The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play #3) - B.B. Reid Page 0,123
tears soaking my face. “I know.”
Halloween… Five Years Ago
“MAKE SURE YOU HOLD YOUR brother’s and sister’s hands whenever you cross the street,” my mother scolded. It was Halloween, and we were in Blackwood Keep, visiting my uncle and aunt before we left Boston for good.
As if having my heart broken the first time wasn’t bad enough, my father informed us shortly after that he was moving back home and taking us with him—to fucking Scotland.
Anger whipped through me at the thought of leaving everything I cared about behind.
“I’ve got it, Mom. Can we go now?”
I was still grounded for sneaking away a month ago. The only reason my parents were letting me loose was so that I could take my two-year-old siblings trick or treating. They were reluctant to trust me again, and my anger management issues these last few weeks hadn’t exactly helped my case.
She nodded, so I took Adan’s and Adara’s hands. I hated to admit it, but they looked fucking adorable in their Peter Pan and Tinkerbell costumes. My mother had made me wear the Captain Hook costume and took about a thousand pictures of us together as she cried and gushed.
Dad had driven us to the next neighborhood over where the houses were closer together. I couldn’t help but think about how easy it would be to sneak over to Bee’s place.
She was so close that I felt like I could reach out my hand and touch her. Against my will, I kept scanning the street, hoping to spot her. She loved Halloween and horror movies. Every year, she dressed up. Last year, she’d gone as Freddy Krueger and sent me pictures. They were still decorating my bedroom wall, even though I hated her guts.
“Candy! Candy!” Dara demanded. She was tugging against my hand, no longer content to walk. Screams and laughter filled the night as kids of all ages ran up and down the street. I led the twins down the sidewalk of the first house with their porch light on and rang the bell.
“Trick or treat!” Adan and Adara sang when a woman answered.
“Well, aren’t you three simply the cutest!”
“Thanks,” I mumbled. I felt stupid as hell wearing this costume, but at least I was out from under my parents’ scrutiny. My brother and sister, not yet masters of small talk, simply held up their buckets, waiting for her to fill them with candy.
We were walking away from our fourth house—Adan and Adara, struggling to carry their haul—when I heard my name called. I turned to see Jason dressed as a werewolf and jogging toward me.
“Hey, man! I thought that was you,” he greeted excitedly. “When did you get in?”
“A couple of hours ago.” I was about to ask him if he’d seen Ever since he hadn’t been home when we arrived, but Jason beat me to it.
“Sweet. Someone from Brynwood is throwing a costume party tonight, and Ever wants to crash it. You should come with us.”
“I don’t know,” I hedged, even though every molecule in me wanted to go. “I’m still sort of grounded.”
“Oh, right. I heard you ran away from Boston, and your parents freaked out or something? What was that about?”
“Nothing.” I couldn’t tell if it was the truth or a lie. I just knew I had no interest in setting the record straight. In fact, I preferred that Jason thought I ran away than to know the truth. I’d fallen for a thieving bitch who stole my heart and refused to give it back. My eyes drifted closed as embarrassment coursed through me. I’d actually begged her to be with me.
“Well, if you change your mind, the party is at 678 Fitch Lane.”
678 Fitch Lane.
Shit. Why was I trying to remember that?
“I’ve got to get back.” It was the only goodbye I offered him before grabbing my brother and sister and walking away. I wasn’t going to that damn party. I was still upset with Ever for lying to me. He had to have known Bee had lost interest. They were best fucking friends. Why hadn’t he warned me? Neither of them knew me very well if they thought I’d just take being ignored lying down. I was used to having the upper hand and would fight tooth and nail to keep it. Shaking my head, I accepted the fact that it wasn’t just my heart that was broken but my ego. I still wasn’t sure which I hated Bee for crushing more.