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53 || Walk of shame
The walk of shame to Calum’s car is the longest walk of my life. I get in the front seat, fasten my seatbelt and we spend the next second glaring at each other because he hasn’t buckled up.
Clenching the steering so hard his knuckles are white, he mutters, “You make things so hard for everyone.” Of course I do. It’s always my fault. My breath fogs the window, I wipe the moisture and draw a broken heart on the surface. “Practice is at four. Be on time.”
I tug on the hem of Jackson’s jersey but he doesn’t get the hint. “There’s a game today.” My eyes fall to his chest. No seatbelt. This is plain wickedness. My mouth opens but I can’t find the words to reprimand Calum, neither do I have the strength or will to walk to school. Lowering my gaze to my jeans, I poke the cuts on the knee area. “By four.”
“The game doesn’t affect practice.”
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Red. It’s the colour of lipstick on Calum’s shirt when I open the door for him. I wouldn’t have if Dad didn’t request me to. We were about to finish dinner when the bell rang. I step back for my stepbrother to enter inside and he grins. “Did you have fun at the game?” Calum asks. As carefree as he looks, asking me that without a hint of malice in his voice, something hot swells in my chest.My tone is chilly and robotic. “So much fun.” Calum clicks his tongue, obviously annoyed by my answer but I don’t care to take back my words. A lot of questions invade my mind. Did they kiss? They must have. Did he sing for her? That’s our thing. I follow behind him, making faces at his back. He joins us at the dining table and Dani pulls out a small plate for him. I can’t help stealing glances at him. How could he miss it? Why is no one talking about his shirt, even Dad? “How was your date?” his mum asks.Dani finishes up her meal and cradles her glass of orange juice. I stab my chicken,
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