Page 59 of Wrecked Rose

And my brother, not knowing the circumstances, speaks way too fucking loudly, which draws Max’s attention. His eyes flick to mine, and all I see there is the hurt I inflicted on him. I immediately look back down at my work, unable to handle that wounded expression on his face.

My jaw sets. I don’t know what to say to him. He was justifiably upset with me the night Callum and Jack barged into my room. The things he heard Jack say about him had angered me, but I didn’t know what to do in the moment. Didn’t know how to handle it. And I sure as fuck didn’t think fast enough. Instead, I tried to act like it was no big thing for Jack to have let those slurs fly—accepting them with my silence—and by doing so, I hurt Max. Even worse, I insinuated that I had pussy waiting on me in the bathroom. That had been a total fucking dick move.

The walls feel like they’re closing in on me. I can’t think, can’t breathe… I want to talk to Max, but I have no idea what I could possibly say to make any of this better.

Thank fuck the bell rings, signaling the end of class. I hurriedly grab my bag and get my ass out of there as quickly as possible, before Lyla—or worse, Beau—asks any further questions. I look back over my shoulder as I go, relieved to see Beau pull Lyla in the other direction. She gives me a look like she’s going to come after me later, but it doesn’t really matter. So long as I don’t have to answer any of her questions right now.

At my locker, I’m half numb as I pull out the rest of the books I want to take home with me and shove them into my backpack. I’ll go straight from study hall to my car and hopefully avoid giving anyone a chance to corner me into talking. I have plenty of homework I need to get done, so I’ll shut everyone out for the next hour and a half. Keep to myself at home, too. My eyes slam shut. I can’t think straight, so I don’t know how I’m going to get anything done. I’m such a fucking idiot.

I’m about to close my locker when I sense someone standing behind me, off to my left, and then the slight pressure of a masculine hand on my back. Stiffening, I look over my shoulder to find Max standing there.

His thickly corded neck draws my attention as he works to swallow. “I think we should talk,” he rasps quietly.

It takes everything in me not to fold Max into my arms and hold him tightly. To get close and whisper that I’m sorryand I’m an idiot and ask what I can do to make things right between us again. And I’m about to give in and do just that when I glance beyond Max to see Jack, Callum, and Mitch heading in our direction. My heart jumps into my throat, and I slam my locker shut, shifting out of Max’s reach, away from his touch. I turn to face him, as I carefully grit out in a low voice, “I can’t talk here.Wecan’t talk here.” I try to express my apology with my eyes, but I don’t know if I get the message across because Max’s body goes rigid, his jaw locks tight, and he gives me a nod. He shoves past me and breaks into a jog as he hurries away.

I tear my eyes away from his retreating form, feeling like I want to throw up. I turn around, only to find my buddies looking at me strangely. My throat goes dry as I consider what kind of excuse I can make as to what they just witnessed. Did they see him touch my back? The way I jerked away?Fuck.Did they see the way he looked at me? Or how I looked at him?

Mitch cocks his head to the side, curiosity clear on his face. Callum’s expression isn’t much different but has a little confusion mixed in.

But Jack? His eyes harden as they dart from me to Max as he turns the corner. Jack steps toward me. “Yo, Griff. What did that fag—”

“Griff, did Max give you that book for me?” Daphne appears at my side, practically out of nowhere, and hooks her hand at the crook of my elbow, beaming sweetly up at me.

Taken by surprise, I open my mouth to respond when Jack busts out laughing, cutting me off.

He looks Daphne up and down, flabbergasted. His eyes bug out at the two of us before he focuses on me. “You fucking dog. Trying to snatch her away from Micah? You’ve got some big balls, dude.”

I give him a little smirk, wrapping my arm around Daphne, all while in my head I’m shouting, Goddamn, mind your own fucking business, Jack!

He laughs, slaps his hand on my shoulder and then laughs some more as he takes off with Callum and Mitch to study hall, shaking his head at my audacity the whole way.

I can’t believe my friend would think I’d make a play for Micah’s girl, but whatever works. He’d been distracted from anything he saw between me and Max by Daphne’s appearance.

Relieved that the whole scene didn’t blow up into something else, I search Daphne’s eyes for a few seconds, trying to figure out why she stepped in like that. My brows draw together. Not finding an immediate answer, I bite the bullet and let the question fly. “Why did you do that?”

She looks around, then tugs me down the hallway until we find a quiet corner. When she stops, she whirls around. “Isaw,Griff.”

I slide my hand up over my jaw, thinking carefully. “You saw what, exactly?”

“Don’t be obtuse,” she huffs. “I saw you and Max talking. I saw him touch your back. I saw you shrug him off when you saw those guys—yourfriends—had noticed.” When I don’t say anything, she presses her pretty pink lips together. “Griff, don’t play dumb with me.”

“I’m not trying to. I don’t know what you want me to say. Don’t you have to get to class?”

She rolls her eyes. “I have art next. Ms. Simpson loves me. It’s fine.” She wets her lips. “I’m trying to be your friend. I think I owe you that.” She heaves out a frustrated breath. “Max is mybestfriend. He touched you like… like he cares about you. And for a few seconds, you let it happen. And then you flinched—jerked back, really—when you saw that asshole Jack heading your way. So, what’s going on?”

I blink. “I don’t know.”

She rears her head back. “Bullshit.”

I spear the fingers of both hands through my hair. “I don’t.”

“Do you like him, Griff?” She starts rambling. “Because he’s a good guy. Kinda the best. But—” A crease forms down the center of her forehead.

“I know what you’re about to say.” I pause, looking into her anxious green eyes. “But he’s a guy.”

The silence in the seconds that follow is deafening.

Realizing I’m not going to say more, she purses her lips and shakes her head. “I fucking knew it.”

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