“And take the long way?” He shakes his head. “I'm already tired. Don't make me work out, too.”
I drop my head and keep walking, knowing we have to go practically right past them. He's bound to see it. It's only a matter of time. Three, two, one.
“What the fuck?” he growls.
Yep, there it is.
I put a hand on his chest without even having to look at him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know his first instinct is to go over there and rip her away from him like he has the power to do so. But it also doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that’s a horrible idea.
“Get the fuck off me,” he sneers.
I shake my head. “No can do, E. You're not going to do that.”
“The hell I'm not.”
He tries to push past me, but I'm stronger than he is. I grip his shoulders and press him up against the wall. People walking past us give us strange looks, but I couldn't give a shit. Easton's gaze stays focused on Amelia and Blade, looking like he's ready to rip them both from limb to limb.
“What is she doing with him?” he asks desperately.
Letting out a breath, I try to figure out how to word this without him going completely insane. “They're dating, but you know Blade. It's a ploy to try to get to you.”
“Mission fucking accomplished!” Easton roars.
He tries to push off the wall, but I press him back again. “Dude, stop!”
“She needs to get away from him!”
“You think I don't know this?” I raise my tone to match his. “But if you go over there and try to force her into doing what you want, she's just going to rebel. Two things will become of it: One, you'll piss Blade off. And two, you'll push Amelia further into being with him. You have to think clearly.”
His anger shifts from them to me. “Wait a minute. Why don't you look so surprised?”
Fuck. “I...”
“You knew about this, and you didn't tell me?”
“Yes,” I admit. “But only because I knew this is how you'd react.”
He pushes me off him as if I'm diseased. “Screw you.”
“E.”
Shaking his head, he goes to walk away. “You better fix that shit, before I do it my way.”
Oh, great. His way. Because his way has always worked so well in the past. She still works at the bar he insisted on making her quit. She still goes to parties he tells her not to go to. And getting on Blade's radar has never gone well for him.
I need to figure this shit out. I just don't fucking know how.
Glancing over at Blade, he smirks at me before pulling Amelia in for a kiss and cutting her off mid-sentence. She smiles happily into it, but that doesn't stop the rage from flowing through me. I force myself to look away and head to class, leaving Amelia with the devil himself.
I'M PACING BACK AND forth across my room. Since the second I got home, Easton went into his room and hasn’t come out. Judging by the fact that there isn't an angry blonde in my house, I can assume he hasn't tried anything, but that doesn't mean he won't.
I should have told her the truth. I should've admitted everything that's been going on with him since last year. But that would have meant revealing the secret Easton has worked so hard to keep under the radar.
I can only imagine what Amelia would do if she knew her brother is a recovering drug addict. As much as they drive each other insane, I know she worries about him—especially after the break-up with Tessa. He was barely a shell of himself, and he spent hours on the phone with Amelia talking about it.
The problem is, even if I were to come clean now, would she believe me? Blade managed to play me like a fiddle. He was late on purpose, knowing I'd call looking for him. And he made sure Amelia was with him when I made that call. It was deviously brilliant and worked perfectly at making me look like the bad guy. Anything I do now only makes me look desperate and more like a liar. Not to mention puts both our lives at risk.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I don't even look at who's calling before bringing it to my ear.