Page 77 of Cruel Steps

“Oh, Milton.” Rose broke into tears, and I took my chance to sneak out the door. My heart felt heavy, and I needed to get out of here before I crumbled from everything. I needed answers.

I made it out of the drive with no issues and headed to the address. It took me longer than I expected, and it was almost two in the morning by the time I pulled into the apartment complex. Grabbing my bags, I jogged up to the number Cody had said and took a deep breath before knocking. The door was instantly pulled open, and I wondered if he’d been watching.

Except it wasn’t Cody who answered.

“Mer,” Colter said, drawing me into his arms before I could protest. His hug felt good after the sting of rejection from Holden. So, despite my better judgment, I allowed myself to sink into his arms for a second.

“This isn’t a good idea,” I said, withdrawing. The hurt was visible on Colter’s face and the wall I’d put up earlier began to crack. Had Hope lied? It wouldn’t be the first time. Shit. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to sort through the lies and truths concerning my relationships at the moment.

“What’s going on? Holden…” I shook my head. I couldn’t say it.

“Here,” Cody said, handing me a mug.

“Hot chocolate?” I asked, lifting a brow.

He shrugged. “Sheldon Cooper always makes his friends a warm beverage. I thought I’d try it.”

Chuckling, I took a sip and couldn’t deny it did make me feel slightly better. Cody walked me to the couch and pressed me into the cushion. Colter took the seat next to me, but made sure to keep his distance. The lack of touch hurt more than I wanted to admit to myself. Cody took the chair positioned next to the sofa, clasping his hands in front of him. I sipped my hot chocolate, the warmth licking up my spine and comforting me. When neither of them spoke, I glanced between them.

“Neither of you going to mention how weird it is you’re together? Is this a thing now? You’re friends?”

“What? Rivers isn’t that bad,” Colter joked.

“I’m badass, Donovan, and you know it.” Cody spread his legs, leaning back in the chair, and smirked.

“Okay, this is too weird. Care to explain why I’m here at two in the morning drinking hot chocolate?” That sobered them, and they shared a glance before Colter took over.

“What happened before the game, Mer?”

I suddenly regretted pressing the conversation. “Not much,” I lied, dropped my eyes, and focused on the liquid in my mug.

“This isn’t the time for lies. There’s a lot of shit going on, Peanut,” Cody admonished in his Cody way.

I ducked my head as my cheeks heated. He was right. I blew out a breath and bit my lip, my eyes ping-ponging between them. Rip off the Band-aid!

“Hope left me roses with a note saying she couldn’t wait for me to dance. Inside my cubby was a dance uniform and Wolfette jacket. You know, the ones all the girls wear with their names on it. Well, instead of my name, it said, um, it said...”

“What did it say, Mer?” Colter asked gently. He took my hand, giving me time to pull away before smoothing his thumb over it.

“Fat Muppet,” I whispered.

“Fucking bitch,” Cody cursed.

Colter’s jaw tensed, but he pressed on. “What else?”

I both loved and hated how observant he was.

“I put the roses in Hope’s locker, got dressed as Wolfie, and tried to leave. But then the other girls cornered me and dumped red slushies down the back of my costume.” I dropped my eyes. I hated reliving this.

“What did you do with my gift?”

“Yours?” I tilted my head, trying to remember if I saw anything. I shook my head. “There wasn’t anything other than the roses and uniform. Honestly, I thought at first that you’d left the roses.”

Colter frowned. “No. I left a miniature Magic 8-Ball with a note and, um, a keychain.”

“Oh. That’s, um, sweet.” I smiled, wishing I’d found it. We stared at one another, and more cracks appeared in my shield.

“Not to break up this Hallmark moment, but did anything else happen? Why did you send the article? I thought you weren’t after talking to Holden,” Cody pressed.

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