Page 51 of Remember Us This Way

“You always hang out with Zoey. You never have time for me anymore,” Linc whines, instantly making me feel like crap. Noah and I have been spending a lot of time together. We always do. “I just wanted to toss the ball around with you for a while. Besides, we all know that Zoey is going to get bored and end up sitting down, and then you’re gonna wish you had me here.”

“Linc,” Noah groans.

“Why do you have to be such an ass all the time?” Linc grunts, his gaze falling to the ground.

“Get lost, Linc,” Noah grits through a clenched jaw. “You’re so fucking annoying. Go home.”

Linc clenches his jaw, glaring at his big brother, and when they do this, they always look so similar. I can tell that when Linc is older and they’re both grown, people will mistake them for twins.

Linc’s bottom lip pouts out just a fraction, but he won’t break in front of Noah. He’s so stubborn. He wants Noah to see him like one of the big kids, but he’ll always be his little brother. I don’t know, maybe things will change in a few years when Linc can hold his own against him, but until then, it’s always going to be a power struggle.

“You’re a shitty brother,” Linc grumbles, devastation flashing in his eyes, and with that, he turns on his heel and stalks away.

“Linc,” I call after him, but he doesn’t stop. I love Linc as much as my little sister, but now that things have shifted between me and Noah, it changes the dynamics between us all. Noah and I aren’t just playing ball anymore, he’s flirting, accidentally touching my hand, and pretending to tumble right into me just so he can put his hands around my waist, and just when I think he’ll let me go, he’ll kiss me. It’s not exactly something Noah wants to do around his little brother, but Linc doesn’t understand that yet.

Linc’s rigid figure grows smaller with the distance, and Noah picks up his discarded ball as if nothing happened. “Did you really have to do that?” I ask Noah, swatting at his chest as Tarni continues her phone call, probably oblivious to anything going on here. “You were mean.”

“He’ll be fine,” Noah grunts. “Mom was planning on taking him and Hazel to see a movie this afternoon, and if he’s not home when she gets home, he’ll miss out.”

“Then why didn’t you tell him that?” I question, rolling my eyes, feeling as though I’m never going to understand how a boy’s mind works. “If he knew he was going to have a movie date, he would have run home.”

Noah shrugs his shoulders, not seeing the issue. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“You’re impossible, Noah Ryan.”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t love it.”

Rolling my eyes, I snatch the ball off him and throw it up into the sky, only as I go to catch it again, his big arm shoots out and collects it before I even get a chance. I give him a blank stare. “Why are you so adamant about it being just you and me?” I ask. “We’re just tossing a ball around.”

A wicked grin stretches across Noah’s face. “Did you see me walk in here with a ball?” he asks, indicating to the one now in his hand. “Linc brought this. Not me.” My brows furrow, and he lets out a groan. “I had no intention of tossing a ball around with you today, Zo. I was going to drag you into the woods and make out with you instead, but then you had to go and bring Tarni freaking Luca.”

My jaw drops, and I gape at him, watching the way my shock only makes his grin wider.

“What do you say, Zo?” he murmurs, stepping in closer, his fingers brushing along my arm. “Get rid of the tag-along.”

My gaze flickers toward Tarni, watching as she paces through the overgrown grass, mindlessly chatting on her phone, completely unaware of her surroundings. “What am I supposed to say?”

“I don’t know,” he grunts. “Just tell her to fuck off.”

“Noah!” I gasp. I hate when he talks like that, but I think it’s something he picked up from the boys at his fancy private school. Or maybe it’s just a high school thing. Maybe it’s just a Noah thing, and I’m just going to have to get used to it.

“What?”

I roll my eyes and go to tell him he’s an idiot when his phone rings. He dives deep into his pocket, pulling it out to find Linc’s name on the screen. He decides to ignore it, but I snatch the phone off him and quickly answer it before Noah can steal it back. “Linc,” I rush out. “It’s fine. You can come—”

“Help,” Linc croaks out.

“Linc?” I ask, my brows furrowed as I meet Noah’s gaze. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Linc sputters, crying out in pain. “Help,” he cries. “I can’t . . . I can’t breathe.”

My eyes widen, fear brimming in my chest as I grab Noah’s hand and start running faster than I’ve ever run before, leaving Tarni behind. Noah screams something at me, but I don’t hear it over my panic. “What happened, Linc? What happened?”

“Zoey?” Noah demands, needing answers.

Linc sputters in my ear. “A car. It . . . It came out of nowhere.”

His words fade away, and it sounds as though he’s choking on something, and I cry out to Noah. “I think he’s been hit by a car.”

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