“You like him?”Wrecker asked.
Everyone stopped again.
“Uh, yes,” I said.
Wrecker nodded to Alice.“You satisfied now?”
She pouted out her bottom lip.“Yes, but it’s more fun when I ask the questions.You just scare it out of them.”
“I’m efficient,” he said.
“You make her cry one fucking tear, and I’ll break your legs,” Dad called to Ender.
Ender nodded to him.“Noted.”
“Same goes for your girl,” Clash said.
“Got it,” I said.
I had zero plans of hurting Ender, and I didn’t think he would hurt me either.We both had too much to lose.
“You wanna go for a ride?”Ender asked me.
I jumped up, thankful to get the heck out of there.
“Be careful,” Mom said.
“Remember what I said,” Dad called.
Ender grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door.
“And remember, no glove, no love!”Alice hollered over everyone.
“Babe,” Wrecker groaned.
“What?”Alice said.“It’s good to be reminded,” she argued.
The door shut behind us, and the chaos of the Fallen Lords was gone.
Alice had announced my feelings to the entire damn clubhouse like she was reading a weather report.And Ender, Ender had answered her.
Out loud.
In front of everyone.
It was Ender looking at me the entire time, like the only person in the room who mattered.
We reached his bike, and Ender finally stopped walking.
He turned toward me.The wind stirred his hair a little, and the late afternoon sun hit the side of his face, catching that hard line of his jaw and the stubble that made him look older than he really was.
He leaned a hip against the bike, still holding my hand, and for a second neither of us spoke.
Inside, I could still hear someone laughing, probably Jude, because he laughed like it hurt sometimes.I could hear Alice’s voice too, muffled but still loud enough that it made me smile despite myself.
Ender’s thumb stroked over my knuckles.“You okay?”he asked quietly.
I nodded, then let out a breath that came out half-laugh, half-disbelief.“That was…”