❝Are you done acting like you care?❞
Tristan's jaw clenches so hard that for a second I'm actually afraid his teeth will disintegrate. ❝I'll ask one more time. Where. Were. You. Last. Night.❞
I lift my chin, wishing the raw command in his voice didn...
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I close Gen's front door behind us and take in her house for the first time ever. It was beautifully decorated; not the ridiculous modern and minimal stuff Dad was obsessed with, but it was homey, colorful and every square inch was covered with life.
One wall was completely filled with pictures and portraits of all the smiling and laughing members of the Mason family. I blow out a breath, wishing the ache in my chest would go away. Our house didn't have a single picture up on the walls. In fact, the only pictures we have are stashed away in Dad's office. I only came across them because I was digging around in his drawers for a red Sharpie.
And those were just pictures of him and my mother before I came along and screwed up everything.
"Hi, Isaac! Tell Mom I'm home, we're heading on up to my room."
I glance around to see who my new and amazing friend was talking to and my eyes land on a tall, lanky boy with chocolate colored curls and eyes that seemed more gold than anything else. He was sprawled across a sofa facing the big television that blared the shouts and cheers from what looked like a wrestling match. All of it only registered as background noise though, because for some reason, I could only focus on him.
He assesses me, tilting his head to the side, and looking so much like a puppy with the head tilt and head full of curls and big bright eyes, that I wanted to smile. I stifled it though, and kept a poker face while staring right back at him. One thing I picked up from my father was to never be friendly to strangers because you never knew what their intentions were, so making yourself vulnerable was dangerous. At least, that's how it worked in the business world, and I didn't have billions of dollars or any clients to lose so just this once, I allowed a side of my mouth to lift.
"Hey, Gen. Who's your friend?"
Gen beams at the question and throws an arm around my shoulders, "This is my new and awesome friend. She totally gets me, like, she's not annoying like the rest of the girls in sixth grade and she just moved from New York!"
My cheeks warm not only from the praise but also from the crooked grin the curly-haired boy flashes me. "Hi, I'm Isaac. Gen's older, wiser and way cooler brother."
Cute and witty—not the average hideously pubescent and annoying middle school boy and I liked it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Juniper."
He does the adorable head tilt thing again, "Like the planet?"
Gen rolls her eyes, "Older, wiser and cooler— puh-leeze. Juniper isn't a planet, stupid."
I can't help my grin this time, "The planet is called Jupiter. My name is Juniper."
"Oh." He rubs the back of his neck, and my smile widens at the red that rises to his cheeks. In an effort to save him from embarrassment, I say, "Don't worry. A lot of people make that mistake. I've gotten way too many planet themed gifts over the years."
