“We’re leaving.” I nudged Hailey to the side, keeping her as far from him as possible.
“Why was there a fuckin’ cop car in front of the house earlier?”
I was surprised the house didn’t shudder because of how loud he bellowed. Hailey stiffened next to me. She knew he got angry. This was the first time she had witnessed this small taste of it.
My father narrowed his gaze on me. “What kind of fuckin’ trouble you get into now?” Before I could respond, he grabbed hold of my T-shirt with both hands. The stench of booze rolled off him in waves.
With more force than I expected given his drunken state, he shoved me into the wall. My head bounced back hard against it, and the world tilted as if it had shifted off its axis. I was vaguely aware of Hailey and Mom screaming, their panicked voices somewhere in the distance.
I shook my head, struggling to regain my senses. Run, I silently pleaded with my mom and Hailey.
With my gaze locked on my father, I told Hailey to go home. She didn’t move at first, but after what felt like several minutes, she disappeared out the front door. My father didn’t make any attempt to touch her. If he had, I would have killed him.
The front door clicked shut.
“Why was the fuckin’ cop here?” he repeated, voice no quieter than last time.
“Why don’t we eat dinner first, Gordon, then we can discuss it.” Mom’s tone was soothing through years of practice, but even so, it still wavered slightly. If my father noticed, he was doing a great job hiding it. His alcohol-bleary eyes studied me for a moment before he nodded and staggered after her into the kitchen.
A deadly silence suffocated the hallway.
I needed to get out of here. Mom would be fine. I was the one who had fucked up in his eyes.
Since he was preoccupied for a few minutes and wouldn’t know I was gone, I snuck out of the house and shut the door quietly behind me. I needed to see Hailey. Just for a few minutes. Just so she knew I was okay.
Hailey’s bedroom light was on. Her parents had gone out and wouldn’t be back for a few more hours. I rang the doorbell and a minute later the door opened to reveal my best friend, no longer in the wet shorts and my hoodie. Now she was in her sleep shorts and flimsy tank top. My dick jerked to life, its typical response whenever she was dressed this way.
Her gaze searched my body for signs of injuries. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” But I didn’t feel fine. I felt trapped. Trapped and fucked, and I didn’t know what to do about it. “Can I stay with you for a bit?”
“Of course.” She reached for my hand and led me into the living room. “You want to watch a movie?”
I nodded even though what I really wanted to do was hold her. While she put the DVD in the machine, I lay down on the couch.
She turned around, and an adorable frown crept onto her face. “Hey, where am I supposed to sit?” She eyed the armchair, which wasn’t her favorite. She thought it was lumpy.
I patted the cushion in front of my hip. “There’s plenty of room here.”
The frown became an equally adorable pout. No other girl could pull it off the way Hailey could. No other girl looked as sexy as Hailey did. “But you get to lie down. Why do I have to sit?”
“Nothing’s stopping you from lying here too.” I scooted back. My back was pressed against the couch, giving her a little more space, but not a whole lot. We’d have to get cozy if she didn’t want to end up on the floor.
And that was my goal. I wanted to move our relationship up a level. I’d known her forever and had been in love with her almost as long. I had no idea if she felt the same way about me. This would be the ultimate test.
She lay next to me, her body touching mine. I wrapped my arm around her waist. Her breath hitched, the small movement pressing her back against me. Her sweet vanilla scent had me visualizing all kinds of scenarios, most of them involving her on her back and me kissing her senseless.
Even though we had never watched TV this way before, it felt natural. Her body fit mine perfectly, like we were designed to be together this way.
My mind was only half on the movie—the other half was figuring out the best way to make my next move—when my cellphone pinged in my back pocket. Any other time I would have ignored it, not wanting to end this possibility between me and Hailey. But a warning in my gut told me I needed to check who was texting me, now.
I pulled the phone out and read the message from Sarah: Where are you?
Hailey’s.
Please come home. I need you.
Something was very wrong. Sarah never texted after she went to bed. She’d get in trouble if she did.
On my way.
“I’ve gotta go. It’s Sarah.”
Hailey scrambled up. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. My father’s probably yelling at Mom, and that scared Sarah.”
She followed me to the front door. “Are you coming back?”
I wanted to return to Hailey and the couch and the movie. I wanted to continue where we’d left off, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t leave my sister again. Not tonight.