Page 131 of Come Break My Heart Again

AOneparty. Ahigh schoolparty.

I’m going to kill him. He just turned thirteen. What the hell was he thinking?

“That’s where I’m headed,” Phoenix tells me. “Want a ride?”

My head snaps in his direction. “Really?”

“Yeah, Cruz and Zane just got here. We’re about to leave.”

They’re going to sell at this party, I realize. My anger at Cormac mounts.

“A ride would be great,” I say.

I’ll try Tuck again once I have Cormac to see if he can drive us home. Worst-case scenario: I could call Elle for a ride. But I really don’t want to bother her with this. In her texts earlier, she mentioned she isn’t going out tonight because of an early morning. She’s going to tour Dartmouth.

“Come on.” Phoenix heads for the door.

I close the hood of the car I was working on, then follow him.

Cruz is in the driver’s seat of the same car I rode in before, smoking.

“Picked up a stray,” Nix says, sliding in the back seat.

“Hey, guys,” I say, shutting the door.

“James,” Cruz greets.

Zane just nods. He never says much.

I drum my fingers against the door impatiently as Cruz zips through town ten miles over the speed limit.

Phoenix makes a disgusted grunt in the back of his throat as we roll into the richest part of town. The difference is immediate and obvious. The houses get bigger. The lawns greener. The sidewalks wider. The cars, parked in driveways lined with trimmed hedges, are sleek and shiny.

I feel the same resentment shown in Zane’s curled fists and Cruz’s sneer. These houses are fifteen minutes from where we all live, yet their lives are totally different from ours. It’s hard not to take that personally.

I spot the crowd of cars before the 32 that marks our destination. Cruz parks on the street since the driveway is about five vehicles too full.

“If I lived in this place, I’d bitch a lot less than Hathaway does,” Phoenix comments as we cross the street.

“This is Hathaway’s house?” I ask.

“Yep.” He pops theP. “Ridiculous, right?”

I’m busy mulling over my shitty luck. Hathaway is the last person I feel like seeing right now. I promised Elle I wouldn’t do anything. That promise is going to be a lot harder to keep if I run into the guy.

So, of course, he’s in the front yard with a few of his football buddies. They’re crushing empty beer cans with a baseball bat.

Hathaway is the first one to spot us. His eyes slide over the rest of the guys, then land on me.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Archer walks toward us, swaying a little. He’s wasted. “You three can go in.” He points to Zane, Cruz, and Phoenix. “Heisn’t allowed inside.” Archer’s refocused on me.

“I’m not here to sell,” I tell him. “Just to get my brother.”

“I don’t give ashitwhat you’re here for, James. You’re not getting it. You shouldn’t have crossed me.”

“Crossed you?” I repeat incredulously. “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve donenothingto you, Hathaway.”

“You think the team decided you were a great option for quarterback by themselves?”

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