Ollie and I stared at one another for far too long. The moment between us was full of crackling electricity. We were covered with an impenetrable blanket. “Broken,” he said, clenching his jaw. “It means I’m a little broken, too. And that’s how I know you won’t tell Christian. That’s not you, so stop pretending it is.”
I finally tore my chin away from him, and his hand fell swiftly from my face. I breathed in a heavy breath, like I was starved for oxygen. “You don’t know me, Ollie.”
He slowly walked away from me, and I wouldn’t dare look at him, because he was right. He was right about everything, and I hated it. I hated it so much.
This was exactly why I didn’t want him involved. Ollie saw right through me. He saw me, and now he was seeing all my flaws and just how messed up I truly was. How messed up my family was.
I was lying to my parents and my best friend. I was going down a rocky path, trying to save someone that wouldn’t even save themself.
“I do know you, Piper.” Ollie’s voice was distant, and I couldn’t shake the feeling it left me with even after the front door closed behind him.
I felt seen, and that scared me, because for once, it didn’t feel wrong.
Chapter Fourteen
Ollie
The vision of Piper wearing my shirt was all I saw. From the moment I woke up in the morning to the second I closed my eyes at night, I saw her. The smooth, toned legs hanging out from below the hem had me sweating even in a cold shower. And don’t even get me started on being in close proximity to her. It took everything I had inside of the teenaged horny part of me not to creep my knee in between her legs as I had her pinned against the tall, kitchen cabinets the other night. Her sweet breath fanned over my face, and her hurt, doe-like eyes sucked me in so far I didn’t think I’d ever be able to crawl out.
Piper had me in her grip. The hurt that flashed behind her green eyes…I felt that. In the past, I’ve teased her incessantly. I’ve flirted, only to turn around and leave her. I’ve pushed her away, only to pull her in at the last second. It was just how we were. But the other night, both of our shields were down, and I didn’t know if she noticed it, but I was at her mercy. I wasn’t playing. I wasn’t trying to make her uncomfortable. My body was acting on its own.
Piper had me at her mercy.
She needed saving, whether she wanted to admit that or not, and I was going to be the one to do it.
“What the fuck is going on with you?” I glanced to my left and saw my brother standing beside Eric, both of them staring at me.
“What?” I asked as I pulled myself back to reality. I quickly scanned the room and realized that Eric’s cabin was full of most of my classmates. When the fuck did they get here?
Christian straightened his shoulders. “You’ve been sitting in that same spot for over twenty minutes, lost in thought. Are you high? I thought you quit smoking.”
I shook my head. “I’m not high. I did stop smoking. I was just thinking, I guess.”
Eric raised his eyebrow. He’d been onto me since the day I made up that stupid shit about my book being left in his car when he and I both knew very well that it was a lie. I had to turn around later that day and make up another excuse when Christian asked why I’d never come back to class. He texted me four times before he all but demanded I tell him what was going on during lunch. I was lying to him more and more lately, and I wasn’t sure what was worse—lying to him over and over again about the little shit or keeping something big from him. If I just told him the truth about Dad, I’d probably never have to lie again. I wouldn’t have to avoid my dad at all costs, and I wouldn’t feel the need to race to escape anything. It would all be out in the open.
But then, what would that lead to?
I wasn’t sure where that would put the three of us. Things were good with my dad and Christian. I didn’t want to fuck it up.
Christian dipped his head in low. “Thinking about what? You okay?”
My lip tipped. “Bro, I’m fine. Why does everything have to have an underlying cause? I was just thinking about who I wanted to fuck tonight.”
Now that wasn’t really a lie, was it? I mean, Piper was on my mind seconds ago, and it seemed she was the only girl I wanted.
Eric stayed off to the side, still eyeing me incredulously. He wasn’t buying my shit at all. He didn’t believe a thing I’d said when I told him I was tuning my Charger for shits and giggles. Earlier, he’d dropped me off at the shop to pick it up, and when he’d heard my turbo whistling, his head damn near snapped off his neck. Brandon talked me into getting new injectors and some head studs along with the turbo, so underneath my Charger’s hood was a whole fucking party.
Piper and I hadn’t discussed the races since the other night at her house. I kept my eyes trained away from her face at school. I was afraid we’d get in another staring match and raise even more questions from Hayley and Christian.
Speaking of those two, Christian was pulled out of my space as Hayley entered the party. She wrapped her arms around him and tucked her face into the crook of his neck. “Leave your brother alone, Christian. He’s fine.”
I grinned. Hayley always had my back.
Standing up, I gazed around the room, trying to land on the only person I truly wanted to see. Some girls in the corner all smiled wide when I passed over them, and I winked in an attempt to appear normal.
“Where’s Piper?” I asked as Hayley came out from my brother’s grasp.
Nonchalantly, she answered, “Oh, she stopped at Andrew’s to talk to Cole.”