My sister clearly isn’t expecting me, and she looks like I grew horns and a tail for trying to save her high school crap from the dumpster. The last time we spoke, she told me to toss it, but deep down I thought she’d want it someday, so I packed up her yearbooks and photos, which means we’ll have to talk about Daren, a conversation we’ve been avoiding for too long.

Clementine hasn’t spoken to our mother since her freshman year, so our mother is converting her room into a storage area. I’m not sure what initially pissed her off, but Clem refuses to call her. As much as I hate to admit it, my sister and I are a lot alike. If we’re worked up, it can take a while to talk us off the ledge.

Clem paces in her small bedroom, eyeing me like I’m the enemy.

So maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing to say, asking if she was still in love with Daren to explain why she never dates and hardly has any friends, but I’m tired of her deflecting me. It’s probably unfair to say this now since I think she’s seeing that guy Gavin, who’s sitting in the living room, but he’s the first person she’s dated in three years.

The moment the words are out of my mouth, she looks like she wants to rip my heart out of my chest.

“What do you even know about me, Jackson? I lost my track scholarship, so I’ve had to work my ass off for the past two years to pay for my tuition. My professor attacked me when I was a freshman. I’d say I’m doing pretty damn well considering.”

The air thickens in the room, pressing against me as though gravity has intensified somehow. My head tilts. My eyes close.

Someone hurt my sister?

I swallow. And then swallow again.

“What do you mean your professor attacked you?” My jaw tightens so hard it hurts. At the beginning of her senior year in college she decides to tell me someone did this to her as a freshman. I stand in the doorway of Clem’s bedroom at a loss for words. “Fucking hell, Clementine. Who is this asshole?”

She shakes her head. “Forget about it. There’s nothing you can do. I’m fine. Now.”

I don’t miss the jab.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Growing up, Clem and I were inseparable. Even if our parents were the most self-absorbed jerkoffs in the world, my twin and I were close. Until she broke up with Daren. My relationship with my sister has never been the same.

The hurt in Clem’s eyes is unnerving. I’m so used to my sister being made of steel.

“You didn’t back me up with Daren.” Having her say that out loud is more painful than I thought it would be, but she doesn’t know the whole story. “Why would you care about this? Besides, Mom and Dad didn’t seem to care.” She stares at me like she might bore a hole through my body. “You know, they don’t pay for my shit like they pay for yours.”

Did she call them and they didn’t do anything?

A familiar bitterness clenches my stomach. Of course our mother didn’t do jack shit. Because it didn’t affect her. Why would she bother? Our father, though… Just because he spends most of his time in Europe on business doesn’t mean he wouldn’t care. That he wouldn’t want to protect my sister.

But at the end of the day, Clementine felt alone.

Fury sweeps through me. Had I known, I would have done something. I don’t know what, beat the shit out of her professor, cut off his balls—something. And what the fuck does she mean our parents don’t pay for her stuff? They’re multi-millionaires. They could wipe their asses with hundred-dollar bills if they wanted.

“Jax, if you think what happened with Daren is what broke me, you don’t know me at all.”

I rub just above my hairline where I can feel the tiny bumps the stiches left. I still can’t remember what happened on my birthday aside from jumping in Natasha’s car and staring up at Hannah’s balcony. But if I could choose one night to forget, I’m thinking this one would be it. I’m never up for full-out confrontations with my sister.

We go in circles rehashing the past, each minute more painful than the last. Yes, I knew Daren was cheating on you with your best friend. No, I didn’t tell you. Yes, I hoped you’d both get past it. Why? You and Daren are the only family I’ve ever really had.

Her body shakes with rage. “Did you ever wonder how I lost my state meet after I won all the others my senior year? How I barely eked out a fifth-place finish when my practice times could’ve beaten all those girls that day?”

I should know this, but I don’t. I was too busy dealing with my girlfriend. Yes, I had a girlfriend at the time. It only took one to show me why I never wanted another.

Clem blinks quickly. “Mom found out I had broken up with Daren that morning. I was walking out the door, and she told me it was my fault Daren cheated on me because I should have slept with him months ago. She asked, ‘Why do you think I put you on the pill?’ Then she said she was late for a meeting and left.”

What. The. Fuck.

I can barely keep up as Clem drops one grenade after the next. Finally, she grabs her running shoes and starts lacing them up. What the hell do I say? My throat is tight, and even though I’m breathing, my lungs don’t seem to fill.

“Clementine, I’m so sorry. For everything, I—”

She ignores me and storms out. I vaguely hear her talking to her roommates and then the front door slams.

I don’t know how long I stand there pressing my palm to my throbbing temple.

God, I’m such a fuckup.

I’d like to say I brought the box tonight because I’m trying to be a good brother, trying to right a few wrongs, and yes, I do want to be close to Clem. That conversation was long overdue. But the real reason behind this visit is staring at me on my way out of my sister’s bedroom.

Truth? I wanted an excuse to see Dani.

Her eyes drop to the floor as soon as she sees me. I met this girl for sixty seconds two weeks ago, and she’s all I can think about. Fuck, I’ve had dreams about her. I never obsess over girls, so I don’t know why I can’t get her off my mind. I’m not sure why she avoided me at Ryan’s, but I’m pissed now thinking about everything she overheard. If she disliked me before, she must think I’m a real douche now.

All I know is that when Natasha kissed me in front of Dani, I swear Dani looked at me like I was cheating on her. Here’s the crazy thing—I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel like that for me too.

I rub my forehead, deciding that Clem probably doesn’t want me here when she returns. I look at Dani and point at the box on the coffee table. “Don’t let her throw that away. She wants that shit. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

And before she says anything—because God, I don’t want to hear what she has to say—I walk out.