My Fault (Culpable) by Mercedes Ron

Author:Mercedes Ron [Ron, Mercedes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781728290751
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2023-06-05T18:30:00+00:00

* * *

There was a long line to get into the restaurant. Luckily it was nothing fancy, so I fit right in, unlike Anna in her heels and tiny dress. “Mario, you’ll be my date tonight,” I said. “I wasn’t in the mood to play third wheel anyway.” Mario seemed pleased and threw an arm over my shoulders, pulling me in close.

“Excellent!” he said and walked over to the host stand. I turned my back on Nicholas. He looked incensed.

A few minutes later, we were seated at a round table in a side room away from all the racket. I guessed the names Nicholas Leister and Jenna Tavish meant something there.

I sat between Mario and Jenna. Since Lion was next to Jenna and Anna next to Mario, that meant Nicholas was right across from me. After everyone ordered their drinks, we sat there in uncomfortable silence. With Nicholas trying to play the tough guy, it was all I could do not to tell him to fuck off. Thankfully, Jenna finally piped up.

“You know what, Anna?” Jenna grinned at me, clearly aware of Anna’s irritation as she glanced all around, trying to figure out what was going on. “Noah’s going to go to St. Marie’s. You should introduce her to Cassie, since we’ll probably all be in the same homeroom.” Ever since Jenna found out we’d be going to the same school, it was all she could talk about.

“Who’s Cassie?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going even though Anna clearly wasn’t in the mood for it.

She looked up from her cell phone with a glimmer in her dark eyes. I felt intimidated. What was she cooking up in that dumb head of hers?

“She’s my little sister,” she said, glancing over at Nick. When she caught his eye, he leaned over the table and took her hand.

“Little?” I asked, dubious. “How old are you?”

With a look of superiority, she replied, “Twenty. And in a year, I’ll be done with college.” So she thought she was better than me.

“I’d have never guessed,” I responded, provoking her indignation. Nick shook his head vigorously while Jenna tittered.

“Tell me something, Noah, where’d you learn to drive so well?” Mario asked, changing the subject. I knew that subject would irk Nick, reminding him of how he’d lost his car.

“Nowhere. It was just good luck that I won the race,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. Then I dug into the chips and salsa and nervously started chewing. I didn’t want to get into it. Let’s say some things are better left dead and buried.

“Get out! It was amazing!” Jenna said. “It had been forever since anyone beat Ronnie, and you left him in the dust, even Nick…” She realized where she was going and seemed to decide to trail off.

“You actually want us to think you just happened to win?” Anna asked with false friendliness.

Nick leaned both forearms on the table and pinned me with his blue eyes.

“Spit it out. How’d you learn to race like that?”

The question was so direct that only the pure and simple truth would do.

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