Out of My League - Sarah Sutton Page 0,86

“I heard it’s written by your favorite nerdy author.”

And I turned and walked out, shutting the door behind me. And even though I’d left him behind in his bedroom, as much as I hated it, I could still taste him on my lips, a numbness that I couldn’t rub away.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rainwater poured off my clothes and pooled in my sandals as I stepped underneath Edith’s porch, my sandals making a squelching noise whenever I took a step. My bike wheel spun from where I’d thrown it down in the grass, rushing to find cover.

I knocked, hard, wondering if Edith would even come and answer the door. I had no idea what time it was, but since it was one-ish when I was at Walsh’s, no doubt it had to be close to two in the morning by now. I didn’t bring my cell phone with me—because that’s just how my life worked—so I couldn’t call her for a ride or a heads up.

Her bedroom light was on, though muted by her curtains. I could’ve walked over there and knocked, though I wasn’t totally convinced that she wouldn’t call the police. Or at least sic her dog, Roxi, on me.

So, instead, I knocked. And I knocked. And knocked. “Edith, it’s me,” I called as loudly as I dared. “Edith!”

And then I heard it—the glorious sound of the deadbolt flipping over. But when the door pulled wide, it wasn’t Edith on the threshold, not her father or even her little brother.

It was Zach.

And his eyes were so, so wide. “Uh—hi,” he said, blinking rapidly. “W-What’s up, Sophia?”

“Sophia?” Edith’s head appeared on the other side of Zach, peeking around him. Edith blinked, and it gave me time to take in her appearance. Like I said, it was probably two in the morning—surely my bike ride in the rain lasted as long as it felt—but she still wore her day clothes, a pair of denim shorts and a tank top. Eyeshadow still glistened on her lids. “What are you doing here? Why are you wet?”

I didn’t wait to answer them before I shoved my way inside, causing Zach to back up a step. That was when I noticed his feet were bare—no shoes, no socks. “Why is he here?” I demanded, my residual anger from Walsh transferring. And the way Zach was staring at me, like a deer in headlights, just made me feel angry. “It’s late.”

“Shh, little brother’s sleeping,” Edith whispered quickly, glancing at the back of Zach’s head. “Um, maybe you should get your stuff, Zach.”

He didn’t need further encouragement. Without another word, Zach turned, almost ran into Edith, and started down the dark hallway. He probably wasn’t even out of earshot before I went into it. “Why is he over at two in the morning? Why are his socks off?”

“He was keeping me company until Dad gets back,” Edith said, tucking a curled strand of hair behind her ear. She even still had her studded earrings in. “He went out to a concert on a date—a concert, can you believe it? I think he’s having some sort of midlife crisis.”

Thinking about Mr. Bradley going on dates was strange, but not the most important thing on my mind right now. “You have a boy in your room without your dad being home? He doesn’t allow boys even if he is home.”

Zach came back into the foyer, this time with his shoes on and his jacket slung over his arm. He glanced at Edith. “Thanks for, uh, the advice.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Her lips pulled into a warm, gushing smile as she looked at him. I noticed that she looked into his eyes, scanning for each emotion there. “If you need a shoulder to lean on, you know where I live.”

And while Edith was looking into Zach’s eyes, he was grinning back at her with a few crinkles by his eyes. The two of them looked like love-struck fools.

Of course, it only made me feel angrier.

“See you later, Sophia,” Zach said to me, edging around my figure with a nervous expression. I moved a little bit to let him pass but didn’t answer.

Neither one of us spoke until the door softly clicked shut behind him.

“Why are you mad?” Edith demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. “And don’t tell me you’re not, because it’s clear on your face.”

“I broke up with Walsh.”

Edith blinked quickly, surprised. “What? You ended your fake relationship? I thought you liked him.”

That made me laugh, dull and hollow. “This