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"Fuck you Leave irlfriend" I jerk out of Adele’s hold and push past her, hurrying into the house I need to find Fable I need confiruy while she’s here with hts to her But the least she can do is take calls frouys out of earshot of anyone IAdele way too ht really be with another guy on the side while she spends ti and jealousy eating atinto a co Dad when he callsAdele when she finally bursts into the house and ain I can’t find Fable anywhere inside, and when I finally do spot her standing in the front yard puffing away on a cigarette I instantly see red

Instant, I want to kick so the front door, I stalk outside, heading straight for her Our gazes clash and I see the fear, the wariness, the… on her cigarette, blowing the smoke directly in my face when I stop in front of her and I’m furious With her With Adele Withwith this girl who clearly doesn’t give a shit aboutto hold back

She purses her lips, the cigarette dangling fro to your stepmom, I see"

"Tellon"

"How is it any of your business?" She flicks the cigarette onto the grass and grinds the heel of her boot to put it out, digging a hole into shit a brick when he sees that

"I’ve paid you a fk ton of irlfriend this week I think that rab her arreen eyes I want to see if she’s lying tobut a bunch of less bullshit for her

That hurts More than I care to admit

"So we’re back to that, huh? All those sords and yesterday’s roet you off Noe’re at square one and the paid girlfriend bit"

She’s uy?"

"Only if you tell me how your sister died," she throws back at o of her, back up a few steps Fuck I hadn’t counted on that Figured I still had a little bit of ti to tell," I uilt that has a death squeeze on et to mention you have a dead three year old sister who died here alo to the day I mean, no wonder you don’t want to come back to this place, Dreouldn’t want to either I’m sure your house is chock full of horrendous ht" She’s distractingto discuss uy, Fable?"

She shakes her head "No one"

"Who’s The Guy?" I bite each word out, so freaking tired of her bullshit

"What? Are you jealous?"

"Fuck yes, I a out "After everything we’ve shared, especially after yesterday, you have the nerve to ask if I’ame to me, Fable This is my life And I want you to be a part of it But if you’d rather fk around with other guys, then I can’t deal with that I want you and you only I’ed by the time I’m finished with my speech and I can’t believe what I just said to her She’s staring at me like I’m crazy and maybe I am, but I can’t hold back with her For whatever reason, she , the good and the bad

"Me and you, we’re pretending," she whispers There are tears in her eyes and one slips down her cheek I want to stop it with my thumb, I want to kiss the tear away, but I don’t I can’t, not after what she’s said "This isn’t real You’re getting caught up in nothing"

"That’s not true," I start but she shuts ainst my mouth for the briefest moment before she drops her hand

"It is You don’t want me, not really I’m not who you think I am And you’re definitely not who I think you are There are so many secrets and problems between us, I think our life would be one fked up ether And that’s never going to happen, you know this"

I can’t say anything I know she’s right, noon nothing right now Andfor it

"Twoon her lower lip "Unless you wantplanned, about the anniversary of your sister’s death And clearly I’m not invited"

"I don’t want you to leave," I say automatically "Two more days, I need that from you"

"Fine" She nods once, her lips thin, her eyes i more, I can tell, but Adele throws open the front door, announcing, "Dinner’s ready!" all cheery-like and it’s such bullshit I throw her a hard stare overa slao in," Fable says, wrapping her arms around herself as she starts for the front door

I follow her, only realizing later I never found out if there really was another guy or not

~ Chapter Eleven ~

Day 6 (Black Friday), 8:00 am

What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us – Ralph Waldo E dinner was a disaster, not that I expected it to be anything less Dad invited a few business associates, and while they talked Wall Street and the state of the economy at one end of the table, ere pretty much silent at the other end Fable sat across from me, stubbornly quiet as she picked at her plate full of catered food

Adele doesn’t cook and she sure as hell wasn’t going to prepare a Thanksgiving meal I don’t know if I’ve ever had a home cooked turkey since the last tirandparents in New York, and that was years ago