Page 73 of Unraveled

“Hey, Tucker, wait up a sec,” Nic said before he could take off.

“Yeah?”

Nic glanced at Annie before looking between the two of us. “I wanted to see if you two would be interested in finding a place together for next year. Depending on what your scholarships say about your housing.”

My brow rose, and I exchanged a surprised glance with Tucker. “Really? I mean, I’ll double check on things, but yeah, it sounds awesome.”

“Same.” Tucker nodded. “Jet and I always planned to room together if we could. And you’re kind of part of the crew now. Sounds good.”

“Really?” Annie yanked her hand from mine, hurt and betrayal mixed with anger in the glare she sent between us. “Great. Fucking great, babe. Thanks,” she hissed andtook off down the hall, disappearing around a corner before I could think to react.

I winced, wondering what I’d done when it suddenly hit me in the face. My eyes closed as I cursed. “Sorry. My dad’s out back. Tucker can show you,” I called out as I hurried after her.

***

An entire hour had passed, and Annie still wouldn’t talk to me. After telling me to leave her alone, I reluctantly gave her some space, but it was killing me. Grabbing a plate, I piled it with Aunt Rosa’s tamales and Chuck’s barbecue and dropped into a seat next to Izzy as she took a dainty bite of her deviled egg.

“Where’s Tucker?” I glanced at his plate on the other side of hers.

“Getting drinks. He told me about what happened.” She gave me a sideways glance, and I sighed.

“I feel like the biggest dumbass on the planet right now.”

She glanced over to where Annie was visiting with their grandparents before giving me a sympathetic look. “You get what you did, at least, right?” I raised an eyebrow at her, and she held up a hand. “Just checking. She’s upset right now, but she’ll come around, Jet. If you and Tucker get a place with Nic, it won’t be like it is now. I imagine you’ll have your own rooms. Annie will be okay.”

“You think so?”

“Most likely. I personally like the idea. Like we’ll have a place for all of us to hang out next year if y’all live together. Annie wants to try the dorms freshman year, though. Get the whole college experience.”

“I know. That’s what Tucker and I thought we would do, too, but if Nic’s really coming around and wanting to give things a shot…” I sighed in defeat, and Izzy gave me her sympathetic smile again.

“I get it. The person whoneedsto get it is Annie.” I watched as they did one of their freaky twin telepathy looks from across the yard, my gaze never leaving Annie’s face. She glanced at me, some of the fire gone before looking away. “Go try again,” Izzy urged, picking up her fork, and I nodded, leaving my plate of food behind me just as Tucker walked back up to the table.

“What’d I miss?”

I let Izzy fill him in as I left, saying hi to relatives and laughing like nothing was wrong as I crossed the yard. Annie stood up when I got close, and I followed her inside and down the long hall that ran along the back side of the house behind the stairs to the second den we hung out in when we weren’t in Tucker’s room.

I shut the door behind us, and Annie stopped to stand behind the couch, her hands resting on the back of it.

“I’m sorry.” We said it together, and my head popped up, finding her small smirk waiting for me in the reflection of the window. She shifted, facing me as she spoke.

“I got angrier than I should have. The morning started off like shit, my emotions are a wreck, and I flipped.”

“I wasn’t exactly sensitive about it.”

“No. You weren’t. You didn’t even ask me how I felt about it or consider how it would affect me at all when you said yes.” Her smirk was gone, and I could feel the hurt I’d first seen when it happened. I stepped up beside her, my arm just a hair’s breadth from touching hers.

“You’re right. I was so excited that Nic was wanting to make the effort that I answered before thinking everything through. He’s been here for over two months, and I still feel like I barely know him.”

“And is that your fault or his?”

My chest fell, knowing she had a point, but even if she did, I knew I wasn’t done trying. I just had to find a way to balance my life with the two of them in it.

She sighed, looking away again. “Catch. Fucking. Twenty-two.”

I inched my hand towards hers, relieved when she didn’t pull away. “How do I make this right?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “I don’t know. But just so you know, he asked y’all then, in front of me, on purpose. He wanted to hurt me.”

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