Page 90 of Unhinged Kallie

“You have a key to the bathroom,” Talon asked.

“I have a key to every room. Rule number three: Always be prepared for the anything.”

I was starting to wonder why that rule wasn’t number one. Before walking away, I slapped the sign on the door, peeled off my gloves, and tucked them in the bag. With my pack on my shoulder, I grabbed Talon’s hand and walked for the exit.

She was definitely in shock. Maybe this wasn’t the best way to tell her, but oh well. What was done was done.

“My life is a lie…all this time, they lied to me,” she said as we stepped outside into the cold air.

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“That is a question for your parents.”

“I don’t know if I can walk into the school again,” she said as we got into my car.

I looked over at her and felt a little bit sorry for her. I would hate to learn that I have been lied to my whole life. My dad didn’t lie to me, but he held back information, which hurt. What would it be like to find out that everything you thought you knew was a lie?

“I’m sorry you found out that way.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and was surprised she didn’t jump away. She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears. “But you should know we have a family motto, ‘No one hurts our family, no one.’ Lisa brought this on herself. We may not be close, but you’re my family.”

I squeezed her shoulder and started the car.

“Kallie, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Are you really sleeping with Carter, and what’s it like?” Her face was red, and her voice soft.

“Out of everything that just happened, that’s what you want to know?” She lifted a shoulder and let it drop. I smiled. “You know, cuz, maybe we can find something in common after all.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

CARTER

DECEMBER

I was one of those lucky people who had all my exams in two days, and I decided to come home for the semester break. They’d canceled camp because the indoor facility was triple booked and last added, first kicked out.

To be honest, I was happy. I hadn’t seen Kallie since Thanksgiving, and she’d been quiet on the phone whenever we talked. There was a burning in my gut that told me something was wrong, and she didn’t want to say anything. My overactive worrying skills kicked in, and all I could think was that she wanted to end things.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel as my heart beat out of control. For so long, I held back how I truly felt, and now that it was out of the box, I couldn’t put it back. I wouldn’t put it back.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled into the driveway and parked the car. If she wanted to end things, I would find a way to make her see we were meant to be together. Pushing open the door, I heard the shouting right away.

“What the fuck?” Cain rarely yelled. It was probably rarer than a blue moon.

I only reached the bottom step when the front door flew open with a bang, and Kallie stormed out.

“This is not fair,” she yelled.

“Life isn’t fair,” Cain yelled from inside.

Kallie glanced at me as she stomped away, and I followed, doing a one-eighty, catching up in a few strides. She was practically growling under her breath, her hands balled at her sides and her eyes wild. It was probably stupid to follow her when she was this enraged, but I trusted that she wouldn’t hurt me.

Not even the large barn door was safe as she shoved it open, and the metal banged and echoed. Closing the door, I followed her to a stack of hay, where I sat on a bale and let her pace and fume.

Like a deadly magic trick, she pulled a knife out of her sleeve and, with a roar, threw it at one of the wooden posts. It stuck perfectly into the wood.