Page 81 of Tell Me When It's Over

“Look,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at the house. “Things are going to be really awkward between you two for a while. She thinks you’re going to hate her or think differently of her somehow. She…” Mia sighs lightly. “She wasn’t making a lot of sense. Give it time.”

Hate her? “I would never hate her. Could never hate her.” Will I think of her differently? Not in the way she’s probably worried about. Clearing my throat, I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t hate her, M. Did you at least tell her that?”

My sister’s dark eyes roll. “Duh. She knows it too, it’s just the heat of the moment talking. Once she gets out of here and takes a deep breath, she’ll realize it’ll be okay. You two can survive this like you have everything else.”

I know we can, but hell if she isn’t right about it bein

g awkward as fuck. I’ll listen to her though. Mia wouldn’t steer me in the wrong direction when it comes to Lenny. “Fine. Tell her that…” Blowing out a long breath, I drop my hands to my sides. “Let her know I love her, okay?”

She squeezes my forearm. “Lenny said that she was trying to move on.” Her brows raise, as if I’m supposed to know what that means. “Take that for what you will, I guess.”

When she turns back to the house, she stops for a second before calling out my name. “I know it’s probably tempting right now, but don’t kill the kid. They’re both young.”

I blink at her, wondering if she meant to say that or if there were other words attached to the overused sentence when it comes to teens making choices like this.

They’re young and in love.

Blanching to myself, I shake my head out of it. I don’t want to think about it. Not tonight. So, I just give her a tense head nod. I’m not, not going to kill him for my sister.

But for Leighton…

“Fuck,” I groan again, palming my face.

Tonight did not go as planned, and now I have to hide in my room knowing Leighton is going to my sister’s house.

My sister’s house. At least they’ve put a halt on production for now. They won’t resume until some union shit is settled with the company that’s doing the filming. When Mia first brought it up, she’d been upset, but when Dylan and I pointed out that they had more privacy, more time to get the house set for the baby, and spend time together before she gave birth, she didn’t mind so much. Now it seems convenient for other reasons. It doesn’t rub me the right way that Lenny wants to leave, but where the hell else would she go? Chase’s?

That thought makes the nausea come back full force, as I sulk inside after my sister, and beeline up the stairs.

Once I’m in my room, sitting on the edge of the bed leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, I realize how screwed I am. Screwed because thinking of Leighton doing anything with Chase, or any boy, means that I’m way too invested. Screwed because I’ve done far worse when I was her age.

Screwed because…

“Goddam it.” I clench my eyes closed, pinch the bridge of my nose, and drop back onto my bed until I’m staring at the ceiling pointlessly.

I try not letting it get to me when I hear voices downstairs. Or when someone comes upstairs into Leighton’s room. Or when the front door opens and closes.

The house grows quiet.

Too quiet for my thoughts.

When the silence becomes too much, I call Gordy without thinking. He must hear the tone of my because he asks, “You want me to come over?”

I want to say yes. Be selfish. But I hear a voice in the background that reminds me he has his own life, a girl, and I’d be selfish to drag him here over this.

“No, man.” I sigh. “Have a good night.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. No worries.”

I’ll see him tomorrow anyway where I might tell him, confide in somebody without giving away too much. I don’t want to embarrass Lenny more than I already have by walking in on…that.

I swallow.

It’s going to be a long night.

One spent alone, even if I think it’d benefit me to move on from any thought I’ve had about the girl who left me.

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