Page 15

“The truth is, I’m not…” Aaron’s throat bobs with a nervous swallow, and he tears his eyes away. “Since you woke up, I haven’t been doing well. I know if I give you space, everything will go back to how it was, and I can’t let that happen. Please understand I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“But you clearly already have,” I croak, extending my palms so I can push him toward the door. He catches them, then gathers them together and strokes my fingers, pouring the warmth of his hands into mine. I don’t squirm because he won’t relent. Because it feels good. “I moved out to live with you and inconvenienced your entire household. I left my family in the dirt. I’m enrolled at some no-name college instead of the one I wanted. And it’s all because I let you convince me we’re good for each other.”

“Please hear me out.” He tucks my hands under his chin. At first, I think I’m trembling again, but I’m not. It’s him. His eyes are beginning to water with a level of desperation I’ve never seen before. “You did nothing out of selfishness. You left home because it was the right move for you. My dads and I made a readjustment, yes, but it was worth it. We don’t want you to be afraid of the place you’re living. As for college, you started considering you might want to pursue something else, so you enrolled at a general education university to explore your options. That’s all.”

He says it like none of this had any negative impact. “What do you mean I left home because it was the right move?” I demand.

“For one, you were tired of getting sick. Your family isn’t careful about what they touch or use or leave behind. Or they forget to be careful. Your parents especially.”

“They’re not hurting me on purpose,” I say defensively.

“I know. Doesn’t excuse anything.” He works his way to my wrists, which he massages in earnest, thumbs kneading my sallow skin and purplish veins. “The bigger reason you left is because—”

Suddenly, the front door swings open. I yank my hands out of Aaron’s slackened grip, but the damage is done. Logan stands in the doorframe, staring us down in angered disbelief, his backpack slung over his shoulder and his green eyes ablaze.

I blink, and suddenly, Logan has a fistful of Aaron’s shirt and is heaving him against the wall with such force that one of the decorative framed pictures hits the tile, fragmenting into pieces.

“Logan!” I yell as my brother shoves his arm across Aaron’s chest, pinning him to the drywall, his face warped with malevolence.

“I told you to stay away from him,” he snarls.

A nasty smirk slices through Aaron’s face. “You should keep him on a leash, then,” he says softly. “Otherwise how will you know I’m not following him around, tainting his mind?”

Logan throws his other hand around Aaron’s pale neck before I can snap at him for saying something so ridiculous. “After everything you’ve done, you have the nerve to show your smug fucking face back in my house…”

Aaron’s eyes flicker with unbridled fury. “You won’t like the way this ends,” he says, his voice a frosted whisper. “Let go. I won’t ask you again.”

Logan’s hair is frizzed up like an angry cat’s. After a tense moment, I place my hand on the nape of his neck, hoping to inject him with calming energy. His shoulders loosen, and he sighs, backing away, his fingers uncurling from around Aaron’s throat. “Get out,” he breathes.

“Happily.” Aaron straightens up, turning his attention to me. “Walk me out?”

“He doesn’t need to do shit,” Logan snaps, seizing my sweatshirt and hoisting me behind him with such force that I nearly stumble. “Leave before I give you two black eyes to go with your fit.”

Even now, I’m uncomfortably lost. Logan and Aaron have never regarded each other with this much contempt. I don’t want to lurk around like some voiceless damsel, so I step around Logan’s extended arm. “I’ll walk you out,” I say, narrowing my eyes warningly. “Just don’t try anything.”

Laughing quietly at the chaos he’s caused, Aaron walks to the front door, then winks back at Logan before stepping outside.

“Make it quick,” Logan growls at me.

I wince from the ferocity in his voice. “You don’t have to protect me,” I mutter.

“Yes, I do.”

I furrow my brow. He doesn’t offer any other insight.

So I follow Aaron outside and leave him to sulk.

7

The moment I’m outside, Aaron seizes the door and swings it shut, cutting Logan away. “Alone again.” He gives me a knowing smile that I want to smear off his face.

“Is the reason you guys stopped talking really because of me?” I blurt out.

Aaron scratches at his neck, peeking around my emerald-green yard as if seeking the answer in the unruly grass blades. It’s been a while since someone bothered to mow it. My parents probably forgot to upkeep it after I left home. “It’s complicated,” he admits. “But me dating you was definitely the final straw for him. He didn’t think I was a good influence.” Aaron’s eyes flick farther away, and I get the discomforting feeling I’m missing something. “He’s going to try to keep me from you. He probably blocked my number from your phone to keep us from communicating.”

“Maybe that’s a sign that you should…I don’t know. Stop communicating with me,” I say, folding my arms. “Maybe he’s right.”

Aaron sighs with feigned misery. “If everyone thinks I’m some disgusting villain, then I should at least do something to warrant it,” he drawls, and suddenly, he’s seizing me around the waist and dipping me, forcing me to scramble for something to hang on to. I choose his shirt because it’s the only thing nearby. Aaron leans over me with a grin, close enough that I can smell mint on his breath. He must’ve popped one on the way home in preparation for a dastardly move like this.