“Even if that’s normal, I don’t want to live like that,” I admit as we walk into the building.
“Ride it out,” she recommends. “You’re both so new at this. You’re a kid and Steve’s trying to be the adult. You’re bound to have clashes. I bet you’ll figure something out.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m seventeen.”
“Ha. That’s where you’re wrong. My mom always says that no matter how old I get, I’ll always be her baby. That’s just how parents are.” She nudges my shoulder with hers. “Honestly, I think it’s pretty cool that he came back from the dead. You’re not alone anymore.”
The thing is, I didn’t feel alone before Steve came along. And that’s the piece that’s missing for me. He’s not filling something inside of me that was empty. The Royals were already there, and Steve’s trying to push someone out to make room for himself.
Val must read the skepticism on my face. “Don’t break your head obsessing about this. You should go to him with a counteroffer.”
“What do you mean?”
“Steve doesn’t want you hanging around with Reed because why?”
“He says Reed’s a dog.”
Val tips her head back and stares at the sky as if praying for patience. “Honey, Steve is totally being a dad.”
I feel the need to defend Reed, again. It seems like I’m always defending him. “Maybe Reed was a dog before, but he’s not with me. Besides, he’s not like Easton. He doesn’t sleep around. He’s picky.”
Val opens her mouth to respond, but before she gets anything out, the bell rings. “Hold that thought. Meet me in the south bathroom at lunch? We’ll talk more.”
“The south bathroom?” I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“It’s the one by the boys’ locker room. Wade always does his business there.”
With that, she’s gone, leaving me to wonder if I’m the unreasonable one.
* * *
The moment the lunch bell rings, I make a stop at my locker to shove my books inside, then hurry toward the south bathroom. It takes me about ten minutes to find it, because this school is so ridiculously big.
Pushing open the door, I stop abruptly at the sight of the full bathroom—there are about six girls in here. Val’s putting on lipstick in front of the far sink, and I quickly make my way to her.
“Why is it so crowded?” I hiss under my breath. “I thought Wade has sex in here.”
“In the boys’ room.” She smacks her cherry-red lips together. “This is the girls’ bathroom.”
“Right.” Duh. For some reason I thought we were having a private powwow.
“Dance team is having extra rehearsals for the away game performance. Apparently Gibson High is their main rival in state dance competitions,” Val explains, tucking the lipstick into her purse. “Anyway, I’ve been giving this some thought, and I think what you need to do is go to Callum. Have Callum work it on your behalf.”
“I don’t think that’s going to make a difference. Callum already told Steve that I should live with the Royals, and Steve gave him the look of death and dragged me out by my hair.”
Val’s mouth twitches. “By your hair?”
“Okay, maybe not by my hair, but it felt like it.”
“I was just kidding. I like seeing you get all angsty over hooking up with Reed. Sometimes you come off so together, it’s intimidating.” She pauses. “What’s Steve’s weakness?”
I meet her reflection in the mirror. “What do you mean?”
“When I want something from my aunt, she likes to see a sacrifice. So let’s say I want to go to a concert. I’ll tell her I’m studying super hard, doing extra work around the house, essentially laying the groundwork for what a fucking awesome kid I am. And then I’ll ask for the concert tickets.”
“Does she know you’re manipulating her?” I ask.
“Of course. It’s our game. She gets to see me being responsible and that gives her warm fuzzies, and then I’m rewarded for my sacrifice.”
“My dad likes it when I write him a paper justifying all the reasons I want something,” some girl next to me chimes in.
I glare at her in the mirror, but she’s unfazed. Or maybe she can’t tell I’m glaring because she’s busy putting on mascara.
“My mom needs to hear it’s okay from ten other moms before she says yes,” another girl near the door says.
I flick an irritated gaze toward Val at how all these girls are up in my business. She merely smiles, mischief glinting in her eyes.
“What do you want?” the girl by the door asks. I think her name is Hailey.
The blonde next to me grins. “She wants Reed, right?”
My first reaction is pure discomfort. I don’t like discussing my personal issues with strangers. But the two girls actually look...friendly.
So I sigh and lean against the sink. “I want to go to the away game, but my…” It’s hard saying the word, but I spit it out. “My father won’t let me.”
“He’s being overprotective?” the blonde guesses.