No, I hadn’t, but rather than acknowledge it, I drag him by the bicep in the direction of the Senior lot.
He thrashes in an attempt to break free.
I tighten my grip.
He scoffs. “So it’s cool for you to hook up with Andrea, but god forbid I fuck around with someone?”
He doesn’t get it.
“It’s different.”
“It’s really not.”
We reach my truck in record time. I rip the door open, sling shot him into the passenger seat, and slam it shut. Sliding behind the wheel, I floor it, the tires squealing as we peel out of the spot. The air between us steams.
“You’re a fucking hypocrite,” Cade seethes.
I flick the blinker, gaze trained on the road as I turn onto our street.
In classic Cade fashion, he doesn’t shut up. “I’m over the whole protective big brother act. It’s bullshit and we both know it. You couldn’t care less about me.”
How can he not see it?
I grit my teeth. “That’s not true.”
A sardonic laugh. “You’re such a fucking liar.”
The seatbelt locks from how hard I slam on the brakes. I ramthe gear-shift into park. He reaches for the handle. My hand shoots out and clamps around his wrist.
Steely eyes fume at me. “Let. Me. Go.”
My mouth dries as it hits me harder than ever before. He possesses the beauty of an angel with the cunning of the devil. A dangerous allure beneath a shifting illusion that he wields with expert precision, ensnaring the tempted and exploiting their darkest desires.
I swallow. “Don’t go back to him.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.Maybe I have.
“Why does it matter to you who I fuck?”
Lunging over the console until we’re nose to nose, I growl, “Because no one gets to have you if I can’t.”
His lips part.
The silence is deafening.
I don’t stay to see what’s left after the nuclear bomb I detonated. I run, just like I always do. Except that as I lock myself in my room, I realize there’s no escape. There never has been. Not from her. Not from him. Not from the truth.
Yeah, I’ve lost my fucking mind, alright.
Twenty-Six
ANDREA
My stubbornness might earnme a straitjacket.
It’s midnight, meaning it’s been thirty hours since I’ve seen the outside of my room. Technically, I’m allowed to roam the house, but I’m being petty. I even skipped school today. Lilly dropped off dinner when she got home (if buttered bread and some cheese, like a biblical leper counts). I’ve already showered four times, painted my nails, reorganized my closet, decluttered my makeup, and even made study guides for every class.
I canfeelboredom fraying my nerves.
