Page 34 of Devious Love

“Matt?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut the fuck up, will ya? I don’t need all this information.”

He grunts, whipping his head around to glare at me. “Uh, yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t,” I grit out.

He huffs. “You do. Because I’ll need your help.”

Annoyance threads through me. Eyes closed, I tip my head back against the seat. “With what?”

“With everything, but especially the party!”

I crack one eye open and assess him. “Do I look like an event planner?”

Instead of answering, he flips me off.

“Seriously,” I ask, sitting up straighter. “How do you expect me to help you? I haven’t seen Mia since the day she left; I know nothing about her life now.”

“Exactly. You barely know her anymore. That’s why you should be involved.”

Groaning, I rough a hand down my face. The driver snorts. The asshole is laughing at my misery.

“Mom talked her into living at home because she hopes to reconnect with her. That means she’ll be around a lot. This party will give you the chance to get to know her again.”

“You know I won’t be around much longer. As soon as I have enough saved for a security deposit, I’m out.” I lower my hand from my face and peer at Matt. “I don’t need to get to know your sister.”

“She’s also yourstepsister.”

I can’t talk to him. He’s as stubborn as a mule. Or maybe he’s just dense. I’m still not sure.

As we drag ourselves up to the front door of the house, all I want is to pop a couple of Advil and take a hot shower. Dad and Monica won’t be back until Wednesday—unless, of course, Mia’s sudden arrival changes their plans.

I secretly hope it won’t. I could use a little break from Dad.

Before the door is even open, my eardrums are assaulted. “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar with SZA gets even louder as I throw the door open.What the hell?I love this song, but not atthatvolume, especially when my head is already about to fucking explode.

Matt pushes past me and steps into the foyer. He tosses his backpack onto the floor and tilts his head, like he’s trying to pinpoint where the sound is coming from.

“She must be in the kitchen,” I mutter as I close the door and set my backpack on the floor too.

“Let’s go say hi.”

With a sigh, I follow him to the kitchen. The closer we get, the louder the music becomes and the harder my pulse pounds in my temples.

“Matt!” a girl squeals. The song abruptly stops.

A flash of a person launches herself at him, and he stumbles back, catching her and stomping on my foot.Fucking lovely. I move aside, noticing then that Chiara is here too. She tucks her long curly hair behind her ear and nods, and I greet her in return, rounding the Ashton siblings on my way to the cupboard for a glass.

“What’s up?” I ask her, ignoring the commotion behind me.

No matter what Matt thinks, I couldn’t care less about having a good relationship with Mia. Yeah, our parents are married, but we’re grown now, starting our own lives. Before she left, I was used to having her around, but we haven’t seen or spoken to each other in five years. She’s a stranger to me.

Chiara clears her throat. “Not much. I worked all summer, but I’m taking the next two weeks off so I can relax before the semester starts.”

“Time off sounds great. You’ll need it before college starts.”