Ruthless Love (Ash and Innocence 1)

Two weeks.

I crumpled the paper up and tossed it in the bushes.

I thought about going inside and getting drunk. Or maybe just passing out on the couch, but I felt an overwhelming urge to see Wheels. It wasn’t that I felt bad about how today had gone. Granted, I probably should have. But she’d brought it on herself. I was in a perfectly good mood before she decided to tell me she wasn’t even sure we could be friends.

My mood had only spiraled downward as the day went on.

Finding out I couldn’t even get hard with Abbie was an unwelcome surprise, for starters. Knowing Wheels had rolled into the bathroom at exactly the wrong moment had only made it more frustrating. And then the shit she pulled at the game took the cake.

It was almost like she wanted me to feel pathetic.

Fuck that.

I got back in the car and drove to her house. I decided she could use a little reminder about who had the power. Her mom’s car was parked out front, which made it even better.

I knocked on the door, fixing my hair quickly with my hands. When the door opened, her mom was staring up at me like she wanted to end my life. I smiled as charmingly as I could. “Really sorry about the hour, Miss Stills. I just hoped I could check on Kennedy. She wasn’t feeling that great at school today, and I didn’t get a chance to make sure she made it home from the game okay.”

Kennedy rolled into view behind her mom. She was staring at me like I was an anaconda that had just slipped into her bathtub. I smiled and waved, giving her a little wink.

“Mom, I can—”

“No, honey,” her mom said. “Since you apparently didn’t think I needed to hear about these symptoms, I need to invite this young man in and find out what he saw.”

“Mom, he’s—”

“Kennedy.” Her voice was quiet, but it might as well have been a knife for how well it cut her off.

I smiled again, letting myself in. “Kennedy is working with me on a school project,” I explained. “We’ve actually become pretty close over the past few weeks.”

“Is that right?” her mom asked. “Do you drink tea?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Her mom flashed a tight smile, then headed to the kitchen. I was left alone with Kennedy, who bulged her eyes at me in a silent expression of utter confusion.

I licked my lips, making sure my voice was too low to be overheard by her mom, who was clattering dishes around in the other room. “Just checking in on my partner.”

“You need to leave,” she hissed.

“Why? I can’t come visit my friend? Oh, that’s right. You’re not sure we can even be friends, right? What if I don’t want your friendship. What if I just want—”

Her mom appeared with two plastic cups of dark liquid. I grinned. I’d been expecting little British cups on saucers, but apparently her mom was talking about the Southern style of tea—the kind that tasted like cardboard with a few heaping helpings of sugar. I smiled anyway and took a sip, trying not to wince at the taste.

Kennedy was glaring openly.

“So,” her mom said. “You mentioned Kennedy wasn’t feeling well. She hardly tells me anything lately, so I’m going to need you to be as detailed as possible.”

I nodded, though I found myself a little surprised by her mom’s interest. Wheels didn’t look any worse off than usual. But I guessed being a nurse and having a daughter with all the problems Wheels had would make a woman paranoid. I dredged my brain for the most amusing version of bullshit I could find. “Well, every time I looked at her, it felt like her pupils were dilating. You know? Her cheeks were a little flushed, too. And her skin was really, really warm. Oh, and her lips—”

Kennedy cleared her throat loudly. “He’s right, mom. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you sooner, but yeah. I was feeling a little feverish, but I started feeling better on the way home. I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

“Sweetie,” her mom said sternly. “You know better than that. With your conditions, every flare up’s important. We might need to keep you home a few days next week. If you’re starting to get fevers, this whole school thing might be too much for you to handle.”

“Well, thank you so much for letting me check on her,” I said, smiling again as kindly as I could. “I worry about her.” I walked over to Kennedy and bent down, hugging her tightly and putting my lips beside her ear. “Your lips were like fire, Wheels. I’m still thinking about them.”

“Okay, okay—” her mom said. She actually took me by the shoulders and pulled me away from Wheels.