Page 109 of Off Limits
She stares at me. Her lips twitch. ‘The water pressure, right.’
‘What?’ I question.
She glances back at my door, which is still open, and lowers her voice. ‘Mom and Dad might be convinced by yourI-went-to-the-gym-for-a-workout-with-the-guysact, but you’re not fooling me. Something is up with you.’
I snort. ‘Nothing is up with me. Are you happy that Wylder asked you to the formal?’
‘Don’t change the subject. And for the record, yes, I am. Are you gonna tell me or not?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Is it a girl?’
‘What girl?’
River takes a step forward. ‘It’s a girl, isn’t it? You’ve fallen for somebody, but for some reason that I cannot fathom, you don’t want to tell anyone about it. Am I right? This has been going on for weeks. You, disappearing all the time.’
This is why I don’t love living with my family.
‘You’re crazy. That’s wacked out.’
‘Oh, is it? When Wylder and Scottie were leaving, I noticed your gym sneakers by the front porch. Did you run on the treadmill barefoot or something?’
‘I took a different pair of sneakers.’
‘Oh yeah, which ones?’
‘They’re at the gym.’
‘Which gym were you at? The one at the training ground? When everybody else in the squad had the night off?’
I don’t answer. Instead, I let out a sigh. ‘Riv, can you just quit it with the questions?’
She gives a shrug like she doesn’t care. ‘Fine. But I got your number, dude.’
She then turns on her heel and goes to leave.
A lot of things go through my mind at once. ‘Riv, wait. Wait.’
She turns around, brows raised. She crosses her arms over her chest. She’s my baby sister and I don’t enjoy lying to her.
‘Close the door,’ I say.
She does as she’s asked, though she still doesn’t look impressed.
I wait until she turns around. ‘It’s a girl, alright. I’m seeing somebody, but right now it’s a big secret and it needs to stay that way.’
River practically jumps on the bed, sits herself down, cross-legged. She’s gone from sceptical to thrilled inside of a minute. ‘Spill,’ she says. ‘And don’t skimp on the details.’
I massage my eyes with the palm of my hand. ‘Her name’s Serenity.’
‘Cute name.’
‘She’s CMC. A Mutineers cheerleader.’
She stares at me for a moment. ‘Oh… shit? Doesn’t that mean—’
‘Yup. They spell it out in her contract. She can’t even talk to me, let alone date me. And that’s not all. She works at a strip club on the west side of Canyon.’
