It All Started With Hate

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"Exactly." Levi nodded in agreement before he thought on it. His finger shook at the screen. "Wait, yeah we have. Remember the party at Niles?"

Kade considered it for a moment before nodding at the memory. "I forgot about that shit." With a shrug, he flicked his head at me. "You deserved it that time, though."

I did, but I didn't comment on that. I'd been cross-faded as shit at a party, and tried to drive home. Both of the fuckers jumped me, and beat my ass until I surrendered the keys. Kade had threatened to dunk me in the pool if I didn't get in the car. When I didn't, him and Levi threw me right in until I surrendered.

Fun times.

Kade and Levi were recounting over it, as well. We all chuckled at the memory before Levi started up, again, "Anyway, back to our lover boy here—"

Instinctively, my eyes fell to Maggie's resting form before raising to Levi with a scowl. "Can you quit being so fucking loud?"

Levi shot a glare my way. "Make me—"

"Hold the fuck on," Kade interrupted our pre-argument, peering closer. His brown eyes squinted at the screen.

I cast a hardened shadow his way. "The fuck are you staring at?"

Both of them were watching closely, now. I caught glimpse of black hair in my own screen before I shifted the camera back up to me. Shit. It was obvious it wasn't my own.

Kade leaned back, a smirk building. "She there?" It sounded like he knew the answer, already.

I shook my head, my fingers tightening around the phone. "Fuck no," I lied at the same time that Maggie released a snore so loud, it bounced off the walls.

"Oh, fuck. She is," Levi confirmed with a laugh. "And, she's sleeping on you? Fuck yeah, you're screwed."

Kade rolled his eyes with a chuckle of his own. He flicked his head at me. "You fuck her, or something?"

I bit back a curse. "I'm hanging up."

They didn't tell me anything like that about their girls, why the fuck would they expect me to about Maggie?

Not that she was my girl.

It was none of their business, though; I wasn't giving them anymore ammunition against me.

"Fuck me," Levi managed to force out past his laughter. "You should see your face." He smacked a hand against his forehead as his body shook with bunches of humor. "Jesus, it feels so good to see you get a taste of your own medicine."

I hated that he was right. "Fuck you," I bit out, anyway.

I saw glimpses of Kimberly behind Kade's tall figure before he glanced down to her. His expression melted as he pulled her in by her waist. "Morning, pretty girl. You sleep good?" I heard her grumble something in response, to which Kade chuckled, and kissed the top of her head.

I had to tear my eyes from the sight. Jesus. Was that how I looked at Maggie?

No. Of course not. I didn't hold a single sweet thought toward the brat, and I'd die on that hill. These two reminded me of that. All I felt was simply lust, and a trauma bond or two. Everything else had to by coincidence. Fuck that.

Levi swiped at the corner of his eyes, his body slowly recovering from the laughing fit. "I'm sorry, I just..." before he finished, his chest shook and trembled under another round of laughter. He was enjoying the shit out of my karma.

I cast a scowl before clicking the screen. "I'm hanging up. Both of you can—"

"Wait," Kade called out, his expression tightening with seriousness. "You need to be careful with your dad. If there was a time you really pissed the bastard off, it'd be now."

"Yeah," I grumbled. "I know."

I didn't know what my dad would do to get his revenge, but I had a couple ideas. Now that Maggie had let the word loose about my true parentage, I doubted he could harm my mother in the way he threatened to many times before. That only left me.

I didn't include Maggie, because he would never in his life lay a hand on her. It'd be taken before he could even breathe in her direction.

Kade nodded, his eyes shifting to Kimberly before he handed her a full plate. A moment later, he was sat down alongside her. He met my tired gaze with a head nod. "That favor working out?"

I nodded in return. "It is." All three of us knew of the contents, but it wasn't safe enough to discuss over the phone just yet. I glanced between the two. "Thanks."

"You know it wasn't a problem," Kade responded.

Levi shrugged with a small smile. "I mean...I'm still expecting a new car stereo in return, but a thanks will do for now."

I rolled my eyes at him. "And, you'll be waiting for a long time." I was lying; I'd bought it for him weeks ago, but was waiting until he got back into town.

"I don't believe it," Levi retorted, his smile growing. "It's okay to admit it. I know I'm your favorite."

Kade snorted around his pancake with a shake of his head.

I did the same, throwing a look at him. "Levi, I'd genuinely trade you for half a dozen stale donuts."

Kade nodded, shaking his fork. "Agreed."

"I'm not even worth a dozen?" Levi feigned hurt, palming his chest. "Wow. Just...wow."

I clicked the screen, again. "I'm hanging up, now. I've had enough of—"

"You've said that three times, and yet you're still here," Levi commented, his expression shifting to a grin. "I know you secretly missed me, fucker. Admit it."

I did. I missed having the both of them here. "Fuck no."

"Please," Levi snorted. "I bet you're kicking your feet in the air, and everything just knowing I'm here."

I massaged at my temples with a small groan. This fucker had given me a headache in under ten minutes. That wasn't even a record with him.

I flicked a nod at Kade, who was watching with an amused smirk. "I'll talk to you, and only you later." I went to hang up but before I could, Levi stopped me with a loud, "Hold on."

If I could reach through the phone to slap the shit out of him, I would. "Lower your voice before you wake her up," I hissed at him. "What the fuck is it?"

"I forgot." He mouthed a sorry, his lips tilted into a shit-eating grin. It drew back enough to be considered harmless. "I just—"

"Levi," I growled back in warning. I knew that look. It was always trouble. It was what landed all three of us in a jail cell so many times, I still remembered the officers by name.

His eyes went to Kade, who shrugged after my own followed up. "I'm not in this shit." His expression hung with amusement before his attention fell back to his plate.

Levi cleared his throat, running a hand down the length of his jaw. "You know...I just wanted to talk about how you make my heart so—" his voice rose so abruptly, it made me flinch. "Maggie, our boy's in love with you, and he's—"

My eyes widened at him. Shit. Shit. Shit. I slammed my thumb down on the phone so hard, I think it cracked. I managed to cut his speech off half-way, but it'd been loud enough already.

I cursed under my breath, combing a hand through my hair. A mix of anger, and annoyance flooded through my blood at Levi, and his idea of karma. That son of a bitch. I fucking hated him.

Maggie shifted over my chest, her eyes squeezing and twitching until they finally opened. I nearly jumped off of the bed just to avoid the fear, but it wouldn't change, anything. She was awake.