“Where is she?” Dylan yells, and I hear the loud thud of his football bag dropping to the floor.
Joel rises from beside me and kisses me on the head. “In here, Dyl. Calm down; she’s okay,” he says as he tries to intercept Dylan at the door.
I glimpse Dylan before Joel pushes him back into the hallway. He lowers his voice to talk, but it’s not enough. I can still hear them. “The last thing she needs is for you to make a big deal out of this.”
I lean forward in my seat, so I don’t miss anything.
“It is a big deal, if—”
“Dyl, stop. She’s okay. She didn’t even want me to tell you.”
“How can she be okay? You said she…” Dylan’s words drop off as he lets out a loud breath.
“Lainey found her. She kicked the guy’s ass before he could…” He cuts off, and I’m glad. I’d rather not hear a reply.
“I need to see her.” Dylan’s voice breaks, and my heart shatters with it.
I’m met with silence. They’ve known each other long enough to speak without words. They do it often. I’m sure decisions are being made. I should say something.I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.If I keep saying it, it will come true, right? I’mmostlyokay, anyway.
“You can—” I begin, but before I can finish, Dylan rushes into the room and drops to his knees in front of me, gently placing his hands on mine—my hands that I’ve just realized have been gripping my legs tightly since I woke up.
Dylan pries my fingers off my skin and brings them to his mouth, kissing them softly. “I’ve been so worried,” he whispers, his voice gravelly.
“I’m okay,” I say, my own voice coming out raspy. Definitely not convincing anyone. Turns out I can only maintain a facade for so long.
“Did he hurt you?” Dylan asks, his eyes scanning my body for injury.
“No, I’m fine. Honestly, it was nothing.”
“Summer, it wasn’t nothing. Talk to me. I’m here for you.” He looks up at me with so much sincerity that it freaks me out. I don’t want this to be a thing I have to work through. I want to forget about it.
“Dylan, I said I’m fine. Can we drop it?”
“Why are you acting like it’s no big deal?” Dylan asks with a terse tone.
“Because it’s true,” I lie, speaking louder than necessary, and pull my hands from his.
“You’re lucky Lainey was there; you need to be more careful,” Dylan says, standing to his feet, pacing.
“What?”Am I being told off? How did we get here?He came home worried about me, and now he’s annoyed. “That wasn’t my first time at a bar, Dylan. Remember, we’ve been to bars and clubs together. It—”
“I wasn’t there to protect you,” he yells, cutting me off, and stops his pacing. The anger in his voice freezes me momentarily, but it’s the hurt I can hear that softens my own feelings.
“It’s not your job to protect me. I’ve been on my own long enough.”
He looks at me with a concerned frown, and his eyebrows furrow. “You obviously need someone to—”
“No, I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to protect me. I don’t need anyone to protect me. Stop trying to be a big brother.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. Do you really think that’s what I’m doing?” He stares at me in shock and confusion.
“Feels like it.” I shrug.
Dylan runs his hands over his face and shakes his head. “God, you are so clueless sometimes,” he seethes. “No, not clueless. In denial.”
Again, how did we get here? ”We shouldn’t be fighting about this,” I say and then stare at him blankly, unsure what else to say.
His face morphs into one of regret. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” he says, gripping the back of his neck. “I’ve just been so worried, I lost it.”