“Oh, look.” Priscilla pointed across the parking lot. “There’s Lia.”
His gaze followed the direction she pointed, and he spotted his sister’s best friend, walking with her gaze down.
“Lia,” he called.
The girl looked up and froze.
He strolled over to her, wondering why she looked like a cornered animal. “You seen my sister?”
“Uhhh.” Her gaze darted back and forth between Priscilla and him. “She already . . . left,” she replied haltingly as her hands tightened their grip on the straps of her backpack.
“Not with you?” He angled his head, studying her. If he didn’t give Emmaline a ride home, then Lia did. It had always been him or Lia.
“Uhhh.”
Priscilla sighed with exasperation. “Who is she with, Lia? Did she skip class? Do you know where she is or not?”
Lia’s knuckles turned white where they clutched her straps. “She might have mentioned something at lunch about needing to talk to . . . someone.”
The way Lia’s eyes avoided his sent up a flag. She was being deliberately evasive.
Priscilla’s fingers tightened ever so slightly on his arm. “Someone, who?”
“Hey, I really need to go. My mom is expecting me at home. I need to watch my little brother.”
“Come on, Lia. This is ridiculous. What’s going on?” Priscilla demanded.
He’d been relatively silent up until now, letting Priscilla do the talking. “Lia.” It was all Nolan said. He let her name drop as he looked at her, letting her see the concern in his eyes and compelling her to speak the truth.
She released a heavy breath. “Fine. She wanted to talk to Hayden Vargas.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Instantly, he had flash of the party last Saturday, of Hayden Vargas with her heavily lashed eyes peering up at him. What was it she called herself? Oh yeah. Atypical.
She was certainly that. Until Saturday night, he hadn’t fully understood that.
His face went hot just thinking about the other things she had said. All your friends want to—
He cut off the thought. Because it led to other thoughts about her. Thoughts that led him into thinking about her in ways he shouldn’t.
“What does she want with Hayden Vargas?” he demanded. Evidently Lia knew what was going on with his sister. More than he did . . . which wasn’t saying much, since it didn’t seem he knew anything about his sister anymore.
Lia’s gaze shot longingly toward her car. “I really don’t know.”
Nolan figured that was a lie, but he wasn’t sticking around for the truth. It wasn’t Lia’s job to keep him up to date on his sister.
He turned away and started walking toward his own vehicle. Priscilla stuck close to his side. “Why would your sister need to talk to Hayden Vargas?”
He shook his head, not bothering to point out that he just asked Lia that very question with no success. “I have no idea.”
First his sister was talking with Hayden at the party this weekend and now this? It seemed far too coincidental. Had something happened between them that night? As far as he knew, it was the only time they had ever talked. They weren’t in the same grade or any of the same classes and they didn’t run in the same crowd. What could possibly motivate this . . . whatever it was?
“Well, you better nip that in the bud. Hayden Vargas is not someone you want hanging out with your sister,” Priscilla chirped beside him.
“What do you know about Hayden?”
“I know she has a reputation.”
Irritation coursed through him, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d thought the same thing when he saw her at the party the other night. Hayden Vargas . . . the girl had a reputation.
He’d thought those words, so how could he be so offended over Priscilla thinking the same?
Why should he feel offended?
“So you mean you’ve heard rumors?” he clarified.
“Well, yeah, and you know what they say. There’s a kernel of truth to every rumor.”
“Is that what they say?” He stopped and faced her. “And who are they? Jerks? Assholes?”
Himself. He suppressed a wince at the truth of that. He’d been that guy.
She looked at him in bewilderment. “What’s gotten into you, Nolan?” Shaking her head, she flattened her hand over his chest, directly over his heart. “Hey, I didn’t make the world the way it is, but if a girl is like her, then yeah, people are going to talk. It might not be right, but it’s true.” She shrugged. “You should want to keep your sister away from that kind of ugliness is all I’m saying.”
He turned and unlocked his truck, his chest tight and uncomfortable.
Pris was spot-on. It definitely was not right.
It wasn’t right and he had to wonder about her meaning. Was the ugliness she referred to just about people talking? Or Hayden Vargas specifically?
“My sister is smart. I’m sure I don’t need to worry about her,” he said as he started the ignition.
“Really?” She looked skeptical as she settled in beside him. “I’m just saying, if it was my little sister, I wouldn’t want her anywhere near that girl.”
“Yeah, she’s not your sister though. She’s mine.” His words came out sharper than he intended, but he couldn’t help it. He knew they had been together a long time, but sometimes he felt smothered. Like there was no boundary, no space between the two of them. As though there was no him anymore at all. Just them.
A quick glance verified that his words had been harsh. Hot color spotted Priscilla’s cheeks.
He turned his attention back to the road. “Sorry,” he murmured, hating that he hurt her.
She sniffed and looked ahead with a nod, but her eyes were overly bright. “It’s okay. I would be testy too if the school sl—” She stopped herself from saying the rest, but he knew what she intended to say. It was another jab at Hayden Vargas. He snorted a little. Hayden had been right. People did say ugly things about her. His own girlfriend just proved that.
He didn’t like the judgment and he didn’t like Hayden being vilified, but he didn’t love the idea of his sister hanging out with Hayden either. Call him a hypocrite.
“So, did you understand the physics assignment?” It was a deliberate change of topic. He didn’t want to talk about his sister with Priscilla anymore. They were already dangerously close to an argument, and he wasn’t in the mood.
His sister was his business. She always had been. Just like his entire family was his business, his responsibility. He would take care of it like he always did. Like he always would.
Lesson #9
Your comfort should always be a priority.
x Hayden x
Hayden’s curiosity grew as she drove Emmaline home.
Emmaline sat beside her, only speaking up to give directions when required. The girl rubbed her palms over the knees of her jeans in clear nervousness.
“Want to stop at Sonic?” Emmaline blurted, spotting the sign ahead.
“I really don’t have time.” They’d left school early, but taking Emmaline home was costing her.
Emmaline nodded but looked disappointed, and damn if that didn’t stab Hayden with guilt. She didn’t owe this girl anything, but there was something about her that Hayden liked.