curiosity. The pulse in her throat is proof. The swipe of her tongue across her bottom lip, and the way she fidgets with her shirt, though, tell a completely different story. She’s holding her breath, praying her name slips from Mackenzie’s mouth. But why, baby? What makes you want to be near me after the shit storm in the woods?
I lean over and whisper to Breaker, “How’d you rig this?”
“She promised to pair you and Palmer, if she and I got paired up together.”
“You whored yourself out, risked Delaney hating you even more, for this?” I question.
“We need to know, right? And if this helps, then so be it.” He pats me on the back, turning towards the girls.
“Palmer Weston,” Mackenzie announces.
Like the oxygen has been vacuumed out, everyone goes silent. Their eyes shift between us. No one in this room lacks knowledge of the shit we’ve been putting this girl through. They see our pairing as an opportunity to indulge themselves with bullying they’d never actually execute on their own accord. Being cruel isn’t easy and simple. They leave the heavy lifting to us.
Mackenzie hands me both pieces of paper with our names scribbled across them. “You have the top bedroom. Best view in the house.”
I know this room. I’ve been in this room before. A stairwell leads to the hidden space. From the outside, it looks like a subtle peak in the roof, but inside, it’s like walking into the sky. Large glass windows adorn the ceiling, spanning the length of the room. Stars twinkle above you while you sleep.
I cross the room and stop in front of Palmer. She takes a deep breath before gazing at me. Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears.
“Haven’t you had enough?” She swallows the rest of the words she’s dying to say to me.
I tuck her hair behind both of her ears, bending down to be eye-to-eye. Once I know I have her attention, I lean forward, resting my lips against her ear. “Never.” She hisses from the intrusion. “You want to understand your big sis, now’s your chance.” I turn away, knowing damn well this girl is going to follow me anywhere I go.
Even with how much she hates being in my presence, and rightfully so, once she’s made the trek, she pauses at the top of the stairs. Her captivation of the beauty of the third floor doesn’t surprise me. We are already in the mountains, but at this height, it feels like a completely different world.
“This isn’t right,” she says, walking over to the balcony French doors and swinging them open. Cool air takes over everything. “You set this up, didn’t you?” She strolls outside, leaning her forearms on the railing, looking out at our home for the next forty-eight hours. “All of this is a game to you?”
I pin her in, resting my hands on the railing. “Like I’ve said before, you can leave anytime you want.” Unable to resist, I press my lips to her temple. “You’re the one that keeps coming back.”
“How do you do it?” She turns, forcing our faces together when I refuse to move my hands.
“Do what?”
“Make all this seem normal, like you haven’t done deplorable things to me.” Her eyes are urgent, uncertain as they take me in. “You did the same thing on that first day in class, and again at the club. We can’t forget about the first night after we hooked up, followed by you releasing that sound bite.” She holds her hand up to my cheek. Her touch is light as feathers, hypnotizing me, The quick sting of a slap grounds me.
My head tilts away from her. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from audibly giving her credit for her assault.
“Palmer, let’s be reasonable.”
“Don’t, okay?” She marches forward, forcing me back into the room. “The list isn’t done, Marek. You breaking into my dorm room, being so gentle, only to force your hand, and then at the party with Breaker. The football game, demanding things of me I know I shouldn’t fall for but do. You use everything against me, make me believe I want anything you’re willing to give me. Do you know how that makes me feel?”
“You can’t blame someone for how you react to things.” Even I know how fucked up it is to say this to her.
“Why me?” Fear etches her features.
“If not you, then someone else.” This is a lie. There will never be anyone else. “Can you live