Page 88 of Always Love You More

Rowan laughs. “Oh, we’ve seen girls before, just never one with you.”

I quickly flit my gaze to Sam and see her eyeing me curiously, but then her attention shifts to Madison, who walks up to the table and slides into the chair next to Billy.

“I thought you said you were gonna wait for me after class,” she whines.

He takes a bite of his burger. “Sorry, got caught up.”

I give him a look that says,I thought you were done with this.

And he gives me one that says,Fuck off.

“Well,” Rowen says, leaning forward to talk to Sam, “welcome to the group.”

Chapter 23

Sam

Thebellrings,signalingthe end of the day. I swing my purse over my shoulder, heading for the door.

Today has been weird, a good kind of weird, but still … weird. I’m not used to having a group. Having people to sit with at lunch. Someone to talk to in class. A boyfriend.

Jameson only left my side when our class schedule separated us. Other than that, he’s been a constant throughout the day.

It’s been nice to not be alone.

Last year, I’d bring my lunch to the library and read, wanting to avoid the cafeteria altogether. So, having a table to sit at, a group that seemed to immediately accept me, was something I didn’t even know I wanted. Something I didn’t even realize Ineeded.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I pull it out, finding a text from Jameson telling me to meet him out front.

I push through the crowded hallway and out the doors of the school, a smile coming to my face when I see Jameson leaning against a column, Billy’s head thrown back in laughter.

“Hey,” I mutter, coming up beside them.

Jameson’s eyes brighten, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over how his face goes from dark to light when he sees me.

“Hey, baby.” He swings an arm around me, pulling me into him and bringing his lips to the top of my head. “You ready?”

I nod against him as we start for the garage.

It’s just a few blocks away from school, so it doesn’t take long for us to get there. Billy rambles on about his day, me and Jameson barely getting a word in, which is usually how conversations with the three of us go.

When we turn the corner and walk into the big lot in front of the garage, Billy’s words fall away. I glance at him and find his eyes trained on a white car parked right in front of the entrance.

“What’s she doing here?” he says to himself.

“Who?” I ask.

“My mother.”

Billy rarely ever talks about his mom, which is kind of odd considering how close he seems to be with his dad. Luke is so great that I just assumed his mom is, too. I know she works as a hairdresser on Broadway, but that’s pretty much it.

We walk past her car, and I’m surprised by how new it looks. I’m guessing Billy’s family has decent money from the shop, but notnew carkind of money.

Billy throws open the front door, and we follow in behind him.

Glancing around, I see the space is empty and drop my bag on the desk when I hear voices coming from the garage.

Voices that areshoutingat each other.