"I think you enjoy this. You like people looking at you like you're something they just scraped off the bottom of their shoe. You like them blaming you for what happened to Coral Clarke, because then you're justified in blaming yourself. If they look at you like you're trash, then you don't have to make the effort to be nice to anyone. You can go on brooding."
"You don't know shit," he said over his shoulder.
"Don't I?" I stepped closer. "Believe it or not, I'm not perfect." I ignored his smirk.
"I know how it feels to have people treat me like crap. After a while, you start to believe the things they say. Eventually, you stop fighting it, because it's easier to let them walk all over you. But you know what? It's a fucking miserable way to live. If that's what you want for the rest of your life, then…" I let out a frustrated breath. "I guess I can't do anything to help you."
"Fuck," he whispered. He turned around slowly, his gaze finding my face.
"You know what, you're right. You're not perfect and there's nothing you can do for me. Do both of us a favour and leave me the fuck alone. Whatever Girl Scout shit you're trying to do here, I'm not interested. Go and soothe your ego with some other sucker."
He walked around to the other side of his pickup, unlocked the door and slid inside. Starting the engine, he revved it a little too hard before peeling away from the gutter and heading off down the road a bit too fast. A couple of pedestrians had to jump out of his way to avoid being struck. One of them flipped him off, but I doubted he noticed, or gave a shit. He was too angry for anything other than getting the hell out of town and away from me.
That shouldn't have stung as much as it did.
I startled as a hand covered my shoulder, the sudden pressure warm and firm.
Letting out a squeak, I spun around. The bags swung in my hand, hitting me in the thigh. I barely noticed. My heart raced from the surprise.
Riley stood behind me, his expression irritated, but not repentant at just having scared the shit out of me. Did he even realise he'd done it? His attention seemed to be on Josiah's truck, and the man driving it.
"He shouldn't talk to you like that." He glared down the street as if he could blast lasers out of his eyes and hit Josiah and his truck with them.
"I kinda asked for it," I admitted. I sighed softly. "I said a bunch of stuff I shouldn't have said."
Was I wrong though? He was brooding and letting the town treat him badly. On the other hand, he didn't need me to be as awful. Something about him made me furious, but I didn't know if it was at him or for him. All I knew was that I'd taken aim and let fly. Giving him everything that was on my mind.
"He has that effect on most of us," Riley said. "Maybe Coral ran away from him." He smirked.
"Riley Crane!" I frowned at him. "That's a terrible thing to say. Whatever really happened, a little girl died." I had a dark sense of humour myself, but not about something like that.
"Because of him," Riley said, unrepentant. "I'm never going to stop reminding him of that." He wasn't even slightly sorry.
Of course, he spent almost a lifetime treating the other man like this, and seeing other people do the same. Chances were, he never gave it a second thought. As habits went, it wasn't a good one.
"Why?" I had to ask. "Why do you have to keep reminding him of something so horrible? Do you think he doesn't know?Because what I see when I look at him…" I gestured down the street, in the direction he'd gone. "I see a guy who's beaten himself up for twenty years. I don't think he needs, or deserves, everyone else piling on him."
My breath was coming faster now, my irritation threatening to boil over. I already told Josiah what I thought, I was fully prepared to do the same with Riley. If he thought I wouldn't, he'd have to take a long, hard think again.
He closed the distance between us and raised his hand. I thought he was going to run his knuckles down my cheek, but instead he grabbed a fistful of my hair. He wrapped it around his fingers, tight enough that I couldn't pull away if I wanted to.
In spite of myself, my panties were ruined in moments.
Riley leaned in and spoke in my ear. "Don't defend Josiah. Don't follow him. Don't talk to him. Don't let him talk to you. What he touches, he breaks. I'm not letting him break you."
"He won't break me," I whispered back. "But you and Connor might."
He let go of my hair and stepped back, looking confused and angry. "Is that what you think?" He looked as shocked as I was when he came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. Like he couldn't wrap his head around what I said. Thinking maybe he'd misheard, but letting the words sink in gradually.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think," I said. "You and him are so possessive, but I hardly know either of you. I don't know why you've decided you want me."
I remembered what Josiah said about them wanting me to fall for them before they turned their backs on me. Was he right? They might not even go that far. They might want to fuck me and then walk away. They wouldn't be the first.
"Because you fit," Riley said. "With us. With Aurora Hollow."
"What if I want to fit with Josiah Lachance?" I lifted my chin, challenging him to think before he responded. "What if I wanted to fit with someone else?"
What were they going to do about it? Scowl at anyone I chose until he ran into the forest? What would that actually achieve? Apart from pissing me off. And potentially feeding bears.
