“It was the middle of the fucking night. I was wrecked.”
“So much for protecting me against all the horrors in the world,” I mutter, my eyes rolling so hard they hurt.
His lips part to argue, but he quickly decides against whatever was about to fall from his lips.
“You need to decide what line of this whole overbearing, overprotective big brother thing you lie on, Nico. You can’t try to control my life one second and then not care if I burn to ashes in a house fire the next.”
“Dad said you were fine.”
“Not the point, dickhead,” I hiss.
The reality is that I didn’t want him anywhere near the house, or my basement, last night. But that is not the point.
He tries to make out that he’s all that in the brother department, throwing his weight around and making sure I only do what he wants me to do, yet he’s not there when I could potentially need him.
“You’re a hypocrite,” I snap. It’s not the first time I’ve said those words, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. “How many girls was it last night? Is that why you couldn’t come to my rescue?” I cringe at my own words.
“I didn’t have—“
“Baby C, there you are,” a booming voice calls down the hallway, making my stomach tumble.
“Deimos,” Nico growls, already predicting what’s about to happen.
Alex’s arm wraps around my shoulder and he pulls me into his body, dropping his lips to my ear.
“You okay, baby? You didn’t reply to my messages.”
Hiking my bag up higher on my shoulder, I twist out of his hold and glare at him.
“What?” he asks. “I was worried when I saw the group chat this morning.”
“You are aware that if there really was a fire, I’d have been left to deal with it alone last night, right?”
Obviously, it’s not true, and I’m overreacting to their lack of action last night, but I can’t help it.
“Daemon said—” Nico starts but cuts himself off when my glare turns deadly.
Thanks to Ant and Daemon—hell, Alex too—I’m a headcase. My emotions are shot, my nerves are frayed, and I have no idea which way is up. That means my go-to reaction to everything is to overreact and snap at everyone.
I wish I could be more level-headed about it all. Maybe I will be in a few days, once things settle down.
“Shit, Cal,” Alex said, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. “I slept right through. Think you wore me out when you came over.” His smirk grows when Nico growls in anger.
“You were at Alex’s place last night?”
“I’m over this. Both of you just get out of my bloody way.” I barge past Alex, shoulder checking my brother when he just stands there glaring at him with that annoying bloody muscle in his temple pulsating. “I already know you didn’t have company last night,” I shoot over my shoulder. “You’re never this much of an unbearable prick when you’ve got laid.”
“Oh bro, she’s got your fucking number,” Alex howls.
Thankfully, I miss Nico’s response as I push into the locker room and get surrounded by pointless girl gossip.
“Calli, what’s wrong?” Stella asks the second she looks up from securing her sports bra and finds me standing in the middle of the room like I don’t belong.
“N-nothing. Just Nico being his usual wanker self.”
“He’s been like a bear with a sore head all day, especially seeing as you’ve avoided everyone like the plague.”
“I’m not feeling very sociable,” I mutter.