BooksBarbecue
Back Someone Had to Do It
Chapters (39)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Authors
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  37. THE STORY BEHIND SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT
  38. SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT: THE PLAYLIST
  39. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

He starts to step off, but I hold him back. He’s huge, so really my grip on his arm is just a suggestion. But he stops. He wants me. Somewhere, deep down, I know it’s true. There’s just too much going on in his head right now. I tuck a hand around the top edge of his towel again, and he stares down at me with this distant look in his eyes, and I want to tell him that he doesn’t have to fight it anymore. He doesn’t have to worry; he’s the only one I want. No one else matters. No one else ever has.

I tighten my grip to free the towel from his waist, but his hand comes down over mine and pushes it away. I shift back and look up at him. Nate doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. The look in his eyes says enough. He’s sneering at me. I half expect him to burst out laughing.

“Get out, Taylor,” he says. His eyes don’t blink.

“Are you serious?” I scoff in disbelief. “I came all the way here just to see you.”

My eyes search his face, his eyes, for some kind of irony, but there is none. I sigh and look down at my hands. I can’t look at him anymore.

He steps past me and leans for the door. I stare at him as he pulls it open for me, holding it there. A clear dismissal.

I balk. Don’t move. “Why? Because of her?”

I can’t say her name. I won’t say her name.

“This has nothing to do with her.”

“You’re lying.” My eyes snap over to his. “You still care about her, don’t you? Even after all she—”

“Taylor—”

“Don’t you?”

Nate still doesn’t answer.

My head shakes, and then my lips are trembling and I can barely breathe. I push out of his room, the door slamming into the wall, and before I make it down the stairs, the tears come. I grab on to the railing and my body collapses all at once until I’m on my knees.

Mei was wrong about me flying out to Ohio. She was on my side even though Jared thought it was a terrible idea. But she was right about something else: I should have killed Brandi when I had the fucking chance.

25

BRANDI

I end the call, slamming the phone on the receiver, a sick feeling fluttering in my gut like battered wings. My thoughts scatter in a dozen different directions.

Once again, I legitimately don’t know what is happening. Why the hell is Taylor answering Nate’s phone?