Spark

She shook her head. “In the mornings. If I cut through the woods, I can walk to the farm in ten minutes.”

They had to be at school by seven forty-five. “You must get up early.”

She shrugged. “I like being the first one up. I can forget everyone else exists, and it’s just me and the elements.”

Gabriel smiled. “I know what you mean.”

She gave him a wry glance. “Please. I bet your alarm goes off at seven-forty.”

“You’d lose that bet.” He looked at the horses again, touching the next one in the row. It wasn’t his first time in a girl’s bedroom, but usually, the only talking they did was to shut him up before a parent heard. Here, alone with Layne, simply talking suddenly felt more intimate than anything he’d ever done with any random girl.

“I wouldn’t figure you for a morning person,” she said.

He brought his eyes back to hers. “I usually go for a run before the sun comes up.”

He liked running in the dark, before sunrise, when the sun couldn’t feed him energy. That always felt like cheating. It was one of the few things he did without Nick.

She tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. He wanted to reach out and undo the elastic at the end of her braid, to let her hair come loose, to see what she looked like when she wasn’t hiding behind this wall of I don’t care.

Layne was looking at him expectantly.

Crap. She’d said something.

This was ridiculous. He cleared his throat. “What?”

Her cheeks sparked with pink. “I . . . ah . . . asked if you wanted to go back to the kitchen to work on the trig stuff.”

He really wanted to stay right here and figure her out.

But this wasn’t why she’d asked him in. She wasn’t flirting with him. She hadn’t even asked him up here he’d asked for the tour and had practically strong-armed his way into her bedroom.

He was being an idiot, standing here thinking about her hair.

Gabriel stepped back. “Sure. Whatever.”

The air in the hallway felt cooler, fed by the new distance between them. It reminded him of Nick.

He didn’t like that.

Gabriel touched her arm. “Hey.” He paused. “Thanks. For trying to help.”

She looked up at him, her eyes shadowed in the darkened hallway. “Thanks for helping Simon.”

He could hear her breath, as quick as his own.

Then he could hear a key in the front door.

He instinctively jerked back not like he’d been doing anything.

Layne’s eyes went wide. “Crap. It’s my dad. Come on.” She grabbed Gabriel’s hand and tugged.

He jogged down the steps behind her, but there was no way they’d make it to the kitchen before her dad came through the door.

“Layne,” he said. “Christ, just relax. We weren’t ”

“You don’t understand.” The door started to open and she stopped short, turning, like maybe they should run back upstairs.

God, it was like being dragged by a panicked bird. Gabriel almost ran into her. One hand caught the banister, and he grabbed Layne around the waist to keep from knocking her down the stairs.

And that’s exactly how her father found them.

If Layne hadn’t told Gabriel that her dad was a lawyer, he would have guessed. The guy could have played one on television, what with the long camel coat over a black suit, the dark hair threaded with gray, the calculating eyes and angled jawline.

Eyes that narrowed on seeing them.

Gabriel let go of Layne and straightened. Nick was way better at doing the parent thing, and this guy didn’t look like the kind of dad to ignore their predicament, crack open a beer, and ask how Gabriel felt about the Ravens’ defensive line.

Layne’s face was bright red. “Dad. Look. It’s not ”

“Not what I think?” Her dad had a handful of mail that he tossed on the hall table. Those eyes leveled on Gabriel. “I certainly hope not.”

Gabriel stared back at him. “We were studying.”

“Studying. Really.” Mr. Forrest glanced around. “Here on the staircase? And where are your books?”

“Don’t talk,” whispered Layne.

“In the kitchen,” said Gabriel. With his keys. The only thing keeping him trapped here was twenty feet of white carpeting, blocked by her father.

“Yet you were upstairs.” Her father still hadn’t broken eye contact. “Taking the tour, I assume?”

Gabriel smiled, though it wasn’t really funny. “Actually, yeah.”

“Shut up,” hissed Layne.

Her dad’s eyes narrowed. “How old are you?”

Gabriel already didn’t like this guy. He gritted his teeth and wondered if he could shove past him. “Seventeen.”

“Do you know what the age of consent is?”

“Dad! Oh my god.” Layne took a step forward. Her face was even redder. “We weren’t doing anything!”

“I asked you a question, son.”

“I’m not your son.” Now Gabriel just wanted to shove him, period. He stepped into the foyer, feeling his shoulders tighten.

“And I didn’t know there was an age of consent for standing in a hallway.”

“Don’t get smart with me, kid.”

“Stop it,” said Layne, putting her hands up like they were going to take a swing at each other. “Look, it’s a misunderstanding ”

“Layne.” Mr. Forrest didn’t even glance at her. “Get his things.

Right now.”

“I can get my things,” said Gabriel.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

Layne was caught between them, flustered. She was nearly wringing her hands. “Dad, it’s not ”

His eyes cut right. “Now, Layne.”

She swallowed and slinked past him into the living room.

“Don’t forget my box of condoms,” called Gabriel.

Now her dad looked like he wished he had a shotgun. “If I find out you laid a hand on my daughter ”

“What?” said Gabriel. “You’ll stand here and bitch about it?”

“Stop it!” cried Layne, dragging his coat and backpack from the kitchen.

Her dad took a step forward. “I’ll have you arrested and charged with trespassing and statutory rape.”

“Then I’m going to need another fifteen minutes.”

“Shut up.” Layne flung the coat at his chest, then barely gave him time to grab it before she shoved the backpack at him. Her eyes were red. Was she ready to cry?

He felt something inside his chest loosen. “Layne ”

“Get out of my house,” said Mr. Forrest. His words could cut ice.

Gabriel didn’t move. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Layne. “Hey, I’m ”

“Go.” She wasn’t looking at him. “Just go.”

Her dad opened the door. “Now.”

Gabriel dug his keys out of his backpack and pushed past him.

But on the front walk he stopped and turned.

Before he could say a word, her father slammed the door and locked it shut, leaving Gabriel out in the cold.

CHAPTER 10

For the first time, Gabriel was glad Nick would be out with Quinn. Chris would probably be out with Becca, Michael would be working, and Gabriel could just hole up in his room, blast loud music, and set his math book on fire.

But Hunter’s jeep was in the driveway, along with a little four-door sedan he didn’t recognize.

And when Gabriel opened the front door, he was hit with the smell of a home-cooked meal. And the animated sounds of a good conversation.

He almost stepped back on the porch to check the house number.

Nick’s efforts notwithstanding, Gabriel couldn’t remember the last time he’d walked through the door and felt like he was walking into a home.

It practically sounded like a dinner party was going on in the kitchen. Gabriel dropped his backpack in the foyer and headed back.

His brothers were seated around the table, plus Hunter, Becca, and Quinn. Michael didn’t have a laptop in front of him for once. They were all laughing about something; he’d walked in too late to pick up the story. A mostly eaten lasagna was in a pan in the center of the table, plus a platter of garlic bread, the remnants of a tossed salad in a bowl, and assorted side dishes.

His stomach was making a pretty clear case that he hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

But he stopped in the doorway, feeling very far removed from the good times.

“Hey,” said Nick. “Where’ve you been?”

“Out.” Gabriel still didn’t move. “What’s all this?”

“Becca and Quinn made dinner,” said Chris. He gave Gabriel a funny look. “That all right?”

“Out where?” said Michael.

Gabriel ignored him. He looked at his twin. “I thought you were going home with Quinn.”

Nick frowned. “Yeah, and?”

“Home meaning here, dumbass,” said Quinn. “I’ve got my mom’s car.”

Gabriel really couldn’t stand her.

“And I drove Becca over,” said Hunter.

“No one asked you to stay,” said Chris. But even his remark lacked the usual acidity.

Becca smacked him in the shoulder. “I did.”

Gabriel didn’t move from the doorway. Everyone seemed to be getting along just fine.

Without him.

“You hungry?” said Michael. His voice was careful but then maybe he was picking up on Gabriel’s mood. “There’s plenty left.”

“Not for long,” said Quinn, and she reached out to pick up a piece of garlic bread.

“I thought you were trying out for the cheer squad,” said Gabriel.

Quinn took a bite. “That’s tomorrow. I didn’t know you cared.”

“I don’t.” He gave her a significant look. “But maybe you want to lay off the carbs.”

She stopped chewing. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

God, what was wrong with him?

Nick’s expression lost any shred of good humor, but he wasn’t angry yet. “Come on. Back off.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Hey, I guess they could put you at the bottom of the pyramid with the sturdy girls ”

“Knock it off,” said Becca.

“Leave her alone,” said Nick. Now they were getting closer to anger.

“You’re an ass**le,” said Quinn. She flung the bread onto the plate. Her eyes looked red.

Great. He could make two girls cry in the span of fifteen minutes.

“So I’ve heard,” said Gabriel. Then he turned and headed back down the hallway, hoping to god there was a protein bar in his backpack.

A chair scraped the floor in the kitchen, the sound full of fury.

Gabriel didn’t wait to see who was coming after him.

But he felt the air change even before his twin caught him by the arm and jerked him around.

Nick looked pissed but puzzled, too. “What is with you?”

“Nothing.” Gabriel shrugged out of his grip and reached to open the front door. “Jesus, Nicky, it’s not my fault she can’t take a ”

Nick grabbed him again and shoved him against the door-jamb. The air temperature dropped another five degrees.

Then he leaned in. “Stop.”

Gabriel glared back at him. “Don’t start this, Nick.”

“I didn’t start anything.” His brother’s voice was low. “What is it? Do you like her or something?”

Gabriel snorted. “Please.” Then he jerked free and shoved Nick away.

Nick shoved him back.

Gabriel went still. He could count on one hand the number of times he and Nick had gotten into it seriously gotten into it.