by Kristy Marie
“I’m sure Aspen is just emotional from all of today’s activities,” says Anniston, cutting in and placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “Give her time to process everything.”
Theo looks like time is the last thing he wants to give his daughter. “Okay,” he returns, glancing over at my plate of untouched food. “But if I find out you caused her distress today, I’m going to take my aggression out on your father later.”
My father grins. “I almost hope that’s the case, Von Bremen.”
My chest tightens.
“I’ll check on her,” Vee says, standing. “She hasn’t slept in twenty-four hours, I’m sure she’s just tired.”
Theo points his fork at me. “I still can’t believe y’all went bungee jumping without me and Jameson.”
Fenn, who’s been nodding off this whole time, mumbles under his breath. “Please, old man, you’d probably have a heart attack mid-jump.”
Theo tosses a fry at Fenn. “Do not think this ‘old man’ won’t come across this table and whip your young ass.”
This meal is getting out of hand. Not that our family dinners aren’t usually like this. But this time, I’m using the chaos to my advantage.
“I need to check my sugar,” I lie, holding my hand out for the black pouch Mom stuck in her purse earlier.
“Here.” She hands it over. “You need any help?”
I shake her off and smile. “Nah. I got it.”
Having Type 1 diabetes kills my mother’s soul. She loves to bake and when I was diagnosed, she thought she had caused it. The doctor assured her the disease didn’t originate from sugar but from genetics or a virus. They didn’t know which.
Either way, my mom set out to learn as much as she could, making everyone reduce their sugar intake by eating sugar-free foods and desserts. A sugar-free lifestyle wasn’t terrible, but I missed her famous pies. Out of all of us, it killed Theo the most, but he participated, showing us kids we wouldn’t miss the sugar.
Though, one day, I caught him in the barn with three cookies. He made me promise not to tell, handing over a cookie as a bribe. As soon as I ate it, my blood sugar spiked. At the time, I had never given myself an injection. I had only recently been diagnosed, and at seventeen, I was still leery about jabbing a needle into my abdomen. My mom or Anniston had always been the one to give me the injections. Aspen was nineteen and home for the summer. And since I was no narc, I went to her for an injection, as she had gone to every doctor’s appointment with me.
And that’s how it started.
Me lying to Mom that I was fine going off to college, knowing how to manage my disease. It was the truth. I knew how to manage my diet and exercise, even checking my blood sugar. But the injections? I had Aspen for those.
I get up from the table, ignoring Fenn and Theo’s back-and-forth jabs, and make my way toward the back of the restaurant. The women’s restroom isn’t hard to find.
I rap on the door. “Vee? Asp?”
“We’re here,” calls Vee.
I push open the door and find both girls standing at the sink. Aspen spots the black bag in my hand and straightens, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “You need a shot?”
I shake my head. “No. I just wanted to check on you.”
She turns back to the mirror. “I’m fine, just tired.”
And lying. I can always tell when Aspen Von Bremen lies; she can never make eye contact. “I don’t believe you.”
My words snap her head up, her somber mood turning aggressive. “I don’t care what you believe, Bennett.” She strides forward and knocks into my shoulder. “Let’s go, Vee. See you at home, Bennett.”
If I thought consoling her was how this night would end, I was sadly mistaken. I grab her elbow and yank her to me. “You’re not leaving without telling me what’s wrong.”
She tries to snatch her arm back, but it goes nowhere.
“Let me go,” she grits.
“Not until you tell me what upset you.”
A slow, malicious smile tightens her lips. “I’ll tell the truth when you do.”
With that, she pulls from my grasp. “Come on, Vee. Let’s get out of here.”
Vee closes the door behind them, pausing only a second to mouth, “Sorry.”
Drew and Fenn are waiting with my car keys when I get back to the table. Our parents are still eating, laughing, and enjoying the meal, but Aspen and Vee are noticeably missing.
“What’d you do in there? Powder your nose?”
I tear my gaze away from Aspen’s empty chair and roll my eyes at Fenn. “I’m not in the mood,” I threaten.
“You’re never in the mood.” He shrugs. “Does that ever stop me?”
True.
“Say goodbye quickly.” He shoves me toward the table. “Drew and I are ready to go.”
Clearly.
“You leaving?” My mom says as I approach, standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Thank God,” Theo cuts in. “Take the two demons with you.”
My mother chuckles but then pulls my head down so she can whisper in my ear. “You can’t make everyone happy, Bennett. That’s not your responsibility.”
I don’t know if she means my brother and Fenn and their need for beer and tits or if she’s talking about my football career and the many opinions. Regardless, now is not the time to ask her.
I kiss her cheek. “I’m fine. I’ll see you later at the house.”
My stomach churns with the lie. I agreed to take part in this party scheme because I feel the need to go next door and adjust Aspen’s attitude. Also, another night with her in my arms would be a welcome distraction from the constant stress plaguing me.
“Okay,” my mom pulls back, looking me in the eye, “be safe and text me when you’re on the way.”
I nod. “I will.”
“I love you.”
Stepping back, I nod to my father before returning, “I love you too.”
“Fuck!”
I hurl the insulin syringe and watch it bounce off the mirror, landing somewhere on the floor where I don’t give a fuck to look.
“Ben?” My brother’s voice pitches. “You alright in there?”
I rake my hands through my hair and stare at the bastard reflecting back. Why isn’t she answering her phone? It’s her fault I can’t press a half-inch needle into my skin. “Bennett?”
Forgetting my nosy-ass brother waits outside, I shake off thoughts of Aspen and yell, “I’m fine.”
Drew’s quick to respond. “Doesn’t sound like you’re fine.”
The corner of my lip twitches. “Does it sound like I’m about to kick your ass?”
His snort of laughter makes me smile. “I’d like to see your big ass try. Quickness always beats out muscle.”
Did I mention my brother is a liar?
“Cover up, pretty boy, I’m coming in.”
I don’t bother trying to stop him. My family has serious issues with following rules.
Sighing, I drop my head just as my brother pushes through the door and does a quick sweep around the bathroom. He knows the issue. My guess is he’s trying to figure out how to approach the situation without sending me into a fit of fury while his guests are here.
“Want me to do it?” He nods to the black bag on the counter.
“No. I got it.” I lie.
Drew nods his head. “Aspen still ignoring you?”
I turn and level him with a flat look. “She’s asleep.”
He hops onto the counter. “Oh, good. I thought for sure the blonde winning cup pong with Fenn was her. I’m glad to know she’s tucked away in bed and not drunk in our living room.”
“What?” I bolt for the door. “Aspen’s here? When did she get here?”
Drew shrugs. “Probably when Sebastian shoved Vee into his car and drove off, leaving Aspen alone on the sidewalk.”
Vee is Drew’s problem. I can only handle one woman at a time. “I hope you’re handling that.” I tell
him, heading through my bedroom and out into the hall.
He follows behind me. “I’m tracking her phone. They’re at some taco truck.”
I nod. “Is she coming with us in the morning?”
“Nah. She’s meeting Oliver at the airport. They’re coming later.”
Oliver is Vee’s older brother. “Good. That’s one less person I’ll have to rehydrate in the morning.”
My brother barks out a laugh. “I think you have more to worry about than our morning hangovers.”
In the middle of our living room, my eyes zero in on the girl with the honey-colored hair tied up in a knot, her head thrown back, chugging a beer.
“Chug, chug, chug, chug.”
The chanting amplifies my fury with each clap.
“Do not act crazy.” Drew narrows his eyes in warning. “I have friends here.”
Ignoring him, I march up to Aspen, wrench the cup from her hand and shove it into Fenn’s chest.
“BJ!” she yells. “Have a drink with me.”
She’s drunk alright. “Let’s get you some water,” I offer. Drew asked me not to act crazy. I’m trying, even though I’d like nothing less than to yank her to my room and lock the door.
“I don’t want any water,” she tells me, dragging her nail against my cheek.
And it’s time to go.
“Too bad.” Without another word, I scoop her up wedding style and carry her down the hall.
Immediately she kicks her legs. “Put me down!” I tighten my hold.
“The more you struggle, the tighter I hold you,” I warn.
She laughs. “You act like that’s a bad thing.” She yanks up my shirt and I’m helpless to stop her. “Aspen.” I groan when she slips her hand under the fabric.
“You’re so hard.” A lazy grin forms as she pinches my nipple, swirling her finger around the sensitive skin until my eyes pinch shut. “I wonder if you’re hard everywhere?”
I don’t give her time to find out. I bolt for the bathroom, kicking the door closed, depositing her into the tub, and turning on the water. I can promise the water isn’t warm.
“Ah! What the fuck, Bennett?” She flails about. “What’s your problem?”
I turn off the water, and she glares, lying back against the porcelain. “My problem is that instead of talking to me, you’re out there getting drunk.”
I squat down and lean over the tub, brushing wet hair off her face.
She scoffs. “Talking to you is pointless when all you do is lie.”
This again. “What have I lied about?”
She reaches up and hides her face. “Just go away.”
I sit down on the floor, clarifying that I’m not going away. “What have I lied about?”
She stretches her fingers apart and opens one eye. “The transfer.”
Sighing, I settle in. “I didn’t lie to you about transferring schools.”
Her voice sounds small and pouty. “You lied to Drew, and that made him lie to Vee, which made her lie to me.”
I laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
“This is all your fault, Bennett.” She closes her eyes again.
“How is this my fault?”
Her chin quivers. “It’s your fault I feel this way.”
Every part of me wants to comfort her, but I don’t. Seeing my father tonight solidified that what I’m doing is the right thing. It may hurt now, but it would be much worse if we stopped following the rules.
“Aspen.” I am sorry. God, I wish I could take it back.
“Don’t.” She pushes my hand away. When did I reach for her?
“Don’t what?” I can barely get the words out.
“Don’t give me hope and take it away.” A lone tear drifts down her cheek. “I can handle the rules. I can handle the moods, but the hope…” She gazes up at me, her eyes pleading. “Don’t give me hope.”
I nod slowly and stand. “I’ll get you some clothes.”
“No.” She pushes up. “I’m not staying.”
I stop. “You’re drunk.”
She scoffs, getting to her feet, her wet clothes dripping. “And I live next door. I’ll be fine.”
Exhaling, I run my hands through my hair. “Don’t do this, Aspen.”
She steps out onto the mat, grabbing my towel from the rack. Wrapping the cloth around her body, she steps into me. “It’s better this way.”
“I disagree.”
She stands on her toes and kisses my cheek. “Text me when you’re ready to leave tomorrow.”
Nothing but panic courses through my veins. I can’t let her leave. I know I said dinner solidified my resolve for keeping us friends, but now—“Let me make you some coffee before you go?”
She pushes past me. “Goodnight Bennett.”
No tit squeezes
Aspen
Pushing through the crowd, I’m suddenly pulled to a stop. “You leaving already?”
I look into the same ivy green eyes as Bennett’s. But unlike his twin’s, Drew’s eyes seem brighter with that big, goofy grin on his face.
“Yeah,” I say, dropping his gaze. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t ask why I’m wet.
“In that case,” he says, dropping my wrist and snagging a hoodie off the chair, “I’ll walk you home.”
“That’s okay,” I argue. “You should stay and enjoy the party.”
Like all the Jamesons in my life, he ignores me and shoves the hoodie over my head. “Nah. I need to check on Vee, anyway.”
I cock my head to the side. “I think she’s probably safe in Sebastian’s arms.” Literally. Checking on Vee might leave an unwanted image in Drew’s mind.
“In that case—” He stops, pushing my arms into the sleeves. “—let me grab a bat.”
I hook his elbow before he can dart off. “Come on, walk me home.” I owe Vee some uninterrupted time with Sebastian. On the way home from dinner, she told me he wasn’t coming back to the foundation with her. He is visiting his parents. But unlike me and the boys, Vee isn’t staying the whole summer. After the carnival, she’ll be back here, cuddling with Sebastian.
If I didn’t love Vee like a sister, I would be jealous that she doesn’t have to follow a set of rules in order to be with Sebastian. They are just a normal couple. Well, not normal. Both of them are crazy as hell, I just mean they have a normal—never mind. We’re all fucked up.
Drew ushers me to the door, giving high-fives and taking a shot of tequila along the way. “Sure you want to leave?” I ask him when we finally get outside. “I can literally see my door from here. I’ll be fine walking the rest of the way alone.”
He scoffs. “Please. And have Bennett gouge me in the eye when he learns I let you walk alone in the dark?”
I roll my eyes. “He won’t gouge your eye out.” He might punch him, but he won’t go for the eyes.
“You don’t know my brother like I do,” he argues.
I turn around, arching my brows. “Really?” I point to my chest. “I don’t know your brother?” He must be drunk.
“Okay.” He waves his hand between us. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just saying you don’t know my brother like I do when it comes to you.”
I scoff. “I know he’s unreasonable.”
Drew grins; it’s boyish, and just like his brother’s. Although, those smiles are rare for Bennett. “True. With you, there’s no negotiating with him.”
Ain’t that the truth?
“Speaking of Bennett…” Drews says. “Did you give him his shot?”
The question stops me cold. “Bennett needed a shot?”
Drew nods. “Yeah. Looked like he was struggling to give it to himself.” He shrugs. “I offered, but he told me no.”
That man. “I’m going to kick his ass.” Blood pumps through my veins, heating my cheeks and fueling my fury.
Turning around, I head back to the party, barging through the front door and leaving Drew behind. “Don’t get blood on my hoodie,” he shouts when I’m down the hall.<
br />
I don’t acknowledge his comment. There’s no point; I can’t promise there won’t be bloodshed. This behavior from Bennett deserves a smack, at minimum. Slamming the door to Bennett’s bedroom, I take a deep breath, noting most of the party noise is muted. This diva… Did he soundproof his room?
I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that his stubbornness is going to kill him. With a quick look around, I notice his bed is empty and the bathroom light is on. I give no shits about his privacy and barge in without knocking.
Low and behold, I find the pain in my ass standing in front of the mirror with his shirt pulled up, a needle gripped in his hand.
Without a word, I hop up onto the counter. He stands there, just watching me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His jaw clenches. “You didn’t give me the chance.”
I snatch the syringe from his hand. “Bullshit. You could have told me you needed a shot.”
He snatches the medicine back. “Maybe it’s better this way.”
I fight off a smile. “Are you mocking me?”
His lip twitches. “I would never,” he lies.
“Yeah, you’re such a saint.” I nod to his stomach. “Want me to walk you through this?”
He rolls his eyes. “I know how to give myself an injection.”
“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Then show me. You need to learn anyway since I won’t be around next semester.”
That stone jaw of his pulses with tension, and it splinters my heart. Tough love is hard to do, especially when I’ve seen how hard it is for him to tolerate needles. He was always the worst at flu shots. Whereas Drew and I could be bribed with gum and candy, Bennett would break out in cold sweats. His hands would tremble, but I would always hold them so no one saw. It was our little secret.
I slide closer, lifting one leg and locking my ankles around his back, pulling him to me. “Did you clean the site already?”
He nods, looking down at his abdomen, all defined hills of solid muscle.
“Pinch the area,” I instruct him softly, replacing his hand with mine and holding up his shirt.
