“Kind of,” she answers, not elaborating.
“That a good or bad kind of?”
“I had this big plan to march into school and talk to my sister and then you were there and I kissed you and then we, you know, and you stole all my sass and now I don’t think I can do what I planned to do,” she garbles, talking so quickly I can barely keep up.
“I gotta be honest, I’m not sorry about the kissing and fucking.”
She laughs lightly, shaking her head as she stares out the windscreen.
“What did you plan to do?” I ask, wanting to keep her talking.
“Something that seemed like a good idea last night when I was full of bravado, getting my hair bleached, drinking martini’s, and eating ice-cream, but it all feels a bit stupid now.”
“Tell me, I’m sure it’s not stupid,” I coax, sliding my hand onto her leg and squeezing.
“I was going to apologize and then I was going to ask for help,” she says quietly.
“Baby, that doesn’t sound stupid at all.”
“It will when I tell you what I wanted help with.”
My chest tightens and worry builds inside of me, what the hell could she need help with. If it’s leaving, she can forget it, I’m not letting her go anywhere. Fuck I hope it’s not with classes, Tally would probably say yes but Arlo would lose his mind. We’ll be at the marina in a matter of minutes but I can’t wait that long. “What did you need help with?”
For the first time since we got in the car she turns and looks at me, her face so beautiful, the new hair and makeup, combined with the post sex rumpled look only making her more stunning. “Revenge.”
24
Carrigan
I can tell I’ve shocked him. I’ve shocked myself that I actually said it, that I’m verbalizing all the garbled angry thoughts that have been swirling around inside of me for the last two days.
His attention turns back to the road for a moment, before he looks at me again, his lips parted as if he’s going to speak. The entrance to the marina forces his attention back to the road as he pulls onto to the lot and parks in his usual space.
Arlo’s huge SUV pulls up at our side and our moment to talk privately is lost in a flurry of doors opening and us moving as a group toward his boat. Without thought, I enter the galley and move to the huge armchair, kicking off my shoes and curling into the chair as if the huge overstuffed thing can protect me from this stupid meeting that I called.
My plan this morning was to be a total badass, demand a meeting, then run off to have a meltdown that I demanded a meeting. Only of course that didn’t happen and instead Carson was there and all my badass melted into a puddle of want and lust and need for him. Now I’m here in the meeting I asked for, feeling like a fool and wishing I could leave but knowing that I can’t, especially not now I jumped into Carson’s arms and basically told the whole world I was sleeping with him.
After a few minutes I realize that the room is silent and when I look up, all eyes are on me. I catch Carson’s eye and he must see that I’m struggling because he marches across the room, picks me up out the chair and sits back down with me in his lap.
“Carrigan and I fucked to break the will,” he announces, as calmly as if he just asked what the time was.
“Carson,” I gasp, shocked that he just announced it, just like that.
Olly’s hyena laugh is loud and so compelling that even though I’m horrified, I can’t help but want to smile until Tally reaches over and slaps him to make him shut up.
Turning, I glare at Carson, but he just shrugs at me completely unapologetic.
“I like her, she likes me, we’re together. Anyone got a problem with that?” he asks boldly, looking between his friends and waiting for them to say something.
Glancing at my sister I find her face buried in her hands, but I can still see the pink embarrassed tinge to her skin. I don’t know if she’s embarrassed that we fucked, or that he just blurted it out, but either way I open my mouth to speak.
“But she’s a bitch, she’s the enemy,” Watsons says.
The need to defend myself surges forward and I move to stand, but Carson’s arm bands around my waist stopping me.
“The only people she did any wrong to in this room are Tally and Arlo. But she put that right, she broke the will, fucking herself over in the process,” Carson argues.
“Look,” I say interrupting him. “I am a bitch, I don’t deny that. I’ve definitely done unforgivable, evil things, but I’m trying to change. What happened to Tallulah made me really see what we were doing.”
“Stop,” my sister shouts. “Carrigan you don’t have to explain yourself to him. You saved me, you saved both of us and as far as I’m concerned we’re good, you’re my twin,” she implores.
Ignoring everyone else, I focus on my sister. “I’m so sorry. I don’t think I’ve actually told you how sorry I am. I was so jealous of you our entire lives and then the will happened and they were interested in me, I was important,” I tell her, tears filling my eyes. “I really wanted to be important to them. I’m not trying to excuse everything I’ve done, but I went from being invisible, to being special. To Mom and Dad lavishing all this attention on me and the more compliant I was, the more I did as they said, the more attentive they were. I knew it was wrong but it wasn’t till that day, when they attacked you, that
