Brynne
I swirled the wine in my hand, the dark red liquid circling the glass. My gaze was fixated on the back door as Trinity rattled in the background. She shoved the last bite of her burger into her mouth, oblivious that my mind was elsewhere.
Earlier, it had been on the whirlwind of a day I’d had. Theo storming into Principal McKay’s office had been the talk of school. It was all I heard about from students and teachers.
The teachers were smitten with him, even though they didn’t really know him or know why he did what he did.
The rumor mill went wild with false theories—he’d punched McKay in one rumor, in another he’d gone totally James Bond-level protective of Scout.
Everyone thought Scout was the coolest kid for having a dad come in and save the day.
But I knew the truth.
He’d been there not only to protect her reputation, but his.
After he left, I settled into my thoughts and realized that was what it had really been about.
He was worried about Scout, yes. He hated that someone had talked to her like the way Mr. Burr had, but I thought he hated how it made him look, too.
Their reputations were tied together, whether they wanted them to be or not.
I didn’t know if he even knew that about himself, if he’d made a conscious decision to protect and preserve his own reputation. But I also wrestled with the fact that it didn’t really matter.
He’d protected her. He’d done the right thing—at least in the eyes of everyone at school. Did his intent behind it all make a difference?
I didn’t think so.
I blinked, realizing I’d been staring too intently at the raccoon currently sitting on my back deck, staring at me through the window.
“He’s back,” I said softly, almost as if I was scared the wild animal could hear me. Trinity paused her rambling, her blonde head swiveling toward the back door.
“Meatball?” she asked, and I huffed out a laugh.
“Who else? It’s not like I have any men knocking down my door.”
“You could.”
I rolled my eyes. Yeah, if I got on the app and threw myself at more men, then I could have one in my bed tonight—I could have her brother in my bed tonight.
Before I went to New York to spend the summer with Mason, I’d tried the casual hookup game. And it was nice—I could admit that. I’d liked removing the feelings from sex, the expectation for more .
Even though I’d only gone out with a couple men and slept with one, I still felt free for the first time in my life. I didn’t have anyone in my ear telling me I was making a mistake, or that I should be more careful.
I was able to push away the years of listening to my parents remind me that I had so much potential , and just…live.
I lived.
But when I got to New York and went on a date with the creepiest guy ever, I decided that online dating and casual hookups weren’t for me.
Relationships weren’t either
I wasn’t ready for that commitment. I wasn’t ready to settle down and tie my life to some else’s. I wasn’t ready to intertwine our worlds together until mine blended so thoroughly into his I forgot who I was.
Though for whatever reason, I hadn’t deleted the app even though I knew I should’ve.
But when Theo messaged me, I was happy I hadn’t. Which was…ridiculous? Yeah, it was ridiculous. Who was I kidding?
Talking to my best friend’s brother would only end in disaster. I knew that.
Yet I couldn’t ignore the ball of excitement in my belly since he asked me to get on Pulse tonight, since he told me we needed to talk . We could’ve texted each other, could’ve talked off the app, but something about the secrecy of it made it more…forbidden. More exhilarating.
I swallowed the rest of the wine in my glass, then grabbed the bottle by the neck and filled it back up. Trinity’s blonde brows rose as she sank back onto the other end of the couch.
“Long day?”
I flicked my eyes to her. “You know what happened.”
Her lips twitched as she yanked a dark yellow pillow off the floor and hugged it.
Her hair was tied into a messy bun at the top of her head, half falling off the side.
Her gray sweatshirt was stained with something , and her black, baggy sweatpants were so big they swallowed her small frame completely.
She looked like a bundle of fabric and a mess of blonde hair.
“I still can’t believe he went in there like that,” she said, chuckling to herself.
“He was like a damn bat out of hell.”
“You are turning into your grandmother more and more by the day.” Her eyes flicked to my necklace, and I reached up, gently resting my hand over it. “How’s Mason doing?”
I shrugged. “As fine as can be expected, I guess. He still hasn’t talked to Mom or Dad since—” I blew out a breath.
“Fuck. It’s been five years. I talked to Dad a few months ago, but he didn’t ask for him.
I’ve told all of them I don’t want to be in the middle, but somehow, that’s where I always end up. ”
Trinity’s eyes were soft. Understanding. “Maybe Mason should just?—”
“He won’t.”
I didn’t need her to finish her sentence to know what she was going to say.
Maybe Mason should just call them first.
That was the logical thing, right? The easiest thing, even.
But he wouldn’t.
And I didn’t blame him.
Our parents tried taking his money from him. They tried to swindle him out of millions , and when he wouldn’t continue funding their outrageously lavish lifestyle, they got mad at him. Not just mad —they said some of the most hurtful things I’d ever heard anyone say.
So he cut them out. Just like that.
I wish I could’ve done the same, but it was harder for me. Mason and I were only five years apart, and I was old enough to remember what they were like before the fame. They were normal parents. Good parents.
They wanted the best for us, and that was why they encouraged Mason’s passion for music from a young age. They thought they were doing the right thing…but then they saw the money he could make, and they forgot about everything else.
Trinity sighed as she pressed her spine into the arm of the dark blue couch, nearly doing a backbend. Her joints cracked, and she let out a long groan.
“They’ll come around,” she finally said. “They’ll see that they’ve been idiots, and they’ll make it right. I know they will. And Mason will take them back, and?—”
“And we’ll all just be one big happy family, huh?” I grinned around the edge of my wine glass as I took a sip. She shrugged half-heartedly.
“Would that be so bad?”
I rubbed my forehead, feeling a day’s worth of makeup slide under my fingertips. “Trin, not everyone has a family like yours.”
“I know.” She straightened her shoulders. “Mine isn’t perfect, either, you know.”
I just stared at her. I knew they had problems—who didn’t? But they were as close to perfect as a family could get. I was thankful Demi accepted me as one of her own, but they still weren’t my family, and no amount of family dinners or group chats would change that.
But I didn’t say that. I didn’t bring up all the ways that she was so lucky. Instead, I just smiled and agreed. Because telling her the truth? It would destroy her world view.
She’d been through enough in her sheltered life to know bad things happened, but there was still a touch of naivety to her I just couldn’t bring myself to shatter.
My phone vibrated, pulling me out of the conversation, and I reached for it. A part of me hoped it was Theo—a massive part of me hoped it was him. He’d promised to message me on Pulse tonight, but it was already nine and I still hadn’t heard from him.
I ignored the disappointment that bloomed in my chest when I saw Mason’s name, and not a notification from Pulse.
MASON:
Your guest room still ready for me?
ME:
It always is.
“Speak of the devil.” I sighed, waving my phone at Trinity.
“What’d he want?”
“I think he’s gonna visit.”
I glanced around my living room—it was full of dark, jewel-toned colors, velvets and suedes, and the photos on the walls were all from antique shops. Everyone kept telling me to remove the black and white pictures of random people and their families, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Because once I did, once I tossed those worn pieces of paper with no-named people on them in the trash…they disappeared forever, like they never existed. And I just couldn’t do it to them.
“He’s not liking New York?” she asked, and I shrugged.
“All his friends are in LA. But he wanted to be closer to me.”
“Well, maybe he should move here. He’d at least have us to hang out with.”
A smile played on my lips. It was such an easy solution to his problem, but I knew he’d never go for it.
“Maybe.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s getting late.”
As if on cue, her mouth opened in a wide yawn. “Yeah, I need to go. I have a big day tomorrow.” My brows rose in a silent question. “I’m painting Toby’s truck.”
My head fell back as I let out a loud laugh. “You cannot paint his truck.”
“It won’t be permanent,” she grumbled as she got to her feet.
“Ronan threatened to arrest me if I did anything that would forever damage his property.” She rolled her eyes like she was so put out, and slid her sandals on.
“It’s washable paint, but he won’t know that.
I’m telling him it’s actual car paint, and he’ll never get it off.
But all he’ll have to do is take it through the car wash. ”
She cackled at her own prank as she grabbed her purse from the barstool.
“You’re insane,” I said, turning to look at her over the back of the couch.
“I know.” She beamed at me, her smile almost blinding. “Oh. Be sure to give Meatball his nightly meatball. You know he’ll just whine if he doesn't get it. The poor little guy is starving.” She waved her hand at him, and I blew a breath through my nose.
“He’s massive , Trin. He’s not starving.”