Page 159 of The Casualty of Us
“Fine,” I agree, knowing that there will be no shortage of options for that. “That’s fine.”
“And Mr. Flynn.” She turns back to Hayes with a stern expression. “I expect you to report to my office and begin your suspension tomorrow morning.” It takes a second, but eventually he jerks a nod, and her eyes flick to me once beforeshe continues more gently. “I sympathize with your anger, but let’s see where things fall before resorting to such extreme threats.”
Ollie scoffs at that, and she gives another long sigh before turning to me with a small smile. “Now I’m off to call your parents and have what I suspect will be a very similar conversation to the one I’ve had here.”
I snort at what is a more than accurate assumption before sighing myself. “Just give me until morning before they call, if you can.”
Because there’s no way my mother isn’t going to freak out, and my father might damn well demand the bodyguards be let on campus.
“I can do that.” She gives me a quick nod before heading out of the room, only stopping long enough to tell the security guard still standing there, “Make sure they get inside the dorm all right.”
I watch her head down the hall from there, already pulling her phone out when my wrist gives a more demanding pulse that has me looking up to see Ollie and Hayes staring at me. Both with seriously unhappy expressions on their faces and varying degrees of anger playing out there as well. Ollie takes a deep breath and Hayes’s eyes slit right before he lashes out at me.
“You could have died.”
“Whoa.” Ollie flinches, brows crashing down. “I’m dealing with some PTSD over here, dude, so maybe let’s not mention my sister dying.”
“Ollie,” I frown, torn for a second between which issue to address first before figuring one fact should settle them both down. “I’m fine, guys, a little banged up but—”
Hayes’s face twists. “Do you know what he could have done?”
“Yes,” I snap, getting where he’s coming from but reaching the end of my patience with both of them because they justdon’t get it. “Because it already did.” My gaze goes to Ollie’s with the memory. “I’ve already lived this out, I’ve already— ” I barely manage a breath before scoffing. “I know what could have happened because it did, not the worst of it but—” My stomach starts to really revolt at the reality. “The screaming. The biting. The scratching. Fighting for my fucking life.”
“Goddammit,” Ollie curses. “O—”
“Remembering that I’d heard somewhere to never let them take me to a secondary location,” I start again quietly, finally looking at Hayes. “That death was supposed to be preferable to the horrors that await most people when it comes to that.” He swallows visibly, eyes still narrowed, but I can see the disturbance there now. “I ampainfullyaware of exactly what could have happened to me out there.” How my words are hitting him hard and taking the edge off that anger with the horrible truth. “Because I’ve already lived it down and really lucked out in the end compared to most people, actually, and the fact that’s all true just makes me fucking sad.”
He cracks with that, face falling and voice dropping low. “Freckles—”
“Please don’t ever insult me again by asking me to leave another person to it.” I frown as an ache starts up in the back of my eyes to match the one trying to lock my throat up. “Now can we please get out of here before I actually throw up from all of this?”
Ollie’s the one that responds this time, though. “Yeah, baby sister, of course.” He clears his throat, pausing before trying and failing to tack on casually, “Do you mind if I check on Bethany real quick before we go?”
My eyes flare with surprise for a second before I narrow them, putting two and two together, only half joking when I chide him. “Really? Out of the girls in the school—”
“Hey, pot meet kettle,” he snorts, giving me a small shrug. “It’s nothing serious, but I still feel like I should check.”
“Only to crush the poor girl’s hopes and dreams later?”
“O—”
“Fine, whatever.” I roll my eyes at him, sighing dramatically and flicking them to Hayes before adding, “Dimples can take me back.” The broodiness practically still dripping from him making me tease in challenge of it. “Can’t you, Dimples?”
Kind of loving how he looks torn between spanking me or wrapping me in bubble wrap, in the end, he just lifts a brow at me, though.
“Your place or mine, baby?” His voice drops all low with the next words coming out like a promise. “Either way, you’re stuck with me till tomorrow morning.”
“Shame.” I grin.
“Goddammit,” Ollie grumbles, snapping his fingers between us. “She’s fucking hurt, dude, she doesn’t need you trying to—”
And just because I like to keep him on his toes, I quip, “Hey, pot meet kettle.” Trying to soften the blow by quickly adding, “I’ll leave the door cracked if you want to check in, though.” Knowing that he’ll probably need to as badly as I’ll need him to too.
Because right now with the weight of the past pressing down on both of us it has me feeling like if I blink he might just disappear. The sense is still plaguing me as I drift later that night with Hayes all wrapped around me like he has no plans of ever letting go and dozing in between my wake-up calls.
A softly surprised voice whispering at one point. “You really do love her.”
Another whispering back with something that’s part frustration and amusement. “Just don’t tell her that.”
