Hayley sat up taller and elbowed Christian when I spoke. “What? You just got here! Here, I’ll come hang out with you.” She shot Christian a scowl, as if it was his fault for distracting her.
I held my hand up and laughed.
“Hayley, it’s fine. I’m just tired. You know I’d be over here hanging with you two if I wanted to be.”
I hated lying to her.
Hayley’s bottom lip jolted outward as she tucked a piece of dark hair behind her ear. Christian was still frowning at the spot on his stomach that Hayley had elbowed. “Are you sure? Maybe I should just leave with you and have a girls’ night.”
I quickly shut that idea down. A girls’ night with Hayley sounded perfect, except that I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me at home. “Let’s plan that for next weekend. Stay here. Hang out with Christian.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, Christian pulled Hayley further back onto his lap, clasping his hands around her middle. “I agree with Piper. Stay here with me.” He bit the side of her ear, and I rolled my eyes playfully.
Hayley was fighting a smile. “Okay, but...” Her eyes scanned the living room until they landed on Ollie.
“No!” I rushed out, stepping in front of her gaze. Christian stopped toying with Hayley’s ear as he flicked his eyes up to mine. “I don’t need Ollie to follow me home, Hayley.”
“Piper.”
Christian’s eyes bounced back and forth between us.
“I’m fine. The threat is gone. It’s been months since we were chased off the road. The men were caught. And plus, you’re the one they wanted. Not me. I can handle driving twenty minutes to my house.”
Hayley’s shoulders dropped, and I realized I may have been a little too rude with my response. It was nice that she cared about me. At least one person did.
“Listen,” I started. “I promise I’ll be okay. Stay here with Christian. Have fun. That trig test wore me out today. I’m exhausted, and I’m volunteering tomorrow morning at the soup kitchen. I swear we can have a girls’ night next weekend, okay?”
Christian interjected, “And I swear I won’t interrupt it.”
A light laugh came out of my mouth. “You always say that, and yet, you and your brother somehow always show up.”
Christian’s lip tilted upward in the form of a smirk as I looked away, searching for Ollie one last time. As soon as I found him, he was staring at me intently with his head tilted to one side. Amber was still beside him with her arm draped around his lower back, but his eyes were on me. He raised an eyebrow, I’m sure
silently asking me where I was going, but I hastily turned my attention back to Hayley.
“You have to swear it, Christian!” I heard her say.
Christian smirked again. “Scout’s honor. I swear I won’t interrupt your girls’ night with Piper next weekend.”
I laughed when she made him pinky promise her after she blurted, “You are the furthest thing from a boy scout. Use a different saying!”
“Okay, I’ll text you tomorrow, Hay. Bye, Christian.”
“Later. Be careful. Call us if something seems off.”
I nodded and made my way out of the party. The last few months had been scary, at best. Hayley’s past was messy, ugly, and twisted with threats, and of course that put all of us in harm's way. Christian, Hayley, Ollie, Eric, and I were the only ones who knew the truth about what had happened in Hayley’s life before she started attending English Prep. And even though we didn't all wear matching friendship bracelets, we all watched out for one another. The guys kind of became protective over Hayley and me, hence why they wanted Ollie to follow me home.
But that was the very last thing I wanted.
What my friends didn’t know was that I had a past of my own. A past that kept trying to become the present, and Ollie was the last person on this planet that I wanted to share it with.
The beating of my heart grew as I crept along my cobblestone driveway. My fingers tingled with little prickles as I shifted into park and turned my ignition off. Relax. I blew out a breath when my hands dropped into my lap, clutching my keys with so much force I’d be surprised if I didn’t have small dents on the inside of my palm. I quickly flipped down the visor and glanced at myself in the mirror. Soft, orange light splayed on my cheeks, showcasing my freckles underneath the worn-off makeup from this morning, and I gave myself a stern talk.
“Take a deep breath, Piper.”
My puffed cheeks grew smaller as air left my mouth with each deep breath I took. I shook my head angrily as I flipped the visor back up, snapping it into place, and opened my door. I wasn’t fooling anyone. Even the little twinkle in my eye was downcast by fear and anxiety.
The cool night air bit at my cheeks as I stepped out of my car and glanced up at my house. Three stories of perfectly laid brick, glossy wood floors, soft, plush carpet, and expensive furniture was what awaited me every single day, but not a single ounce of love or security resided inside. I remembered the day my parents told me we were moving to a different house, in a different town, like it was yesterday. Their faces were bright with excitement and new possibilities. It was like they thought a new house and school could actually erase the past and rearrange the future. I was absolutely baffled at the thought, and to be honest, I still was. Nothing could change the past. Not even denial.