Page 70 of Reckless at Westbrook High

“What, Callie?”

“You know why I never told anyone what was going on behind closed doors when Jason was alive?”

I shake my head, hanging onto her every word.

“He would’ve killed me for it.”

I wince before I can stop it and grab the backs of her knees to pull her closer. “Callie..”

“I’m not saying that’s what’s going through your boy’s head right now because I can’t speak for him or any other fucker with daddy issues,” she goes on, keeping her tone even despite the knife she just shoved through my heart. “But what I do know is that kids without parents get put into group homes, and yeah, sometimes those places can be alright if you’re lucky, but most of the time it’s easier to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”

I nod, getting that, but it doesn’t explain why he won’t do something about it now. He’s eighteen, free to move out and live on his own if he wanted to, and despite the fact I’ve known this guy since we were four and I trust him with my life, I can’t shake this feeling there’s more he’s not telling me.

Just as I think it, his brows dip and he reaches over to grab a bottle of Jack from the island, keeping his eyes on me while he pours himself another whiskey and coke. Callie stands to leave when she realizes he’s coming for me but I snatch her hand to stop her, pulling her back until her eyes hit mine.

“I’m sorry.”

“The fuck for?” she frowns, looking genuinely confused, but then realization hits and she shakes her head at me, leaning over me to take my face in her hands. “You’re too damn sweet for your own good sometimes, you know that?”

“I’m not fuckin’ sweet.”

“You’re hella fuckin’ sweet,” she teases, squeezing my cheeks together. “I kinda love you for it.”

“Lucky me.”

She laughs at me and smashes her lips on my forehead, straightening up to look over her shoulder when Levi walks over with three cups in his hands.

“That for me?”

“If I say yes will you beat it?”

She laughs at him this time and takes the drink he offers her, tossing a wave over her shoulder while she walks for the hot tub to go sit with Damon and the boys. Levi drops down on the couch beside me and I take the cup he passes me without looking at him, leaning back in my seat until my shoulder touches his.

“You still mad?”

“You still keepin’ secrets?”

He says nothing so I roll my head to face him, licking my lips when I realize how close he is. I’m fully aware we’re surrounded by a house full of people who can’t know about us, Freya fucking Thorne being one of them, but I don’t care.

Why don’t I care?

“Don’t look at me like that, Wren.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re about five seconds away from outing us both in front of half the fuckin’ school.”

“Why haven’t you come out yet?”

“What?”

“This is our fuckin’ school, Lev,” I stress, pausing to take a hit of my joint. “You know as well as I do no one’s gonna say shit to you for being gay, so why hide it?”

He looks away and I glare, reading his mind.

“Say it.”

“Fuck you, Wren.”

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