Nathan got up during the night, but I was caught between the dream world and this one. He lifted my hand, and kissed the back of a knuckle. He whispered something, but I didn’t catch it before I fell back to sleep.
I woke up again and the sun hadn’t risen yet. His arm was tucked around my stomach. Did he even leave at all? It felt like my imagination. I was chilled. It was cool enough that even with the blanket covering both of us, it wasn’t enough.
I turned over, weaseling my way closer until I was snuggling into his chest, only to discover it was bare. Didn’t he have a shirt on before?
Nathan moaned softly, winding his arms around me. He pressed his gruff cheek against the top of my head, pulling me in. I wondered if he was a little cold, too.
I had my face shoved up against his chest. The thud of his slow-beating heart pushed back against me. His lungs filled and emptied with each breath he took. I was comforted listening to his life, feeling him so close to me.
Why did it feel like it was never close enough?
There were footsteps in the hallway. I ignored them, assuming it was Kota, or one of the other guys. We weren’t late for school. The sun wasn’t high enough. I wondered if he was just checking on us.
When the door opened, I didn’t budge.
When the light flicked on, I was ready to groan at Kota for waking us up so early. I was going to tell him Mr. Blackbourne said I was supposed to sleep.
“Oh my god,” a female voice said, loud and with a sharp whine at the end.
My eyes shot open and I sat up, wiping away the sleep from my face so I could focus.
Danielle stood in the doorway, her brown eyes wide, and her jaw hanging open enough that I could see her tongue.
Nathan flipped over on the bed, looking confused. When he spotted Danielle, he sat up next to me. “Get out,” he bellowed at her.
“What’s going on here?” she asked. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the door frame. She turned to me. “I thought you were going out with the tall one.”
“Get the fuck out, Danielle,” Nathan barked at her.
“You get out,” Danielle said, dropping her hands. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Nathan jumped off the bed, standing and rolling his shoulders back, facing her off. “Fuck off. This is Sang’s house, not yours.”
“Funny,” she said. Her eyes lowered to his underwear and then back up. Her lips twisted into a sneer. “Thought it belonged to Mrs. Sorenson.”
“She’s not here,” I said in a quiet voice. I didn’t want a fight. I didn’t know what Danielle was doing, but I didn’t like her here.
Nathan stepped between us, presenting himself as a shield and blocking my view. “It’s none of your business.”
“When I asked Marie, she said her mom wouldn’t like a boy in the house.”
“So why did she have Derrick stay?” Nathan snapped back. “And why isn’t Marie in here telling us this?”
“I came in to borrow a skirt,” she said. “Marie said I could.”
“Sang’s shit doesn’t fit your ass,” Nathan said. “You took all her other clothes.”
“Where’s the ones she wears to school now?”
Nathan growled. “Get out. Stop stealing her shit.”
“I’m just borrowing,” Danielle said. I leaned over on the bed to look around Nathan. Danielle had her hands on her hips. “The clothes belong to both of them. Her mom said...”
“Her mom can kiss my fucking ass,” Nathan bellowed at her. “She doesn’t get to tell Sang what to do any more. Do you even know...?”
“Nathan,” I said, reaching to tug at his elbow. Danielle already knew too much, that my parents were gone. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know the things my mother did to me.
Nathan looked back at me. “Tell her, Sang. Tell her to get out.”
I glanced at Danielle. I’d never spoken to her before. This was the first time she actually acknowledged me, and she was in my room, demanding things. My finger sought my lower lip, pressing it to my teeth. “Could you please leave us alone?”
Danielle smirked in a way that made her wide jaw seem bigger. “What should I say to your other boyfriend next time I see him?”
I glanced at Nathan, unsure with how to handle this.
“We don’t really care what you tell him,” Nathan said. “I don’t know what you heard. Sang’s with me. And blackmailing us isn’t going to get you anything.”
“Marie could call her dad,” she said.
“Let her,” Nathan spit back. “I’d like to talk to him, too. He said he’d be by with food and to take care of things and he hasn’t been here in weeks. I’ve got a few things to say about abandoning his responsibility.”
Danielle pursed her lips, her eyes shifting a little. To me, it seemed like she was calculating her next move. “Are you staying here this weekend?”
I glanced back at Nathan, not sure how to respond. We’d lied before to Marie, saying we’d be in the house when we weren’t.
“We’re staying here this weekend,” Nathan said in a tone lower than I’d expected. His hands clenched.
“Maybe you shouldn’t,” she said. Her eyebrow lifted and she focused on me. “Go to his house for the weekend.”
“Why?” I asked.
“What are you planning, Danielle? What
ever it is, stop it.”
Danielle smirked again. “It’s Marie’s house, too. She can invite people over if she wants. And she’s the oldest so she’s in charge.” She turned away, walking across the hallway into Marie’s bedroom. She slammed the door closed.
My heart thundered. Danielle knew too much. Nathan had been right before when he’d said this was coming. She’d planned something with Marie. Inviting other people over? Who else did Marie know?
“Shit,” Nathan said. He sank down, sitting on the edge of the bed. He propped his elbows on his knees, rubbing his palm over his bowed head. “I think I just fucked up.”
I knee walked over until I was sitting behind him. I placed a hand on his back. “You didn’t do anything. She...”
“Silas is supposed to be dating you,” he said. He lifted his head up, turning to look back at me. “Where’s my phone? I should call him.”
“What does it matter?” I asked. “Kota said before to just say I was dating whoever...”
“Silas wanted to change that,” he said, he leaned over, finding his phone mixed up in the sheets. He hit the button and started typing in a message.
“Why does it matter?” I asked. “Why do we care what anyone else thinks?”
“It’s the football team,” he said. “We’re trying to get the team to trust us. Or at least Silas and North are. We’re not supposed to get that close to anyone while we’re here, so Silas had you as his girlfriend so the guys wouldn’t pressure him to date one of the cheerleaders. And it stopped all those rumors going on about you. If people thought you were dating Silas, no one would mess with you.”
“What about North?”
“No one fucks with North.” He flopped onto his back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. He heaved a big sigh. “And now we’ve got to figure out what Danielle is up to.”
“They’re inviting people over.”
“Yeah, and we have to find out who. I mean are we talking a couple of guys? Or is she planning something bigger?”
“Well,” I said, standing, stretching. “She was asking about a skirt.”
“You’re right,” he said, and he sat up, his eyes wide. “Maybe it’s a guy. That’s why she’s here. And that’s why she’s particular about you leaving. She wouldn’t kick Marie out, but if you’re gone—shit.” He stood up, moving toward the closet. “What fucking perfect timing my dad has showing up this week.”