the angry friend at my side, but it was still successful in making my own blood boil with fury. The urge to slam my fist in his smug face and end what Quaid started is excruciatingly tempting. I drag my hand over my face, trying to keep my cool, since these two hotheads don’t have any. If I was a smarter man, then I would just let them kill each other and be done with it once and for all, putting an end to my never-ending competition in winning Valentina’s heart. I should feel guilty at having such a thought. But somehow, it wormed its way into my head, along with similar others through the years that should have riddled me with shame. Unfortunately, my heart is too banged up to think clearly. I’ve become so blinded by hurt that to admit that no matter who Valentina chooses, we three will never be the same is just as paralyzing as the thought of losing her.
When did we start seeing each other as enemies instead of best friends?
Somehow, we let our resentment for each other fester, and before we knew it, it became this ugly monster standing in our way, preventing us from remembering that we love each other, too. Or at least, we used to. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore.
“Carter’s right though,” I hear myself say at last, pushing those melancholic thoughts away from my mind.
“Shocker you’re siding with him.”
“Quaid, give it a rest. He’s right because three days is long enough for Val to have come to a conclusion and realize what she wants. If she hasn’t, then maybe we should accept the fact that Val never will, and it’s up to us to choose for her. Or do you assholes want to risk none of us getting our girl?”
“I’m not good with that,” Carter growls in front of me.
“Yeah well, me neither, asshole. One way or another, this gets resolved today. Are you ready for it?”
“I was born ready,” Carter states smugly.
“I’d wipe that cocky smirk off your face, Carter. If you think going to school in the same state as Val will sway her to you, then two can play that game. I have no problem transferring to Berkeley if push comes to shove,” I warn, stealing the gloating expression off his face.
Quaid’s smirk crests his own lips, until he realizes that means his shot is wavering.
“I never thought I would say this, but I hate you both so much right now.”
“Feeling’s mutual, asshole,” Carter mumbles, his dark eyes glaring at us as his nostrils flare in distaste.
No matter what decision Val makes today, I fear our brotherhood is lost. As I take one last look at Quaid and Carter, I no longer see my brothers. All I see are adversaries that I need to crush with almighty fists, and as they stare back at me, I know they feel the same.
I turn my back and walk over to Valentina’s porch, pounding on her door. After a few minutes go by with no answer, my nerves start to crawl.
“Her dad’s car is still in the driveway, so she must be here,” Carter utters.
I knock again, and still no answer.
Quaid goes over to a potted plant at the end of the porch and comes back with a key in his hand.
“It’s the spare,” he explains, pushing me away from the door.
I hate how he knew where Val kept her spare keys and I didn’t.
“So you want to ambush her? Is that how you want to play this?” I ask, pushing him away from the door.
“No, he wants answers. Just like you and I do, Logan. Enough is enough,” Carter bites back, taking the keys away from Quaid, letting them drop in my hands. “Now open the door and let’s get on with it.”
I rub the keys in my hand for a split moment.
Carter’s right.
Like a Band-Aid, it’s better to rip it off in one clean swoop, then continue on as we have done. I open Val’s front door, hoping she’ll end up forgiving us for coming into her house uninvited. However, when we step inside the foyer, the house seems oddly quiet. Quaid runs upstairs, calling out to her, while Carter checks every room downstairs.
I, however, stand rooted to the foyer, because in their haste, they missed something I didn’t.
Three letters with our names on them in her script handwriting, placed separately from each other on the foyer table.
With faulty steps, I walk over to the