nearly tripped down the stairs when he shut the door.
My feet were like lead when I slowly started back to my house. Staring straight ahead but not really seeing anything as I battled the threat of red lining my vision. As his words replayed again and again and made me feel worthless. Made me feel exactly like what Mr. Riley had called me . . .
A rage-fueled disaster.
I didn’t notice Hunter and Madison making out against the fence in the spot where you couldn’t be seen by either house until I was walking past them. And then they were stumbling after me and trying to stop me.
“Where’s Savannah?” Madison asked quickly. “Is she not coming to my house?”
My eyelids slowly shut as my fingers curled tight.
“Beau, what happened?” Hunter asked, reaching for my shoulder when I still didn’t respond. “You good?”
I swung.
I didn’t think about it. Didn’t even realize I was doing it until it was already done and I was staring at the two of them. My fist having just missed Hunter’s face because the asshole was fast.
“Don’t touch me.”
He slowly raised his hands but followed after me as soon as I began walking again. “Talk to us—where’s Savannah?”
“She’s fucking gone, Hunter,” I snapped. “Her parents sent her away.”
“But . . . why?” Madison asked softly, almost as if she was talking to herself.
I turned on them, my brows raised as I stared her down. “Really. You really can’t think of any reason why they would send her away?”
“That’s enough,” Hunter said in soft warning.
“That isn’t what I—”
“Me, Madison,” I ground out, cutting her off. “To get her away from me. Hoping a summer apart will be enough for her to be done with me.”
“I didn’t mean why literally,” she yelled. “I just can’t believe they would do this to her.”
I opened my mouth to fire back, but Hunter was suddenly there, hand against my chest and glare full of warning.
“Get away from me,” I said, low and threatening. “Now.”
“You need to take a breath and walk away before this gets worse.” He held my stare, knowing I was already on the edge of worse, and lowered his voice. “Beau, walk.”
I shoved him back and stalked off toward our house, dragging my fingers through my hair and over my face as I fought against the growing anger.
Savannah’s gone.
I hadn’t gone more than a couple days without her since I’d met her. Even then, it had only been if one of us was grounded—usually me. An entire summer, all while knowing it was because of me? Because they wanted us apart that badly?
“Mom,” I said through clenched teeth when I stormed through the front door, narrowed eyes searching for her as I headed for the living room where she was watching shows with my youngest brothers and Emberly. “Mom, did you know?”
“Know wh—” Her eyes widened when she saw me, her stare darting behind me like she was looking for Savannah. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“What’s happened?” Dad asked, following me into the living room.
“Tell me if you knew,” I demanded and then curled my hands tighter as I tried to rein it in.
Mom stood and placed her hands up in front of her stomach as she spoke in a calming tone. “Beau, sweetie, I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Savannah. Her parents sent her away for the summer. To get her away from me—hoping she’ll wanna break up with me. And if she doesn’t, they want me to break up with her.”
Mom’s mouth fell open. “They wouldn’t ever want—”
“They just told me that,” I yelled and then clenched my hands until they ached. “Mom, you know how they feel about me—you know.”
“No, honey, they adore you.”
A sharp laugh ripped from me, filled with pain and frustration.
“But you’re in love with their baby girl. That’s gotta be hard for any parents. And then . . .”
“And then what?” I asked when she didn’t continue. “And then add in the fact that I’m like this?” I gestured to where I was shaking uncontrollably. “A rage-fueled disaster?”
“You are not.”
“That’s what Mr. Riley just called me,” I shouted, my voice booming in the room. I jerked away from my dad when he came up beside me, chest heaving from my ragged breaths. “Don’t touch me.”
“Don’t give me a reason to,” he said in warning.
A tone that had me on edge worse than I’d already been.
Mom’s stare bounced between us for a moment, her head moving faintly before she said, “Then your father and I