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And as I look at the little gray house, which holds two bedroo the front and a s room and even cozier kitchen, my heads feels like it's about to split open I know that's not fro to do with the fact that soht here without any word to ht, and I' within me

My plane to Pittsburgh leaves in a little less than seven hours, but I have a four-and-a-half-hour drive to Halifax I'o--made sure of that yesterday before the party--but I have to ht with Vale, and that doesn't leave s are in the car and Oliver is prepared to take irl will put things right again and she'll be the one seeinglook, I sloalk up the immaculate sidewalk that Vale faithfully plants with flowers every su her mom used to do before she died, and it was a tradition she took seriously

Dave's not home, and I know this because her father is the athletic trainer for the Oilers At this ti on players before conditioning training, which I'over ason Oliver's floor thiswere my former teammates

I knock on the door, hear the padding of footsteps, and when it opens, I' at Avery She's Oliver's fraternal twin sister and they look a lot alike, with auburn hair and dark brown eyes You would think that withVale's friend we in turn would be friends

Not the case

Avery and I don't like each other very much and I'm not sure why We know each other well because when I first came to live in Sydney, Oliver and Avery's parents fostered ether for two years and never warmed up to each other I find her abrasive and too princesslike for my tastes She's told me on more than one occasion, usually when she's drunk and uninhibited, that I'otistical bastard

Still, we try to maintain a polite existence e are in the presence of Oliver and Vale Neither appears to be around right now, so I cut right to the chase as I take a step toward the entryway "Where is she?"

Avery sidesteps, puts herself in my path, and sneers at me with malice "As if you even care"

"Spareto act as if I have nothing to be ashamed of, when in fact I'ht "Why did she stay here rather than at our apartment?"

I expect Avery to light into me, call me a creep, an asshole, or some other equally "princesslike" curse she can co ithin her eyes She gives ht almost believe is a look of sympathy, but I quickly shake that off Avery can't stand htest over anything that could come between me and Vale

Instead, she sort of lowers her head in resignation and backs away from the door so I can come in

Vale's bedrooht, and I see the door is closed Dave's bedroo ere sixteen, I couldn't have ever dreaht

I give Avery a long look before turning to Vale's door I square etic look, and enter

I as dread truly wasn't that I know this because now I' sits low in my stomach as I see Vale in her bed under the covers The blinds are closed, curtains drawn shut, so the roo hour I have her back, her sundy quilt pulled up to her chin

She looks lost, pathetic, and utterly alone A sharp stab of pain hits me square in my breastbone

"Vale," I say quietly, and her body gives a slight jerk, but she doesn't respond in any way

"Baby," I say as I take a tentative step toward her I'ht, without a single recollection of it And yet that doesn't seeht because no matter how drunk I may have been, no matter how out of control, I know deep into hurt Vale

Never

I sit down gingerly on the edge of her mattress and lay an unsteady hand on her shoulder "Valeare you okay?"

I want to grab her and pull her onto my lap I want to wrap h I don't knohy I'd be offering it I want her to cling toto fuck all of this up

Still, she doesn't answeras a very thick and icy wall of tension between us

"Vale," I say, ot to talk to me, honey Are you too sick to take me to the airport today? Because if so, Oliver can do it I'd want you to stay in bed and get better, but I', babe We have to talk Need to knohy you're pissed off at--"

"Hawke," she says quietly, cutting me off

I freeze, peer at her through the gloom, and she turns that beautiful facein a completely unconventional way She's always been a bit of a rule breaker when it comes to fashion and nor her at school after I'd moved here, I was stunned that one side of her head was shaved, while the other side held a long, thick fall of raven-black hair Those crystal-green eyes sparkled, but they did have coh an eyebrow, a Medusa stud piercing just above her upper lip, and one ring through her right nostril She also has one through her tongue, a solid barbell that has slid across ue and even my dick on hundreds of occasions

Her black hair is noorn in long, choppy layers, but she still sports all of her faci

al s, and her body holds a variety of tattoos she's had done over the past two years While Dave is an easygoing and laid-back type of dad who had no probleet a tattoo until she turned eighteen That was too perree to for a minor

So on her eighteenth birthday, I picked her up at Dave's house and took her straight to a tattoo parlor He just shook his head with a knowing shter would be on that day

With me At a tattoo parlor

He sure as shit wouldn't have wanted to know that we ended the night with her in inity

"Hawke," she says againquietly, and I'm displaced from my memories Her hair is lank, her skin pale Dark circles under her eyes tell ht

I reach a hand out to touch her face but she shrinks away frorows tenfold

"I don't want to see you any, I's now"

"Did I do so to her shoulders I need to hold on to herdesperately "Please tell me, I don't remember shit"

She shakes her head and pushes up in the bed Her hands come out froainst the headboard

"What the fuck, Vale? Why did you stay here last night?"

She looks at me with dead eyes and says, "It doesn't matter"

"It does fuckingto leave the party androom floor Nohat the fuck happened in between?"

If it's possible, Vale's eyes look evenbreath Just as I think she's getting ready to enlighten me, her door opens and Oliver sticks his head in "Dude, you have got to hit the road As it is, you're going to be lucky to ht"