Page 175 of Unhinged

I mutter, “Damn brats.”

I grab Simone’s hand and lead her down the hall and to the basement. “My bedroom is down here.” Hadley slept in my bed here like she did at my apartment after Wilder left. “They use it for a guest room. Eden’s room was on the main floor, so she didn’t have to use the stairs.”

“Oh.”

I flip on some lights as we walk, and I nod toward a dark room. “Laundry room.” And then toward the sliding glass door. “There’s an in-ground pool out there.” Simone is quiet as she trails behind me, holding my hand. We pass an open door. “Bathroom. Do you need it?”

“Not right now.”

I stop in the hallway and nod. Simone sees two pictures of me in my uniform and then one of me mid-pitch. “Jeez, Greg. I didn’t know you had such a history with it.”

I shrug. “It’s just a game. No big deal.”

As she studies the pictures, she smiles. “You were a stud.”

“Right. Girls flocked around me.” Some did, but none that I liked. I only cared about one girl. After graduation, my crush and I had been at her cousin’s house, as he was a so-called friend. Unknowingly, he had blabbed that I liked her. She must’ve just loved that because she offered me a beer, even opening the can for me in the kitchen and dumping a shitload of Xanax into it. Her cousin used to sell them at school, so I’m only guessing that was the drug of choice.

Simone arches an eyebrow. “Even if you were in tenth or eleventh and I was in fifth or sixth grade, if I had grown up here and seen you play, I would’ve begged my mom to take me to every game. You were majorly cute.”

I roll my eyes but grin. “If you liked virginal dorks.”

“I was a virginal dork too.” We laugh but then frown at the same time.

I say, “Well, I’m sure I would’ve thought you were cute but wishing you were closer to my age.” I take her into the last room and turn on one of the overhead lights, leaving part of the room dim. Simone shrieks, letting go of my hand. She puts her hand on her chest, sighing when she sees mirrors lining the wall. “Oh. Sorry. This is the girls’ dance studio. My dad put it in when Josie and Tabby took ballet.” Half of the mirrors have a handrail while the other half doesn’t. Old ballet shoes hang on the walls with ballet pictures of Josie and Tabby during recitals and then ballet-related inspirational shit. “I usually avoided this room.”

Crossing her arms, Simone nods as she checks out the room, walking around the long wooden bench facing the mirrors on the wood floor Dad installed.

When Simone grows abnormally quiet, I dare ask, “Are you okay?”

Without looking at me, she blurts, “Were you in love with Hadley?”

“Huh?” Smooth, dipshit. “Don’t listen to my sisters. I’m pretty sure they hate me.”

“Seriously? They idolize their big brother. I should know. They like giving you shit because that’s a little sister’s job.”

“Yeah, and I have three, so…”

We make eye contact, and I see hurt, worry, and jealousy in hers. She tries again. “You didn’t answer me. Were you ever in love with Hadley?”

“I love her as a friend, but not more than that. Son of a bitch. She’s married to your brother, who I helped win her back. How stupid would I be?” Brain-dead level.

“Yeah, but you’re close with Hadley. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine.”

“Simone, stop. You know things about me that Hadley and my dad don’t know. You saw how Sherry gets. If she knew, holy hell, they’d have to sedate her.”

“She loves you. That’s awesome. Step-parents can sometimes be lifesavers.”

“I know. You and I are lucky.” I walk over to her. “About earlier, in the truck…”

“Greg, I don’t want to argue. You asked for my opinion, and I gave it to you. If you’re looking for a rubber stamp, then fine. You have my approval.”

“That’s not what I want. I understand where you’re coming from.” I pick up her left hand with mine and rub my fingers with hers, clashing our rings together. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“It’s not that. It’s sad how you’re holding in your pain, and I can’t do a damn thing to help you.”

“You do. You love me.”

“Sometimes love isn’t enough. You need more, and I don’t know how to give it to you.” Simone’s eyes fill with tears. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I don’t want to screw this up by not supporting your needs, and you resent me for it.”

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