Page 28 of Reckless at Westbrook High

I hang up and toss my phone down on the wood beside me, leaning my elbows on my knees to relight my joint. Damon’s still standing behind me, watching me smoke away the pain in our mother’s favorite spot, but he doesn’t say anything.

“You gonna punch me now, brother?”

He steps forward and drops down beside me, dangling his legs off the edge next to mine. “You lied to him.”

I nod, keeping my eyes on the ocean while I take another hit. “I know.”

“Why?”

I don’t answer that, but I don’t miss the way he sighs like he gets it. He knows as well as I do our dad wouldn’t hesitate to use every resource and spend every penny he has to find whatever evidence she has on me, but I can’t risk letting him dig deep enough to make it happen.

It’s too dangerous.

He’s too dangerous.

He’ll kill us all without blinking if he finds out someone’s blackmailing me for this, and I’d rather marry the bitch who broke my heart than risk putting my family on his radar.

“Why are you out here by yourself?”

I shrug, dropping my eyes to my hands. “You and Callie were out and Kai won’t talk to me.”

“Because you hurt him,” he throws back, but he’s not mad, just stating facts.

“Where is he?”

“Watching Callie,” he tells me, running his thumb over his lip to hide a grin. “Freya said she could fix her nails if she wanted and Callie didn’t like it, said if she ever says that again she’ll put a bullet between her eyes.”

I snort at that, knowing he’s not even a little bit joking. “How’d it go with the therapist today?”

“Alright, I guess,” he shrugs, still grinning. “She said if I ever take her there again she’ll put a bullet between my eyes.”

I laugh and shake my head at him, shutting my mouth just as quick when I feel his eyes on me, watching me closely like he thinks it’ll help him find all the answers to his questions.

“Damon–”

“I’m scared, Wren,” he cuts me off, and my already broken heart shatters to pieces when I catch his unshed tears right there on the surface. “I’m so fucking scared for you and I don’t know what the fuck to do or how to fucking fix it. Just.. tell me how to fix it.”

“You can’t fix this one, brother,” I whisper, forcing myself to hold his eyes despite the emotions pulling me under. “I’m sorry.”

His jaw ticks and I’m almost sure he’s about to go off on me for real this time, but then he sighs out an aggravated breath and looks out at the ocean. “What happens now?”

I shrug helplessly and pass him my joint. “We get fucked up until we can’t think or see straight.”

A light laugh leaves him and he nods, pulling out an unopened bottle of Jack from fuck knows where. “Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”

* * *

“Use your fuckin’ legs man,” Damon whisper yells, tightening his grip around my waist to pull me along. “You’re heavy as fuck.”

“Fuck’s aren’t heavy,” I joke, struggling to keep my eyes open due to the lights blinding me in the hall. “What’re you doin’?”

“Tryna get you to bed.”

“Well you’re not doin’ a very good job.”

He mutters something I don’t catch and carries on dragging my drunk ass down the hall, slowing to a stop when he gets to the door I recognize as mine.

“Not that one,” I shake my head, throwing my arm out towards Kai’s room. “That one.”

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