Chapter 35

Despite the facts that I was practically straddling the parking brake and it was getting cold in the car, the kiss might have been the best one I’d ever had. You read in books stuff about “waves of passion” and “burning loins,” but I’d pretty much figured that was fiction. Who even talks about their loins in normal life? But this kiss was making me very aware of my loins, and they were definitely on fire.

The sight of Nicole staring at us through the windshield with her eyes and mouth wide-open put my loin fire out quick. I yanked back from Nate. I don’t know why. It was already too late. She’d seen us. There was no way to make this situation look casual. What was I going to say? Nate was looking for his car keys in my mouth with his tongue? I sat back, frozen in my seat.

“Oh shit,” Nate said, summarizing the situation perfectly. I could see Nicole standing there in the rain, taking these deep breaths like she was trying to keep from blowing up or was a yoga teacher gone rabid. She looked to me like she was at risk of hyperventilating. Without saying anything, she spun around and started marching toward school. I jumped out of the car and ran after her.

“Nicole, wait a second, I can explain.” I reached out and grabbed her by the elbow. She turned around, her face screwed up into a grimace.

“Don’t touch me. Well, I guess I know now why you didn’t want to help me hook up with Nate. You’re the kind of person who likes to keep things in the family,” she snarled. I stepped back as if she’d slapped me. “I thought we were friends, and then you stab me in the back.”

“How did I stab you in the back?”

“Do you throw yourself into the arms of all your friends’ boyfriends?”

Nate walked up. “Chill out. You and I never dated. She didn’t tell you about us, but we weren’t planning on telling anyone.”

“That’s incest, you know. And it’s disgusting.”

“We’re not actually related,” I stressed.

“Don’t feel like you have to explain anything to her. We haven’t done anything wrong.” Nate stepped closer to me, his hand resting on my lower back.

“The fact that you don’t recognize how wrong it is shows just how messed up your family is,” Nicole said to Nate. Then she turned to me. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised at anything you do. The crazy are supposed to be unbalanced.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You think I didn’t know you were seeing my dad? The heating vent in his office is connected directly to my room. Most of the time I can’t stand to listen to all his whiny patients talk about their feelings and how life is so hard because their mommies were mean to them, but I have to hand it to you. Your story is better than cable TV. Crazy dad, shaky grip on reality … You’re more screwed up than anyone on this island.” Nicole barked out a laugh. “Well, I guess you’re no more fucked-up than the guy you’re fucking.”

Nate stepped closer so his face was in Nicole’s. “Shut your mouth.”

Her lips slammed together. She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“You don’t need to tell me to shut up. I don’t have anything to say to either of you.” She looked us both up and down as if we were something nasty she found on the bottom of her shoe, and then she spun around and walked into school.

“We are totally screwed,” I said softly as I watched her walk away.

“No, we’re not. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

“That’s not how it’s going to sound when she tells everyone.”

I noticed that Nate didn’t bother to disagree with me. Even he knew nothing was going to stop Nicole from telling the entire student body—heck, the entire island, maybe most of the Northwestern US if she could—that he and I were together and that I was certifiably crazy.

“It doesn’t matter.” Nate took my hand and started to walk toward the door.

I took a deep breath and told myself he was right. We weren’t related, and while dating your stepbrother might not be exactly “common,” it wasn’t illegal. It wasn’t like we’d grown up with each other. And who listens through the vents in their house to their dad’s office? Sounded to me like Nicole was the one with issues. Besides, with the exception of Nate, I didn’t care what anyone thought of me.