Mason’s phone rang, and I heard him answer as he left. “Yeah?”
The guy never looked away from me. I straightened back up and gave him the biggest fuck-off look I could. I pitied him. “You lost her. Don’t think you can come back and just pick things up.”
“You’re—” He tried to muster something to throw back at me. I saw the anger, the resentment, the bitterness. But just as the strength to protest gathered in him, it faded. His head hung, and he sat there like a lost puppy. But I didn’t feel bad for this asshole.
I pointed to the door. “You can go whenever you want.”
“What?”
I jerked my head toward the door. “I was never holding you here. And now I’m done talking.”
“But—” He closed his eyes and rolled his head from side to side. “I came for a second chance with her.”
“You came to weasel your way back in. You said yourself you only thought of it because Jason called. Stop lying. It’s making me want to take an actual shit on you. You knew she wouldn’t want to see you. That’s why you haven’t been back since. But the first moment she might be vulnerable? She might be feeling exposed? You decided to be here. You wanted to come in like the hero you’re sadly not. That’s all you wanted, not to actually make things right.”
“What’s the difference? I mean, it’s my way of helping her.”
“It’s straight up manipulation, dipshit. You know it, too. Or at least you should. Your chance to help her is long gone.”
Just then, the door opened, and Mason’s voice called, “Logan? Phone.”
“Okay.” I had one more thing to do. “Stay away from her,” I told Eric. “Delray doesn’t know what you did, and if he did, I think he’d have a different opinion of you. Your presence will hurt her. If she wants to see you, she’ll come see you. That’s on her. That’s her right to decide when to deal with you—or not. Let her have that right.” I glared down at him once more. “That’s the only good thing you can do. Just stay the fuck away.”
I left him sitting there. He was nothing to me now.
As soon as I stepped through the door, Mason held his phone out. He glanced behind me. “You’re going to make him walk?”
I shrugged. “Message was received. He’ll stay away from Taylor now. That’s all I wanted.”
“Mind if I give him a ride to his car? Make sure he actually leaves?”
“I don’t care. He’s slime to me. If you want to dirty your car with it, that’s fine.”
Mason moved around me. “The longer he stays here, the more resentful he might get. I’ll feel better if he’s as far away from Sam as possible, and from you.”
I nodded. This was my big brother doing his big-brother thing. Some of the anger inside me chilled, and I gave him a half-grin. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “It’s what family does.” He pointed to his phone in my hand. “Before I go, give me my phone back.”
“Hey.” I stopped him. “I have to go find Taylor after this, but call Dad. I don’t want to worry about Rankin, and even if Delray’s gone, I’ll still worry about him.” He could get to Taylor. A darkness was in me, twisting, churning, threatening to spill over. “He can’t get to her.”
Mason held my gaze, studying me. “You know he’ll want something in return, right?”
I clenched my jaw. “He can try.”
“Okay. I’ll give Dad a call.” Mason nodded as he went into the garage. I stepped away as I lifted the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”
“Hey. Took you long enough,” Nate griped from the other end. “Did you and Mason have a nice chat?”
“Shut up. There are things going on here.” I frowned, hearing loud music through the phone. “Where are you?”
“I came back to Pete’s,” he shouted over the noise. “I wanted to see if the girls came back here or not.”
“Girls?”
“Yeah, asshole,” he retorted. “Your girlfriend. I came here for you, and that’s why I’m calling. Your phone’s not on, so you might want to check it, see if there are any messages from Taylor.”
“Why?” I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.
“Is she there?”
“No, but the other one is.”
“Other one?”
“That friend of hers, the one she left with in the first place. She said she left Taylor at some abandoned amusement park place.”
“What?!”
Nate sighed heavily into the phone. His voice dipped low. “Look, I know we’re bickering like we always do, and I know it’s a little worse than normal. That’s on me. Everything’s changing, and yes, a part of me didn’t want you with Taylor because—well—because you’ve been more my friend than Mason has lately, and I didn’t want to lose another friend. But having said all that, I don’t know her that well, but she’s at the amusement park all alone. Something’s not right. So...what I’m saying is, go get your girl, Logan.”
And like he said, I went to get my girl.
I FUCKING CARE
TAYLOR
I sensed Logan’s approach long before he finally appeared. Sitting on top of that roller coaster, so high above the rest of the world, it’s remarkable what you can hear, feel, and see. I saw his Escalade’s headlights blocks away before he slowed outside the gate. I had Claire drop me off. She didn’t even question why I asked to be dropped off there. I think she was happy to go and deal with her own feelings, away from me, away from the one that had been close to Jason.
The guy never looked away from me. I straightened back up and gave him the biggest fuck-off look I could. I pitied him. “You lost her. Don’t think you can come back and just pick things up.”
“You’re—” He tried to muster something to throw back at me. I saw the anger, the resentment, the bitterness. But just as the strength to protest gathered in him, it faded. His head hung, and he sat there like a lost puppy. But I didn’t feel bad for this asshole.
I pointed to the door. “You can go whenever you want.”
“What?”
I jerked my head toward the door. “I was never holding you here. And now I’m done talking.”
“But—” He closed his eyes and rolled his head from side to side. “I came for a second chance with her.”
“You came to weasel your way back in. You said yourself you only thought of it because Jason called. Stop lying. It’s making me want to take an actual shit on you. You knew she wouldn’t want to see you. That’s why you haven’t been back since. But the first moment she might be vulnerable? She might be feeling exposed? You decided to be here. You wanted to come in like the hero you’re sadly not. That’s all you wanted, not to actually make things right.”
“What’s the difference? I mean, it’s my way of helping her.”
“It’s straight up manipulation, dipshit. You know it, too. Or at least you should. Your chance to help her is long gone.”
Just then, the door opened, and Mason’s voice called, “Logan? Phone.”
“Okay.” I had one more thing to do. “Stay away from her,” I told Eric. “Delray doesn’t know what you did, and if he did, I think he’d have a different opinion of you. Your presence will hurt her. If she wants to see you, she’ll come see you. That’s on her. That’s her right to decide when to deal with you—or not. Let her have that right.” I glared down at him once more. “That’s the only good thing you can do. Just stay the fuck away.”
I left him sitting there. He was nothing to me now.
As soon as I stepped through the door, Mason held his phone out. He glanced behind me. “You’re going to make him walk?”
I shrugged. “Message was received. He’ll stay away from Taylor now. That’s all I wanted.”
“Mind if I give him a ride to his car? Make sure he actually leaves?”
“I don’t care. He’s slime to me. If you want to dirty your car with it, that’s fine.”
Mason moved around me. “The longer he stays here, the more resentful he might get. I’ll feel better if he’s as far away from Sam as possible, and from you.”
I nodded. This was my big brother doing his big-brother thing. Some of the anger inside me chilled, and I gave him a half-grin. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “It’s what family does.” He pointed to his phone in my hand. “Before I go, give me my phone back.”
“Hey.” I stopped him. “I have to go find Taylor after this, but call Dad. I don’t want to worry about Rankin, and even if Delray’s gone, I’ll still worry about him.” He could get to Taylor. A darkness was in me, twisting, churning, threatening to spill over. “He can’t get to her.”
Mason held my gaze, studying me. “You know he’ll want something in return, right?”
I clenched my jaw. “He can try.”
“Okay. I’ll give Dad a call.” Mason nodded as he went into the garage. I stepped away as I lifted the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”
“Hey. Took you long enough,” Nate griped from the other end. “Did you and Mason have a nice chat?”
“Shut up. There are things going on here.” I frowned, hearing loud music through the phone. “Where are you?”
“I came back to Pete’s,” he shouted over the noise. “I wanted to see if the girls came back here or not.”
“Girls?”
“Yeah, asshole,” he retorted. “Your girlfriend. I came here for you, and that’s why I’m calling. Your phone’s not on, so you might want to check it, see if there are any messages from Taylor.”
“Why?” I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.
“Is she there?”
“No, but the other one is.”
“Other one?”
“That friend of hers, the one she left with in the first place. She said she left Taylor at some abandoned amusement park place.”
“What?!”
Nate sighed heavily into the phone. His voice dipped low. “Look, I know we’re bickering like we always do, and I know it’s a little worse than normal. That’s on me. Everything’s changing, and yes, a part of me didn’t want you with Taylor because—well—because you’ve been more my friend than Mason has lately, and I didn’t want to lose another friend. But having said all that, I don’t know her that well, but she’s at the amusement park all alone. Something’s not right. So...what I’m saying is, go get your girl, Logan.”
And like he said, I went to get my girl.
I FUCKING CARE
TAYLOR
I sensed Logan’s approach long before he finally appeared. Sitting on top of that roller coaster, so high above the rest of the world, it’s remarkable what you can hear, feel, and see. I saw his Escalade’s headlights blocks away before he slowed outside the gate. I had Claire drop me off. She didn’t even question why I asked to be dropped off there. I think she was happy to go and deal with her own feelings, away from me, away from the one that had been close to Jason.
