Page 54 of Drifting

Nick: I won’t be able to take you home.

Feeling guilty, I catch the bus.

It takes me an extra hour to get home, and when I do, the house is empty.

Our parents already told us they wouldn’t be home, so tonight is a fend for ourselves dinner. I spend most of my night in my room doing homework. When I head out into the kitchen for food, I don’t run into either Nick or Hannah.

I need to apologize to Nick for not telling him the truth about Carrie and for what I said to him on the stairs. I pray I didn’t ruin our friendship.

As for the other guys, I don’t know what I feel right now. I keep jumping from anger to jealousy to hurt at being ignored and, finally, to disappointment. I don’t understand how I can have all these emotions when I only met them a few days ago, but I expected more from them. Maybe because they’re Nick’s friends, I thought they’d be good guys.

Curling up that night, I miss Cin and our crew like crazy. I want to go back to when I lived with her. Things seemed simpler then.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The next morning, I keep biting my lip, then remember I bruised it.

When I step out to the kitchen, Nick’s not there, but Hannah sits at the island with a big smile on her face. “I told you it wouldn’t take long for them to see right through you. You even got Nick mad at you. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

I have no response. Nothing pops into my mind.

Realizing I need to catch the bus, I hobble outside, hoping I didn’t miss it.

If this is the way the day is going to go, then I should just go back to bed. I pushed away one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Since arriving, Nick’s been at my side. He even drives me home every day before football practice.

I’m an idiot.

A glance up shows dark clouds filling the sky, turning everything gray. It fits my mood perfectly. I waddle to the driveway, where Nick sits inside his truck.

Unable to look at him, I limp past. If he wanted me to ride with him, he would have said something. At the end of the driveway, I search the street for others who ride the bus.

Nick backs up his truck, gets out, and rounds the back of the truck. “If you’re waiting for the bus, you’re too late.”

“Shit.” My shoulders droop, the voice inside my head once again telling me I should go back to bed and forget about it.

Nick opens the passenger side door. “Get in the truck, Shelby.”

I pop an eyebrow.

He cracks a half-smile, then helps me up into the truck before he climbs behind the wheel once more. Backing up, he heads down the road.

It won’t take long to reach school, and there’s a lot I need to talk to him about. Stop stalling.

“Cin used to tell me I’m good at putting my foot in my mouth. That I have a unique way of pissing people off.” I let out a breath. “I’m sorry, Nick. I shouldn’t have been rude to you. You didn’t do anything wrong, and you were the only one who tried to help me. In the short time since I met you, I’ve grown to trust you, and I don’t do that easily. Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Shelby. Once I thought about it, I understood why you pushed me away. It was a natural reaction.” He picks at the steering wheel. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, though. You hurt me.”

“You don’t know how sorry I am,” I tell him. “You’re the last person I want to hurt. I’ve been on my own too long. I’m used to handling these problems by myself. To top it off, I pulled Paige into it. I don’t know how to protect her. I feel out of my element here,” I admit, staring at my hands. “I wish I could talk to Cin.”

He pulls into a parking space, turns off the truck, and twists his body toward me. “I’m no Cin, but I’m a good listener. I’m on your side, Shelby.”

“Even against your sister?” I purse my lips, cocking my head.

He smiles. “Even against my sister.”

I pull him closer, hugging him. “You’re just as good, if not better, than Cin.”

He hugs me back. “That means a lot to me. Don’t get too mad, but the guys want to talk to you.”

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