Hey, Cade said with a nod.

And she means a lot to me, Flynn said with a clenched jaw. So you better not be an ass.

She means a lot like all the other girls you go through? he snapped.

That comment made me sick to my stomach. I hated picturing Flynn with other women. I didnt know how many girls he slept with and I tried not to think about it.

Cade, Loretta hissed. Behave.

Whatever, he said.

Hazel is our guest and you will make her feel welcome, his mother continued.

I didnt say anything to her. He put his hands in his pockets.

And if you do, Ill rip your throat out, Flynn said, anger brewing in his eyes.

Tate gave him a firm look. Cade, knock it off.

He stepped away and looked across the park. What are we eating? I could tell he was impatient to leave.

Hot dogs, Tate said.

Im not eating that shit, Cade said immediately.

Then you can watch us eat, Loretta said.

Was this guy five years old? I turned to Flynn. You werent kidding about him.

Unfortunately he said with a dark voice.

We walked to the cart and Tate ordered for all of us.

Cade took out his phone and concentrated on the screen, tapping his thumb on the surface. He clearly had no interest in being here.

Flynn eyed him then shook his head slightly. I could tell he was embarrassed of him.

When we got our hot dogs, we walked to the bench and sat down. Cade sat at the end and continued to play with his phone.

I could eat ten of these, Loretta said as she bit into hers.

I was starving so I ate mine quickly. I was the first one done.

Tate eyed me. That was impressive.

I shrugged. I was hungry.

Shes a garbage disposal, Flynn said. But I like it. He nudged me in the side.

Cade shook his head slightly. Disgusting Everyone ignored him.

Tate finished his then rested his arm on the back of Lorettas chair. How long have you lived in the city, Hazel?

Over a year, I said. I like it even though it smells like a mixture of beer and urine most of the time.

Both of his parents laughed.

You get used to it, Loretta said. Now I embrace the smell.

Loretta and I have lived here our whole lives. We couldnt imagine living anywhere else, Tate said.

Or because youre stuck here, Cade jabbed. Where else are you going to work? He didnt look at anyone when he spoke. He focused on his phone.

I was getting really sick of this guy. His parents were so awesome and he was a total jerk. If you dont want to be here, why dont you just leave? The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop myself. It was such a stupid thing to say and I should have controlled myself.

He turned his gaze to me. Excuse me? The arrogance in his voice pissed me off even more.

If you love your phone so much, why dont you take it back to your place and show it a good time? Flynn chuckled at my words. If youre going to be a jerk the whole time, we dont want you here.

Do you have any idea who I am? he snapped.

You think I care? I snapped back. You could be the President of the United States and Id still call you out. But the president wouldnt be so disrespectful to his parents. All you do is stand in front of a camera and say a few lines. Your father and brother actually come up with the ideas. Youre just a puppet while they run the show. So really, you arent important.

Tate smiled wide then looked at Cade. She has a good point.

Shut up, he snapped.

What did you say? Tates playfulness evaporated.

Cade knew he meant business because he fell silent.

Silence stretched between us for a while.

Cade looked at Flynn. Of all the girls Ive seen you with, shes by far the worst one.

Shut the fuck up before I break that pretty face of yours, Flynn snapped.

Fuck this. Cade stood up and put his phone away. I shouldnt have to put up with this bullshit.

Bye, Loretta said indifferently.

See ya, Tate said. You arent pleasant company anyway.

Cade marched off, his back to us.

Im very sorry about my son, Tate said. Hesdifficult sometimes.

Its okay, I said. You didnt do anything wrong.

Loretta sighed. Fame and fortune have gone to his head. If I didnt love him, Id hate him too.

I dont hate him, I said immediately. I just didnt like him being rude to you guys. Youre really nice Lorettas eyes softened. Hopefully, he realizes that someday.

Flynn was still pissed. His arm was around my shoulders and I could feel the tension in his muscles. Fucking jackass.

Watch the language, Loretta said.

Hazel, Im so sorry, he said.

Its not your fault, I said immediately.

Dont let him get to you, okay?

I wont.

When we finally stopped talking about Cade, we discussed theatre and other things Tate worked on. His mother told me her experience with dancing, and Flynn joked and teased his father on different subjects. I felt like I was a part of their family in just a few hours. And it was the first time Ive ever felt that way.

Want to go to my place? Flynn asked on the way home.

Sure.

Do you need to grab anything?

No. I kept thinking about what Cade said. How many women had Flynn been with? And how many had he brought to meet his parents? It seemed like a lot. Maybe I wasnt that special after all. It didnt mean much to be the one when dozens of other girls had been the one too.

Everything okay? he asked.

Yeah. I wanted to say more but I couldnt.

Im sorry about my brother. Hesdifferent. There are good days and bad days. Today was a bad one.

He seems moody.

It just depends on whats going on in his life. He was nominated for an Emmy for his appearance on a TV show. Its going to his headjust like everything does.

He wasnt my favorite person Hes not my favorite person right now.

We reached his apartment, but when I thought about going to bed with him, I felt sick. How many other women had laid on that exact same bed? Had he lived with someone before? When I thought about it, I realized I didnt know Flynn at all. Actually, Im pretty tired. I think Im just going to go home.

You can sleep on my bed, he offered.

I have to get up early tomorrow I just want to leave and get away from him.

He sighed. I knew Cade got to you.

I stood there awkwardly and stared at the wall.

Come inside and lets talk about this.

Thats the thing, I dont want to talk about this. The emotion escaped my voice. I didnt realize how upset I was until now. I couldnt look at him. I kept picturing him with different women, all better than me.

Hazel, dont push me away, he said firmly.

IIm going to go. I stepped away but he grabbed me and yanked me back. He got the door unlocked and pulled me inside.

Fine. Lets have this conversation. The irritation was in his voice. What do you want to know?

I dont want to know anything Its pretty clear youre going to push me away until you get over this. And the best way to get over it is to know the truth, not your corrupted imagination. Now, come on. You knew from the beginning that I wasnt a blushing virgin. Ive been around. Why is this bothering you now?

I crossed my arms over my chest and didnt look at him. I wasnt in love with you at the time He stared at me, saying nothing.

Now I keep picturing you with them How many other girls have been here? Have been on your bed? How many girls have you introduced to your parents? How many girls have you lived with? I really dont know anything about you Ill start at the beginning.

I didnt want to hear this.

Ive been with He ran his fingers through his hair while he tried to count. I dont know. Over a hundred?

Oh my god But they were just one-night stands. They never meant anything to me and they knew that at the time.

Thats so many I know, he said simply. But like I said, this isnt brand new information, Hazel.

I hated myself for letting it bother me. I knew he was right.

Ive recently moved into this apartment, so no other girl has been here but you. Youre the first.

I guess that made me feel a little better.

But my furniture is the same. Every girl Ive been with was taken on that bed. If you want me to change it, I will. But keep in mind I wouldnt do that for anyone else. If a girl had a problem with it, Id just find someone else.

Now I felt sick again.

As for my parents, Ive only brought one other girl around. She and I were together for three years before it ended. Thats it.

I didnt know you used to be in a serious relationship...

I didnt see why it mattered.

When did you break up?

A few years ago.

Oh. I didnt know what to think about that.

My brothers comment referred to all the girls hes met. Weve picked up girls together and hes seen a lot of women Ive had in my life. Thats all.

Oh. I couldnt think of a better response.

He sat down on the couch. Thats my story. What else do you want to know?