Page 11 of Sticks and Stones (Shadow Valley U)
She appears in the doorway and stops. Her face goes pale, and horror fills her eyes.
“What is he doing here?” she hisses at her pseudo-brother.
I take a seat on the bed, very deliberately ignoring the shit she has strewn across it. I can’t stop staring at her. At how different she seems. There are circles under her eyes, sure, but that comes with every college experience. Lack of sleep and whatever. But she’s no longer the skinny little kid with insomnia. She’s…well… She’s something else.
And as I wage an internal war about whether I like what I see, her nose wrinkles. Likesheis disappointed in what she sees inme.
But you know what?
I’d rather use that to my advantage.
I lean back and smile at her. “I’m moving in, Sticks. Welcome to Hell.”
CHAPTER5
WREN
Welcome to Hell.
Looking at Stone Foster in my new bedroom is exactly what I would imagine if I were to be face to face with the devil himself. A handsome, smug, cocky,evilmonster. The hate in his blue eyes is fleeting and quickly replaced with a vengeance that I feel down to my bones.
“No,” I whisper, beginning to shake my head.
It is just like old times—being in a room with Evan and Stone, feeling like the odd one out. Evan always included me, being the best foster brother there was, but Stone always shut me out, irritating me, hating me, picking on me.
But we aren’t teens any longer.
We are adults, and Stone is obviously out for revenge. I smelled it the moment I stepped in the house. Call it a sixth sense, or maybe I am just used to constantly having to watch my back. I’ve been on edge since the moment I planted the drugs on his truck. Only, the other people out for revenge are even worse than Stone. Maybe that’s why I’m not shaking in my shoes, staring at him from across the room.
“I’m leaving,” I say. I send a quick glance to Evan who is clearly panicking.
“No, you’re n—”
“Thank fuck. See ya, Sticks.” Stone leans farther back on the bed, and his arrogant, proud smile is all I see.
“Stone,” Evan warns. He steps in between us.
I’m near the door, ready to dart, until I look past Evan’s shoulder and latch onto Stone’s glare. It’s full of disdain, and I can’t even blame him. AndGod, why does he looksogood? Blue eyes the color of the sky surrounded by thick, dark eyelashes. A heavy brow line that makes him look dangerous—which is completely accurate—and even though he’s smiling at me like the prick he is, his smile is absolutely perfect. The angles on his jawline should be illegal, and there’s a messed-up part of me that wants to know how sharp they feel beneath my palm.
“What?” Stone pulls his steely gaze away from me and puts it on his best friend. “I had dibs on the room first, right? She should be the one to leave.”
Irritation flies down my spine at his need to push me out. I’ve been pushed around all my life, and I’ve grown a little more of a backbone over the last two years.
“I was here first. Finders keepers, losers weepers.”
Stone glares, and I can’t believe that was the first thing I’ve said directly to him in two years.
“No one is leaving! You both need to grow up. This little hatred game you two have been playing is done.”
“The fuck it is.” Stone stands, and if we weren’t separated by Evan, he’d be towering over me like a nightmare.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. Stone doesn’t understand why I did what I did, but truly, it was a life-or-death situation for me. Ihadto get out of Maysville, and my full ride to Shadow Valley was the only way I was going to do that.
“She’s just using you.” Stone’s cold accusation parts my lips, and a rushed gasp flies out.
“What?” I cross my arms and stand tall. “That isn’t true.”
Evan throws his hands up and walks toward the door, bypassing me and my tantrum. He’s disappointed, and I instantly feel bad.