Page 45 of A Little Broken

I spent a lot of years punishing them for…what, exactly? I don’t even know anymore. Heartbreak, I guess. And that life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, like I grew up believing. The thought makes me…sad. And a little bitter. Just like the beer in my grasp. I pop the top off of the bottle, bring it to my lips, swallow a few big gulps of bitter—called it—liquid, and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

Hundreds of people are scattered across the sand, clustered in groups of two to twenty. Some are dancing. Some are talking.Their ages vary, too. That guy can’t be more than twenty-one, and that one? He’s probably thirty-five. The girls’ ages range the same way, most of them sidling up to others in the same age group. At least I won’t have to neuter any men for hitting on someone who could be their daughter—or worse,granddaughter. I mean, to each their own, but also, yuck.

Let’s see…that guy is too old. That one’s too hairy. That one looks five drinks past bombed. And those guys…

I pause. There’s a group of guys on the opposite side of the fire. They’re cute. Like, drop dead gorgeous with a side of bad boy cute. Actually, cute’s probably the wrong word choice. Sexy as sin? Yeah, those are much more fitting, if their looks are anything to go by. Tilting my head toward the group, I murmur, “They look like a fun distraction.”

Rory follows my line of sight, then grabs my arm, forcing my full attention. “Nope. Don’t do it.”

“Whoa, there.” I slip my arm from her grasp. “Why not?”

“Because they’re younger than you.”

“So?”

“And they go to my school?”

“So?” I repeat.

“And are really bad news?”

“Bad news, huh?” My eyes dance with mirth. “Pretty sure they’re right up my alley, then.”

“I’m serious, Tate,” she orders. “Jagger, Ford, Hawke, and…” She rises onto her tiptoes and peers around. “I don’t know where Roman is.” She shakes her head. “Not that it matters. They’re kind of known for being shady assholes, and I’m begging you to keep a wide berth.”

My mouth quirks. “Kind ofshady assholes?”

“Yes, okay?” She smacks my arm. “They also have the entire student body at RHU wrapped around their fingers. Hell, they’rebasically the kings of Harden Heights entirely, and I’m not just saying that.”

“I thought you were trying to turn meoffof them, not wave a red flag in their direction like I’m a bull,” I tease.

“This isn’t a dare or a bet or anything else. It's a plea. Pick someone else. Anyone else. There are plenty of attractive guys here, and we both know you can take your pick from any of them, but those guys? I just…I want you to be safe.”

“Safe,” I repeat.

“Yes.Safe. Besides, they’re brothers, and we both know you have a thing against brothers, remember?”

She isn’t wrong.

“Fine,” I grumble. “But only because you asked me nicely.”

She rolls her eyes but brings the drink to her lips, muttering, “Thank you,” around the brim before taking a sip.

When my gaze lands on a cutie with a cowboy hat, I smile and turn back to Rory. “Do you see the cowboys at twelve o’clock?”

Her attention slides to the men then back to me. “Yes?”

“The one on the left was staring at you.”

She rolls her eyes again. “No, he wasn’t?—”

“Yes, he was,” I push. “You should talk to him.”

“Uh, no thank you.”

“Why not?”

“Because he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at you.”

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