Page 15 of The Road to Finding Us

I’m still staring daggers at the side of his head as he slowly backs away from us with a shit-eating grin on his face. Before he disappears, he looks right at Lily and says, “By the way, you have kickass lips.”

“Lips?” I ask tightly, as I watch him disappear inside. Once I’m satisfied that he’s gone and not coming back, I look at her.

“Aspen, I owe you no explanation.” Lily doesn’t even spare me a second glance. She leans back on her hands, water splashing around as her feet kick around in the water.

It stays silent between us. She stays on the ground, sitting and leaning toward the pool. I stay a few feet away from her, carefully watching her movements.

“Did you just decide to come over here to ruin my life instead of having an actual conversation with me?” Lily pulls her feet out of the pool, splashing the tops of my shoes in the process. She promptly stands up and walks over, stopping directly in front of me, a defiant look on her face. She crosses her arms, clearly waiting for my response.

The string patio lights cast a glow on her face. I can see the reflection of them in her dark blue eyes. My mind races with an answer to her question. I don’t know why I decided to ditch the two girls that were all over me on the other side of the party. I hadn’t really thought it through. One moment I was kissing one of their necks, the next I noticed the way Lily was looking at Blaine.

It didn’t sit well with me. I don’t think Maverick would have approved of it. So, I did what any good best friend would do. I shoved the girl off my lap and came to face Lily and Blaine. But now that I’m here, I’m unsure how to proceed.

“Are you broken? Answer me,” she prods, giving my arm a soft shove.

“I, uh…”

The silent pause must be enough of an answer for her, because she stares at me for a long moment as if she’s seeing right through me. But just when I start to feel uneasy under her gaze, she rolls her eyes and begins to retreat toward the patio door.

Her hand finds the door at the same time mine wraps gently around her bicep. She tries to wiggle out of my grasp, but I don’t let go. I stare at the spot where my skin touches hers.

“Let go, Aspen. I’m trying to go inside to the party,” she says, giving another tug.

I smile, my fingers letting go of her arm one by one. “Funny,” I snap. “You didn’t care about the party two minutes ago when you were going to let him stick his tongue down your throat.” Unintentionally, my face nears hers with every word. I can see the storm brewing in those cloudy-day eyes.

“You need to take a chill pill and butt out of my life,” she orders, stepping even closer to me. It’s evident she’s pissed and not backing down. She stares right at me, her lids narrowing before I speak.

“No can do, Lily Bear. I can’t have you and Blaine together.” The words come out cool—calculated—even though my heart is racing underneath my calm demeanor.

“Why does it even matter? You barely spare me a second glance these days. And I like Blaine.” Her hands wave animatedly in the air as she talks. “The guy might actually like me. He might not. Hell if I actually know. Either way, let it be, Aspen. We used to be somewhat civil. You remember that, right? I’ve never once cockblocked you with your constant string of girls. Not once!”

She points her index finger in my face. Once it gets too close, I swat it away, grabbing her wrist in the process. I don’t hold onto it long, just enough to get the message across that she needs to get her finger the fuck out of my face.

Her shoulders rise and fall quickly, making it pretty damn clear she’s livid with me. But fuck if I care. I just don’t want to watch her give Blaine bedroom eyes again. Even if it means pissing her off in the process.

“You’re best fucking friends with my twin. You should give a shit about me! Or maybe you shouldn’t. I shouldn’t actually care. Either way, butt the hell out of my life!” She laughs, and it’s almost manic, full of frustration. Her agitated behavior mimics my own, because right now I want to put my fist through a wall.

Every time I’m in her presence, even if it’s briefly, half the time I end up feeling volatile.

She steps even closer to me and I feel the tickle of her long hair against my bare chest. It sends a tingle right down my spine. Lily looks me dead in the eye when she speaks next, venom laced in every word when she says, “You just need to let me live my damn life. You had the chance of pretending like you gave a fuck about me. You never did. I’m just Maverick’s sister to you. It’s fine—I get it. But you decided last year that you didn’t want to be an important person in my life. Not in any meaningful way at least. Live with your fucking choices, Aspen.”

She steps away and all I can do is watch her retreating figure. I’m locked in place, the blood in my veins pulsing angrily through my body.

Just as she reaches the door, I say, “Lily, wait.”

9

Lily

Present

I’m one hour into the car ride with Aspen.

It’s already going horribly wrong.

For starters, the asshole didn’t tell me his truck didn’t have a working audio jack.

When we made the deal last night to carpool, he made no mention that I wouldn’t be able to play my playlist through the car speakers.

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