He looked slightly rumpled, exactly like he had slept on a bench in a police holding cell. His gaze fixed on me. “You okay?” he asked, his voice low, intimate, even though everyone was watching, listening.
I nodded, an inexplicable lump rising to my throat.
He glanced next at Rachel. She shrugged with a wry grin. “Sure. What’s a night in the slammer? Our new friend Darcy gave me her pimp’s number in case I ever need a job.”
Logan rolled his eyes at her joke.
“What the fuck, Logan? I’m pretty sure getting arrested could cost you your scholarship.”
Logan settled cool blue eyes on his brother. “Yeah, if I was actually charged with anything. It was a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding that landed you and Georgia in jail.”
“Me, too,” Rachel piped in with an overly bright smile. “Not that anyone cares.”
Reece turned his blistering gaze on Rachel. “Considering you were the one to get him involved in that club in the first place, no, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”
“Back off,” Logan growled.
Rachel shrugged. “It’s all right. He’s not wrong. Of course he shouldn’t care about me. I’ll go wait for my ride outside.”
I watched Rachel go, for some reason wanting to call her back. I felt bad for her.
“Reece.” Pepper touched his arm.
Reece looked down at her and then back at Logan. Remorse clouded his face, which he quickly chased off in favor of looking obstinate again. “When are you going to start making smart choices, man? I get that you and Rachel have been friends a long time, but you can’t let her drag you down anymore.”
“You don’t get it. Rachel is family. When you left me with Dad, I didn’t have anyone. She was there. She understood.”
Reece nodded at me. “And what about Georgia? You gonna ruin her life right along with yours?”
I jerked at the reference to me. “Don’t drag me into your family drama,” I whispered, the quiet of my voice capturing my churning anger. I had my own shit to deal with.
“Reece,” Pepper snapped, looking at me with apology in her eyes.
“I don’t stick my nose in your personal life,” Logan reminded him, facing off with Reece. “I never have. I’m almost nineteen. A little late to be playing the father role now.”
Both brothers looked ready to take a swing at each other. Right there in the middle of the police station. Not the best move.
I squeezed between the two of them, so pissed. “No one can ruin my life.” I can do that all by myself. “And your brother isn’t ruining his. Shit happens. This was just one of those things.”
I looked at Logan then. His broad chest lifted with breaths. He stared down at me, his gaze unreadable, but I felt like he was waiting for me to say something. Do something.
I moistened my lips and repeated myself, my voice small and only for his ears. “This was just one of those things,” I repeated, shaking my head, silently beseeching him to understand.
Comprehension crossed his face, and then his eyes iced over.
I meant more than getting tossed in jail. I meant us. We were just one of those things. Something that happened without logic. Or planning. Like a meteor hitting the earth, leaving its impact forever deep, a scar on the ground that would never heal.
“So we’re just one of those things,” he clarified, not bothering to keep his voice at a whisper. He laughed then. A short bark of laughter that held no humor. I cringed and shot a quick glance around to our friends. They looked as uncomfortable as I felt. “You’re right, Georgia,” he announced. “That’s all we are. The shit that happens.”
I flinched. Hearing him confirm my words hurt more than I could have imagined. I tried to speak but it felt like I was choking on rocks. My hands opened and closed at my sides, dying to reach out and touch him.
“We can never be anything else.” He nodded once, his jaw rock solid. “Not until you figure out your shit and grow up.”
His words rippled through me and settled like a writhing serpent in my belly. I needed to grow up? Shock and indignation spiked through me. And fear. Fear that he was right. Fear that he was more of an adult here, owning his feelings, and I was the little girl still afraid of making a misstep, disappointing my parents when they weren’t even here to witness my actions.
“And I can’t sit around waiting for that to happen anymore.” He angled his head, resignation hard in his eyes. “Good-bye, Georgia.” His gaze flicked to his brother, his voice flat. “Can I get a lift?”
Reece nodded, his eyebrows drawn tightly over his eyes in concern as he looked between Logan and me. Without another glance at me, Logan walked out of the precinct, taking my heart with him.
“Georgia . . .” Pepper squeezed my hand, her heart in her eyes. Shaking her head sadly, she released my hand and followed Reece and Logan out.
Turning, I faced Emerson with a smile that felt as brittle as glass. The ache in my chest went so deep I had to fight wrapping my arms around my middle to keep myself from splintering apart. I just had to get out of this place. I just needed to shut myself in my apartment before I crumbled. “So. Can I get a ride?”
She nodded, her vivid blue eyes wide and absorbing on my face. “Sure.”
I walked out of the precinct, commanding my legs to move, to hold it together, to follow Em and Shaw to their car.
Chapter 20
I SHOWERED WHEN I got back to the loft, functioning like a robot, not thinking, not allowing myself to feel. When I approached anything that resembled emotion, the pain was too raw, too deep. I stuffed it far down inside me, right alongside the image of Logan walking away from me.
I ate a slice of cold, leftover pizza, which settled like cardboard in my stomach, and then collapsed into bed, sleeping twelve hours straight. When I woke, it was dark and I fumbled for my phone to see what time it was: 8:19 P.M. stared back at me. So did nine missed calls and countless text messages.
Pepper. Emerson. Suzanne. Mom. My sister even. No Logan, though, and pain that shouldn’t be there sliced my chest.
I started scrolling through the texts. One from Em caught my attention because it was all in caps. GO CHECK YOUR FB PAGE!!
My heart slid into a faster rhythm as I jumped over to Facebook on my phone. I didn’t regularly visit my page. Given that I wasn’t very active, I didn’t get a lot of interaction there.
I nodded, an inexplicable lump rising to my throat.
He glanced next at Rachel. She shrugged with a wry grin. “Sure. What’s a night in the slammer? Our new friend Darcy gave me her pimp’s number in case I ever need a job.”
Logan rolled his eyes at her joke.
“What the fuck, Logan? I’m pretty sure getting arrested could cost you your scholarship.”
Logan settled cool blue eyes on his brother. “Yeah, if I was actually charged with anything. It was a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding that landed you and Georgia in jail.”
“Me, too,” Rachel piped in with an overly bright smile. “Not that anyone cares.”
Reece turned his blistering gaze on Rachel. “Considering you were the one to get him involved in that club in the first place, no, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”
“Back off,” Logan growled.
Rachel shrugged. “It’s all right. He’s not wrong. Of course he shouldn’t care about me. I’ll go wait for my ride outside.”
I watched Rachel go, for some reason wanting to call her back. I felt bad for her.
“Reece.” Pepper touched his arm.
Reece looked down at her and then back at Logan. Remorse clouded his face, which he quickly chased off in favor of looking obstinate again. “When are you going to start making smart choices, man? I get that you and Rachel have been friends a long time, but you can’t let her drag you down anymore.”
“You don’t get it. Rachel is family. When you left me with Dad, I didn’t have anyone. She was there. She understood.”
Reece nodded at me. “And what about Georgia? You gonna ruin her life right along with yours?”
I jerked at the reference to me. “Don’t drag me into your family drama,” I whispered, the quiet of my voice capturing my churning anger. I had my own shit to deal with.
“Reece,” Pepper snapped, looking at me with apology in her eyes.
“I don’t stick my nose in your personal life,” Logan reminded him, facing off with Reece. “I never have. I’m almost nineteen. A little late to be playing the father role now.”
Both brothers looked ready to take a swing at each other. Right there in the middle of the police station. Not the best move.
I squeezed between the two of them, so pissed. “No one can ruin my life.” I can do that all by myself. “And your brother isn’t ruining his. Shit happens. This was just one of those things.”
I looked at Logan then. His broad chest lifted with breaths. He stared down at me, his gaze unreadable, but I felt like he was waiting for me to say something. Do something.
I moistened my lips and repeated myself, my voice small and only for his ears. “This was just one of those things,” I repeated, shaking my head, silently beseeching him to understand.
Comprehension crossed his face, and then his eyes iced over.
I meant more than getting tossed in jail. I meant us. We were just one of those things. Something that happened without logic. Or planning. Like a meteor hitting the earth, leaving its impact forever deep, a scar on the ground that would never heal.
“So we’re just one of those things,” he clarified, not bothering to keep his voice at a whisper. He laughed then. A short bark of laughter that held no humor. I cringed and shot a quick glance around to our friends. They looked as uncomfortable as I felt. “You’re right, Georgia,” he announced. “That’s all we are. The shit that happens.”
I flinched. Hearing him confirm my words hurt more than I could have imagined. I tried to speak but it felt like I was choking on rocks. My hands opened and closed at my sides, dying to reach out and touch him.
“We can never be anything else.” He nodded once, his jaw rock solid. “Not until you figure out your shit and grow up.”
His words rippled through me and settled like a writhing serpent in my belly. I needed to grow up? Shock and indignation spiked through me. And fear. Fear that he was right. Fear that he was more of an adult here, owning his feelings, and I was the little girl still afraid of making a misstep, disappointing my parents when they weren’t even here to witness my actions.
“And I can’t sit around waiting for that to happen anymore.” He angled his head, resignation hard in his eyes. “Good-bye, Georgia.” His gaze flicked to his brother, his voice flat. “Can I get a lift?”
Reece nodded, his eyebrows drawn tightly over his eyes in concern as he looked between Logan and me. Without another glance at me, Logan walked out of the precinct, taking my heart with him.
“Georgia . . .” Pepper squeezed my hand, her heart in her eyes. Shaking her head sadly, she released my hand and followed Reece and Logan out.
Turning, I faced Emerson with a smile that felt as brittle as glass. The ache in my chest went so deep I had to fight wrapping my arms around my middle to keep myself from splintering apart. I just had to get out of this place. I just needed to shut myself in my apartment before I crumbled. “So. Can I get a ride?”
She nodded, her vivid blue eyes wide and absorbing on my face. “Sure.”
I walked out of the precinct, commanding my legs to move, to hold it together, to follow Em and Shaw to their car.
Chapter 20
I SHOWERED WHEN I got back to the loft, functioning like a robot, not thinking, not allowing myself to feel. When I approached anything that resembled emotion, the pain was too raw, too deep. I stuffed it far down inside me, right alongside the image of Logan walking away from me.
I ate a slice of cold, leftover pizza, which settled like cardboard in my stomach, and then collapsed into bed, sleeping twelve hours straight. When I woke, it was dark and I fumbled for my phone to see what time it was: 8:19 P.M. stared back at me. So did nine missed calls and countless text messages.
Pepper. Emerson. Suzanne. Mom. My sister even. No Logan, though, and pain that shouldn’t be there sliced my chest.
I started scrolling through the texts. One from Em caught my attention because it was all in caps. GO CHECK YOUR FB PAGE!!
My heart slid into a faster rhythm as I jumped over to Facebook on my phone. I didn’t regularly visit my page. Given that I wasn’t very active, I didn’t get a lot of interaction there.
