Page 70 of Second Sets Omnibus

He nods, eyes falling to the large crack in the road's asphalt and studying it intently. For several long seconds, he doesn’t say a word. I’m almost to the point of apologizing again anddropping my nosy question, but then he speaks, stunning me into silence.

“When my family died, they left all their bank accounts, life insurance, and assets in a trust with their lawyer,” he heaves a trembling breath, finally peering at me with bloodshot eyes. “It pays my monthly bills and leaves me with a little spending money to get by, but nothing substantial. At the end of December, the trust will be completely signed over to me, and I’ll be free to do what I want. My parents wanted me to go to college and get a degree. So, they stipulated that if they passed before I was a certain age, I’d have to hang onto the house for that long. I don’t-don’t think they realized it would be like living in a tomb,” he wheezes the last words, clamping his eyes shut.

I swallow hard, pulling his face down into my neck, letting him cling to me for dear life. His fingers dig into my ribs as he pulls in deep breaths of oxygen. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, running my fingers through his blond locks and twirling them in my fingers. “I didn’t mean to upset you like this.”

“It’s okay, Little Star,” he mutters into my flesh. “I rarely-rarely talk about them anymore. Sometimes, I need to let this out, and I’m… I’m glad you asked. I want to tell you everything,” he whispers, lifting his face from my neck. Staring deep into my eyes, I see all the vulnerabilities swimming in the depths of his gray eyes as they soften more. “Once I can leave, have access to their money, and sell the house, we’ll have enough to invest more into the band. I-I don’t know what our plans are. But you’ll come with us, anyway. Right?” he whispers the last part, making my heart fall into my churning stomach.

“More than anything,” I reply without thinking about the future's implications or consequences. I’m living in the present, and I can’t think of what will happen come December when they walk away and live their dreams. Will I go? Or will I stay home with my ill mother? Only time will tell.

After our talk,Callum gently leads me between two houses and out of view from the party, and we settle ourselves in the grass between the two big houses. Callum’s brows furrow when he looks at me and leans in, kissing my cheek.

“I gotta-gotta…” His lips roll together when he stands, gesturing to his house down the block. Swallowing hard, his face flushes. “Go to the bathroom,” he mumbles with embarrassment, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You want to come with or….”

I smile at him and shake my head. “I’ll stay here and away from the predators,” I say, pointing in the party's direction.

He nods. “Stay and be safe. He… he looked at you with so much hate. I kind of wanted-wanted to punch him.” I smile even wider at the imagery of his fist hitting Judge Drake's face.

“Don’t mess up your hands,” I say, shaking my head.

Callum nervously waves as he jogs toward his house with urgency, leaving me to fend for myself. I pull out my new phone, enjoying the privacy the homes provide for me, andscroll SpaceFace aimlessly, looking for anything to entertain me while I wait for the assfaces—totally renaming their band that whenever they win the Battle of the Bands—who left me here to fend for myself. Seriously? How can they just walk away with their heads hung low and their puppy tails tucked, leaving me up against the damn lions circling me. My stomach churns with the similarities between them and Van. I mean, Van never would have brought me here in the first place, but still. He left me because his mean daddy said so. Oh well, I’m better off without him.

“River.”

I sigh to myself, leaning my head back against the cool side of the house. Speak of the devil. It’s like I summoned him to join me in my hiding place. I squint, looking up toward the towering figure looming above me.

“Van,” I say in an equally ominous voice, shoving my phone into my pocket. To equal the playing field, I jump to my feet and wipe away the grass clippings from my ass. “What brings you to my little oasis?” I ask with scathing sarcasm dripping from my tongue.

He rolls his eyes toward the sky, shaking his head like he can't with me. “I saw you got cornered by my dad, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He swipes his foot along the manicured grass, looking at me coyly through his eyelashes.

Fucking boys and their beautiful eyelashes. How'd they get so damn blessed? And me. I have to apply fakes to achieve what they get just by waking up and greeting the sun.

I scoff. “Okay? No, I'm not. Your dad made me lose my appetite.” I shake my head in disgust, mourning the food I had to throw away.

Ugh. The feeling of his slimy fingers wrapped around my arm lingers on my flesh, and I want to hurl. No one should touch anyone without permission.

He snorts. “Sorry about him. He was just surprised to see you here. Me too, actually.” He shrugs nonchalantly, but I know Van better than he thinks I do. He's fishing for answers from me in his usual way.

“Oh, yeah? Surprised to see me? I'm always at these barbecues. What're you talking about?” I quip, earning myself a scoff of disbelief.

“Why're you here, Rivey?” he asks, narrowing his eyes, using the nickname I never wanted to hear from his lips again. It’s the one he used to seduce me into the backseat of his car and the one he moaned when he thrust into me.

“I'm here for the food,” I snark, rocking on my toes. I mean, it’s not a lie. “Delicious, by the way.” I point fingers guns in his direction, earning another scowl. I live to piss this guy off.

“No,” he grits out, stepping up to me, effectively entering my personal space. “You're here with them. Aren't you?” His brows furrow like he's constipated, and I almost suggest adding some prune juice to his diet. But I bite my tongue because he knows the answer. He apparently watched me go to Callum's a few days ago.

I frown. “And what if I am? What is it to you?” I bite back, putting my hand on my hip.

Here we go. Another lecture from someone I don't want a lesson from. I trust only five people in this world enough to listen to their lectures, and it doesn't include this assclown.

“I thought I warned you away from them, Rivey. Seriously! What are you doing with them? They're users. They only want you for one thing,” he growls, caging me in against the house. His eyes dilate when he presses his entire body against mine, relaxing into me. My whole body stiffens beneath his chest, and the worst thoughts roar through my mind. We’re alone, and he’s a lot stronger than me. Plus, the wild look in his eye doesn’t promise a happy ending. I swear my throat closes, and my heartpounds in my ears when he leans down, getting into my face. “They are going to use you and then throw you away. Mark my damn words,” he hisses between his teeth.

“What? Like you did?” I seethe, clenching my teeth.

I cock my head, running my fingers over the wooden grip of my special knife in my pocket. Since my rape, I’ve never left without it. It has protected me on many occasions. And right now? Yeah, I'm half tempted to sink it deep into his balls and watch him scream in agony and rue the day he ever warned me and tried to run my life.

If Van thinks he can corner me like this and put his face directly into mine, then he's way too fucking comfortable with me. Like everyone else, he deeply underestimates me, thinking he can pin me against the wall and tell me what I can and can't do or who I can fuck. He’s way out of line, and I’m about to show him the error of his ways.

“You didn't like it when I called you daddy when we screwed. So, what makes you think you can act like my daddy now?” I seethe, fitting my closed knife against his balls. In one flick, I could have him flayed open and begging for the hospital. “You have some balls on you, Van. I'll give you that. But you're about to lose them for overstepping if you're not careful. We've established that I'm a big girl and don't need my ex-boyfriend to protect me anymore. So, what will it be? Balls? No balls? Your choice. With the flick of my damn wrist, I could relieve you of them.” His Adam's apple bobs when his eyes dart down to my fingers wrapped around the handle of my knife. I swear all the blood rushes to his face, and he shakes his head.