“You went to jail for something you did, Ezra. You had plans to rob that jewelry store written all over papers in our fucking apartment. Don’t forget that I almost went down with you!”

He looks like I slapped him, and I hate this. I hate fighting with him, letting out all of these things I’ve been holding in for years right now. I hate that I was high as a kite a moment ago, and now I feel lower than dog shit.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” he says, flinching like it physically hurts to hear the truth. And I guess in a way it does.

“What he did was wrong, Ezra, but it was a long time ago. And we don’t need revenge on him. What we need is to move on.”

“I can see you’ve done that,” he says, stomping toward the door.

“Ezra, stop!” I call after him. When he turns back toward me, I try to find the right words. Why am I defending Rafe? Why do I have these intense feelings for him when he did fuck us over so bad all of those years ago? How can I explain this to Ezra...that none of that matters to me anymore.

The only thing I won’t say is that I'm sorry. I don’t apologize for something I didn’t do.

“I love you.”

It’s a stupid thing to say in the middle of a major fight, but Ezra is all I have. I don’t talk to our mother much anymore, and things are still so new with Rafe. If I lose Ezra, I am alone. And that thought terrifies me.

I see the muscles in his jaw clench. He doesn’t want to say it back, but he does anyway. “I love you too, Shel.”

Then, he walks out my door, and I have to rush into my shower so that I’m not even more late than I already am.

Chapter Fifteen

Rafe

If every time I was late to work, I was in this good of a mood, it wouldn’t bother me in the least. In fact, I’d be late to work every day if it meant I could still taste Shelby on my lips when left every morning.

Fuck, this is getting too real. Too good. The shoe has to drop at some point, and I just keep waiting for it. I know I’m being an idiot. For all I know, she and Ezra have big plans for me that involve revenge and justice, and I’d probably deserve it, and at this point, I’ll take it.

It’s not like I ever wanted to do what I did. I didn’t plan to turn in my best friend for a crime I was supposed to commit right along with him, but I just happened to get a call from Theo the night before we planned to raid the store, and he needed me. I had no choice but to come back to Wicked and abort the plan.