“We all are.” I clear my throat. “Come on. Almost there.”
We amble down the hallway lined with old photos of the estate in various states dating back to the 1800s. It burned down in the early 1900s, but my favorite photos have always been the ones before the fire. This place has so much history, and it’s always fascinated me.
Holden’s feet somehow get tangled up with mine, knocking me off balance. We both go down, him taking the brunt of the fall, me landing on top of him. His arms come around my waist, holding me to him when I try to get up.
“Oh my God, get off of me,” I whine, trying to wiggle out of his hold.
“You’re warm and you smell pretty and I miss you.” I don’t know if it’s the alcohol talking, or if there’s any truth to it, but he sounds sincere, and it breaks my heart a little. Sometimes, I forget there’s a boy with feelings under all that bravado and sarcasm. We didn’t just lose Danny. We all lost each other. “We all do, even Thayer.”
I purse my lips. Even Thayer. Right. “Come on,” I say, patting his chest. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“What the fuck?” a voice booms from behind us. Holden’s chest shakes with laughter and I whip my head around to see Thayer standing there, a murderous expression on his face. I roll my eyes, pushing off Holden, and this time he lets me up.
Holden takes my outstretched hands, and I try to pull his heavy ass up.
“A little help would be nice,” I snap over my shoulder.
Thayer frowns, looking between the two of us before he prowls toward us and pulls Holden’s arm around his neck to hoist him up. “The fuck happened?”
“I don’t know. I found him like this.”
“Where?”
“Arrowhead Trail. I was driving home and he was just there. Like this,” I say, gesturing to his bloody state.
“Thayer?” a feminine voice calls out. My stomach drops when I see a beautiful, leggy brunette clad in only a bra and cut-off shorts standing in Thayer’s doorway. “What’s taking so long?” She cocks her head to the side, twirling her hair around her finger.
“You can handle it from here,” I say, quickly turning to leave. I know there have been other girls. I’m not dumb enough to think he hadn’t moved on. But knowing and seeing are two completely different things. I tuck my hair behind my ear, making my way down the steps as fast as I can without actually running away.
“Whoa, girl, where you going in such a hurry?” Aiden catches me by my shoulders when I hit the bottom step, pulling me in for a hug.
“Ew, what is she even doing here?” Taylor asks, holding out a cup that matches the shade of her lips in my direction as she saunters in from the other room. “You do realize you don’t live here anymore, right?”
“I was just leaving,” I tell Aiden, ignoring Taylor’s comment. She’s drunk and feels threatened by the fact that I just came from upstairs, so nothing I can say will piss her off more than what’s inevitably going through her head. Let her come to her own conclusions.
“Have a beer with me before you go.” Aiden’s gorgeous in that hot jock kind of way with his square jaw and thick, dark, tight curls. His honey eyes against tawny skin. Full lips.
Unfortunately for me, only broody assholes with lip rings seem to do it for me these days.
“My car’s running.” I hitch a thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll see you later?”
“Want me to walk you out?” he asks.
“She’s a big girl, Aiden,” Taylor snaps.
I glance back up to the top of the stairs to find Thayer looking down at me, leaning forward with his hands braced on the rail. I force myself to look away, needing to get out of here.
“I’ll see you Monday,” I mutter, turning for the door. I step around a kid smoking on the stairs, then jump into my car. I’m half-surprised no one fucked with it. I drive straight home, being as quiet as possible when I slip inside.
“Shayne, honey, is that you?” my mom calls from her room.
“It’s me,” I call back.
“Don’t forget to lock up.”
I breathe a sigh of relief that she doesn’t plan on carrying on a conversation. “Okay. Night!” I go straight for my bathroom, stripping off my clothes and tennis shoes before stepping into the shower. I close my eyes and stand under the stream of hot water, letting it wash over me.
What the hell was Holden involved in earlier? The fact that Thayer seemed to know about as much as I did doesn’t sit right. Thayer and Holden have always moved as a unit, always in sync. Was he doing something he didn’t want Thayer to find out about? Or just decided to fuck shit up on a whim? The latter seems more likely.