Page 63 of Unhinged Kallie

Sipping my milkshake, I stared at Claire, wondering what that meant. I wanted to finish this date and get the hell out of here. There wouldn’t be any more dates with Claire. I made it two and a half weeks this time, which was a new record.

“Why would I be upset about you following your dream?”

That was apparently the wrong answer as she crossed her arms and looked out the window.

“I just thought you might miss me,” she said, and I burst out laughing, earning a dark glare.

“Oh, shit, you were serious.” I sat the empty glass on the table. “Claire, we hardly know one another, and we’ll be going to different schools in a couple of weeks. What exactly did you expect?”

“Obviously nothing.” Pushing herself out of the booth, she stood in a flurry like I’d just insulted her. “I want to go home. Now.”

“Okay.” Tossing money down on the table, I followed her out of the restaurant. But no sooner had we walked outside when she turned around and smacked me hard across the face. I stumbled to the side in shock. “What the fuck was that for?”

“I saw you staring at your sister. You’re disgusting, and I wouldn’t want anything to do with you anyway.”

“So you hit me because I was staring at Kallie or because I said I wouldn’t miss you after dating for seventeen days? I’m confused what exactly your mad about.”

She was lucky. If she’d pulled that with pretty much anyone I lived with, they would all have her tied up in the back of their vehicle for being rude. Cain was big on manners growing up, and I’d seen firsthand how that training presented itself in Kallie and how terrifying she could be when someone was disrespectful.

Claire glared at me and looked like she might hit me again, so I took a step back. “The two of you are incestual perverts,” she half yelled, and a couple going inside paused to stare.

“First, Kallie is not my sister, and second, she’s my best friend. If you want to talk shit about me, feel free, but don’t you dare say a word about her.” Two weeks and this was how she acted. I dodged a bullet. What the hell would she be like after two months or two years? “You know what, Claire, it’s been nice knowing you, but lose my number.” I glared at her as I walked past. “Oh, and find your own way home. I wouldn’t want you getting infected by my incestuous ways,” I said, not giving a shit who was listening.

“You’re leaving me here?”

“Bet your ass I am. You have a phone. Use it to call a cab or walk since you’re right around the corner, but you’re never getting in my truck again.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“If you say so.”

My teeth were grinding as I walked to my truck, anger burning in my chest, but I wouldn’t give her any ammunition. She was obviously looking for a reason to make me look bad. I’d already had one completely fabricated story sold about me in high school. Cain hadn’t been happy about that, so I cleared it up before the snowball effect got rolling. I didn’t know Claire’s motives, but I had a hard time trusting anything anyone said other than, shockingly, the serial killers I called family…as screwed up as that was.

Pulling the truck out of the parking lot, I headed toward the farm, hoping Kallie was still awake. Maybe we could salvage the rest of the night by watching a scary movie. I should’ve just done this, to begin with, but I was so fucking worried that if she pushed, I would cave. I wanted to, but I also wanted to remain breathing. I kind of liked it.

Maybe we could be something one day, but it wouldn’t be tonight.

* * *

KALLIE

There was some shit in this world that bothered me and other things that put me in a white-hot rage. Watching Claire slap Carter and then him having to defend his and my relationship fell into the rage category.

Opting to leave my car in the nicely hidden spot at the back of the large parking lot, I followed Claire on foot as she stomped toward home. Claire was yelling as she told whomever she was talking to how Carter was an asshole to her and left her at the restaurant.

I had to give it to Claire. She pulled the wool over my eyes, which told me she was more like me than I gave her credit for.

Know your enemy.

My dad’s words were on repeat in my head as I kept to the shadows at a distance.

“No, he wouldn’t let me take any selfies. I know. I thought for sure I’d get a few great smutty photos. Nope, he wouldn’t fuck me either.”

“Blackmail?” What the hell had she been up to? It wasn’t like Carter had a ton of money. Wait, did she say he didn’t sleep with her? Where the hell was he every night when he said they were together? Very interesting.

Claire rounded a corner and walked to her front door. It was a decent house —think Mary Poppins meets Stepford Wives. She lived alone or had roommates who weren’t home since it was completely dark.

“Yeah, I’m home now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Claire hung up and dug around in her purse for her house keys.