Page 27 of Busted Dreams

Jonah: What’s up?

Me: Call me?

This time, my phone lit up within seconds of the message being delivered.

“Hey,” I breathed, just glad that he got back to me quickly.

“Hey, Thatcher, what’s wrong?” Of course he knew something was wrong. Jonah was the one that I knew the least. He was more standoffish than the others and didn’t seem too inclined to be more than a peripheral member of the group. But man, was I fucking happy to know him now.

“My sister, Trinity, she left and I need to know where she hangs out. I’m…I’m worried about her.” He had no idea what was going on, and probably thought I was being overdramatic hunting my kid sister down, but it didn’t matter. I needed answers.

“She ran away?” he shouted over the arena noise.

“No. Yes, maybe? We got into an argument, and when I went to check on her, she wasn’t in her room. So I need to know, where does she hang out and who with?” I gripped the phone tight in one hand and braced myself over the small kitchen table with the other.

“I’d love to help, but how would I know any of this?”

Was he kidding? Did he think I didn’t realize he and Trinity knew each other?

“Because I’ve seen you together. You’ve known her for a while. And she was too friendly with you for you to know nothing about her.” I spoke slowly to make sure I got my point across.

“Thatcher…” He sounded like someone was strangling him. “I—”

Then he went quiet.

“Jonah…” I edged. He had to know something. He was the only person I actually knew who could help me.

“Listen…” Static filled the line like he was moving or shifting the phone. Faint muffled words sounded, then more static. “Okay. You’re my friend and I want to help you, but I don’t know Trinity that way. I never did.”

He paused while I digested his words.

What the hell did that even mean he didn’t know her that way?

Oh fuck, no.

“Wait, wait, wait. Fill in the blanks for me here, Jonah. What way did you know Trinity?” I really hoped for his sake that he wasn’t about to confirm my suspicions.

“I—I mean we, hell. Man, listen I don’t want to have this conversation right now. I left Astrid by herself, and I should get back to her. The game’s intense, and I don’t like her being by herself.”

Excuses.

Ignoring his words, I continued, “Please tell me, Jonah, that you have not fucked my sister and didn’t think I should know.”

He sighed, and I felt the weight of it through the phone. “I barely knew her, and I had no idea she was your sister. It was well before I even knew you. And when I say that, I mean over a year ago.”

Another kind of fury filled me and if I didn’t… I didn’t even know what I needed, but I was going to blow soon. This was too much. I couldn’t process what was happening and I needed to be focused on finding Trinity, but in this moment, my brain only registered one thought.

Jonah had used and discarded my sister. And that was unacceptable.

“My sister is worth more than a five-minute fuck in a backroom or wherever you took her. Is that what you’re doing with Astrid? Are you going to sleep with her and throw her away like she’s nothing?”

“What? No! Astrid’s my friend. I—”

He stopped. The smart guy was realizing that anything he said to defend his actions would only shine light on how he fucked around with my sister.

“Choose your next words carefully,” I forced out through gritted teeth.

“Astrid isonlymy friend.” He made sure to enunciate on the wordonly, like that made any difference at all.

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