Page 160 of The Casualty of Us
I wake up the next morning with Ollie’s hand still in mine from where he’s sitting in a chair beside the bed and Hayes curled around me.
Both of them trying to keep me safe from the monster of reality a little longer.
Chapter Thirty-Six
OLLIE - OCTOBER 2013
“Marley!”Hayes knocks on the door with a grumpy look. “Hurry up! We’re late already.”
“Calm down,” I sigh at him, sitting on the couch and staring down at my message to Bethany that she hasn’t replied to. “She’s not going to get ready any faster with you yelling at her.”
I guess I should probably check in on if she wants to move on or not.
O would have my balls for stringing her along, so I made it very clear up front that this thing between us is strictly casual. No strings attached. No commitments.
That’s pretty much been the name of my game this year.
She was totally on board too.
It has been going on for a few weeks now, though. So I guess I should make sure everyone is still on the same page. I don’t want her to get hurt either. Bethany’s nice and funny and I like her, but she’s just not it for me. I can feel it.
“Marley!”
That one is, though.
I just got tired of doing everything right and her still not noticing it.
“Dude.” I scowl up at him from my phone. “You really need to chill.” His gaze jerks my way, and I shake my head with a scoff. “I used to think I was bad about leaving her alone.”
His eyes narrow on me right before he starts biting out for about the fifth time, “That fucker Kyler was way too focused on whether she would be there tonight or not.” He gives me a hard shake of his head in return. “I don’t like it.”
The bathroom door opens and Marley steps out, dressed as a referee and instantly making me have to shift uncomfortably at the direction of my thoughts.
She’s stunning. Plain and simple.
All long blonde hair that flows straight down her back from a high ponytail and a realness to her that just makes me want to dig deeper. To find out why she never wants to watch the horror movies and what it is that sends her running around the track in the middle of the night. Not that I’ve ever mentioned that little discovery to anyone.
I drop my eyes back down to the phone quickly, looking for a distraction, as Hayes grumbles.
“Finally.”
“Calm down, lover boy,” Marley gripes. “Ophelia is perfectly capable of looking after herself. Now go get me a shot before we go.”
“Not shots.” Holden finally pipes up, head lifting from the couch with the objection and only going in the first place because O threatened him.
“No shots for anyone!” Hayes lifts his hands. “You can have your shots when I get to my girl—”
“Hold on,” I snap, staring at my phone that now has Graham’s name lighting it up with my heart suddenly racing, and quickly answering it. “What?”
“Oliver,” Lisette’s frantic voice suddenly fills my ear. “You need to wake someone up and get help.”
“What?”
“Ophelia got hurt,” she gasps. “And Bethany, I don’t know what happened, but we’re bringing them up to the admin, and I think she hit her head and there’s blood—”
I’m already gone though, jumping from the couch while shouting at Hayes and Marley. “She’s hurt! Get help!”
Barely catching how the blood instantly drains from his face before he takes off after me as I sprint for the door.
