“Are you saying I’m wrong?”
My face splits into a wide grin. “No. You’re dead on. I’m all of those things.”
She looks me up and down before taking a step forward. “Yeah, I don’t think you are. I think it’s all a front. A mask you put on to look tough and hide whatever your real problem is.”
The air is practically sucked from my lungs. Her eyes bore into mine like she can see right through my hard exterior. All of my flaws. My fears. My insecurities. She can see them all. If that’s true, she’s so much more dangerous than I’ve given her credit for. I quickly rally and reconstruct my defensive walls.
“Now you’re way off.” I tell her, moving closer until there’s less than an inch between us. “I’m the devil reincarnated. Your living fucking nightmare. Made of stone, with no feelings for anyone or anything.”
I half expect for her to run like she did last night, but she stands her ground. “Yeah, I’m not so sure.”
“Knox!” Grayson calls from across the street, causing me to glance back at him. “Come on. We have to go.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Returning my attention to Delaney, I find she’s already halfway up her driveway. I watch as she makes her way inside, only stopping to look at me one last time before she disappears behind the door.
I’m not sure what the hell just happened, but one thing’s for sure—I didn’t fucking like it.
6
DELANEY
The yelling from downstairs is so loud, it practically echoes throughout the house. It’s two o’clock in the morning, and Dad caught Tessa sneaking back in again. A part of me considers coming to her rescue, but there’s nothing I could really do to help. If anything, it would just get both of us in trouble, and that wouldn’t do any good.
“What did I tell you about that boy?” he roars. “He’s no good for you!”
“You don’t even know him!” Tess snaps back.
The loud bang against the wall tells me someone threw something, and judging by the scream my sister lets out, it wasn’t her.
“I know enough! You are not to see him again, or I swear to God, I’ll ship your little ass off to boarding school! I don’t care how close you are to graduating!”
It’s not an empty threat—that I’m sure of. He’s been looking up the best places to send her for the past few weeks, ever since he found out she’s been hanging around Easton. Out of his three daughters, Tessa has always been the problem child. She’s the only one who doesn’t get good grades. The only one who has come home drunk. And the only one who doesn’t cower to his demands. To say she gives him a run for his money is a laughable understatement.
Mom tried to get through to her a few times, and when that didn’t work, she tried to get through to Dad—telling him that this is just a phase. Teenage rebellion at its finest. He refuses to let slide.
Tessa storms up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door as soon as she’s inside. She screams into her pillow so loud I can hear it from across the hall, and trust me, this house is anything but small. I grab my phone and send her a text, letting her know I’m awake and here if she needs to talk. Within seconds, she’s sneaking into my room and slipping into bed with me.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
She sighs. “Yeah. He’s just an asshole.”
We cuddle close, like we used to do when we were younger and heard our parents fighting. No matter how old we get or how different we become, this will always stay the same.
THE NEXT MORNING, TESSA is complaining about how Dad took her car keys. I roll my eyes. I mean, what did she expect? He literally caught her climbing through a window when she was supposed to be sound asleep in bed.
“I should have Easton pick me up for school. Really stick it to Dad.”
Brushing my hair, I chuckle. “As amusing as that may be to watch, I really don’t recommend it. He’ll send you away, and, while you may not care, I do. I’ve seen his search history, Tess. He’s been looking at schools.” I look myself over in the mirror and then turn to face her. “Come on. My car is back from the shop. I’ll drive you.”
Despite her obvious frustrations with the whole situation, she takes my advice and follows me outside. Throughout the ten-minute drive to Haven Grace Prep, I’m pretty sure she only stops talking to take a breath twice. The rest of the time is filled with her ranting about what an asshole our father is, and how our mother lacks a backbone because she never stands up to him. She’s not exactly wrong, but being on the bad side of the people who support us financially just doesn’t sound like a great idea to me.
“All right, I’m going across the street,” she says, as soon as I put the car in park.
“Tess,” I groan. “Can’t you lay low for at least a day? If you’re late to school again, Dad will find out and know exactly where you were.”
“He doesn’t scare me.”