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Nix
I watchedHarleigh stumble into the shadows, disappearing between the trailers and RVs.
What the fuck was she doing?
She’d looked ready to puke or faint. The blood had drained from her face, leaving her skin ashen. Her big green eyes wide with horror as she watched Cherri kiss me.
Fuck.
Fucking motherfucker.
I pushed Cherri off me and ran a hand through my hair. “I need to piss.”
“Now?” She frowned. “But I thought—”
“I’ll be back.”
“What the hell, Nix?” she called after me, but I didn’t look back, focused on one thing.
Finding Harleigh.
I pretended to join the line for the porta-potties but veered off between the two trailers, melting into the shadows. They ran in a neat grid formation but there was no sign of her.
Fuck. Where the hell was she?
The sound of gentle sobs filled the air and I ducked between another row of trailers and found her on the ground, her head hanging between her knees.
The sight of her, sitting there crying, was like a fist to my heart. It punched right through me, taking hold, and squeezing like a fucking vice.
“Harleigh,” I said, inching closer. But she didn’t respond, her body visibly shaking. “Harleigh Wren, look at me.”
That got her attention. She sniffled, lifting her face slowly, her eyes narrowing before widening with surprise. “You shouldn’t be here,” she said, her voice off, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Because this wasn’t normal. The way she’d stumbled away from the bench and darted between the trailers. Sitting here, in a trembling heap, sobbing her heart out.
Guilt pricked my insides. She’d seen me with Cherri and I’d taunted her with it. But I’d only wanted to get under her skin the way she’d burrowed under mine at the bowling alley. No, even before that. Ever since I’d heard she was back.
“Just go, please,” she cried, burying her face in her hands.
Anger and frustration bled together inside me and before I could stop myself, I stalked over to her and crouched down. “I asked you a question.” I peeled her hands away. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“And I told you to go.” She snarled, yanking out of my hold.
The air crackled. Thick and heavy around us.
“Harleigh, I—”
“What are you even doing back here, Nix?” Her head rolled back against the side of the RV as if sitting upright was a struggle. “Shouldn’t you be with Cherri? I bet she’s getting lonely.”
A red mist descended over me. “Jealous?” I spat the word with a smirk. I didn’t intend on coming back here and verbally sparring with her, but she drove me in-fucking-sane.
Clearly spending time across the border had done something to her because the girl I used to know would never have spoken to me this way. But maybe that was the problem back then. She had been too meek, too shy and quiet and unsure of herself. Acknowledging her crush on me had felt like taking advantage of that somehow.
So I’d fought it. I’d denied the evolving connection between us. Pretended that she wasn’t changing right in front of my eyes. That I didn’t notice her curves, her unassuming beauty.
I’d lied to myself every second of every day, telling myself that crossing that line would ruin us. Ruin me. She was my friend. My best fucking friend. Anything more could jeopardize what we had.
