“Just eat, Sebastian.”
He huffed and murmured out something, but I couldn’t understand it, which was probably just as well. Tiffany was not his favorite person.
“Who’s Tiffany?” Nora asked.
“A girl I’m seeing,” I told her, holding her gaze and keeping my face cool. I had to set her straight, and if exaggerating about my relationship with Tiffany was the way to do it, then I would.
She stared down at her plate. “Oh.”
She seemed disappointed, but it had to be done. But then I remembered her list where she’d written about having meaningless sex. Was she really going to screw any guy she could? And now that I had told her no, would she go for Sebastian? I glared at them both, imagining her taking her clothes off for him.
“Tiffany’s a real sweetheart,” Sebastian said with a sarcastic smirk. “Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but hey, she is pretty.”
Nora picked at her fingernails and shrugged. “Pretty’s good. Smart isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.”
“Let me see your fingers,” Sebastian said, reaching out and taking her hand.
“Why?” she asked, letting him take it.
“The BA brochure said you’d taken piano for years. I can tell. You’ve got the calluses to prove it. So maybe you could play for us sometime?” he said.
She shrugged.
“Sebastian, can you start clearing the table, please?” I said, giving him a hard look as he still held her hand. The same one I’d held last night.
“In a minute, bro,” he dismissed me, not looking away from Nora. Speaking to her, he said, “Our family has always been into music . . .” He paused. “Our parents are dead.”
Nora nodded. “Yeah, Leo told me.”
Sebastian straightened up like he’d been poked in the ribs and looked at me in surprise. He dropped her hand. “You told her about mom and dad?”
I nodded.
He looked quizzically from me to Nora. “Really?” he asked me again, like I was lying.
I clenched my teeth together. “Yes.”
He trained his eyes on me then Nora, scrutinizing us, jumping from one to the other, seeming to be deep in thought. Finally, he nodded as if he’d just figured something out. He laughed a little to himself, like he knew a joke we didn’t.
He continued, “Anyway. So instead of sending me off to live with some distant cousins when they died, he gave up his band and college so he could be a full-time dad.”
“I bet he was a great one,” Nora said.
Sebastian snorted as he stood to clean up. “Don’t let him fool you, Nora. He packs a mean wallop to the head when you least expect it. I only keep him around ’cause he can cook.”
And immediately, I felt my jealousy of Sebastian ebb away. He was the only real family I had left. I loved him. Hard. And I had no right to be mad at him for flirting with Nora.
I hugged him and rubbed his head playfully with my knuckles. He was long overdue with all the lip flapping he’d been doing this morning.
“See how he is?” Sebastian said, grinning as he pulled away from me, trying to smooth down his styled hair.
The buzzer pealed from downstairs. “What’s that?” she asked.
“Door bell. Looks like it’s payback time, Nora,” I said.
Her face turned white and her fork clattered down on the table. “Shit. Parents?”
“No, it’s friends of ours, and I want you to come downstairs and meet them,” I said.
She nodded, her face still pale.
I stood there for a moment, wanting to tell her it would be okay. That I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. But I walked out the door and didn’t look back, leaving her there with Sebastian.
Chapter 6
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Nora
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“Behind every beautiful thing is a world of pain.” –Nora Blakely
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After Leo disappeared from sight, I sped out of the kitchen and went to the bathroom, grabbing my phone and backpack on the way. My mouth dried, thinking about who could be waiting for me. If it wasn’t family, then who could it be? What if he’d changed his mind and called the police?
Whatever was waiting for me, I could handle it. I simply needed to do the things on my list: get drunk, get high, and get laid. Get relief. End of story.
My phone buzzed. I opened it and saw Mila had texted me five times during the night and early this morning.
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—What happened last night! You never texted me!
—Where are you, chica? You better be in your car! Asleep!
—Hello?? Okay, are you alive?? Don’t drive drunk, or I will be MAD!!
—Now I’m scared! Call me!
—Crappola, are you in jail! I better be your one phone call!