CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
We took Brady's car since he'd gotten a ride to the river and my car was still at school. When I checked in at the front desk, I could feel the clerk's disapproval. She was ready to damn me to hell, but I clung to the desk with white knuckles. As she typed in my insurance information, I felt like she could read my plight to the world, like it was branded on my forehead. Devirginized forever.
"You can have a seat and someone will come and get you." Her eyes gave me a bored look, but her voice was cold.
I stiffened and turned to the waiting room. Brady had already taken a seat by the magazines with a pile in the empty chair beside him. When I approached, he gestured to them. "I got all these for you. You know how these doctor places are. We'll probably be here for three hours."
Just as soon as the words left his mouth, the bell rang and we looked over. Frank Stephens walked in with a bleeding Kidrick behind him. As Papa Stephens, stiff in his gray suit, went to the front desk, Kid scanned the lounge and zeroed in on us. Surprise crossed over his face before he made his way towards us.
"You're not going to hit me if I sit within a couple feet of her?"
Brady growled, but ignored him and buried his face inside of a magazine.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Kid when he moved closer.
He glanced over his shoulder. When he saw that his father was still at the front desk, he replied, "Clarissa was so drunk that when I took her home, she fell getting out of the car. I tried to help her and ended up banging my head so hard I was knocked out."
Brady's shoulders jerked. I ignored his muffled laughter. "How is she? Is she okay?"
"Oh, yeah. She's fine. She's zonked to the world. Me, on the other hand, had to stay put because Clarissa's parents wouldn't let me leave until Daddy dearest showed up. They didn't trust me driving. Said I might have a concussion." He cringed again. "I hate this. I feel like an imbecile."
"Because you are." Brady shot him a dark glare, but couldn't contain his smile. "For a tool, you got what you deserved. Drunk Clary knocked you out? Anybody can knock you out."
"Shut up."
"I bet Rayna could knock you out."
"Shut up," Kid growled louder this time. His fist clenched around the wet towel on his forehead.
I flicked the magazine. "Why don't you continue reading? Let the adults talk."
Kid laughed and Brady glared at me briefly, but hunkered back over his magazine. I eyed his father at the counter. "Why are you sitting over here?"
"Because I know he won't come over here. I can't handle too much time with my dad if you hadn't noticed by now."
"He terrifies me." I shuddered.
"He terrifies everyone." Kid grinned from the side of his mouth and then grimaced.
"Not me." Brady looked up and stared at Frank Stephens long and hard. There was no fear, no caution or regret. Nothing.
Watching Brady as he watched Frank Stephens, a shiver passed through my body. This wasn't the comedic or fiery Brady. I was staring at someone who looked like he'd aged thirty years in that moment. He was older, wiser, and stronger. When I glanced at Kid, I was surprised to see a sudden wonderment in his dark eyes. Then he looked at his father and I looked too. Frank Stephens sensed our scrutiny and turned to our direction. I squawked, but he didn't flinch or look away. He stood there, straightened away from the counter, and narrowed his eyes. Cold.
Finally, Brady broke the tension and murmured, thumbing through his magazine, "He doesn't scare me. Not one bit."
"That's not what you said the first night I bailed you out of jail."
Brady shrugged. "I wasn't scared of him."
"You were scared of someone else?"
Brady reflexively looked at Kid, but didn't reply. When I looked over, I knew Kid wasn't going to say anything either. His fierce frown seemed permanently etched into his face and I couldn't handle it anymore. "You guys are driving me crazy! Grow up. You had a fight. Deal with it. You were best friends and then Kid comes back and now you're enemies? Yeah, right."
Brady looked over. "What bee is stinging you in the ass?"
"I am pissed off." I folded my arms and leaned back in my chair.
Brady and Kid both fought off grins, but neither said what I knew they were thinking. I looked like a little kid having a temper tantrum, but I didn't care.
"I'm really mad about this. You guys were so close and now nothing makes sense. It should be a great thing that Kid came back. Instead, you're going gorilla crazy on him and my grandmother doesn't want me to have anything to do with Kid. I don't know why this is all happening and it's making me go crazy."
Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail
Tijan's books
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- BROKEN AND SCREWED(Broken_Part One)
- Fallen Crest High
- Fallen Crest Public
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- Sustain
- Fallen Fourth Down (Fallen Crest #4)
- Mason (Fallen Crest High 0.5)
- Fallen Crest Family (Fallen Crest High #2)
- Fallen Crest Alternative Version (Fallen Crest High #2.1)
- Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)