It didn’t take him long. A few minutes later he picked her up. As I waited on the sidewalk, she flew to her seat to climb in. The two locked lips in the same fashion as they had the day before, and it was awhile before Rex turned to me. His eyes were glazed, no surprise, but he gave me a lopsided grin and the peace sign. “It’s Dudette Sam!”
“Hi, Rex.”
He bobbed his head back and forth and Becky waved over his shoulder. It wasn’t long before the station wagon roared away, and I waved a hand to clear some of its exhaust.
When I made my way home, I wanted to avoid any run-in with Analise so I bypassed the sidewalk for the front door and went all the way around. As I slid open the basement patio door, I was trying to convince myself that I wasn’t taking the coward’s way out. But I was. I knew I was.
“Hey! It’s Samantha!”
And then it didn’t matter.
I blinked as I took in the scene before me.
Logan was at the pool table with Ethan. Both of them had pool sticks with a game spread out before them. Mason lounged against the wall with his arms crossed. Kate and the rest of the girls were spread out through the room.
I tried not to notice, but it was hard. All of them wore barely-there shirts and their jeans were ripped at the waistline. If it was meant to make them look cheap and sexy, it did the job. What sealed the deal were the black or pink bras that were visible through their shirts. However, as I met Kate’s hard gaze, I knew they didn’t give a damn. None of them did. She was the only one who wore a black tank top with a pink bra strap that showed. The rest had white shirts on that sucked to their skin.
I refused to meet Mason’s gaze now. I knew he was studying me, trying to figure out my every move. Instead I met Kate’s, and she surprised me when a hard look passed in her eyes. It was gone instantly and she tipped her head in a tight nod.
I nodded back.
And then Logan scooped me up in the air. He paraded me around the pool table before he sat me back down beside Mason. He pointed his pool stick at me. “Stay.” He leaned over the table and took aim, but he said from the corner of his mouth, “You can tell us why your mom’s in a tizzy that you’re back.”
I shifted against the wall.
“Logan.” It was a soft reminder from Mason.
We didn’t talk about personal business in front of others.
Logan got the message and flashed me a grin when he took aim again. “Sorry, Sam.”
“She doesn’t want me here?”
Mason stood up from the wall and Logan stepped back from the pool table. The low murmur from the rest quieted and all eyes went to me. I ignored the tension beside me and held Logan’s gaze. I clipped out, “She doesn’t want me here?”
His pool stick went to the floor in a slow motion. He seemed to choose his words with caution. “I didn’t say that.”
My eyes flashed and my jaw hardened. “You said she’s in a tizzy I’m back. I thought she wanted me back.”
“Come on, Sam.” Logan glanced around. “We’ll talk about this later.”
I heard Kate snort.
I whirled on her. “Do you mind? This is a family meeting.”
She stiffened, but she jerked to attention. She crossed her arms and stuck out her chin. “Then don’t have it in front of me.”
I knew her friends waited at the ready. My eyes flashed at her. “Go ahead and leave.”
Her eyes widened a bit.
I jerked a hand to the door. “It’s that way.”
Then they narrowed.
I felt the unrest in the air and knew I’d stepped down the wrong path, but I didn’t care. I was sick of Kate; sick of how she was always around Mason, how she’d had her hand plastered on his arm before I came through the door or how I knew she’d been the one that he used in bed on a regular basis before me.
“I don’t think you know—” she started to say.
I swung at her.
As soon as my arm let loose, Mason swung around my waist and lifted me in the air. He carried me backwards while Logan leapt forward. He caught Kate who realized what I’d done. Her eyes were wide, wild, and her breathing was fast and shallow. He held her in the air, but then Ethan ducked down and used his shoulders to push back the rest of the girls. They were lined up in a hallway while Mason took me to the stairs and started to carry me up.
“You bitch!” Kate seethed over Logan’s shoulder.
I flicked her off and cursed. “This is my home too. Get out!”
I heard her screaming the whole way until we reached the second floor. When we got to my room, he dropped me on the floor but urged me inside with his hips. I rolled my eyes and pushed off from him. I started to pace as he took position in front of the door. “I’m not leaving. I’m not stupid.”
“Those girls will rip you apart.”
I rolled my eyes at him and raked my hands through my hair. I knew that. I did. They were tough, but I wanted to fight them. I wanted to rip into them, do as much damage as I could, but he stopped me. If he hadn’t been there, I knew Logan would’ve stepped in. As well as Ethan and so on. If Nate had been around, he would’ve stepped forward.
I was tired of people stepping forward.
Then I took a book from my couch and hurled it at the wall.
“She’s in the city. My dad has some big meeting and they got a hotel room the night before.”
I cursed under my breath. “She doesn’t want me here?” My chest heaved up and down.