“Babe, get in the truck,” Julian says simply, trying to block her view from Luke.
Not one to take orders, Annalisa continues to approach us. I know the exact moment she spots Luke because she freezes midstep, her foot suspended in the air before she recovers and puts it down, staying put.
“Hey, Lise,” Luke says cautiously.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she responds.
“Last I checked, this was a free country, and a guy can go to an illegal racetrack to bet money on the racers if he feels like it,” Luke jokes, trying to break the tension.
Annalisa’s face is a mix of emotions, like she can’t decide if she wants to yell, cry, run away, or kick him in the nuts. Annalisa is clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and she needs to get out of here before something that can’t be undone happens. I’ll pull Luke out of here and that’ll put an end to this—after all, he saved me before, so he wouldn’t hurt me now.
Jumping off the tailgate, I step forward, but I’m stopped by a strong hand wrapping around my wrist. Aiden gently pulls me back to his side, shaking his head slightly, as if he already knows what I’m planning and doesn’t want me to do it. Julian, having had enough of Annalisa’s brother, steps right in front of him with his six foot two, toned body, which is blatantly more muscular than Luke’s. But I’ve seen Luke in action, and I know he’s got some strength in him.
“Why don’t I walk you to your car?” Julian says in a voice that clearly means this is a command, not an offer.
“I didn’t come here to start trouble. I need Anna to understand that I’m different now. I want to be a part of her life,” Luke says, more to Annalisa than Julian.
“I don’t want you in my life! You fucked that opportunity up when you started all my problems then left when I needed you most!” Annalisa shouts at him from around Julian, the rage in her piercing blue eyes intensified by the black eye shadow and eyeliner.
“Lise, please—” Luke moves from around Julian in a desperate attempt to get closer to Annalisa. Julian sticks his arm out, preventing him from getting any farther.
Annalisa moves to stand in front of Luke, her arms crossed and her hard eyes staring him down. “You don’t get to call me Lise anymore. You don’t get to be a part of my life anymore.”
Luke doesn’t bother fighting Julian or trying to shrug his arm off him; he just stands there looking at Annalisa with a heartbroken but determined look. “But I’m your brother.”
Looking at Luke and Annalisa, it’s hard to spot any family resemblance. He has the same bright-blue eyes as Annalisa, but his hair is a few shades lighter, and his skin is tan where hers is pale. He’s tall and lean, and it isn’t obvious unless they’re standing side-by-side and you already know that they’re siblings.
“Anna?” Julian says, asking if she wants him to remove Luke from her presence. She holds up a hand at Julian without breaking eye contact with Luke, telling Julian to wait.
“You’re not my brother,” she says in a dead, malice-filled tone.
“We may not have the same dad, but we’re still blood,” Luke corrects.
That explains the obvious difference in appearance: Luke is Annalisa’s half brother. I actually don’t know anything about Annalisa’s home life. Finding out that she has a half brother is really the only insight that I have. She doesn’t like talking about her life, and I haven’t pushed it. The only thing she gave away was that day I ran into her at the gym.
“Blood wouldn’t have done that to me.”
“Lise, I know I’ve done some things, but we are still blood.”
“You’re not my blood,” she snaps, clearly at her breaking point. “Mason is my blood, for letting me crash at his house. Noah is my blood, for helping me laugh and smile and pulling me out of my spiraling sadness. Chase is my blood, for driving me wherever I needed to go and bringing me lunch every day. Aiden is my blood, for organizing the funeral plans and giving me money to pay the bills.”
“Julian is my blood,” she continues, “for doing all of the above, for picking up the pieces and for being the only stable person in my life. And what did you do? You killed our mother. You deserted me. I was sixteen with no parents and nowhere to go, and what did you do? You deserted me to find your next high! You’re nothing but a twenty-year-old selfish junkie, and I don’t ever want to see your face again, because I swear to God I’m trying really hard not to bash it in right now.”
“Lise—” Luke’s voice cracks.
“We’re done here,” she says, reassuming her calm composure.
She marches over to the passenger side of Julian’s pickup truck and gets in, violently slamming the door.
“You heard her. Get out of here before she changes her mind and decides she wants to bash your face in,” Julian tells Luke when he makes no move to leave.
Luke looks longingly at Julian’s pickup truck before slowly backing up and walking away dejectedly.
That was clearly not the family reunion he was hoping for.
With Luke gone and a very pissed off Annalisa fuming in the front seat of Julian’s pickup, the rest of us are left awkwardly digesting what just happened. We’re dumbfounded, looking at one another, not knowing what to do after that very tense and emotional situation—even Noah doesn’t have anything to say for once. Julian looks torn, like he can’t decide if he should go comfort Annalisa or give her some space.
“I’m just gonna—yeah.” He starts toward his truck, ultimately making up his mind.