Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy #1)(52)

He shook his head. “Sometimes you gotta take a chance and just go for it, Leo.”

“She saw me and Tiffani,” I said, cringing at the memory.

“Screwing?” he said tightly, shooting me a dirty glance.

“She may as well have,” I said, hating myself.

“She’s not like those phony girls you f*ck. She’s my friend, and she’s good for us. Even Teddy likes her,” he said.

“Are you watching out for her like I asked?” I said, glancing at him before looking back to the road.

“I’ll always take care of her, *. I love her.”

I braked and pulled over to the curb. “What the hell?” I said quietly, a quiet rage building in me as adrenaline raced through my veins, as sickening thoughts of Sebastian and Nora together ran through my mind. Furious, I clutched the steering wheel so I wouldn’t ram my fist through the dashboard. So I wouldn’t ram it through his face. And here’s the thing: I had no right to feel that way. None. She was not mine. I’d made sure of that tonight when I lied to her about the first time I’d seen her at the open house.

He grinned, and it wasn’t one of his fun, happy-go-lucky ones. It was a grin that said you deserve the shit you are about to hear. “Yeah, that’s right. I love her. And you’re a * for not acknowledging you’ve got feelings for her, too.”

I rubbed my jaw and stared into those eyes that looked so much like mine. I hated the words coming out of his mouth, but isn’t this what I needed? For Nora to leave me and find some nice guy?

But not Sebastian.

He snorted at my silence. “You don’t deserve her, Leo.”

I ignored him, and with both of us silent, it seemed to take forever to get to Highland Park. The GPS led me past sprawling mansions and impeccably maintained park-like yards. Eventually, I turned onto a street that had two large gothic style columns, I guess marking the beginning of her neighborhood. I wondered what it would be like to grow up here with whatever you wanted at your fingertips. Yet it hadn’t done Nora any favors. Then, I thought about the small house I’d grown up in, the one mom and dad had sweated to pay for. We’d been a happy family in that house.

“Which one?” I asked, wondering when he’d been there. What else did I not know about Sebastian and Nora? Had they slept together?

He pointed at a chateau-looking house. I parked at the curb across from it, hoping the cops didn’t show up.

“Call her,” I told Sebastian, thinking we should have already tried. He called, but she didn’t answer. He typed out a text, and we waited, but she didn’t respond.

I leaned my head back against the cool leather of the headrest and sighed. True, she might already be home, tucked in all safe and sound, but I needed to know for sure, even if it meant staying here all night.

Sebastian spoke. “You know, mom and dad may have died when I was young, but I still remember stuff they told me, like the story of when they met. Do you know the one I mean? At the music festival?”

I nodded, thinking back to how Dad loved to tell us stories. “Yeah, they were both seventeen and as soon as dad saw mom dancing, he said he loved her.”

“Exactly,” Sebastian said. “And you know what I remember most about that story? It was how his face looked when he told it. Like all soft and shit.”

I glanced at him in surprise because yeah, I remembered how crazy my parents had been about each other, but I’d never thought Sebastian would.

He sighed. “And from that day on, they were always together, like it was meant to be. I hope I find the same thing someday, and I hope you do.”

I shook my head. “All I need is you, little brother. Nobody else.”

He nodded. “If that’s really true, and you’re giving up on love, then leave Nora alone. If you can’t commit, then let someone else have a shot.”

I couldn’t answer. Fuck me, did he mean himself?

An hour later, we watched as Nora’s white Volvo pulled into the drive of her house. I cranked the car, and we drove home, Sebastian deep in thought, and me . . . I was miserable.





Chapter 17


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Nora

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“When I was a four, I thought Mother was a goddess. When I was fourteen, I knew she was a monster.” –Nora Blakely

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After I’d fled the gym, I drove to a local diner where I planned to drown myself in buttery pancakes and crisp bacon. I sat myself at a cracked vinyl booth and picked up the greasy menu being held up by the napkin dispenser. A few minutes later, the waitress approached with a little smile and a pair of old orange flip-flops. I stared at them in confusion.

“Hon, these were left here a while back, and well, I thought you might want them. Technically, we can’t serve you if you don’t have any shoes,” she said with a gentle Southern twang.

I blinked in surprise, looked down and saw bare feet that were covered in dirt from the parking lot of the gym and the restaurant. And so. It was settled. I’d officially teetered over from barely holding it all together to losing it completely. Sign me up because I was ready to be committed. I had no shoes, borrowed clothes on, blood on my elbows, tangled hair, and a tear-streaked face. Oh, and no Leo, no soulmate, no mister right, no true love, no beloved. I sucked.