Pillow Talk

Little White Lie

River Moore has been living in my attic.

River, who'd completely ruined my brother's chances at scholarships, was standing half naked in my attic.

"Scarlet, listen, hear me out—"

"Hear you out?" I immediately interrupted, "What the hell are you doing in my attic?"

He took a quick step forward, very flighty and light-how he was able to keep my family from hearing him, I'd guess. Which left me wondering how long he'd really been up here before I started to actively listen for the footsteps.

"Carly, I—"

"Don't call me that." I growled. "You lost the right to call me that years ago."

I rested the bat against the wall to my right, not tearing my eyes from the boy across the room, even though I knew he wouldn't risk rushing out of here right now.

"Scarlet, please just sit down and listen for a minute."

I hesitated, but eventually sat on top of the old blanket at my feet. "Well, go on."

There was no reason imaginable that justified squatting in someone's attic, but I'd let him have these few minutes of peace before he was thrown into the fire with my brothers.

"My parents kicked me out." he didn't look as though he was going to elaborate on why, and jumped to the next thing, "Deila and I broke up, and my brother hates my guts. I had nowhere to no. What was I supposed to do?"

"Surely not break into my house and—"

He shook his head immediately, cutting me off. "I didn't break in, Scarlet. I still have the spare key Caleb had made for me."

My jaw clenched at that.

There had been a time in our lives when River may as well have been another brother. He and Caleb had been inseparable, closer than our other brothers were with one another. But it'd all gone to crap when Deila Andrews came into the picture Sophomore year. That one little self-absorbed bitch that had the ability to have my brother's entire world caving in on itself.

Caleb had asked her out a couple weeks into Sophomore year, not long after she'd started to cheat on him with River, and news of it came to light at Homecoming. Not long after that, Caleb had been kicked from the team after a steroid accusation had been made and they'd found it in his locker despite him never touching it before in his life.

She had brought Caleb's world to the ground and set it aflame, and River had been there through all of it, just watching it happen.

"Don't look at me like that." River snapped. "Caleb gave it to me because he knew I wouldn't misuse it."

A cold, emotionless laugh left me. "Wouldn't misuse it? You abused his trust, you idiot! You used it to sneak into our house behind his back!"

"Abused his trust? Don't you dare sit here and ridicule me! You have no idea what happened! You only heard one side of the story! You were nothing more than an annoying thirteen-year-old girl back then!"

I stood, pressing my finger against my chest. "I have every right to ridicule you, River. You're in my attic. I'm going to get Collin."

In a quick, agile movement he caught my wrist and stared down at me with pleading blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Scarlet. Please don't tell him. All three of them will kill me."