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“What?” Raina spat, appearing between the two front seats to scowl at me over the center console. “No, it isnot.”
Meanwhile, Parker swerved around to scowl at me too. “Yeah, right,” he snickered with a disbelieving sniff.
“It’s true,” I insisted. “She saw my picture on a billboard, watched a couple of my interviews, and wanted to meet me. That’s all. If I’d just met her when Oaklynn first tried to set us up, there would’ve been no reason for her to want to track me down that night. She either would’ve liked me, and we already would’ve been together; or she wouldn’t have, and she wouldn’t have wanted to look for me any further. So it’smyfucking fault.”
“Oh, what the fuck ever,” Parker muttered.
I wasn’t done talking, though. “Or maybe I should’ve slept with Ana Maria on the first date,” I said, making him rear back in shock.
Raina glanced between me and Parker before uttering, “Saywhatnow? Who’s Ana Maria?”
“If I had,” I went on, ignoring her for the time being and keeping my attention on Parker. “You wouldn’t have felt like you owed me something, and you never would’ve helped Raina try to reach me. It’smyfault.”
“That is such bullshit!” Parker exploded. “None of it wasyourfault.”
“Well, my reasoning holds the same amount of water as yours does, so if my guilt is bullshit, then yours is too.”
He narrowed his eyes and blew out a long breath. “But I ordered the fucking car. I pickedthatdriver for them.”
“Did you give Tack Martin all the alcohol he drank?”
Parker shook his head, confused. “Who?”
“The driver who hit them,” I answered. “Did you walk him stumbling drunk out to his car afterward and help him behind the wheel? Did you hand him the keys?”
“That doesn’t?—”
“Then you can’t take full responsibility for this,” I said simply. “There are so many what-ifs and variables that could’ve changed the outcome of that night. But what happened happened, and I really don’t want to lose you over it too.”
He sniffed. “You’re not going to lose me.”
“You sure?” I asked, lifting my eyebrows sternly. “Because if this isn’t some self-destructive path that leads to a slow suicide, then I don’t know what is.”
“I’m not—” Realizing he really was only trying to hurt himself, he snarled at me for voicing it aloud. And then he growled, “Fuck you, man.”
I shrugged. “I’m just saying, we have too much other shit going on right now to addsaving you from yourselfto the list.”
“Right,” he grumbled and glanced out the window moodily. “You’re an ass.”
I smiled as we reached the college. “No, I’m not.”
“No,” he agreed, turning back to me with a disgusted sigh. “You’re not. And it’s annoying as hell.”
As I headed toward the parking lot closest to the library, Parker glanced around the cab of the truck. “She still here?”
“Yep.”
He heaved out a breath and murmured, “I’m sorry about your sister.”
Raina tried to set a hand on his shoulder, but it didn’t take. So she kept it hovered there as she said, “Thank you.”
“She said thank you,” I translated, as I found an open spot to park next to Thane’s Equinox.
“And sorry I tried to sleep with you that night.”
“Oh, he doesn’t have to apologize for that,” Raina chirped. “I was totally flattered.”
I opened my mouth to tell Parker what she’d said, only to pause and send her a second glance. “Flattered?”
