Page 13 of Undeniably

She reaches out to shake my hand. I cringe at her touch.

Are the rumors about Keaton true? He surely wouldn’t cheat on this dime piece.

If he did, then there was never any hope for him.

“Nice to meet you,” I murmur as I pull my hand back quickly.

“Likewise. Where are you taking her tonight?” Sage has a friendly smile, but I can see the fierce look in her eye.

I shrug, pointing to Tinsley. “She planned out our night. Something about dinner….” I trail off as I watch Tinsley mouth to meno.

“Just dinner then?” Sage presses.

“For now. I’m more of a live-in-the-moment type. I don’t like to make plans.”

Lies. All lies. I hate winging it, but it’s obvious that Tinsley doesn’t want me to divulge the part about the party.

Sage stares me down before turning to Keaton. Some unspoken communication goes on before my eyes, making me miss the way I used to share that connection with him.

“All right. Don’t stay out too late. You know the rules, Tinsley. No drinking, no parties, and no below the belt action.” Sage winks at me with the last one.

“Seriously? I’m right here, and that’s my sister,” Keaton grumbles.

Sage playfully pushes Keaton, making me silently fume for no reason. I need to get these lingering feelings under control. I don’t even like the guy anymore.

You keep telling yourself that.

“You need to stop babying her. Next year, you will be gone and she will be all alone. You won’t be able to control her every movement. Might want to let her have some fun while you can still keep an eye on her,” Sage replies.

“Ugh, I hate you both. I’m not a child. Can we go now?” Tinsley phrases it as a question but grabs my hand, pulling me out the door before they can respond.

“Stay safe,” Sage calls out.

Keaton grabs my arm once more before I get down the steps. I wave Tinsley on, turning to face him.

“Keep her safe, Morgan. As much as I don’t want to, I’m depending on you. Don’t abandon her.”

“I won’t. You need to chill. I’ve got her. I won’t let anything happen to her. Trust me.”

“I trusted you once, and you broke it. Sorry if I’m reluctant to jump on that train again.”

I let out a hefty sigh. “Yeah, and you broke mine, so call it even. I've got Tin for the night. Enjoy your night off.”

Before he responds, I pull away, making my way to the car. As I drive away, I don’t miss his figure standing on the front steps in my rearview mirror.

“What was that about back there?” I ask Tinsley.

“Sage is great. I love her, but she can be just as stifling as the guys sometimes. It’s only because she cares, but sometimes I really hate being the youngest. I feel like everyone thinks you get away with murder and you’re spoiled, but they don’t see how you’re sheltered to the point of it being a hindrance on your growth. I can’t wait for next year. I’ll miss you and V, but it will be nice to have the school to myself. Somewhere where I can go and live my life without someone telling me what’s right and wrong. Maybe I want to make some mistakes of my own instead of learning from other’s mistakes all the time.”

When she finally takes a breath, I glance over at her, shocked. “Shit, Tin. Tell me how you really feel.”

She gives me a sheepish look. “Sorry. I’ve wanted to get that off my chest. You know I can’t even talk to Victoria about this. She’s Sage's cousin. I don’t think she would say anything if I asked her not to, but it doesn’t feel right. That, and she coddles me sometimes too.”

I reach over and pat her knee. “No coddling from me. I won’t let you do anything dangerous or stupid, but if you want to be a teen, let’s go be teens. Can I tell you a secret?”

“Always.”

“I haven’t gotten to enjoy my teens either. HDA was all work and no play. Imagine 15-hour days. Some doing regular, required schoolwork, but most dancing or stretching and conditioning. It was exhausting.”

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