Page 43 of Property of Max
“What?” I demand when I catch Skip smirking at me. “Just drive the dang van. I thought you were starving?”
“He’s always hungry,” Abby mutters. “He’s like Tank. I don’t understand how they can eat so much without getting fat. It’s so unfair.”
“We find fun ways to burn it off,” Skip smirks, his tone suggestive.
Abby’s expression darkens instantly, her lips pressing into a thin line. Clearly, she doesn’t find that idea amusing.
Must be something I’m missing. Does she have a thing for Skip?
“Not cool, Skip,” Riley snaps, glaring at him.
“Yeah,” Sunny agrees. “That was actually pretty cruel.”
“It’s alright, guys,” Abby says, forcing a smile. “I’m sure he’s right. It’s not like Tank hasn’t turned me down multiple times already.”
“Wait! Tank’s turned you down?” I ask, stunned. “But you’re gorgeous. Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s an asshat,” Skip mutters. Then his expression softens. “And I’m an ass. I’m sorry, Abby girl. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, it’s alright.” Abby laughs, but her voice cracks with heartache. “I’ve liked Tank for a long time now, Lila. But he’s always turned me down because I’m Spike’s sister.”
“A club princess,” Skip adds quietly.
“But my brother gave him his blessing,” Abby continues. “And Tank still won’t hardly look at me. He thinks I’m too fragile… because I was abducted and held hostage for three months by a faction of the Mexican cartel.”
“What?” My voice comes out sharper than I mean.
“Story for another time,” she says quickly, shaking her head. “The point is, I need to accept his refusal and move on. I just don’t know how, when my heart keeps pulling me back to him. Call me silly, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that Tank and I are meant for each other. I just… need to figure out how to let go and settle for someone who actually wants me.”
The van goes quiet after Abby’s words, heavy with the kind of pain no one knows how to answer. How do you respond to something like that when the person is so clearly hurting?
“You know,” I say softly, breaking the silence, “sometimes the people we want the most are the ones least capable of seeing us clearly. Tank’s blindness doesn’t make you less. It doesn’t mean you’re not strong, or beautiful, or worth fighting for. It just means he’s not the man brave enough to stand where you need him to. You matter because you’re you. Because you’re a woman with her own strength, her own heart, and her own story. Andyou deserve someone who looks at you and knows it without question.”
Abby’s eyes glisten, her lips trembling. Riley reaches across the seat and squeezes her hand tight, like she’s saying she agrees with every word. Sunny leans in, resting her head briefly on Abby’s shoulder with a quiet, steady smile.
Even Skip, usually quick with a joke since I’ve met him, stays uncharacteristically silent. His smirk is gone as he glances at Abby in the rearview mirror.
“Stupid idiot,” he mutters as he turns into my driveway.
“Agreed,” I say, then blink. “Wait! How do you know where I live?”
“Foster told me,” he shrugs.
“How does he know?”
Skip gives me a look. “Sometimes it’s best not to ask that question. Just accept that he knows everything and move on.”
Well. Alrighty then.
Chapter Twelve
Max
I can’t help but smile as Lila opens her door, looking far too pure for someone like me.
“You look beautiful,” I say, the urge to pull her into my arms nearly overwhelming.
“Thanks,” she murmurs, her cheeks flushing red. “I didn’t even think about the fact that you didn’t have my number until after everyone left last night. I was surprised to get your call earlier.”
