It’s not until we pass by Sarah that my insides churn and I have this dire need to flee this place. I pick up the pace to avoid that annoying smirk she has pasted on her face. Once we’re outside, I sigh in relief.
“Embarrassed about something?” Bryce asks as he releases my hand, his lips drawing into a grim line.
“What? No. If anything, you should probably be embarrassed by me.”
We walk down the steps. The night air is bitter and chills my nose and cheeks. I rub the sleeves of my coat, which I’m thankful I didn’t take off when Emily insisted. See? Sometimes stubbornness pays off.
“Why would I be embarrassed by you?” Bryce asks.
I shrug. “Because apparently my life is a whole lot more complicated than yours could ever be.” I laugh. “I think I’d prefer your parents pretending they aren’t cheating on one another over the newly developed facts in my life.”
We make our way over to the small beach area of the lake. A shiver runs down my spine. Do I really want to tell Bryce what lie I uncovered? I mean, for God’s sake, I thought it was weird how Mom treated Sarah. I found it stranger how Aunt Catlin acted around me. But now I know, and it makes me sick. Do you know how disturbing it feels to find out the person you called your cousin is actually your sister?
“Madison.” He steps in front of me so we’re facing each other. “What’s wrong?”
“Sarah and I are sort of … sisters. My mother is, apparently, her mom. Well, it was her egg that made it possible. And I guess my aunt felt cheated.”
“Wait, what?”
“My aunt Catlin couldn’t have kids because she had no eggs in her basket, so to speak. My mother decided, after she had Kyle, to donate some to her. So the test-tube experiment worked, and my mom got pregnant a couple months later with me. I guess Sarah is jealous and hates me because I apparently have the better life.”
He kisses the top of my forehead. “Madison, she has to know that’s not your fault.”
I laugh. “You’d think, right? But she’s so crazy, she convinced herself that I stole what should have been hers. So she plans on stealing everything and anything that’s mine.”
“Jesus, she told you this?”
I nod. “She’s a monster.” I take a drink from my cup and swallow down the sugary, burning concoction Emily made. A rum and Coke, I think that’s what she said it was. My memory is a little hazy on that. “Do you know she took a call from Carnegie Mellon, pretended to be me, and set an interview date? She thought it was a riot watching that woman wait for me, and I never showed. That poor woman will never speak to me again. She’s furious with Ms. Dyson. She told her that she’ll never look at my art again. She didn’t care how talented I was. In fifteen years, she’s never had a student stand her up. I will not be the first and still get accepted into her program.”
Tears fall. I shake out sobs and use my sleeve to wipe away snot. Once again, I’m a wreck around him. But he’s holding me, and I need this. I need someone to hold me and tell me it’s going to be okay. Even if it won’t be. I want to hear it, believe it.
“Isn’t there a way to talk to the woman? Explain to Ms. Dyson what happened?”
I sniffle and laugh. “And what? Tell her my psychotic test-tube sister is plotting revenge on my life because she thinks I stole it from her? Yeah, that will go over real well.”
He shrugs. “You gotta do something. You can’t let this happen otherwise she’ll just walk all over you.”
“I know.” I kick the dirt and sigh. “Really, I do. I’m just so tired. It seems like she’ll never stop.”
A loud roar of oohs and aahs interrupts my next thought. Bryce and I both turn toward the noise. Graham slams out the back door of the house holding Ryan by the collar with one hand and punching him in the face with the other. Bryce swears beside me and takes off after them. I try to keep up with Bryce’s long stride but fail miserably. “Wait. Don’t.”
He’s not listening, though, and I stay back in the shadows of the trees on the property while a crowd forms around Graham and Ryan bashing each other’s faces in. Sarah, of course, isn’t even trying to help stop the fight. She just stands back with the rest of the crowd, covering her nose and mouth with her hands but nothing more. Honestly, I think she’s loving the fact that these two idiots are fighting for her.
Bryce marches over to Ryan and rips him from Graham’s grip. All is well. It’s over now. But as soon as I think this, Bryce blasts the side of Ryan’s face and lets him crumple to the ground. I’m not watching any more of this. I turn and head to my car.
I hear the sirens from a distance. Someone called the cops. It could have been one of the neighbors or possibly one of the partygoers. I text two people only because I care about them getting busted for something.
Me: Cops are coming.
Emily: Where R U?
Me: In my car. I’m outta here.
Emily: Fine. I’ll get a ride.
I’m not really in my car yet, but I’m not waiting for her to hike her way to me. If I did, I’d definitely be at a risk of being arrested for underage drinking and thrown in the back of a police car. No thanks.
Me: Hi. Cops are coming.
Bryce: Shit! Thanks.
Bryce: Hey where r u?
Me: Heading home.
I’m still hiking to my car, but he doesn’t need to know this.
Bryce: How much have u had 2 drink?
Me: Not much.
Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve had a little more than I’m leading on.
Bryce: Please pull over at the first gas station.
Me: Why? I’m fine.
Bryce: But I’m not fine with u driving.
Me: I’m srsly fine!
Bryce: Damn it Mads! Don’t do this shit 2 me. Where r u? Ur car is still here.
Son of … really? I scan my surroundings and can’t see anyone. Where the heck is he? How does he know I’m still here?
“Hi.”
I scream at the top of my lungs and jump at least three feet from fright.
“Calm down, Mads. You’ll attract the five-O.” Bryce leans in close and sniffs my breath. I cover my mouth with my hand, and he laughs. “And from the smell of you, I assume you don’t want to be introduced to the back of a police cruiser.” I shake my head. “Come on then.”
We march to my car. “How’s Emily?” I ask.
“She was bailing just like me once I got your text. I was worried you were actually driving.”
I raise a brow. “Why?”
He looks taken aback. “What do you mean ‘why’? I like you, Madison. More than I should. I worry about you.”
A blush I’m sure the darkness is not hiding burns on my face. But reality sets in, and I know if I want to keep Bryce, we’re going to have to keep this on the DL. As long as Sarah’s still around, Bryce and I will have to be careful. Because Sarah is out to ruin anything that makes me happy.
Chapter Thirty
Bryce
Thank God I reached her in time. I was so freaking worried she was driving. Not that she was smashed, but still, one is enough to cause a lifetime worth of damage. So yes, I’m glad I spotted her marching up the road to her car. Actually, no, I’m very glad Greg’s parents have a short loop of a drive that caused all these cars to park miles and miles down the road.
We’re very close to her car, thank God, because my feet are killing me. “Smalls, I know I shouldn’t but … will you go out with me sometime?”
She looks at me with those stunning green eyes of hers. “You know you shouldn’t? Why bother asking me if you’re already having regrets?”
“I don’t have regrets. I … I’m worried that I’m bad for you.” I might as well get the truth out there.
She shrugs. “Because we’re like a horrible cliché? Bad guy falls for the good girl? But let’s be real here …” She stumbles a bit. I catch her arm and pull her to me before she face-plants.
“Yeah, you’re not fit to drive,” I mutter as we continue toward her c
ar.
“Pfttt. I just tripped over a rock. Don’t get all high and mighty on me.” She glares at me. “What was I talking about before I tripped?”
“Stumbled,” I correct. “You were saying we’re a terrible cliché.”
She points her finger up to the sky. “Yes, that’s right. But we would only be that if you were really a bad boy. You, you cute specimen, are not bad. No. You know what I think? I think you’re really the guy who likes to play the hero. Soooo, you do something stupid and take the fall for others. Don’t you?”
I’m shocked. Graham knows what I’ve done but never said a word. Everyone else, though, every person in this whole idiotic town, has not seen me as anything but a criminal. And here she is, picking away at the truth. “I think you’ve had a little more to drink than you’ve let on, Smalls.”
“I’m right. You do that when I’m right about stuff. You purposely change the subject.” She pulls out her keys, and I snatch them from her. “What are you doing?”
“Driving. Come with me.”
I guide her to the passenger side and open the door for her. She narrows her eyes but slides into the seat. I shut the door and go to the driver side. Once I’m in, I start the car, and she huffs. “So … why did you help Graham?”
“Because he’s my friend. He can’t fight for shit. And honestly, Ryan deserved to get knocked out.”
“Did he?” I can hear the annoyance in her tone.
I glance over at her. “I don’t have a crush on Sarah. I did it to help Graham.”
“Not the first time you helped him out, is it?”
“I don’t know what you’re mumbling about.”
She snorts. “Yes, you do. So what did you do for him? Beat up his supplier?”
I pull into the lot near the lake and throw her car into park. I shift in my seat and stare at her. “Why are you asking me all this stuff? If I answer any of it, will it help or hurt my chances at taking you out?”
She rolls her eyes. “I need to know what I’m getting into. I can’t just go out with you and run into one of your buddy’s friends that you may or may not have taken a fall for. What’s going to happen if they need you again? Am I going to have to find my way back home while you get hauled away?”
I am annoyed. I shouldn’t be because she has a right to ask. It still ticks me off. “Look, I’ll make you a deal. I promise I won’t get into any trouble. Just say yes. One date. That’s all. If you decide you don’t want to do it again, it’ll be fine. We’ll act like it never happened and just be friends.”
“I don’t want to be friends.”
I flinch a little.
“Oh. That came out wrong. I like you too much to go back to being friends, Bryce.” Her eyes lock with mine. I lean in and kiss her softly.
Her lips are urgent, though. She unfastens her seatbelt and climbs over the console. Her ass hits the horn, and she mutters a curse word. I snicker, and her mouth is on mine again as she straddles me in the driver’s seat. I run my hands along her back.
She pulls away slightly, and I kiss her neck. “Say yes,” I murmur against her skin.
“Yes. I’ll go out with you.”
She grinds against me as my lips reach her collarbone. I break away and stare at her. “Babe, as much as I want to fog up these windows, we can’t. And you’re really doing a number on me right now. If you don’t stop soon, I might have to go to the hospital for my massive case of blue balls.”
She bites her lower lip. “Oh. Oh gosh. I’m sorry.” She moves over to her seat again and giggles. “I wasn’t thinking. I just … This is new.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to warn you. We’re going to take this slow, Madison. If you decide after our first date you want to keep seeing me, we’re going to take this really slow. You’re going to have to give me the green light on everything.”
She nods and tucks some loose hair behind her ear. “Okay. Good. Because I’m a virgin at everything.”
I choke on a cough. “Was I your first kiss?”
She blushes a deep red. “Not really, but I don’t count the first one. That was forced and gross. So … yes.”
I smile as I turn the key to the ignition. “I’m honored, Madison.”
“You should be,” she teases.
I wish the drive back home lasted longer than it did, but I also know that Madison’s parents can’t catch me driving her car home. She warned me many times in the three minutes before she passed out.
When we get to her house, I slip out of the car and open her door. She snores softly. A little bit of drool falls from the side of her mouth, and I shake my head. God, she’s a mess, but she’s still the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. I lift her from the car and look up at her house, then over at mine.
I could try waking her, but … I don’t really want to say good-bye to her just yet. So, I shut her door as quietly as I can and carry her to my room. Once I’m there, I tuck her into bed, and I take a spot on the floor beside her.
As much as I might want to sleep beside Madison, I want her consent to do it. She rumbles against the sheets and moans lightly. “Why?”
“Madison?” I shake her a little. She flails about the mattress. “Madison!” I shake her again. Her eyes fly open, and she sits up, breathing hard. “Babe, calm down. It was just a dream.”
“Bryce? Why are you … why am I in your room?”
“I didn’t want to ring your doorbell and explain to your mom and dad why you were passed out in my arms. So I decided to let you sleep here.”
She wipes her mouth and groans. “Oh God, I was drooling. That’s so embarrassingly gross.”
I shrug and take a seat on the floor again. “I thought it was kind of cute on you.”
Her nose wrinkles. “No, you didn’t.” She starts to get out of bed.
“Stay. Please.”
“You want me to stay?”
I nod. “Yeah—I’ll take the floor.” I say it so fast I’m not sure she hears me right.
A few seconds pass, and she sighs. “Okay, but I want a T-shirt.”
“Do you promise not to drool on it?” I smirk.
She hits my shoulder. “Funny. Yes, I promise not to drool on your shirt.”
I kiss her mouth. “You can if you want. I’m just messing with you.”
I walk over to my dresser and grab an undershirt for her to sleep in. Tossing it to her, I say, “I’m going to get changed in the bathroom. I’ll knock before I come back in, so just let me know if it’s safe to enter. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I reenter my room wearing flannel PJ bottoms and a tank. Madison is snuggled into my bed, and can I just say, she looks good there. I quietly shut the door and kiss her forehead. She stirs a little and whispers, “Lay with me.”
“Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor. I meant it when I said we’re going to take this slow.”
She smiles at me and pats the empty side next to her. “Come on.”
I shouldn’t. It’s probably the alcohol talking. But at the same time I don’t want to upset her. So I grab my blanket I was going to lie on from the floor and lie on top of the covers. I use my own blanket to cover up and wrap my arm around her.
She presses against me, well, the blanket barrier. It’s still nice. I kiss the back of her neck and whisper, “Good night, Mads.”
“Night, Bryce.” It’s a simple phrase, but coming from her lips, I wanted to hear it a thousand times more.
Chapter Thirty-One
Madison
To say I stayed all night with Bryce would be a lie. Once he was down for the count, I snuck out of his room and then out the door. Did I want to stay all night? Absolutely. Why didn’t I then? Because I heard a car pull up.
It wasn’t quiet at all, like, roll to a slow stop, let a person get out, and gently close doors so you barely hear a thing. Nope. Whoever drove her home was as loud as possible. What woke me was the sound of trash cans crashing to the ground, along with the high squeal of someone’s brakes.
Bryce, amazingly enough, slept through the whole thing. Maybe if I were in my own bed I’d have slept through it too, but I didn’t. I climbed out of bed as carefully as possible and went to Bryce’s window. I watched a blond ragdoll crawl out of the car, and then I heard her cough hard. I looked away before I could see. After the hard coughing came the sounds of her regurgitating whatever she’d consumed. I prayed she hit our bushes and not my car.
As I gathered up my jeans from the floor and slipped into them, I wrote Bryce a note and then kissed him softly on the mouth.
Outside, I don’t check the lawn or my car for throw-up. I just quickly slip into the house and hurry up to my room. At the top of the stairs, I crouch down low, because just a few feet ahead of me, zombie-walking her drunk butt to the bathroom, is Sarah. The gross sounds start all over again before I can reach my room and shut out the noise. She has the door open, so I can hear everything hitting the toilet.
I shudder while entering our room, strip out of my jeans, toss my clothes in the hamper, and settle into my bed still wearing Bryce’s shirt. I inhale his scent, which must be embedded into the fabric, as I nestle deeper into my covers.
It doesn’t take long before I’m sleeping again. That is, until Sarah makes her way back into the room. She’s loud. Flicks on all the lights. I sit up and groan. She just keeps flinging crap all over the place. “What are you looking for?” I ask, annoyed.
“None yer biznus.”
“Keep it down. You’ll wake everyone up.”
“I hate yo,” she slurs.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t care. Go to bed.”
She stumbles over to me, grabs me by my collar, and starts shaking me. “I lob him. I ruin it. Evry’in.”
“Jesus, are you on drugs? Did someone slip you something? Seriously, Sarah, stop shaking me like a maniac.” She’s scaring the shit out of me. I’m not sure what she’d do to me if she’s straight up wigging out.
I free my hands, which were trapped under my comforter, and wrap them around both of her arms. She screams something about Graham. I narrow my eyes but manage to pull her off me. I cock back my fist and punch her in the jaw, knocking her out, right on top of me.
Bryce (Scandalous Boys #1) Page 14