Page 18 of For Three Seconds

“Bitch, if you don’t know, how should I?” he said as he looked at me. “Fuck, I’m supposed to pick Audrey up tonight.”

I liked Audrey. I was kind of close to her, but I stopped taking her calls after my breakdown last year.

“Scar,” Dylan said. “I think she wanted to hang with you. That’s why she asked me to pick her up.”

I sighed, leaning back in the seat. I needed a fun night, and going to the lake was not what I had in mind. I didn’t want to look at the people who pretended to care, and I didn’t want to seethemtogether. I just wanted one night to forget.

“Let’s get her.” I gave in.

Audrey lived in the nicer part of town. I looked at her huge house, and I closed my eyes because it reminded me of poms. Thinking about dancing made me think about my mom. All the practices, events, fundraisers, she took me to them.

It didn’t take long for Audrey to come out. She smiled at both of us and ran to the back of Dylan’s car.

“I’m surprised you picked me up. To be honest, I thought you guys would ditch me.” That was just like Auds to be brutally honest.

“How bad do you want to go to the party?” Dylan turned back and asked.

“I don’t care what we do; I just don’t want to be home.” She shrugged.

Dylan and I both looked at each other at the same time.

“Target!” we shouted in unison.

Audrey moved her hand forward, as if telling us to go for it. It was too late to go to the mall, but Target had everything, and we could find what we needed and make it a night.

An hour and a half later, we walked back into my empty condo with pita chips and taco hummus dip. Beause we had to keep it healthy.

“Gigi’s going to be pissed you bailed on her,” Dylan said.

“Gigi is my best friend; she’ll understand,” I responded.

To which Audrey made a face. I was tired of fighting with her about how Gigi was a good best friend.

Dylan looked at me with his eyebrows raised because he knew Gigiwouldn’tunderstand. Sometimes I felt like she didn’t understand me at all anymore. My parents’ deaths had changed me, but sometimes I felt like it also changed her.

* * *

There was knockingon my door, and I wondered why I heard it closer since my room was at the end of the hall.

“Is everything okay?” I heard my brother ask.

I didn’t care. I burrowed deeper into the warmth that surrounded me.

“Damn, no wonder you two were a no-show last night.” I groaned at Jordan’s voice.

Opening my eyes, I saw him going to take a seat on the sofa next to where Dylan and I had fallen asleep. It was just the two of us since Audrey’s parents had blown up her phone and she had to go home. Since it was late, Nick had taken her home. Best brother ever.

Forcing my heavy lids to stay open, it took a second to notice Gavin standing in my living room, looking at Dylan and me.

“Hi,” I croaked.

Gavin didn’t reply. His eyes trailed over my face, then went up to meet Dylan’s face and then back down to where I was wrapped in D’s arms.

“We got worried when you didn’t show last night.” His voice sounded scratchy, like he needed water, and I wondered if he was hung over.

Untangling myself from Dylan’s arm, I sat up. We always kept the condo cool, and I was wearing a hoodie over booty shorts. It looked like I wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

“This keeps getting better and better,” Jordan hooted.

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