“Though my eyes were only on your sister, and the fact that you think she didn’t deserve someone like me is sickening. She deserves the world, and I would have given it to her.”

“You’re insane to think you’re even an ounce of good enough for her.”

“I don’t think that I am, but I would have tried.”

“You would have failed.”

Shaking his head, he looked at her, really looked at her. He decided she was basically dog shit. “I thought you’d actually apologize, but I can tell you don’t care. You care about no one but yourself. Everyone knows you’ve been jealous of Mekena. She wasn’t the little sister who chased you around, begging for your advice. She had someone, and you couldn’t stand it because no one wanted you!”

That’s when her hand came crashing into his face. He closed his eyes as his cheek stung, and he slowly counted to five. He wouldn’t lose it. He’d keep it together. She wasn’t worth it.

“I don’t want anyone. I never did because men do nothing but hurt you, and I refused to let my sister go through the same thing.”

He met her angry gaze. “She wouldn’t have. I would have done right by her, but you took that chance away from me. Because of that, we’re done.”

“Great,” she said, turning and reaching for the door. “Have a good life.”

“Oh, I will, but we all know you won’t,” he spat back at her as he turned, heading for the truck, but as he reached it, Jace rolled the window down, pointing behind him. “I’m done.”

“Yeah, but, bro, behind you.”

Confused, Markus turned to see Mekena standing beside the house, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Holy shit,” he muttered, and his heart sank into the acid of his stomach as his eyes met hers. They just stood there, staring at each other, and he wondered how much she had heard. He wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t know if he should go to her. But apparently, his legs had a mind of their own, and they started for her as she started for him, wiping her face.

“Wow,” she said through her tears, and he figured she had heard everything.

He nodded. “I wanted to tell you myself. I didn’t want you to find out like that.”

Slowly shaking her head, she looked down to the ground and then just turned, heading into the house.

“Mekena?”

But she didn’t answer him. She just went into the house, slamming the door and shaking the windows.

“Well, fuck,” he muttered, turning back to Jace. “Should I go in there?”

“And do what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly, let her cool off…or kill her sister. Who knows? Come on, you’ll see her later.”

Nodding, he looked back at the house, considering following her. But what would he do in there? Probably make matters worse. No, she needed time to think this through, and Jace was right, he’d see her later.

So he left.

And while the weight on his chest from the guilt of what had happened was gone, the worry of not knowing what would happen with Mekena took its place.

Which was much, much worse.

Her hand shook as she pushed open the door and reentered her family home. The words, the pain in his voice, the dismissiveness in her sister’s voice, the truth…everything shook Mekena like a magnitude eight-point earthquake. It almost didn’t seem real. All of it. Surely, it was all a dream. Before she could pinch herself, though, Libby came through the doorway.

“Kennie, I was on my way,” Libby said, but Mekena couldn’t even look at her. She walked right past her into the kitchen where her mother, father, and Skylar were sitting around the table.

“Mekena! You came back,” her mother cheered, but Mekena couldn’t even look at her. Not only was she mad that her mother and father were so clueless about the sluttiness of her sister, but she was also angry for the simple reason that they’d thought talking openly about the fact that their eldest daughter slept with their youngest daughter’s boyfriend would actually work. There was no fucking fixing what her sister had done.

At least, now there wasn’t.

“Oh, good,” her father said, and Mekena shook her head, her eyes meeting Skylar’s. Skylar sucked in a quick breath, her eyes widening as Mekena continued to shake her head.

“How dare you?”

Skylar shrugged. “What?” But she could see it in her sister’s eyes, she knew full well what Mekena was speaking of.

“You know what. I heard everything.”

“Heard what?”

“That you basically raped Markus!” Mekena accused, her heart pounding so hard, her ears started to ring. She felt so dirty, so sad and hurt for what her stupid sister had done, yet Skylar looked unremorseful. She looked the way she sounded, and that only made Mekena madder.

“Mekena!” her mother cried.

“What in the world?” her father asked, looking between the both of them. “What are you talking about?”

“What is wrong with you? Are you sick?” Mekena yelled, holding Skylar’s unashamed gaze. “How? Why?”

“Shut up, I didn’t fucking rape him. That’s just insane.”

“You drugged him! You sucked him off till he was hard and then tried to fuck him,” she said, repeating what she had heard. It felt like there was a knife in her windpipe, but she went on. “You lied to me! You made this seem like he wanted it, when really, he was a victim of your sexual assault. You shouldn’t even be sitting there—you should be behind bars. How dare you!”

“Oh, Lord. Dramatic much?” Skylar said, rolling her eyes. “We got high, we tried to fuck—”

“Lies! He had no clue.”

“Mekena, those are some big accusations,” her father said, standing up and crossing his arms. “I think you need to tread lightly.”

“Tread lightly?” Mekena yelled, her voice actually breaking. “I stood on the side of the house and heard it from her own fucking mouth!” She pointed to her sister, who just shook her head dismissively. “She drugged him with Xanax and took him to bed, trying to get him to have sex with her—and he couldn’t even stay awake. She played it off as if it was mutual, and it wasn’t. It wasn’t at all!”