Page 33 of Careless

“Are you really okay with me and Finn?” she asks as we pass another joint between us.

“Of course. I’m glad my brother is happy.” I fake a smile, but I can tell she sees right through it and me. She knows something is up, but I’m not ready to talk about it. “Thanks for inviting me, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to just because you and my brother are together.”

Her green eyes widen before she scowls at me. “Is that what you think? Don’t be ridiculous. I invited you because we’re friends, Sorcha. If I wanted to invite someone to appease your brother, I would’ve invited his insufferable—” she’s cut off by a knock at the front door, but I’m really curious about what her answer was going to be.

“Are you expecting someone?” I ask as we stand from our seats on the couch. I put out the joint in a crystal dish Francine set out on the coffee table as a makeshift ashtray.

I follow close behind as she heads for the front door. “No. My mom went out earlier, but she has a key.” Her voice slurs slightly as she looks through the peephole before she laughs.

“What?” My voice nearly matches hers.

“Speak of the devil,” she groans before unlocking the door.

Is it Finn?

She pulls it open and I stifle a gasp. Nope. Not Finn, but it was a pretty close guess.

“What are you doing here, Rian?” Francine throws her hands up in exasperation and groans as she glares at him.

He’s completely unfazed as his eyes scan over me.

“I’m Sorcha’s sober ride.”

I completely forgot about that. It’s not like I asked him to be my sober ride, and I didn’t text him.

“Right,” I mutter before I amble back into the living room. Being around Rian is hard enough, but being alone with him in the confines of his car would be absolute torture. Earlier today can not be repeated. But what choice do I have?

I gather my phone and wallet from the table before making my way back to the door, where Francine glares at Rian like he’s a cockroach she wants to crush.

Man, she really doesn’t like him.

“I thought you drove yourself?” Francine says, almost as an accusation directed at Rian. She peeks around his imposing frame and sees my car at the curb.

“I’ll pick up her car later,” Rian says before giving me a pointed look.

Wow. I guess they both just can’t stand each other. What happened there? When did this happen?

“I’ll just have her brother return it to her when he gets off work,” Francine quips.

Rian’s eye twitches, a slight tick to show he’s pissed.What the fuck is going on?

“Come on, kid,” he grumbles.

It takes everything in me not to bite his head off. He knows how much I hate it when he calls me that.

“I’m the same age as you, asshole. Stop calling me a kid.” I step out of the front door and send Francine a fake smile. “See you at school.”

“I’m suspended, remember?” Her voice slurs and, for some reason, I giggle.

“Oh, right. You mouthed off to Principal Douche Canoe.”

She shrugs. “He deserved it. And, Sorcha?”

I hum as I struggle to meet her eyes in my inebriated state. I can’t help my smirk at the sickly sweet smile on her face. Yup, she’s drunk or high. Or both.

Yep, we’re both.

Both. I run the word around my thoughts until it loses meaning.

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