Hearing her call Carter my brother when I was sitting across from my actual brother snapped something inside of me. She was lucky we weren’t face-to-face, because the urge to hurt her like she had hurt me burst into my chest. “Bye,Mom.”
“Don’t you dare—”
Click.
I closed my eyes for a brief, peaceful moment without her voice making my ears bleed. Grayson chuckled and offered me his beer, which I gladly took. “Got any more?” I asked after draining what little was left.
“You read my mind.” Grayson reached under the side table and pulled out another glass bottle, offering me one and grabbing another for himself.
“Think the three of us have triplet mojo?” I asked, pressing the bottle to my mouth.
His lips twitched.
Chapter Six
Monday began with the resumption of the Elite rotation. Once again, I found myself shadowed by one of the guys. And if Brock, Grayson, Fynn, or Micah couldn’t follow me, like into the girls’ locker room, Mads was there. I was never left alone, which of course didn’t go unnoticed.
Murmurs and whispers trailed after me as I walked down with Fynn to Physics, a class I wasn’t particularly pleased about taking but it looked good on my school transcripts. How different my life here at Elmwood Academy was than at Elmwood Public. I wasn’t sure the reality of it would ever sink in.
I missed my mundane life. And yet, as I walked beside Fynn down the hall, I realized something good had come out of this mess. I’d met Mads, and I’d found out I had a brother and sister. My relationship with Elite was complicated, and I had yet to decide if it was a good thing or not.
Fynn lightly bumped my shoulder with his. “Ignore them.”
I adjusted the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder. “Easy for you to say. You’re used to being talked about.”
Fynn’s boyish smile grew. “True. But their opinions don’t matter.”
“Let me guess. The only opinion that matters is the Elite’s.”
Clusters of students forcing their way to class parted as Fynn walked by. “Now you’re getting it.”
My eyes rolled. “Whatever. See you after class?” We’d come to my Physics room.
Fynn opened the door. “Grayson’s up next.”
Giving him a half smile, I went inside to take my seat in the back. The classroom was set up with rows of lab tables, two chairs at each. Monica, my lab partner wasn’t in her chair yet, so I slid into mine and dug into my bag to pull out my laptop. A body brushed past me, and I assumed it was Monica.
I was wrong.
“Hey, sis.”
At the sound of Carter’s voice, I nearly dropped my laptop on the ground. I’d already broken one computer. I doubted Angie would be pleased with me if I showed up with another broken one. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed under my breath, placing the laptop on the table in front of me.
Carter stretched his legs out under the table, a lazy smirk on his lips. The tie around his neck hung loosely, his blondish hair curling around the color of his white shirt. “I did a little rearranging of my schedule.”
“Why?” My voice grew louder, not caring who overheard.
Carter chuckled, flipping a pen in between his fingers.
My fingers tightened against the edges of the laptop. “This isn’t funny, you shithead. Can you find someone else to torture? I’ve had enough.” I started to scoot my chair back with every intention of skipping this class, but Carter’s hand landed on my knee.
The tips of his fingers pressed firmly into my leg, keeping me in the chair. “You didn’t show up to family dinner last night.”
The legs of a chair squeaked across the floor from the table in front of us as Brad Newman took his seat. “Hmm. I wonder why. Could it be because you were there?” I slid a hand under the table and dug nails into the top of his hand.
“Your mother was inconsolable.”
“You mean drunk.” I didn’t bother to sugarcoat it. I knew exactly who my mother was.