Ain't No Sunshine

Chapter Fourteen

Nate

LivandEmilyare waiting inside the door, scowls in place and I internally groan. Here we go. I’m not in the mood.

“Nate, your sister—” Cory begins, trying to pull her hand from mine, but I no longer care.

“Fuck it. I’m done. Liv turns twenty-one in twenty-four hours. We’re practically free.”

“I don’t think—”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Emily yells, storming over like a child. I roll my eyes at her outburst.

“It depends. What about, specifically?” I snap, my big brother asshole switch flipping on with the heat of the moment. She rolls her eyes back at me and crosses her arms in front of herself.

“You just cheated on your girlfriend, with your best friend’s girl, and clearly think that no one noticed… Or cares. How drunk are you?”

My eyes flick to Liv’s to give her the chance to come clean, but she stares back in defiance. Okay, if she won’t answer, I will. “Not that it’s any of your business, but—”

“How could you, Nate?” Emily interrupts, and her eyes flash to Cory’s. Cory’s puzzled expression morphs into a smirk, and I make a note to ask her about it later as Emily continues. “I looked up to you. You’re supposed to be a role model. But instead of staying loyal to your ex-girlfriend, who is clearly all wrong for you, you hook up with this wonderful human being standing beside me.” Huh?

Liv’s eyes shoot to Emily’s in surprise as I furrow my brow in confusion. What the fuck did she just say? “I never wanted to be a role model for you. That’s on you. How dare you say Cory’s all wrong for me. You don’t even know her. And Liv’s not as wonderful as you might think.” Cory snorts a laugh, but I ignore it. “You think you’re angry with me? Well, I’ve got news, Em… I was never back with Liv. She had you all fooled. This girl right here is the love of my life. She was never dating Shane. He’d be lucky to get someone half as perfect.”

“Nate—” Cory grips my arm to get my attention, but I ignore her again, determined to finish my rant.

“No, Cory, she—”

“Oh, would you stop? Please, stop.” Emily says, sounding exasperated. “God, it’s not me that’s the stupid one. Nate, you told me about Cory. When you came home for spring break, you gushed about her before you’d even met. I put two and two together as soon as I heard her name. Plus, you’ve been staring at her like a lovesick puppy all night. So, if she’s here, there’s obviously something going on between you two. What I don’t understand is the need for all your lies and shitty behavior.” She turns to Liv, who hasn’t said a word. “You, too. You both need to sort your shit out and stop playing games. For everyone’s sake.” And with that, she walks away.

“What the hell, Nate?” Liv yells as soon as she’s gone. “You promised to help me. She’ll probably run straight to your mom.”

My eyes snap to hers as I reach for Cory’s hand. “Actually, Cory made that promise, not me. Plus, it would have been fine if you hadn’t shown up here and forced us to play house. Why are you here, anyway?”

“Because I wanted to talk, and I didn’t think you’d bring her to a party with people from home, especially your sister.” Her hands move to her hips as her anger increases. “I thought when you agreed to fake it with me that you were done with her.” What the actual fuck? My eyes see red.

“I never said that. Why would I do that? I—” I start to defend myself but then stop. Tonight is on her. I need to go home.

Shane appears at that moment, and I thank my lucky stars. “Shane, we’re crashing at your place tonight. Either come with us now or chuck me the keys.”

Shane raises his eyebrows and smirks. “Please?”

“Please,” I repeat, rolling my eyes before moving toward the exit. Shane and Cory in tow.

I hear the tell-tale signs of morning as my mind comes into focus. Birds are chirping, horns are blaring, someone’s whispering in my ear. Huh?

I open my eyes and startle upright. My tired eyes lock on annoying cheerful ones, and I frown. Why is Shane in my room? Shit! He’s not. We’re in his. The previous night starts to come back to me, andI quickly check to make sure Cory is covered in a sheet.

“Why does my head hurt so much?” I ask an amused looking Shane, but I don’t really need to hear the answer.

“You were pretty drunk for most of the night, but after fucking Cory in your truck…” I cringe at his words. ”… Well, you upped the ante.”

I rub my head as my brows furrow, trying to remember what went down after Cory and I made love in my truck. I was on such a happy high, what could have… oh, right!

“Yep, you made a huge scene about Cory being the love of your life and then demanded I take you both home. Once here, you got more shitfaced, and bitched about the fact that Liv was supposed to be your friend, but instead, forced you to endure blue balls for a month because your girlfriend is too caring.” Fuck, did I really say and do that?

“Did I miss anything, Cory?” Shane asks, looking over my shoulder. I turn to see Cory smirking up at me, her head still on the pillow.

“Don’t forget the ‘my little sister’s a brat’ speech, though I’m pretty sure you were joking with that one.” Cory adds, clearly enjoying the let’s pick on Nate hour.