Page 72 of Wicked Dreams

Mineand no one else’s. I’d fight them, and he would come back to me. Because: marriage. Even if Mom and Dad’s marriage sucked, and Caleb’s parents’ marriage was rocky, sometimes fiction and real life could be the same.

We’d be the happy couple when we got into our older years. Twenties, thirties, forties. Hell, he’d probably love me through gray hair and wrinkles. I knew it, and judging from the look in his eye, he knew it, too.

And then, two years later, our lives imploded.

Chapter 16

Caleb

Imeet the guys at Liam’s place. They evacuated my house shortly after I dragged Margo out. I slink into the kitchen and grab a beer, then go find them in Liam’s game room.

“That was fun,” Theo grunts from his chair.

It’s directed at me, I know. He keeps his eyes on the racing game they’re playing.

I drop into the chair next to him. It’s best that, for now, I stay the hell away from Liam. And Eli. They’ve both given me bruises… after fights that I started. How fucked up is that?

We’re supposed to be in the trenches together, and I’m making it all about me.

They raise their eyebrows at me.

All I can do is scowl at them and say, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Margo has gotten undermyskin. It was supposed to be the other way around, damn it.

Liam shrugs. “Fine.”

“I just said?—”

“He didn’t ask you a fucking question, man,” Eli snaps. “If you want to be an asshole and sulk in the corner, fine. We’ll leave you the fuck alone.”

My lips flatten. I pick up the extra control and opt into Theo’s next game. Video games won’t release the tension I feel. The anger swirls like a fucking hurricane in my chest.

After about ten minutes, I say, “You never knew her.”

They exchange glances.

“She left right before you transferred in.” My words are directed at Eli.

His family moved here when we were eleven. I was an angry son of a bitch then, but no worse than I am now. Eh, no, probably less angry then.

It’s grown in the years since.

“Okay,” Eli says. “We do know this part of the story. The whole school’s been talking about it.”

I’ve kept this under wraps for a reason. It’s personal shit. But I’ve got to say something to stop their squawking. “Yeah, but you don’t knowmyside. We weren’t just acquaintances. She didn’t just live with her family in our guest house. Shewasfamily. She was my best friend.”

“And then all the drama with her family?” That comes from Liam.

“Something like that.” I jerk the controller, smashing Theo’s character out of the way.

I don’t feel anything when I win—except for Theo’s elbow jabbed into my ribs.

“So why do you hate her?”

I drop the controller on the counter and lean back, taking a long swallow of beer. I’ll need six more of these before I share any more secrets about her. And how she’s still needling me after all these years.

“It’s a long story.” I stand. “I’m going. See you guys tomorrow.”

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