Page 52 of Unlikely to Stay

“What did youdo?”Breckin said breathlessly.

“That’s a long and embarrassing story I don’t want to get into right now,” CC said, taking another drink of her coffee before falling back onto her pillows.

Annie took the cup out of CC’s hands.

“Hey!”CC said.“Give it back!”

“Not until you tell us what happened to your finger!”

“God!You are such asses!”she yelled.

“And you’re stubborn!”Annie yelled back.

“Better than a grumpy ass!”Breckin yelled at the same time.

CC couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped from between her lips.Damn them both.It was impossible to stay mad at her friends.

Annie held out the cup to CC and plopped down on the bed.Lifting CC’s left hand to eye level, she squinted her eyes at CC’s finger.

“It’s not going to tell you its secrets, you know,” CC said, draining the rest of the cup’s contents.They should’ve brought her a large.

Annie flipped her the bird.“I know that, jackass.I’m just trying to figure it out on my own.”

“I cut it,” CC finally said.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Breckin said.“The question is…howdid you cut it?”

“Did you cut in on a barbed wire fence?”Annie asked.

“Nope.”

“Slice it on a piece of glass?”Breckin questioned.

CC shook her head.

“Bit by a dog?”

“Scratched by one of Kelda’s devil cats?”

“Fine!”CC yelled.“I’ll tell you!Sheesh…you guys just won’t let things go!”

“How long have you been best friends with us?”Annie asked.“You should know this by now.So spill.”

CC took a deep breath.“So Brant took me on the picnic—”

“Was it amazing?”Breckin interrupted.

“Do you want me to tell the story or not?”

Her friends pretended to zip their lips and throw away the keys.

“Yes, it was…nice.He’s not anything like I thought he would be.”

Annie opened her mouth to say something but CC pointed a finger her way.Annie intelligently closed her mouth and leaned back onto the footboard of CC’s bed.

“We had a great conversation and he lost the bet that I wouldn’t know everything you packed in the basket, so he had to swing on the rope over the creek.”

Breckin snorted.“Like we wouldn’t know what to pack you.”