Football players are assholes. I know; I'm related to their king. My older, and annoyingly overprotective, brother Jake is the star quarterback at Santa Cruz High School. I love him but hate living in his shadow. Everyone worshiping the air he breat...
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"Say that again," I demanded in a strained voice.
Brody grinned and clutched my door handle. With how loud he banged it open, I was surprised it wasn't broken. "You've got at most five minutes."
"Huh?" I grunted. "Five minutes for what?"
"Before Elle leaves." His wide grin brought my eyebrows together. "You're welcome."
His words finally registered in my tired brain and shot me upright in bed. "What!? Here? Right now. In this house."
How the hell had that happened? Brody went from wanting more time to dig up dirt on her to... bringing her here?
I couldn't believe Ellie responded to my text, so I called her. She sounded off, her voice timid and shaky in a conversation that ended too soon. It left me wondering if something had happened at the party or outside since she hadn't gone in.
"Yeah. She gave me a ride." His grin faded under the blush that filled his cheeks and he cupped the back of his neck. "Jake's, uhh, on a date right now. She's on limited time, but you're welcome."
Jake shouldn't have left her by herself, especially if she was uncomfortable, but I sure as hell was capitalizing on his selfishness. I combed my hair, brushed my teeth under Brody's gaze, and stopped where he stood. "You could have warned me." I didn't know whether to hit him or hug him. He deserved both, and got neither, because of the faint smell of alcohol on his breath and the smoke on his clothes. "Have you seen Mom yet?"
He shook his head. "Nah. I came right up here."
I appreciated that, but he shouldn't have drunk anything other than soda tonight. He was relaxed and coherent but red-faced, so I pointed out the door. "Unless you want to be grounded too, brush your teeth, shower, and go to bed. I'll cover for you. Where's Ellie?"
"Mom went outside to interrogate her."
That was bad. Mom needed thirty seconds to overshare embarrassing stories and pictures. "Fuck."
The speed I flew to my window would've been funny, except my toe caught my desk chair. A sharp pain spread up my foot, which I rubbed and peered outside. A white car was parked on the curb, Jake's car, but no Mom or Ellie.
"Logan! Brody!" Mom called, so I shoved Brody into his room.
I felt Ellie's quiet presence before I saw her. She was a soft, calm whisper that made my heart race with each step until a pair of dirty white tennis shoes came into view. "Hi, baby."
Fuck, she's really here.
In her best scared animal impression.
Ellie huddled by the front door. Her hair was in a ponytail with shorter pieces framing her face. Her eyes were red, puffy, and underlined with light gray circles, and the color had drained from her cheeks. Despite those and an interesting choice of clothes, she was beautiful. She couldn't have cared less about impressing anyone, which impressed me. Ellie looked... real. She was so fiery at the library and looked like life had been sucked out of her. What happened tonight?
