Second Chance Summer (Chance #1)(54)
Author: Emma Hart

I tuck the rest of them back into the box and put it back into the wardrobe.

“You’re packin’?”

I shriek, jumping backward and knocking my head on the wardrobe door. Luce laughs, moving forward to help me up.

“Jesus, Luce. Don’t you ever knock?”

“You know I don’t.” She jumps onto my bed, narrowly missing a pile of my clothes.

“Careful.” I grab them and dump them carelessly in the suitcase. She raises her eyebrows as I sit in front of her. “What?”

“Careful, she says, and then she throws the dang things.” She sighs. “I came by to tell you I’m leaving early.”

“As in going to Vegas early?”

“Yep.”

“When are you going?”

“Tomorrow.”

My mouth drops open, and I can do nothing but stare at her for a second. She picks at her nails, then glances up at me and shrugs a shoulder.

“But why?” I choke out.

“I want to go back.”

“It’s because of Adam.”

“No, it’s not.”

“That wasn’t a question. That was me statin’ the obvious.”

She sighs, grabbing my pillow and burying her face into it. “Yes. No. I don’t know, Kia. This whole thing is getting to me, and then we turn up to Rocks and he’s with Stacy. I mean, what the heavenly f**k? He sleeps with me, and then he’s suddenly Mr. Fucking Monogamous with her?”

I can see the heartbreak in her eyes when she glances up at me over the pillow. “He’s an ass, Luce. We always knew that. I know it doesn’t make it better, but I can always put some itching powder in his work overalls or something.”

“That’s immature, Kia.” Her lips twitch.

“I’m not above high school pranks when it’s for you.” I grin. “In fact, I’m totally on par with them.”

“I guess I can’t control what you decide to do.” She cracks a proper smile. It’s small, but there’s a hint of my Luce in there.

“And you? What are you gonna do?”

Her smile drops, and she looks out of my window. “I guess I’m gonna go to Vegas, pray to Mother Nature – complete with endless apologies over any insults that may or may not have been thrown her way – and hope like hell my period shows up when it’s supposed to.”

~

Watching Luce drive away with her car full of her stuff leaves a hollow feeling in my chest. I kick at the wall outside her house and grip my keys in my palm, the metal cutting into my skin.

Impulsively, I climb into my car and head to Adam’s dad’s garage. I know him and Reese will be there, but for once I’m not going to see Reese. I don’t even know what I can say to Adam, but I need to say something. Anything.

Failing that, maybe I do just need a cuddle from Reese.

“Uh oh.” Adam’s voice carries outside as I get out of my car. I see him in the corner of the workshop and stare at him, my hands on my hips. He rubs his hand down his face. “Reese, Kia’s here.”

“Believe it or not, I ain’t here to see him.”

“I can believe that,” Adam mutters, dropping his wrench and sitting on a table. “Let rip. I know you want to.”

“Why?” I ask him. “Why did you sleep with her?”

“I’m a guy, Kia. Shit, if a girl comes onto me, I’m not gonna throw her off me, am I? Especially not when that girl looks like Luce.”

“Bullshit excuse. She was half drunk when we left, let alone whenever it was you two left. Why the f**k didn’t you just tell her no and drop her off at home?”

“Maybe I didn’t want to tell her no. Maybe I wanted to f**k her. Did you think of that?”

“Well, obviously, considering you did sleep together. Shit, Ad. I’ve known you my whole damn life, and not even I thought you could be this freakin’ stupid!”

“Kia?” Reese comes out from the back and wipes his hands on a rag. “What’s up, baby?”

“This… This jerk!” I wave toward Adam. “Luce has gone back to Vegas. She’s left early, and it’s all because this asshat couldn’t keep his damn dick in his pants after he stuck it in her!”

I wince at my own crudeness.

“Okay.” Reese walks over to me and puts his hands on my arms, rubbing softly. “Calm down.”

“I can’t.” I lean into him. “Now she has to do it all by herself, and she should have been here with me so I could be there for her, but now she’s going to Las f**king Vegas to deal with it all herself.”

“Deal with what?” Adam asks sharply. “What do you mean, “do it all by herself?””

Holy f**king big mouth, Kia.

“Nothin’. Nothin’,” I lie into Reese’s chest. Crap crap crap crap.

“No, what?”

“Um.” I clear my throat, and Reese strokes my hair. “Did you… Um… I mean. Shit.”

“Spit it out, Kia!”

“Protection,” I blurt. “Did you use it?”

I look over at him and get the view of horrifying realization falling over his face.

“Fuck,” Adam and Reese both say simultaneously, and Adam drops back onto his chair.

That’s the answer I need. That’s all I needed to know.

“Mhmm,” I squeak out. “We, um, I took her back into Dayton on Sunday. She got the morning after pill, because she couldn’t remember, but you know.”

“It doesn’t always work,” Adam mutters. “Fuck!” He stands again and kicks the chair. “Why didn’t she f**kin’ tell me?”

I push Reese off of me and turn to him. “What were you doing the first time she saw you after that night, huh? You had another girl draped over you! What was she supposed to do? Walk up to you and say, “Oh, hey, Adam, I hope your bitch doesn’t mind, but I need to know if you wrapped it up on Saturday night. If not, there’s a chance I could be carrying your kid?””

“Man, she has a point.” Reese shrugs.

“And now she’s left?” Adam clarifies, his face completely drained of color.

“Yep. About fifteen minutes ago. She’ll be well clear of here, now. She wasn’t messin’ around, Ad. She wanted the hell out of here.”

“When will she… er… know?” Reese asks me awkwardly.

“A week or so, maybe. I’m not exactly sure. I wasn’t gonna leave till she knew for sure, but now she’s gone, I’ll be goin’ next Friday.” I see Reese’s body tense out of the corner of my eye. “I guess she’ll know around then, maybe the week after.”