another surprise visit. When I open the door, I do find a girl standing in front of it, holding a box with a pie if I were to guess, but it’s not Brooke.
Great, another member of Troy’s fan club.
“Can I help you?”
“Hi, you must be Charlie. I’m Jane, Troy’s sister. Is he home?”
My ill attitude changes in an instant and shame takes over. I was already consumed by ugly thoughts. Jealousy is a monster.
“Not yet. Come on in. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
I open the door wider and let her pass. She freezes for a second when she notices Blake and Fred on the couch.
“Oh, I didn’t know you had guests.”
I chuckle. “I wouldn’t call them guests. Those are Blake and Fred, my partners in crime.”
“Hello.” Blake waves.
Fred jumps from the couch and reaches the poor girl in three long strides. “Hi, I’m Fred.”
“Nice to meet you, Fred.” Jane smiles shyly while he stares at her with a goofy grin.
I watch them, waiting for her eyes to either focus on his spiky green hair or the vintage Scooby-Doo T-shirt he’s wearing. She doesn’t do either.
Instead, she turns to me. “I brought cherry pie. It’s Troy’s favorite.”
“I’m sure he’ll love it. Let me make room in the fridge for it.”
“We’re about to play Betrayal at House on the Hill if you want to join us,” Fred tells Jane.
“I’ve never played that before. What’s the learning curve like?”
“Steep,” Blake replies from the couch.
I’m not surprised by his grumpy reply. He hates explaining game rules to newcomers.
“Be nice,” I say. “Besides, it’s not that complicated.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to join. I’ve always wanted to play board games, but none of my friends are into them.”
“Awesome. The more, the merrier.” Fred steps closer to Jane and, as if they were old friends, throws his arm over her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll be your guide this evening. By the time it’s over, you’ll be a pro.”
I expect the girl to shove him off her, but she simply laughs.
My eyes meet Blake’s. He gives me a what-the-hell look before shaking his head. I respond with a what-can-you-do shrug and join everyone on the couch. For a brief moment, all thoughts of Troy recede to the back of my mind.
TROY
My shoulder is bothering me again, but I keep the discomfort to myself. I got a ride with Andreas, and I don’t need him to get angry all over again over my accident. He hasn’t brought up Charlie at all today, but despite his easygoing personality, he also has a mean streak. Mess with him or his friends, and he’s out to get you.
We stopped by Zuko’s Diner to grab dinner, and during the entire time, Andreas blabbered about a set of twins he’d been screwing—not at the same time, he made sure to point that out. In fact, it seems they don’t know he’s been tapping them both. He plans to propose a ménage soon, but I told him it would backfire royally. In his usual fashion, he wasn’t worried about it.
We’re ten minutes from the house when I receive a text from Charlie. A surge of excitement runs through me just seeing her name pop up on my screen. We’re no longer fighting like cats and dogs, which means my previous assessment that I enjoyed my fights with her because of the rush was false. It’s her that gives me the high. And I have no clue what to do about it. If it’s only a physical thing, then it should go away as soon as we bang. If it doesn’t, then that’s a problem.
“Who texted you?” Andreas asks.
“Charlie.”
“What does she want?” His tone turns dark. Yeah, he’s still not over Charlie’s part in my accident.
“She wants to know if she can host a game night at our place.”
“And what did you say?”
“I haven’t texted her back yet.”
“Say no just out of spite.”
“How old are you? I’m not going to say no.”
I text her back with a No problem, then look out the window, thinking about the conversation Brooke interrupted. Where was I going with it?
“Fine. I’m curious to see who her friends are. It’ll probably be fun crashing her party.”
“You’re not coming in unless you promise to behave.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t treat Charlie bad or anything. In fact, I’ll be so sweet to her, she’ll get a toothache.”
I glance at him, narrowing my eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
He doesn’t offer another comment during the rest of the drive, and when