of the curtain.
“Shit!” It expels from me in a breathless whisper.
“Dude.” Coop makes his way over to Wes, shocked at the bloated rendition of my beautiful boyfriend.
Wesley’s left eye is swollen shut. His lip is torn in an upright angle with stitches forming a jagged row of X’s, giving him that scary Halloween effect.
“Heard you broke your rib.” It comes from me weak, broken as Wesley himself.
“I’m okay.” He sits up and winces in the process.
“You’re not okay,” I whisper, taking up his hand.
“Did you see the guys who did it?” Coop looks genuinely pissed which shouldn’t surprise me since Coop is an all around nice guy.
I rub my thumb over Wesley’s palm as if nudging him along.
He shakes my hand loose and gives a dry laugh.
Crap. I’m such an ass for drooling over Coop’s “all around nice guy” status while Wes lies on his deathbed.
I take up his fingers again and pretend not to notice the overt eviction he just gave me.
I love Wes so much. It kills me to see him like this. I over annunciate the thought as I give his hand a gentle squeeze.
Wes looks up and smiles before redirecting his gaze toward Cooper.
Damn, Coop. He glares at him a moment. “I did see the guys who did it.”
Kresley steps in, wide-eyed with anticipation. “It was that fuck-up she was seeing at Rycroft, wasn’t it?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. The anemic smile on his face expands ever so slightly.
“Who was it?” Coop is insistent on joining in on the battle. “Someone from Ephemeral?”
“No.” Wes looks down, defeated. “It was nothing. I probably had it coming.” He digs his palm into his eye, looking far more tired than injured. “Look, it’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?” Kresley gags on her words. “What if they come back? That’s it—I’m calling the cops.” She whips out her phone and starts in on a dialing spree.
“I said, no.” Wes roars, inspiring her to drop the phone into her purse.
“Knew it,” she seethes. “You’re protecting this little slut, and now she’s almost got you killed. One day you’re going to wake up and realize you let the best thing that ever happened to you walk out that door. And you know what?” Her chest expands like a wall. Her clear green eyes are dull as sea glass. “I’ll still be there for you, Wesley. Laken is nothing but a blister on our relationship.” She storms out of the room, creating a whirlwind with her exit.
A blister? That’s what she’s relegated me to?
I can’t stand Kresley and her drama-mama ways. I don’t think I’ve hated a single soul in my life, but I have a serious disdain for Kresley Fisher.
I slip my fingers away from Wes a moment.
If anyone is a blister, it’s the Counts.
Wes gropes for my hand again, so I give it.
“Who was it, man?” Coop tries coaxing the answer out of him. “I’ll help you pay them a visit.”
I wonder how much of this is real and how much of this is strategy.
That’s what I’m wondering, Wes says to himself as he takes in Coop.
I swallow hard, looking down at our conjoined fingers.
“It’s no one you know.” Wes relaxes his head over his pillow and sinks into the downed cushion. It’s not like I’m going to tell them I’ve just had my ass kicked by two pussies from the future.
Why in God’s name would anyone want to do this to Wes? I squeeze his hand as if demanding an answer.
Shit. It’s killing Laken. He glances up at Cooper. It’s easy for someone like Coop. I bet he makes her feel all safe and cozy, no fucked up secrets, not one kernel of dishonesty floating around between them. He closes his eyes briefly. I can’t do this anymore. It’s either tell her everything or cut her loose. Maybe I do belong with Kres. Maybe Laken would be better off with someone like Coop.
My insides line with lead. I could feel the weight of all of Ephemeral crushing over my chest as tears flood my vision.
I lie down gently next to Wes and let loose the wild torrent that’s been waiting to unleash since the day I first arrived on campus.
“I’ll wait outside.” Coop leaves the room, and I can feel the void in his wake.
Wes runs his fingers through the back of my hair in smooth, slow circles. It’s as if the room, the school—the state dissolves to nothing, and we’re right back in Kansas.
Right back in Kansas, Wes muses.