Page 6 of Inseparable
Devin’s mouth twists into a snarl, and he looks ready to swing for him. “Really? Screw you, asshole. Saintly Ayden who barely looks sideways at any other girl. Want to tell us what that’s all about?”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you, jerkoff. Why are you even bothering? Have you finally run out of girls to bone and Lina’s a last resort?”
Everything locks up inside me at the insult, and I’m glad I have my back to them so they can’t see how devastated I am by Ayden’s comment. The microwave pings and I reach for it as if on autopilot. My whole body is shaking internally and there’s a lump the size of a bus wedged in my throat.
The stool screeches as Devin stands up. “Don’t you fucking dare disrespect Ange like that,” he yells. “Take that back or you and I are done. Completely.”
Ayden rushes to my side, taking my hands in his. “Lina, I didn’t mean any disrespect to you. You know how I feel about you. How important you are.” I can’t keep the hurt off my face this time, and he curses, squeezing my hands tighter. “This isn’t about you at all. This is between me and him.”
I shove his hands away. Anger is a low burn in my veins. “That is bullshit and you know it. You are both shutting me out again and I’m sick of it. We can’t even be in the same room without you two bickering about stuff I know nothing about!” My gaze bounces between them. “Was it a conscious decision to keep me in the dark?”
Devin sits back down. “If you needed to know, we’d tell you, baby doll, I promise.”
“Do not fucking call her that! She is not one of your whores,” Ayden roars, and I just want this night to be over.
“Stop.” I rub a tense spot between my brows. “Please, just stop it. For the first time in forever, we are all together on a Saturday night. I’m begging you to call a truce. Even if it’s only for tonight. Let’s forget all this crap and just hang out like we used to.”
My plea falls on deaf ears—scrap that, make it arrogant, pigheaded, idiotic ears. The guys continue to face off, and this is easily the singular most awful moment of my life. My two best friends have been at odds for the last three months, and I can’t bear it. I can’t bear to lose our awesome-threesome. To see everything fall apart because they are too stubborn or too stupid to talk things out. I want to scream in frustration. Either that or bash their obstinate heads together.
Can’t they see they are ruining everything?
Devin lowers his chin and starts wolfing his food. Ayden continues glowering at the back of his head, and I lose my cool. Yanking Ayden’s lasagna from the microwave, I slap it onto a plate and shove it in his chest. “Okay, fine. Have it your way. You are both complete and utter assholes. Finish your food and get the hell out of my house.”
Then I storm out of the kitchen without a backward glance.
CHAPTER THREE
“You didn’t need to do it!” I hiss, kicking the bark in frustration as I haul ass up the tree. “I’m capable of punchingAdamall by myself you know!”
Devin chuckles, swatting my butt as I pull myself up into the treehouse. “I know that,Ange, but you need to at leastpretendyou’re a girl. You can’t go around punching all the guys.”
“Says who?” I demand petulantly, sitting down on one of the beanbags and crossing my legs. “Andlast time I checked Iama girl.” I rollmy eyes.
“We were doing you a favor,”Aydencuts in, sitting down beside me. He pulls the blanket out from behind him, draping it across my shoulders. “You’ll get in trouble in school, and your mom would bepissed.”
“You’re both in trouble now, and I don’t like that. I don’t want you getting into trouble on my account.”
“Suck it up, princess,” Devin says, handing me a can of soda from our secret stash. I growl at him. He knows I hate it when he calls me that. “We’re always going to protect you, so you might as well get usedto it.”
“AndAdamcan’t put his hand up your skirt and expect us not to punch him,”Aydensupplies, justifying their behavior.
My anger fades at their words.Ifthere’s one thing I’ve always counted on, it’s my two best friends jumping to my defense. But I wonder if things will be the same when we’re older. Things are already changing. Like the way I can’t stop blushing when Devin stares at me in that intense way of his, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed how cute he is. A lot of the girls at school are checking out both my best friends, and I don’t like it. They’re mine, and no one else can have them.
“You won’t always be there to save me,” I say in a quiet voice.
“Who says we won’t?”Aydenasks. “We’ll always be best friends.”
“We should make a pact,” Devin suggests, and my eyes light up.
“Yes! A blood pact, like in the movies!” I rub my handsin glee.
Devin’s eyes gleam mischievously as he raises his hand to high-five me.
“No way, guys. No blood. We’re not vampires.”Aydenfolds his arms sternly, and Devin and I burst out laughing.
“I’m not suggesting we drink each other’s blood,Ayd.” Shaking my head, I tear a page out of my school journal and startwriting.
“Whatcha doing?” Dev asks, removing a pocket knife from his book bag.
