Page 5 of Shattered

“It’s all good,” I reply with a yawn.

After glancing over at Campbell—who’s still fast asleep—Jason turns back to me. “Want to play some Call Of Duty?”

“Sure, just let me go take a piss first.”

I stand, pocketing my phone so I can reply to her, and shuffle off to the bathroom.

***

A couple of hours later, when Campbell is awake, we plan to go out and get some breakfast, then see Jacob at his parents’ furniture shop where he works part-time, and hopefully find out how his night went.

“Do you think he used that condom?” Jason murmurs to me, then snickers.

I smile, following them down the stairs and pausing when Campbell stops to tell his parents where we’re going.

“What’s going on?” I hear him ask as I stop near the doorway of their dining room.

“You boys should get going home now,” Campbell’s mom says to me and Jason over his shoulder.

Jason and I share a glance before facing Campbell and his mom. Shit. They don’t look too happy. Maybe they found out about the beer or something.

“Sorry, guys. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay.” We both nod, then head for the front door with slightly confused expressions on our faces.

“What do you think that’s about?” Jason questions as we walk out the door.

I shrug, my mouth twisting to the side. “Not sure.”

“Well, do you want to come hang out at mine for a bit instead?” he asks. “We can wait a bit and then see what’s up with him later?”

“Yeah, okay. I think my sister is at my house right now, anyway.”

He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and tosses them into the air, catching them the next second. “What’s she conning your folks into this time?” I've confided in Jason about some of the stuff going on with my sister in the past.

But Sunflower is the only one who knows it all.

“Who knows? Last time she got them to co-sign on a lease. She probably needs money for rent.”

“Well, once we go to college, you won’t have to deal with her anymore.”

My stomach tightens and I make a noncommittal sound as I get into the passenger seat, guilt gnawing at my insides from not telling him I'm not going. I know I will have to; I’m just not ready yet. We applied together, and both got accepted, but there is no way my parents can afford even a fraction of the cost right now.

Once we get to his place, I follow him to his front door, glancing at the sunflower sticker on the side of his mailbox. It reminds me of her every time I see it.

Jason’s two younger sisters, Sienna and Theresa, are sitting in the living room watching TV when we walk in to go to his bedroom, and I give them a little wave and smile when they turn my way.

“What trouble are you two getting into today?” Jason asks, pulling on his youngest sister Theresa’s braid.

“Probably getting out of the house now that you’re back,” Sienna quips.

Jason knocks the remote from her hand and then jumps out of reach of her kick, chuckling as he opens his bedroom door and flees inside. She grumbles about how he should watch his back and then turns her glittering eyes to me, offering some of the gummy bears in her hand.

I eagerly take a few and pop them into my mouth. “I love these.”

A huge grin spreads across her cheeks. At sixteen, Sienna is already gorgeous, with wavy blonde hair and light blue eyes, which means Jason is constantly threatening to beat up anybody who looks at her the wrong way or says anything sexual about her. There are times when Sienna is talking to me that he’ll throw a suspicious scowl my way, but then he plays it off like he’s joking.

And it’s only a matter of time before he does the same with Theresa.

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