Page 70 of Next to Everything We Wanted

“No, I definitely mean hell.”

Forrest put his elbows on the table, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Oh, yes, youlovehaving terrible music taste.”

“Elbows off the table, Tansel,” Mrs. Moody said as she placed a homemade milkshake on the table. Five straws rested in it, one for each of us. We’d tried to drink it together before, but we’d never finished it before someone—usually Forrest—accidentally knocked it over. “This is a proper establishment.”

“Wearing your husband’s barbecue apron?” Forrest laughed, glancing at Mrs. Moody’s“Big Daddy is Cooking” apron. “I object.”

“Do not insult her improper establishment,” Ellis said. “You don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

“I spoke for a reason.”

Mrs. Moody stuck out her bottom lip. “I’m never making this milkshake again.”

“You said that the last”—Ellis ran out of fingers to count on—“more than ten times.”

Mrs. Moody rolled her eyes. “Enjoy the milkshake from myproperestablishment,” she said before walking away.

We all laughed before taking a straw, but our heads knocked together. The tender spot on my forehead from when I crashed into Sienna the night before throbbed. I groaned, putting my hand on it.

“Sorry,” Celeste, who was sitting to my right, said. “Was that me?”

“No, I just fell last night. Someone slammed into me and pushed me into a seat.” I was surprised with how easily the lie fell from my mouth.

“Gosh, are you that short for it to hit your head?” Ellis asked through sips of the milkshake. He and Phoenix were chugging it down together, and they still had only made the slightest dent.

Trust me, we wouldn’t have crashed heads if I had more than three inches on her.

I scoffed. “Hey, it’s not my fault I wasn’t blessed with super long legs like you, Mr. Six-Three-And-All-Knees.”

“He gets his height from the best!” Mrs. Moody sang from the living room.

“I do.” Ellis grinned. “Did anything else cool happen at the concert?”

My attention snapped to Phoenix, who was no longer trying to suck the life out of the milkshake. His arms were crossed on the table, his dark eyes focused on me. My stomach dipped.Don’t tell me you already want me to tell the truth.

But maybe I could. Part of it, at least.

“Actually,” I said, “I went with a friend.”

The whole table went quiet, and I couldn’t read the looks on any of their faces. Mr. and Mrs. Moody had been talking in the living room, and even they’d gone quiet.

“Afriend?” Forrest narrowed his eyes at me. “I swear, Gavin, if this has anything to do with that chick?—”

“Stop calling her that,” I snapped. “What would be the problem with taking her, anyway? There’s no reason for you to lose your crap over it.”

Forrest’s mouth fell as if I’d just called him a slur. He exchanged surprised looks with Ellis and Celeste, then the anger in his eyes flared. That boy was seeingred.

My gaze went to Phoenix, who looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or leave the room before all hell unleashed.

Yeah, I’d asked fordeath.

“I’m sorry,” Forrest spat. “What the hell isyourproblem?” He inched his chair closer to the table as if he was ready to lunge at me the moment I opened my mouth.

“My problem is that I’m pushing twenty and still have people trying to control what I do. People likeyou.”

“You’re asking to get killed tonight,” Ellis muttered under his breath, and Celeste jabbed him in the chest with her elbow. “Now is not the time,” he hissed, shooting her a glare.

“There’s never a good time for any of this!” Celeste snapped. “We’re supposed to be each other’s support systems, but every important conversation turns into a fight.”