"You did... what!?" My voice cracked from how hard I screeched at Logan. We hadn't seen each other all day, then right when he walked through the door after practice, Logan dropped the bombshell on me that he'd sent my 'get the feelings out' letter about my dad to my mom.

How did he even get it? Thought I threw that away.

Tiny stings erupted in the palms of my hands from how hard my nails dug into the soft flesh. I narrowed my eyes and glared up at Logan with all the anger that now rolled through me in waves and was fairly sure I breathed like a rabid animal.

"I... uhh... sent your letter to your Mom," he replied feebly and a small wrinkle lined the side of his nose as he slightly cringed.

My left eye twitched once. "Why the fuck would you do that!?"

"She's..." One of his hands rubbed over the back of his neck. "Very convincing. I tried over and over to say it's your business, but she said your Dad wrote down what he thought -"

"I don't give a fuck what he thinks!" I roared out at him. "I know how he feels, he's holding onto guilt for what happened and regressed back to the fourteen year old version of me that was..."

My voice faded under the tightness that constricted my throat. Logan had relayed his entire conversation with Mom, whose manipulative guilt trip I saw coming from the moment he said she'd texted him, and the old me would've wondered if Logan asked me to write the letter in conspiracy with her behind my back.

Since Logan told me the second his feet walked through the door after his practice, I definitely bit back my opinions and reactions that churned inside me the longer he spoke through every detail of their conversation. While I acknowledged, at least silently to myself, the fact he hadn't heard anything from Mom until after he'd taken the picture, I still couldn't hold back how betrayed I felt.

The hell was he thinking!? Couldn't this shit wait until after exams?

My lower lip rolled under as hot tears flooded over my vision of Logan. "I... can't believe you'd do that. Behind my back!?"

"I didn't think..." Blurry Logan mumbled. "I'm sorry, Ellie."

"Me too," I whispered, stomped past him from where we stood in the living room, and grabbed a few pieces of clothing from the closet. Throughout my rough, jerky movements, my heart slammed into my chest walls, blood rushed through my veins, and my skin burned hot. Once back in the living room, I picked up all my textbooks off the stack I'd made on the dining room table and clutched them into my chest.

Logan's eyes tracked my movements and when he spoke, his voice was flooded with guilt, "Ellie -"

"Don't Ellie me!" I hurled in my harshest voice at him. "I'm staying with Charlie until I don't feel like punching you in the face, kicking you in the balls, or both!"

After I slammed our apartment door behind me, a few stomps of my feet led me to Charlie and Wes' apartment. Since my arms were full, I just banged on the bottom of the door with my foot.

A few seconds later, the lock clicked and the door opened to a half-naked Wes. His black athletic shorts hung low on his hips, his post-practice brown hair was slightly damp but stuck up in every possible direction, and his bare, hairless chest looked me right in the eyes.

"Ellie?" His deep voice sounded understandably confused as I pushed past him.

"Can I... stay here for a while?" I huffed quietly and lifted my eyes up to his. "Logan and I had a... I don't know what."

Wes' brown eyes shifted a shade darker, his jaw tightened, and when he spoke, his voice sounded more like a demand than a question, "What'd he do?"

"Let her in first, crack your knuckles later." Charlie stepped out of the kitchen, took some of my books, and laid them on their dining room table. "Of course you can stay, let me clean up the guest room."

"Thanks," I mumbled, then looked back at Wes, who flicked his fingers at his sides like he wanted his knuckles cracked. "Just a stupid meddling into my family situation."

"I'd ask if you broke through to your Dad yet but by the look in your eyes, I'm guessing that's a no." Charlie led me into their extra bedroom, which notably had two all-glass doors that offered no privacy and pointed straight at similar doors for Wes and Charlie's room. But the room housed a bed, and more importantly not one I shared with Logan, so I dumped my armful of clothes on it and sat down.

"Thank you," I huffed quietly as Charlie sat down next to me, in her gray UW T-shirt and flannel pajama pants. Her blonde hair was damp and hung straight across her back, which matched Wes' wet hair.

I pushed aside the most likely scenario that they'd just showered together and, for the next ten minutes, relayed everything that happened from my and Dad's argument to how Logan shared my letter with Mom. Both of them remained silent, just listened attentively while my hands became more and more animated the more I spoke.

The second pass through the scene, the more blame I passed onto my Mom. She'd always passively sat silent through my discussions with Dad but not only mettled in my emotions but also coerced Logan on her side.

After he'd said no... She put him in a hard place.

On that thought, I pulled out my phone, shot her a quick text message.

me: Mom, can't believe what you did. Need some space now, from both of you.

I exhaled sharply at the 'note' from Dad she'd sent to me and Logan, in particular how I easily recognized the words were written in her handwriting, not his. So, without a second thought, or even a breath, I blocked both my parents' numbers.

Not until I'm ready. Not her or Dad. Me.

For added measure, I threw in a security blanket, who fortunately responded right back.

me: FYI, I'm blocking Mom and Dad now. I just can't.

Jake: You do you.

"From someone who's Dad is a hardass..." Once I tossed my phone aside with a sigh, Wes finally spoke up. I lifted my eyes to where he leaned against the door frame, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. "Welcome to the club."

"Pretty sure Ellie knows already that her dad is... difficult." Charlie's eyes narrowed the longer she looked up at Wes. "How is any of what you said helpful?"

"I can relate." His broad shoulders shrugged slightly. "Pretty sure Logan can too."

Wes' words settled inside me like a stone that sunk to the bottom of a well.

He's right, Logan does understand.

Oh, crud. And his Dad is -

"But, it sounds like Logan had good intentions..." Charlie said quietly and slowly, like she carefully chose her words. "And your mom, is very -"

"He still could've asked me first, hung up the phone, I don't know." I groaned, palmed my face with both hands, and temporarily pushed aside my passively manipulative mother. Annoyance flared up inside me and pushed aside my sympathy for Logan's own strained relationship with his dad. "Those weren't his words to share."

"No, but... sounds like it was a stupid mistake while he was trying to do the right thing." Her blue eyes studied mine for a moment. "But stay here tonight, let him stew over his idiocy."

"Thank you," I mumbled while my shoulder slumped downward. "I'll see him for tomorrow's Anatomy midterm anyways. Sorry for crashing in here."

"Anytime, Ellie. If you're here, which is totally cool, during dinner..." Wes spoke up slowly but the glint in his eyes gave away what he suggested.

"Yes, I'll make dinner." My eyes rolled up to the ceiling before they landed on Charlie's again. "Least I can do for barging in here, sorry."

"Stay as long as you like Ellie." Wes chuckled over his shoulder as he retreated into the living room. "For breakfast tomorrow too."

"Shameless, Wes." Charlie giggled before one of her hands gently landed on my shoulder. "You sure you're alright, Ellie?"

"Yeah, just pissed off," I mumbled and tensed the tips of both hand's fingers into my forehead. "I should clear things up with Logan but I just want to eat, study for my exam, then go to bed early."

"Of course," she replied with a tone of voice as gentle as the smile she gave me. "You're always welcome here."

Even though Charlie's bed was quite comfortable, I attempted an early bedtime but tossed, turned, and flipped over for two hours straight. While the room temperature was comfortable, the lack of radiated heat into my body that I'd gotten accustomed to sleeping next to left me cold and... lonely.

With a snort of frustration, I pushed myself up to a seated position and rubbed my fists into my eyes. "This is ridiculous."

If I can't sleep, I might as well study.

I swung my feet out of bed, pressed them onto the cool hardwood floors, and flicked on the bedside table lamp. My eyes adjusted to the dim, yellowed light with a few blinks and caught the 10:12pm time on my phone screen. With a slight groan, I reached over for my Anatomy notebook and realized I'd also grabbed Logan's textbook in my hasty escape.

The book he'd shared with me.

A welt of guilt lumped in my throat the longer I stared at the book's cover.

Oh no, he couldn't read it tonight because I was being petty.

I should run it back over, maybe he's up.

My hand reached over the book, grabbed my phone, and right when I punched in my password, it vibrated with a message.

Logan: Are you up?
Logan: I can't sleep. Miss you.

"Well crud," I muttered down to my phone while a smile tugged across my lips.

me: Same.

me: I'm still mad though.

Logan: Fair enough.
Logan: You can hit me with the Anatomy book if it'll help.

My smile involuntarily stretched wider.

me: You'd like that too much.

I tiptoed and shuffled my feet around the guest bedroom, gathered my things, shoved my feet into my shoes, then left a hasty note of thanks on the bedside table. With a quiet squeak of Wes and Charlie's door behind me, my arms clutched my books and clothes against my chest while I walked back to Logan and my apartment. With no give in my arms unless I dropped everything, I stood for a few silent moments before the door opened on its own.

Warmth flowed into my cheeks while my eyes averted down and took in Logan's bare feet. I slowly dragged my gaze upwards, over his chiseled calves and thighs, and my lips parted when I took in the fact he wore only his boxer briefs.

His short, blonde hair stuck out in random directions and I would've teasingly asked if he'd stuck his finger in an electric socket if I wasn't pissed off at him. A slight red tint lined the corners of his eyes and he pressed his mouth into a firm, straight line.

"Ellie..." Logan's deep voice hung heavy in the air, weighed down with the guilt of unspoken words that both of us were too exhausted to discuss at this moment.

Only once the door shut behind me had the face my feet moved first registered in my brain, followed by my hands when they extended towards him with his Anatomy book perched on top of the pile.

"Sorry I took your book," I mumbled to the living room floor.

"Our book, Ellie," Logan's voice, although traced with a hint of rasp, sounded more direct and less defeated the second time he said my name. His fingers brushed against mine and my eyes only moved when all the books and clothes' weight was lifted from my hands.

"Right." My arms crossed, hands cupped my elbows, and shoulders slumped forwards. "I... couldn't sleep either, so... umm..."

"So let's go." He tilted his head towards the bedroom door and set the books down on the chair near my backpack, which I'd forgotten in my hurried departure. "We'll talk after the exam tomorrow."

"Right." I stopped in the bathroom, where I realized I'd forgotten my toothbrush, then silently went through my night time routine.

The image of Logan's large frame stretched out in his bed was the last thing I saw before I flipped off the bedroom light. I sat gingerly on the edge, where I kicked off my shoes and flinched at the warm hand that rested against my lower back. My spine relaxed the more his thumb absently traced a semicircle back and forth.

With one breath, I silently laid down, on my side away from Logan, and tucked my knees up to my chest. The soft sheets slipped over the back of my hands as I pressed them together in prayer and pushed them under the pillow. A few shuffled movements of the mattress later, he curled his frame around mine, the front of his knees tucked up under the back of mine.

"I'm sorry." His warm mumbles vibrated the skin on the back of my neck. As waves of warmth flowed over me, I slid my heavy-lidded eyes closed.

With my last sigh before I fell under his presence's hypnotic lull of sleep, I whispered, "I know."