I sputtered as I choked on a piece of pizza. “What?!”
Christian’s stare hardened. “Dad thinks you got someone knocked up, and Hayley is convinced you and Piper are fucking.”
I walked farther into the living room. “Why the fuck does Dad think I got someone pregnant?”
Christian leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. Eric sat back, observing us with an amused expression on his face. I scowled. Oh, fuck off.
“He said you came home and asked a loaded question, but when he tried to poke you for more information, you shut down and left shortly after.” He shook his head. “What did you ask?”
I clenched my jaw, grinding my molars back and forth. My hands squeezed the back of the couch so hard my knuckles ached. “First off, Piper and I are not fucking.”
Eric snickered, and I envisioned myself picking up a chair and throwing it at him—which, to be honest, was way out of character for me, but never say never when a certain redhead was involved.
“And—" Just before I could make up something to feed to my brother about asking shit I shouldn’t have been asking, the door barged open.
Hayley shoved through, and the second she saw me, she placed her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on with my best friend?”
My pulse immediately quickened. “What are you talking about? I thought she was with you tonight.”
Hayley shrieked. “No! And she gave me a bullshit excuse last week when we were supposed to hang, and she texted a little while ago and made up another excuse. She isn’t home, either. Her parents are, but Piper isn’t. Something is going on, and…” Hayley’s voice dropped, and she all but glared at me. “I know you know what’s going on! Did you break her heart, Ollie?”
Christian interjected. “They’re not smashing. I just asked him.”
I stood frozen as I stared at Hayley. If Piper isn’t with her, then where the fuck is she?
My gaze went right to Eric, but just as I opened my mouth, my phone vibrated.
Piper: Ollie. I messed up.
My fingers flew over my phone’s screen as Hayley came over and read the text.
“Ollie. What is going on?”
I ignored her and texted back.
Me: where are u?
Piper: I’m at Tank’s and I’m stuck inside. He doesn’t know I’m here.
My heart clunked to the floor. Just then, another text came through.
Piper: I’m scared.
My entire body went into overdrive. I blocked everything out. I knew Hayley was asking me questions, and I knew Christian was trying to calm her down, but the only thing I could concentrate on was getting to Piper.
Me: Tell me where. I’m coming.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My chest felt like it was split open, and I was scrambling to put myself back together so I could focus on getting to Piper. I needed to calm down. My feet drug me across the wooden floor of the cabin. Back and forth. Back and forth.
“Ollie!” My head snapped at Hayley yelling at me with frantically desperate eyes. “Please tell me it isn’t Tank, the high-school-dropout-turned-drug-dealer Tank.”
My legs stopped moving. I froze. “You know who Tank is?”
My phone buzzed, and Hayley and I both ignored Christian who was asking questions.
Piper: pike valley trailer park.
Hayley’s neck of the woods.