“Rory… I’m sorry I didn’t see… we were outside,” Eli says, scrolling through his phone. Seeing all the messages.
“What I sent wasn’t untrue,” Cole says eventually. The muscles on his arms contracting as he folds them over his chest. His tone as icy as the chill of his irises.
The edges of my mouth fall farther.
Eli slams his fist down on the counter. “Because we were all running up and down the court for the last hour.”
I almost jump having never seen Eli act like this. Normally he was the calm one of the three. Pretentiously disciplined like his ex-military father.
“If that’s the case, then we were all having trouble breathing!” he snaps.
“Who cares? It was a date,” Cole voices, finally showing the tiniest bit of emotion when he grimaces. “I’m sure Rory has had plenty of those before she’d arrived.”
Humorless laughter bubbles up from my throat as I shake my head from side to side. Three faces turning in my direction.
I suck on my upper lip, exhaling through my nose. Not believing what I was hearing. “You think you know me so well, Iceman,” I heave, dead inside. “You don’t know me at all.”
The room coated in a tightened tension.
“If you had, you’d know this was my first one. My first date,ever.” I raise my head, wanting him to see the pain flittering in my eyes. “No one else to blame for ruining it but you. I hope you’re happy.”
I’m not sure what I was hoping for, a flicker of something, an ounce of regret, anything to show he had a conscience. I get nothing.
My gaze rolls to the ceiling in a defeated huff. “Why would I expect anything different fromyou.”
Shaking my head, I walk away, beaten. Bested again.
“That was low, even for you, man.” Eli’s lingering words hanging at my back as I walk up the stairs.
I wanted to scream but don’t have the strength. Trying to change someone so self-willed was like trying to help my depressant-addicted mother when she was already too far gone. Impossible and a waste of time.
I hear footsteps behind me, padding down the hallway. I don’t care to stop, my room just feet away from giving me the privacy I so desperately crave.
“We need to talk,” Cole clips out, grabbing my elbow and spinning me to face him.
“Talk?” I say, testing out the word on my tongue. Talking is all I wanted, but he couldn’t give me a solid answer. “You had your chance downstairs to explain,” I spew out. Sounding as distant and cold as he’d been minutes ago.
He stared at me a long moment; eyes unguarded like he was trying to tell me something with them when his mouth could not.
Shaking my arm, I shove him off, continuing down the corridor. It was too late for that.
I hear a growl come from deep in his throat. Long strides have him trudging past me to catch up. “Would you stop moving so fast?” he orders, stopping me dead in my tracks. “I want to talk to you.”
I stood there with an unreadable expression and an emptiness in my chest.
“You want to talk. Fine,” I mock in annoyance.
He slowly bobbed his head, angling his chin down the slightest bit as he swallowed. My back straightened at the action, but I don’t relent.
“Let’s talk about how we had to sneak into Hardin?” I balk out.
His teeth clicked together as he bared them, saying my name in warning.
“No, not that then?” Tapping my finger along my chin, pretending to think it over, but knowing what I’d wanted to ask for a while now. My rage giving me the courage to do so. “What about why your mom wasn’t at dinner?”
His frown deepens but his eyes widen the slightest bit in frustration.
“Where is your mom, Cole?” My voice cracking in my fury of rage. “You wanted to talk, so answer me,” I hiss.