Page 77 of Survival

Emma looked down, crestfallen, and for a moment, I wanted to kick my sister for that comment.

“Tonight’s been fun,” I agreed instead. “I’m glad you and Tucker are having such a good time. I didn’t think y’all’d take a break with the way y’all have been going. I had to sit down, though. My feet can’t take much more.”

Izzy laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sound, unable to detect anything fake about it.

“So, Tucker went for a drink and said he’d meet me over here, but I really need to run to the ladies’ room. Can y’all tell him where I went?”

“Sure.” I waved her on, watching Izzy glide out the gym doors. “You doing okay, Ems?” I checked again, especially since I knew Megan wasn’t going to tonight.

Emma pressed hard against a fingernail, actually cracking the pink polish she’d used to match her dress. “If you’re referring to my immature, wish-he-could-be boyfriend or my over-controlling father, then let’s just not talk about it.”

I nodded, the guys saving me from the awkward moment as they walked up.

“Izzy went to the restroom.” I filled Tucker in.

“Sounds good. I can wait.” He pulled out a chair, flipping it around to straddle it before running a hand back through his hair, some of the strands falling back to his brow.

Jet slid me my punch, taking the seat between Tucker and I as Nic handed Emma her water, and we all started to chat, catching up on the night’s events and talking about whether or not we liked the song the band had started to play when Tucker suddenly groaned. “Fuck.”

My eyes followed his, and I watched Mateo charging over, his gaze narrowed and his jaw set. This timeIgroaned, knowing he was probably about to shove his foot so far into his own mouth he might never be able to choke it back out.

Mateo smacked his hands down on the edge of the table. “Alright. I’ve had enough, Emma. I know you’re nottogether, but you’ve spent most of the night with Nic. You had dinner with him, had almost every dance together, except for theonewe had when we first got here and the few I’ve seen you dance with your girlfriends. Hell, he’s even passing you handkerchiefs and getting your drinks for you. I can’t take it anymore. You’re supposed to bemydate. I want you to stop dancing with Nic and come dance with me.”

We all stared at him in shock because I didn’t think I’d ever heard him be so forceful.About time he stood up for himself.I just wasn’t sure how it was going to go over with Emma.

She shook her head slowly, the loose wisps of hair that framed her face floating at her cheeks. “I’m not dancing right now.”

Mateo’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“But my dad…” Emma trailed off, her expression saying a lot more when her eyes darted in her father’s direction.

I looked to where he stood by the snack table, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched us, eyeing us all with an expression filled with warning. Just waiting for Emma to screw up.

Mateo’s head snapped back, but he leaned close, only inches away from her before he continued. “Yes, Emma. Your dad is here. He is sending me looks from hell, and he’s been making me feel like shit all night, just like every other day since he found out that you wanted to be with me. But you know what?”

“What?” she breathed.

“I finally realized, thankfully before I did anythingstupid, that I don’t care.”

“You don’t care about me?” Emma whispered, and I broke my gaze from Mateo’s expression to look at my friend. There was something off about her tone, and apparently, Nic had picked up on it, too. We shared an annoying moment of recognition together as Mateo replied.

“No, baby. I’m saying that I don’t care what he thinks anymore. I’m fed up, and I’m not going to take it. We want to be together, so let’s be together. We’re both eighteen now. We’re about tograduatefor fuck’s sake, so what can he really do?”

“You know what he can do. You know what hewilldo. He won’t pay for my college, Mateo. He’s already making me go to Ridgeside to keep me away from you. I want to go to school.”

Mateo stood up straight and threw his hands in the air. “So, go to school. Go to UT. You got in, and it’s where you really want to go. We can be together there. You don’t need him to go to school.”

“Yes, I do,” she argued. “I didn’t get a ton of scholarships, and he’s refusing to pay if I don’t go where he says.”

“Do you really think your mom will let him refuse to give you money for youreducation?”

Her slender shoulders shrugged. “Maybe. He’s an asshole. I don’t want to chance it.”

“Damn it, Emma. I want to be with you. Do you hear me?”

She nodded, and I recognized the look. Tears weren’t far off. “Come to Ridgeside with me, then. We can be together there.”

“And have your dad up my ass all the time when we both got into a school that’s far enough away that he couldn’t interfere with our relationship? Yeah, thatsounds like the smart choice. Besides, it’s not like I have parents that can afford to send me to school. You know how important getting that basketball scholarship was to me. UT offered me a good deal. Would you really want me to pass that up?”

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