Jaded (Jaded #1)(49)
Bryce groaned and swore. “Girls.” He made it sound like an insult, but I didn’t take it as one.
Bryce led the way into the narrow trail that moved down the steep incline to the river’s bank. The trail veered up from the river’s edge a few times, but it usually circled back to parallel the river. During the daytime, the trail was gorgeous. At night, it was another scary place. The brush was thick enough to hide someone if desired. We needed to illuminate as much as possible, but our flashlights didn’t penetrate some of the thickest stuff.
When I tried to step towards some particularly dense foliage, Bryce yanked me back.
“No,” he only said to my glance.
We continued up the trail. We met a few homeless on our path, but they only watched us warily and didn’t say anything. They sat off the trail and underneath a tree or brush.
Bryce asked about Mena and Leisha. No one had seen them.
Twenty minutes passed before I started, “So…”
I saw the tension enter Bryce’s shoulder as he waited.
“Can you be nice to Mena?”
“Why?” he clipped out, uncaring as he swept his flashlight around a rock.
“Because you said she was weird in front of everyone.”
“So?”
“So…that’s kinda—I like Mena.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“I do, so be nice to her. Okay?” I snapped out.
“Whatever.”
“Bryce.”
“I said whatever. I don’t like her,” he argued.
“You don’t like her brother and that’s just going to Mena.”
“No,” Bryce said shortly. Firmly. “I don’t like her. She’s weird. She looks at you weird. So does her brother.”
“You don’t like Steele because I slept with him.”
“No. You screwed him. You didn’t sleep with him. There’s a difference. And it’s not because of that.”
“Right,” I snorted in disbelief.
Bryce stopped and turned to look at me. “I don’t like that you were with him, yeah. It’s not about that, though. He’s off. Can’t you see it when you look at him?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Like he’s not totally right. He’s weird.”
“Can you define weird?” I said tiredly as Bryce started back up the trail.
Bryce shrugged again.
“Fine. He’s weird. Mena’s weird, but I like Mena and I don’t have a lot of female friends.”
“You’re friends with that Leisha chick.”
“Leisha’s like a puppy. She’s not a real friend,” I retorted.
Bryce chuckled. “Hope you don’t describe me that way.”
I grinned. “Well, some people really love their pets.” In gross and totally disgusting ways.
Bryce snorted.
I grabbed the back of his pants and stopped him. “Are you going to be nice?”
“No,” he clipped out. “I’m not going to pretend to like someone if I think they’re fake. She’s fake.”
“You won’t even be civil?”
“No, Sheldon. Drop it. I don’t ask you to be nice to my mom.”
“Your mom’s a bitch.”
“So is Mena, you just don’t see it.” Bryce argued, but stopped abruptly.
I walked into his back, but Bryce snaked an arm around and caught me so I wouldn’t fall back.
I was right behind him, so I couldn’t see anything. When I tried to peer around, Bryce shifted to block my view.
“What are you doing? Why’d you stop?”
Bryce didn’t say anything. He just held me behind him. He had both arms wrapped around me.
“Seriously, Bryce. Move,” I ordered.
He coughed and it seemed to strangle him.
“Bryce?” I asked, quietly. “I want to see.”
He wouldn’t let me.
“Bryce, seriously. I need to see.” My voice sounded a little panicked now.
Slightly shrill.
Nothing.
I started to hit his unmoving back. “Bryce.” My voice sounded weak now.
“Bryce.”
“Let’s go back,” he whispered, hoarsely, and started to walk backwards.
Awkwardly, I stumbled backwards. I wanted to see, but he still wouldn’t let me.
“Stop!” I cried out. “What is it?”
“Sheldon, let’s go. Let’s go back to the street. Come on.” Bryce turned finally and it was enough.
I sprinted past him, but a leg tripped me and as the ground rushed up to me, a silent scream wrenched from my throat.
I landed beside the leg and I saw the shoe.
There was smeared blood on it and the leg was black and blue, bruised.
“Oh god.” My voice was ripped out of me. It was weird, like from another body. I felt weird. I felt…I wasn’t really there, but I was there. I was far away, but I was too close to tear my eyes away.
A body lay in the bushes and I stepped forward.
Bryce said something behind me, but I couldn’t hear him. My back was turned to him, but I saw him speak. I saw his mouth open and close and open again. He was saying a lot of stuff to me, but I didn’t hear it. I don’t know how I knew he was talking. My back was to him.