Page 110 of Collided

I have no idea if Emery can see me right now, but I hope she knows I’m hanging in there even when I don’t want to. However, with the way things have been, one pretty girl might be the death of me.

Leaning against my car, I wait for Hope to step out—she’s always the last one.

I fight the urge to smoke a cigarette, especially with the way she’s had my head in pieces lately.

One side is yelling ‘you like her’ in Sebastian’s voice—which is disturbing—and the other is telling me that it’s not worth it.

In a few months, I’ll be off to college somewhere far away from this town and the memories that haunt me here. Of course, I'll miss my sister, but I hate living under the thumb of my father who gets information about me. I don’t want anything to do with him. I want to live somewhere where he can’t track me down or call me.

After what feels like a decade, Hope steps out carrying a stack of thick textbooks in her arms. Wild strands of her dark hair fly in front of her face, and she has a pen stuck to the side of her ear.

She’s such a nerd.

That thought disappears when I seewhatshe’s wearing.

A plaid skirt, black stockings, and a white warmer. Underneath she’s wearing her usual Converse. She looks sexy with the way those stockings hug her legs. Has she always had such long, beautiful legs, or am I fucking blind for not noticing before?

Standing in front of me she smiles at me. I clench my jaw and use every bit of my control to not look down at her sexy legs.

For fuck’s sake.I’ve never been interested in legs before.

“How many?” She shifts those books in her arms. Without thinking, I take them from her and put them on the roof of my car.

“Thank you. They were quite heavy.” She tucks her hair behind her ear.

I like it when her hair frames her face.

Fuck.

I need to get fucking therapy. This feelings bullshit is getting out of hand.

“How many what?” My voice is scratchy as it comes out.

“The orders. That’s why you were waiting for me, right?” Her light brown eyes brighten up.

I lie for the life of me, so it doesn’t dim. “Yes.”

Handing her my phone, I see the grin that etches onto her lips like a freak.

There it is. That beautiful fucking smile.

“I got seven orders.” She smiles.

She got less than before and she’s still happy.

“We’ll take more pictures to post and increase interaction. How many followers do you have?”

“One hundred and seven,” she says with a grimace.

I don’t like that sad look on her. “Not bad. Save the money and we’ll use it for ads and promotion.”

Hope grins at me. “You’re so good at this.”

“Of course, I am.”

With a laugh, she opens the door and gets inside—before I can do it for her—while I watch her. I’m in so much fucking trouble.

We arrive at my house after mailing the orders. Hope is ecstatic as she gets the money from her last orders. Since she isn't eighteen she doesn’t have a bank account and takes cash on delivery. I’m half tempted to ask Marie to make her a fake offshore account, but I know that shit doesn’t end well. I’d hate to do that to her when she works so hard to make money.

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