Chapter 51
CHAPTER 51
MADDIE
E veryone suddenly went quiet. I glared at my brother and swallowed, my heart racing harder than it should. I hadn’t meant to scream the words, but I couldn’t stop them from tumbling from my mouth.
Alec deserved to know.
“Wh-what?” Alec whispered.
“We didn’t do shit together,” Oliver said, looking at his car.
“You’re a liar,” I growled at him. “You can never keep eye contact when you lie.”
Alec peered over at his mom. “Is it true?”
“No,” she said, but then dropped her gaze and her voice. “Of course not.”
I crossed my arms, not wanting to be part of this, but already too deep. Alec wasn’t going to stand up for himself—at least, I wouldn’t be able to if I had gotten raped, then had everyone bully me for it, then found out my dad was sleeping with two male classmates and my best friend was banging my mother.
“Then, what were you doing with her, Oliver?” I asked as calmly as I could.
“She wanted help with a gift for Alec’s birthday,” he said.
“Where’s the gift then?” I asked.
“In my car.”
“Get it.”
Oliver stormed to his car, slipped into the driver’s seat, and threw the car in reverse, speeding down the driveway and then onto the road. I slammed my foot into my own tire because I was pissed.
“I’ll be back,” I said to Alec.
Because I was about to follow my idiot brother wherever he went and beat his ass for being such a dickhead to his own best friend. Alec was going through more than Oliver could wrap his tiny mind around, and he needed someone.
Not a lousy friend who’d sleep with his mother!
“Wait,” Alec said, catching my wrist and pulling me back.
Midway through opening the driver’s door, I paused and gazed back at him, worried that I shouldn’t leave him alone here, all by himself. Maybe we should just find a place together, like Blaise and Vera, and live there for the rest of the semester until college.
“I got some good news tonight,” he whispered.
Anger slowly dissipating, I released my grip on the door handle and gently took his face into my hands. “That’s great, Alec,” I whispered, warmth flooding through my chest for him. “What happened?”
“A group of people who work for Glacier showed up at practice tonight,” he said, keeping his voice quiet. “They want me to come watch a couple of their practices in the spring, and he said that I could bring you.”
My eyes widened, and I threw my arms around his shoulders. “That’s amazing!”
He pulled me closer and relaxed in my embrace, his shoulders slumping forward and a low breath escaping his mouth. I held him tightly for as long as he needed, and after another moment, he pulled away.
“Are you going to be all right?” I asked.
“As fine as I can be,” he mumbled. “I should just expect this shit.”
I grabbed his hands. “We’re going to get out of this town. I promise.”
Tears welled up in his eyes. “Soon?”
“Soon.”
After he pulled me closer once more, he kissed me on the forehead. “Be careful.”
“I will,” I said, sliding into the driver’s seat. “And then I’ll come pick you up.”
Once I sped down the Wolfes’ driveway, I gripped the steering wheel and headed to my house. I hoped that Alec would be okay for a few hours, but I wanted to rip Oliver a new one. He was such a fucking hypocrite and probably only did it to get back at Alec.
I fucking hate him. Hate him!
After speeding up my driveway and not finding Oliver, I headed toward town and hoped to the fucking gods that he hadn’t run away like the little asshole he was. He had to be here somewhere. Maybe with one of the guys from the hockey team or finding another mom to bend over.
My hand tightened around the steering wheel, nails digging into the leather. “Fuck!”
I stopped at a light, nostrils flared, and glared through the windshield down the street. Oliver’s car was parked in the middle of the road, diagonal across both lanes, with the driver’s door open.
When the light turned green, I hit the accelerator and slammed on the brakes once I made it feet from his car. I jumped out, wondering where the fuck he was, and screamed his name so loudly that everyone in the houses around us could probably hear it.
And when nobody responded, I stormed to his driver’s door to pull his car out of the road, but found a note sitting on the seat. I picked it up and unfolded it.
Baby,
I’ll take good care of your brother.
Love,
Spencer 3