Page 142 of Pucking Them
They haven’t forgotten…left me to starve…die again…
Half caught between the past and present, I twist to look up in both fear and excitement.
Then I sob, unable to hold back the tears. “Dee…”
Eden stares at me for a long moment, kneeling broken on the sand.
Then he reaches down to grab me by the shoulders and pull me to stand in front of him.
The Webbs haven’t come. My brother has to save me.
Again.
He must be bloody angry with me.
Eden’s expression is inscrutable. He studies me with dark eyes, as I try to control my breathing and stop crying.
I’m a wreck. My cheeks heat with humiliation.
Eden shakes me. “Idiot.”
I struggle through my blurred vision to raise my chin.
“I’m s-s-sorry but I c-c-couldn’t…” My voice is raspy with tears.
Eden pulls his hands back from me.
My head is messed up.I’ve been bad.Shouldn’t he hit me now?
I deserve it.
Instead, my twin pulls me into a hug. “I understand.”
My eyes widen in surprise. But then, I cling to him, desperately needing this.
“They didn’t even turn up, bro.” I clutch onto the back of Eden’s woolen, black coat. Its vanilla scent is familiar. I don’t regret trying to do this by myself. I do wish that I hadn’t been proved right that I’m unwanted. “They really don’t want me.”
“Us,” Eden corrects me.
I wince.
And that’s the other reason that I didn’t tell Eden. I didn’t want him to know if the Webbs turned out to be dicks. If they’d been sincere, then I was going to ask them to write something that Eden could choose to read or not.
But now, have I fucked everything up? Have I hurt Eden?
“I’m sorry,” I try again.
“Don’t,” Eden says, hugging me more tightly. “Don’t apologize for the Webbs. You made a choice. I don’t control that.”
“Our Robyn snitched on me, didn’t she?” I give a watery smile.
Eden pushes me back but keeps his hands on my shoulders; I am relieved because I need to feel the connection to my twin. “The moment that you came home. Jude has been sitting with me in his car just around the bend up there.”
My mouth drops open. “You sneaky bastards. You said that you were going with him to something important.”
“I was. This.”
I want to be annoyed.
