{18+ COMPLETE} For the past three years, Bren Hadaway has been preparing to die.
When he was sixteen, he watched his dad murder his mom. And ever since, he's been counting down the days until it was his turn to be at the end of a gun. And Bren has...
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I hated taking Chemistry last semester. I hated every single second of it. Well, almost every second of it.
I couldn't hate all of it. Because if I hadn't sucked so much at Chemistry, I never would have gotten to know Bren. I never would have gone to the tutoring center, never would have run into him, never would have had a reason to keep talking to him.
Even though I hated Chemistry, in a way, I was thankful for it. But that definitely didn't mean that I wanted to take another Chem class. So this semester, I enrolled in Physics.
"Madie?" Bren repeated. There was an edge in his voice that I didn't miss.
Unable to look at him, I stared down at the hot, sudsy water instead.
Thermal expansion.
In general, most liquids expand as they grow hotter.
Not water.
No, it contracts, the molecules growing closer together. Water occupies less and less space as it heats.
It was so hot in this bathtub. Droplets of sweat rolled down the side of my face. And maybe it was a ridiculous notion, but I could almost feel the water contracting around me. Squeezing me. Shrinking down and making me suddenly feel bare.
Bren had seen me stripped down so many times, but it was nothing compared to this moment.
His gaze was sharp, his fingers still gripping the edge of the tub with some kind of desperation that I didn't quite understand. But he seemed to let out a little breath when I lifted my eyes to his.
But when I still didn't say anything, he softly said, "Tell me where you got the bruise, baby."
I opened my mouth before choking on the words. "I—I can't."
A deep frown instantly appeared on Bren's face. I only saw it for a second, though, and then he was wiping his wet hand over his face. He paused to pinch the bridge of his nose before dropping his hand back into the water. It fell with a soapy splash.
He sank back against the curve of the tub again before turning his head sharply to the side, staring across the room. His jaw tensed.
The silence between us was heavy. The only thing I could hear was Bren's breathing and the slight trickle falling from the tub's faucet.
And my heart, contracting and expanding.
Finally, he swiveled his gaze back to me. Dark brows drew together as he gave his head a little shake. "Why can't you tell me?"
Because I didn't want to admit what I let Brodie do to me. I could practically feel his hand on my shoulder, pinning me back. Even now, I was motionless as I faced him.
