On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,75
it down if she knew I hadn’t.”
They flanked me like two bodyguards as we headed for Abrams. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far because it was so suffocating under Zach’s hard stare that I could hardly breathe.
Maverick seemed all too happy to let us fester in the awkward tension.
“Must be hard,” he eventually said, breaking the silence, “being Callum’s little sister.”
“Not really.” I gave a little shrug.
“You’re not close?”
“Close?” Bitter laughter spilled from my lips. “Callum acts like I don’t exist.” I peeked up at Maverick, regretting it the second his dark gaze found mine.
“Want to know a secret about us guys?” He flashed me a knowing smile. “We’re idiots.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself.”
“I can see why you’ve got Messiah all tied up in knots.” His eyes flicked over my head to the brooding guy on my other side. Zach mumbled something beneath his breath, but I knew I probably didn’t want to hear whatever it was.
When we finally reached Abrams, I exhaled a small breath. This entire night had been weird. From drinking at Steel ‘n’ Thunder with Josie to walking back to my dorm with Maverick and Zach.
“Well, this is me,” I said. “Thanks for walking me back.”
“Should I give the two of you some space?” Maverick glanced at me and then Zach.
“No,” I said, right as he said, “Yes.”
“I really should go. It’s late and I’m sure you have other things to—”
“Just five minutes. Please, Calli.”
“Give the boy a chance. After all, he did jump in and defend your honor tonight.”
My brows furrowed at that. They’d been fighting... over me?
Surely, Maverick had it all wrong.
“You can shut up now,” Zach grumbled.
“I think I should just go.” Giving Maverick a little wave, I took off toward the building. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to hear whatever Zach had to say. Not when it wouldn’t change anything.
“Calli...” My name pierced the air, the frustration in his voice hitting me right in the stomach. I ground to a stop, inhaling a shaky breath. Zach moved closer, the air shifting around me as he stepped up behind me. “Five minutes, please...”
Slowly, I turned to meet his conflicted gaze. “You’re hurt.” I reached for his face, snatching my hand to my side when I realized.
“You should see the other guy.” He let out a strained laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
“What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
My stomach sank. Of course it didn’t. Because we were both going to keep pretending that this thing between us was nothing more than unfinished business. A volatile storm of pent up anger and frustration that we needed to let run its course.
“You were out?” I thought I heard a hint of jealousy in his voice.
“I wasn’t with Joel if that’s what you’re worried about. He hasn’t spoken to me all week.”
“Shit, Calli,” he breathed, “that’s not—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
We were going round in circles.
“I had all this stuff I wanted to say...” Zach hesitated, a rare flash of vulnerability falling over his expression. It reminded me of the Zach I used to know, the boy who was uncertain of his place in the world.
I waited, trying to ignore the seed of hope taking root in my chest. Even though he constantly let me down, I still couldn’t help but cling onto a fifteen year’s old dream of forever.
A beat passed, and another as we stood there staring at one another.
But he couldn’t do it.
He still couldn’t talk to me.
“You know,” I gave him a sad smile, “Josie said something to me tonight. She said, the stronger the love, the deeper the hate. But she’s wrong, she has to be wrong. Because you walked away from me, Zach. You tossed me aside like I was nothing, like our love meant nothing.”
The tears I fought so hard to contain dripped down my cheeks as I inhaled a shuddering breath. “So don’t stand there acting like you care after everything we’ve been through. You say I betrayed you, but you never even gave me chance to fix it. You never even—”
An ugly sob tore from my throat. Swiping my eyes, I took a deep calming breath, meeting his dark gaze once more. “It doesn’t matter now. None of it matters. I lost my mom, Zach, the one person in the whole world I could count on. I am so tired of people leaving me... So this time, I’m walking away. It’s the only way I know how to protect myself.”