The Lies That Define Us (Us 2)

Damn. I hadn’t realized I’d already begun thinking of Liam’s house as home.

That wasn’t good.

With a sigh, I clocked out and went through the back door to where I’d left my bike. Biking to and from work wasn’t ideal, but it sure as hell beat walking. I piled my things in the little basket in the front and climbed on. I hadn’t ridden a bike in years before I got on that one, but it was one of those things you never seemed to forget how to do.

It was after eight in the evening, but the sun still shone in the sky, and I was grateful for that fact. It would suck riding home in the dark.

When I got to the house, I slipped off the bike and put the code in to open the garage door. I was surprised to find that Liam’s Jeep was still gone.

I leaned my bike against the wall and headed inside, removing my crossbody bag and dragging it behind me. I hadn’t eaten dinner, but I did have a late lunch at Mo’s, so I wasn’t hungry. I’d probably shower and have a snack later. Then again, going to bed sounded like a mighty good idea.

I hadn’t been paying attention, and I smacked into a wall.

“Ow,” I cried, stumbling backwards.

“Hey, careful there.” Mathias reached out to steady me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just fine.” I rubbed my forehead where it had collided with his hard bicep. “Is Liam still gone?” I looked around like maybe he was hiding behind the couch or something.

He chuckled. “Yeah, that’s typical Liam, though. Fleeing an uncomfortable situation is his M.O. He’ll show up later tonight or in the morning.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

“And that’s normal?” I raised a brow as Remy came into the hallway from the area of the kitchen.

“Yeah,” she replied with a sigh. “Unfortunately.”

“Hmm,” I hummed, moving around Mathias so I could head for the stairs. “Well, I’m going to go shower, and I’ll see you guys in the morning, I guess.”

Awkward level? On a scale of one to ten we were at a twelve point five.

“We made dinner if you want any,” Remy called after me, her face turned down into a concerned frown.

“I’m not that hungry, but I’ll grab some if I need to.”

She nodded. “Goodnight.”

“Night.”

I hurried the rest of the way down the hall to my room and breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind me.

Sweet, sweet sanctuary.

I headed straight for the bathroom and rid myself of the grease-smelling clothes. By the time I got out of the shower I felt like a whole new person. I changed into pajamas and brushed out my wet hair.

Settling into bed I watched some TV before drifting off to sleep.

And when I slept, the truth masked as nightmares plagued me.

***

I walked along the sidewalk, kicking at random pebbles as I thought about the atrocious amount of math homework I ha

d. It was seriously unfair.

School sucked.

And so did the other kids.

Particularly Anna Hendricks.