, we’re really doing this. Get your arse in the car, Logan.”
I hold up my coffee. “Can I finish this first?”
“Bring it with you,” he says, shoving me towards the front door. Zac and Ritter follow.
My stomach rumbles. “What about breakfast?”
“We’ll get something there.”
“Where are we going?” I snap. “You’ve woken me up at an ungodly hour, and now you’re kidnapping me without fucking feeding me.”
“See what I mean?” he says to the guys.
I clench my fist to stop myself from doing something stupid, like punching him in the face.
Fuck, I really am losing it.
I force myself to take deep breaths as I walk to Everett’s car and climb into the front passenger seat.
Thankfully, the guys let me stew in my self-pity for the forty-minute drive, with Ritter filling them in on his life in Sydney and his job at some big architecture firm. Funny enough, he lives in the next suburb over from Tori. Small fucking world. I don’t bother mentioning that, though.
She tries to call me, but I let it go to voicemail. I’ll call her back later. Maybe. It depends on what kind of mood I’m in after hanging out with the guys all day. If I’m still in a funk, I don’t want my sister to worry about me. I’m not her problem anymore.
When we reach the next town over from Beckford, Everett pulls up in the car park of what looks like a converted warehouse. From the outside, I can see a large café, a boutique clothing store, a pharmacy, and a fruit andvegetable shop. The only thing open is the café. I’ve never been here before, and I’m wondering why we had to drive forty minutes for breakfast when there are plenty of good places to eat in Beckford. Hell, I’m not a bad cook; I could have made us something.
I keep my thoughts to myself as I follow them inside the café. It’s early, and the place is packed, but we find a booth towards the back and slide in. I study the menu, trying to ignore the three sets of eyes on me.
“What?”
The three of them exchange a look.
“We’re your closest mates in Beckford, right?” Ritter asks.
“Technically, you live in Sydney now,” I mutter, my knee bouncing under the table. I’m hungry and on edge, not a good combination. He arches a brow, and I shrug. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Yet we don’t really know anything about you,” Zac says. “All we know is you’re from Sydney, and you have a sister.”
The walls close in on me. I force my hands to stay folded on the table in front of me and not tug on the collar of my shirt. “What else is there to know?” I hedge, not liking the direction this conversation is taking.
He rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Why did you leave Sydney? You could have studied paramedicine there.”
“I needed a change of scenery.”
Ritter laughs. “I get that. It’s pretty hectic.”
A waitress arrives to take our orders, and I use that time to get my shit together. I need to be careful about what Isay. They’re my friends, but even my sister has trouble looking at me. I don’t want to see that same look in their eyes.
I keep people at a distance so I don’t disappoint anyone.
My past is the ghost that keeps on haunting me. I’ll never escape it, and I need to remember that.
I don’t get to have good things in my life because I always fuck it up.
