Page 62 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

‘Don’t!’ Will yells, his voice loud enough it makes me jump. He never yells. At least not with me around. I can tell he’s standing right behind me still, probably preventing Alex from getting in.

‘Get out!’ Alex yells.

‘If she needed you, she’d have come to you. She didn’t,’ Will says.

Alex grunts an unmistakably pissed-off laugh.

‘Hey!’ Bryce bolsters. ‘What’s going on?’

‘He’s making it worse. We were just talking, and all he wants to do is fight for her. She’s sick. Can you get him outta here?’ Will thunders.

‘Alex, maybe you should go?’ Bryce suggests.

‘Fuck that!’ Alex argues. ‘Willy can go. If anyone is taking care of her, it’s me. Berkley’sminenow, jackass.’

I’mhisnow? Like heownsme? I think the fuck not.

‘I am nobody’s property!’ I muster up the energy to yell. My voice echoes through the bathroom then all goes silent. ‘Will was just helping but if you’re going to fight, just get out.Bothof you!’

‘I wasn’t fighting him,’ Will defends himself. ‘You’re sick. I can’t leave you in here alone with him after watching him yank you up like that…’ His voice fades as someone, probably Bryce, directs him out of the bathroom.

‘I got this, ya tool,’ Alex says, spit dripping in his tone.

My heart slows at the thought of Will disappearing again before I can talk to him. This is not the hate I’d planned.

‘Alex, why don’t you go too?’ Bianca says sternly. ‘I’lltake care of her.’

The door slams against the back wall as Alex exits with a frustrated groan. The room finally settles as I sit back down, without the cushion of Will beneath me this time. I lean against the stall wall, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my forehead on them.

‘Well,’ Bianca says with a laugh. ‘I didn’t expect all hell to break loose tonight, did you?’

I glance up. She stands just outside my stall, her arms crossed over her chest and the exact face Mom would have if she were standing here. Disappointment, pity and a hint of amusement.

‘You couldn’t have warned me he was coming?’

‘I honestly didn’t know. If Bryce did he’s kept it on the down-low.’ She says the words gently, so I know she’s not lying. We’re twins and sisters; we don’t always say things gently.

The bathroom door swings open, and Olivia bursts in. ‘Oh my God, theyfought? Like fists and everything?’ she asks, glancing between Bianca and me, wide-eyed.

‘Nobody swung,’ Bianca informs her. ‘But if I had to guess, that wouldn’t be the case next time.’

‘Alex just stormed out with Gunner, so I don’t think there will be a next time tonight.’

‘Heleft?’ I ask. He drove me here and he just left? ‘He’s not worried at all about how him leaving might shove me right into the arms of—wait.’ I glance at Olivia. ‘Ishestill here?’

‘If byheyou mean Will? Yes. He said he’ll bring you home.’

‘Oh,’ Bianca swoons. ‘He’s claiming you by not asking if he can, just saying he will. Grew himself a spine while he was away, did he? How do you feel about that?’

I drop my head to my knees again. ‘I don’t know how I feel about any of this. He says he’s here for me and wants to talk, yet I can hardly think beyond trying not to be sick. What do I do?’

‘How about we go back out there? The puke parade seems to have passed,’ Bianca says, flushing the toilet. ‘We’ll get you some water or coffee and just try and relax. This doesn’t need to ruin our night. You two have been friends for a long time. You can handleonenight with him.’

Handling one night with Will is the exact problem. One night turns into two. Two nights turn into us pretending we’re back together. Then, suddenly, the igloo is on fire, and as Bianca so elegantly said earlier, all hell breaks loose. But tequila thinks I can do it, so I nod my head like it’s a great idea, raise my hands and allow them to pull me off the floor to face the good prince himself.

‘Let’s just…’ Bianca looks me over, running her fingers through my hair. She pulls a bobby pin from her bag, slipping it in and adjusting it until she’s happy. Then she touches up my makeup, slathering lipstick onto my lips. She quickly checks my outfit. Then she slips me a breath mint.

‘OK,’ I say, pushing her away from me. ‘How do you have that much crap in your purse? I’m good.’ I take a few breaths as I step away from her and Liv, balancing myself with a hand on the wall, feeling realnotgood but steady enough to at least get to our table.

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