Page 1 of No Second Chances

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KENNEDY

“Maybe I should change into something different?”

Honestly, I look more like I’m ready to crawl into bed than to go pick up Remy from the airport. The black leggings and oversized shirt can almost pass for regular attire, but with the way my curls just stand out in any direction definitely gives me crazy cat lady vibes.

“You’re gorgeous,” Cassie says from her spot on my bed where she is comfortably curled up with my cat. “You’ve always been gorgeous and no one is going to notice that you look like shit, especially on Valentine’s Day.” She is too busy scrolling on her phone to see the death glare I shoot at her.

I sigh and then do the only thing I can think of to help my hair catastrophe. I put my mess of curls into a bun on top of my head using three hair ties. Yeah, my hair is that thick.

“Why aren’t you going again?” I glare at my sister in the mirror. “Got a hot date or something?”

“Actually, yes.” Casper, our other sister and Cassie’s twin, walks in with a flourish. “We’re going on a double date for the holiday. At this rate we’re going to be late.” She swats Cassie on the leg and snaps, “Hurry up. Let’s go.”

“It’s noon.” I look at my phone just to make sure time hasn’t passed so quickly that I’m not aware of it. “Why are you going on a date at noon?”

Cassie smiles broadly, looking for all the world like the evil twin she is. “Because,” she says serenely. “How else are we going to make them work for it if it’s not the middle of the day?”

“So gross.” I shoo them away. The very last thing I want to hear in the entire world is my seventeen-year-old little sisters talking about their sex lives. Let alone how they plan on making guys work for it.

“Seriously, though.” Casper interrupts my thoughts. “If you don’t want to go alone, we can reschedule. Picking up Remy is way more important than guys we can just see tomorrow.”

Touched by her willingness to reschedule her life just for Remy, I wave her away. “Go. You guys deserve to have a night out…” I roll my eyes. “Or day.”

“You do too, Kennedy.” Coming from Cassie, the compliment means so much, but we are definitely in it together. “The world isn’t going to end if you take a break. You’ve been working so hard.”

She is right. I am working full-time, going to school, and managing to get ahead—finally. Though I can’t stop, not now. Not when I’m so close to getting away, escaping. Putting everything that happened behind me, once and for all. Only a few more weeks left.

“Hey.”

I nearly jump out of my skin. Casper is standing right in front of me, and she just scared the hell out of me. I take several deep breaths while I wait for my heart rate to return to normal.

“We know you don’t want to talk about it. Not yet, at least. But we’re here and nobody deserves to walk around with that much on their shoulders at eighteen. Especially you.”

Good thing I haven’t put any makeup on yet. Suddenly I’m a hot mess. Tears stream down my face and hiccups rack my body, on top of everything else.

“Oh my gods,” I gasp. “Why can’t you guys just go already?” Laughing through the tears, I try to shoo them away again. Though they don’t leave.

Cassie pulls me into a tight hug, and I can feel the rage rolling off her in waves. “If I could kill him and get away with it, I would. Besides, there are plenty of lobstermen who would put a dismembered body in their traps for any of us. No questions asked.”

Sniffling, I shake my head. “Trust me. It’s not worth you going to jail. He’s not worth it.”

Casper snorts derisively, joining our hug. “Just wait. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”

Cocooned in their embrace, I feel like I’m a little kid again and nothing can hurt me. Which, after the year I’ve had, is more than deserved. They don’t seem ready to let go of the hug anytime soon, either. It only makes it even more annoying.

When I’ve had enough, I try to break away from their embrace, but they just squeeze tighter.

I croak, barely able to catch my breath. “Don’t you have a date?” I pull Casper’s curls and laugh when she gasps, swatting me away.

Cassie sighs and pulls her twin toward the door. She turns around and shoots me an evil glare. “Don’t you have a bunch of Marines to pick up at the airport?”

I know she is right even before I check the decorative clock on my wall. The giant Star Wars droid replica stares back down at me, a glaringly obvious reminder that I only have about an hour and a half to get there. Just barely enough time to get to Bangor and the airport in time. Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m surprising Remy with his truck. His massive, ridiculously testosterone-filled truck that I can’t even get into unless I’m wearing leggings.

I actually tore a pair of skinny jeans once when I tried to heave myself into the truck. The problem with driving the monstrosity is that people have no consideration for the fact that I usually drive a Prius. My baby is about a fifth the size of the beast I currently find myself steering.

At least the drive gives me some time to think about what I’ll do with my favorite person in the whole world home for the next month. Although, admittedly, the last thing I want is to share my personal space, but I know it will be worth it. Having my big brother home is going to be amazing, especially after missing him when he was home the last time.

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