Page 69 of I Hate You More

My brother’s expression grew dark at Dad’s explanation. “Does Chase know they’re coming?” He sounded really aggravated, and his reaction reminded me of how Chase had spoken about his dad with such contempt.

“I haven’t told him about the dinner, but I’m sure he knows they’re back,” Dad said.

Shane looked ready to say something else, but the front door opened as Chase arrived home. He was actually smiling as he walked into the kitchen and found us all standing there, but his expression quickly changed when he caught sight of my brother’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Shane walked over and gripped his arm, and I could almost sense the tension in the air prickling against my skin. “Your parents are back,” Shane said.

“And I’m cooking dinner for us all,” Dad added with a cheerful wave of his spatula. He really needed to learn to read a room better, because Chase didn’t look nearly as chipper as my dad at the thought.

“Oh, that’s great,” Chase muttered. He pushed a hand through his messy hair, his smile dropping from his lips and his eyes turning dark. In a heartbeat, he went from looking totally content to completely devoid of emotion.

“I’m going upstairs to change,” he added before quickly turning and stalking up the stairs.

My dad finally seemed to notice that something was wrong and glanced at my brother. “Is he okay?”

Shane hesitated to answer. “I’ll go see,” he finally said.

I wanted to go up to check on Chase too but knew I probably shouldn’t. Shane was the one who was friends with Chase, not me. I wasn’t even sure what the two of us were anymore.

Instead, I started helping Dad with dinner. It was a Friday night, so cooking seemed like a much better alternative to studying.

“How was school this week?” Dad asked, as I chopped up some onion for him.

Tears were springing up in my eyes, and I laughed despite them. “Not as bad as these tears make it look, I swear,” I replied, making him smile. “It’s been pretty tiring, but it’s going okay. I had a math test today, and I think I did pretty well on it.”

“That’s great, honey.”

I smiled, for once feeling like I’d earned Dad’s praise. I always did well in English, but subjects like math and science didn’t come easily to me. I was proud of the fact I was doing well in them this year and knew it was because I’d been putting in the hard work.

“Just make sure you keep it up,” he said. “This year is only going to get harder.”

“I know,” I agreed. “But I’m feeling really good about it.”

And once Chase was gone, I’d hopefully be feeling even better.

The front doorbellrang just as we were putting the finishing touches on dinner. Dad went straight to the door and smiled brightly as he showed Mr. and Mrs. Williams into the house.

Chase’s parents were nothing like their son. They were dressed in smart suits, and not a hair was out of place. Mrs. Williams wore hers in a slick bun while Mr. Williams had his gelled back. They were both extremely good-looking for adults, but their expressions lacked warmth, and the stiff manner with which they held themselves had too much formality for my liking.

“It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen you, Ally,” Mrs. Williams said as she entered the kitchen. “You’re so grown-up now; such a stunning-looking girl.”

I blushed at the compliment, not really sure how to respond. My hair was messy after a day at school, and I was still wearing a casual pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I hardly felt stunning.

“How’s Chase been?” Mr. Williams asked my dad.

“Very well behaved,” Dad replied.

Mr. Williams shook his head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Well, believe it,” Dad said with a chuckle. “Trust me, one wrong move and I’d be shipping him back to you.”

I swallowed and tucked my hands into my pockets. Dad’s words might have been tinged with humor, but I knew beyond doubt he’d follow through on them. Dad never said anything he didn’t mean.

Mr. Williams nodded, like he was happy to hear it. “Good. So, where is the boy?”

“Up in his room,” Dad replied.

“I’ll go grab him,” I suggested. The adults were all smiles for each other, but there had been so much disapproval in Mr. William’s eyes when he’d spoken of his son. His voice had turned hard, and I didn’t like the way he assumed Chase had been making trouble.

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