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“Nope. Wren, let’s get out of here.”
“Wait, hold up. Wren… why does her name sound so familiar off your lips? Wren, Wren, Wren,” he repeated like he was trying to taste the word.
“Don’t,” Ro growled.
Lip’s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. “She’s the girl! It’s her, isn't it?”
“Shut the fuck up, Lip!”
“Your sister from the house you were kicked out of… it all makes sense now.”
“Wait… what?” I whispered. The building blocks were all coming together now, and the puzzle pieces that weren’t lining up for me before were officially starting to slip into place like Tetris pieces.Ro… as in Rohlen?“But your last name is Castle?”
“Wren, let’s not do this here. Let me get you home, and then I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“You knew?! It’s why you’ve been such an asshole this whole time. You fucking knew! What, were you gonna leave out that little tidbit, Ro? Casually let me believe you were literally anyone else?”
“No, I hadn’t planned on saying anything. I’m your nurse, and you’re in fucking rehab, Wren. Rehab. The last thing I needed to do was tell you something to flip your world upside down.”
“Too late now, isn’t it?”
“We need to get back before anyone notices we’re missing.”
“You’re worried you’ll get in trouble for having me out?”
“No, I’m worried your ass will get kicked out for being stupid, and you’ll land in jail. As much as I dislike you, I wouldn’t waste jail on you. So get your ass on my bike, and let’s go home.”
I didn’t even turn back to see Lip. I was so pissed. My emotions were slamming up walls to barricade any more emotions from happening.
“Ro, man, I thought she knew!” Lip hollered after us.
He paused briefly, turning to face Lip. “Leave my patients alone, Lip. I mean it.”
He started the engine, and it rumbled under my feet as I walked away. I could feel the anger and tension pooling off him in waves. I was mad, too. How could he have kept this from me? Was he mad because they’d gotten kicked out? I mean, it made sense. I never wanted Rohlen to be sent away, but if one left, so did the other.
It was out of my hands.
You know what?Fuck him.
He wanted to be an asshole; I could match it.
I couldn’t fucking believe he’d been lying to me this whole time.Well, I guess a tiny part of me could. They were both monsters, one full-blown and the other an accomplice.
I didn’t give a shit if he’d be in trouble for losing me. I didn't give a shit if I landed in jail. Anywhere was better than here, with the past creeping its way back to the forefront of my existence.
Ro shouted at me as I walked away, everything from anger to worry passing through his lips. I didn’t stop, didn’t turn, didn’t give two shits. I kept walking, my feet moving as fast as they could travel. Unshed tears filled my eyes, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing them seep down my cheeks.
I hadn’t been to this part of Florida before, so I didn’t really know where I was going. But I needed a distraction. Something to get me away from him. Away from Beachside.
There were local mom-and-pop-type shops along the beach, but most were closed as it had gotten late. Still, I walked and looked as I thought over all the things as they had happened. It was starting to make sense as to why he was so distant. It also gave me insight into the darkness. I’d wondered what happened to them after they left our home. Had they ended up in one of those foster families where the parents only wanted the money? Had he been left to fend for himself on the streets.
And where was Kane? Was he here? I peered over my shoulder at no one in particular when fear slid down my spine.
Clearly working at Beachside, Ro had done well for himself. Most kids in foster care who I knew had a hard time climbing up. But to see he’d received a degree made me slightly proud of him. It didn’t assuage my hate for him. I wanted to hurt him as much as he’d hurt me. Memories flooded my brain for the next hour. Every time Kane had done something to me, and each time I called for Rohlen, and he’d continually fail to show up.
Like he was afraid of Kane, too. It didn’t matter. He still should’ve done something. You don’t let shit happen to your kid sister, adopted or not.
A part of me felt shame. Shame I’d essentially lusted after and grabbed my adoptive brother. A part of me wanted more anyhow. I wanted him, and I’d be willing to damn my soul to get it. Right now, he was in the palm of my hands. The ball was in my court.
