Bunny Ears and Broken Contracts Chapter 06

Bunny Ears and Broken Contracts Chapter 06

On my birthday, same as every year, I drove out to Pine Valley and sat in front of my grandmother’s grave with a slice of cake.

I drove back home. The second I walked through the door, I knew someone was here who shouldn’t be.

Oliver was sitting on the sofa. The second he saw me, his ears shot straight up and his whole face lit up.

He bounded over and shoved a bag into my hands.

“Birthday gift. For you.”

“You got mad at me last time because I gave Chloe a dress for her birthday, remember? I promised I’d get you one too. And I did.”

I stared at the bag for a long moment. Then, against my better judgment, I took it. Growing up, the only people who’d ever shown up for my birthday were my grandmother and Oliver.

I opened the bag. Inside, a cheap red dress had been wadded up and shoved to the bottom. The tag said $120.

At Chloe’s birthday party — the one Oliver had begged me to take him to — the gift he’d snuck to Chloe had also been a red dress.

That one cost $20,000.

He’d charged a $20,000 dress to the card I gave him, bought the dress behind my back, and handed it to Chloe like it was nothing.

“Hazel, you nickel-and-dime me for everything, so I always figured you were cheap. How come your beastman is the generous one? A $20,000 dress — I’m impressed.”

Chloe had held the dress up for the whole table to see, grinning.

Behind me, Oliver had gone very still. I didn’t let anything show on my face except a thin smile.

“He is. He’s nothing like me — much more generous.”

Chloe wasn’t done.

“But sweetie, I don’t really do $20,000 dresses. Nothing in my closet goes for less than two hundred grand. So maybe save your money next time, okay?”

That same night, Chloe got wasted and insisted everyone stay over. I woke up in the middle of the night. Oliver’s side of the room was empty.

I was halfway to the door when he nearly crashed into me, flushed and breathless.

“Where were you?” I asked. “And why did you have to hide the gift from me?”

Oliver’s voice went up a full octave.

“It’s just a dress! Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“I saw it and thought it would look good on her, so I put it on the card! If you wanted one that badly, you could’ve just said something. I would’ve gotten you one too!”

He dodged the first question entirely. He’d gone to find Chloe — drunk, alone Chloe.

And the dress he’d promised me? A hundred-dollar knockoff from a street stall.

The second I took the bag, Oliver’s confidence came roaring back.

He circled me, nose twitching, and wrinkled his face.

“You don’t smell like smoke anymore, but what’s this? Salt? Seawater?” He wrinkled his nose harder. “And something fishy. The whole house reeks of it.”

I shoved the bag back into his arms and walked upstairs without a word.

Oliver stood frozen for a beat, then chased after me. “What are you doing?! That’s your gift — why are you giving it back?!”

“Chloe doesn’t wear $20,000 dresses.”

I stopped on the stairs and looked down at him.

“I don’t wear $100 ones either.”

“You know what, Oliver? For a rabbit, you sure know how to bite the hand that feeds you.”

“Are you going to walk out, or do I need to throw you out?”

Oliver clutched the bag to his chest. His face was scarlet, his eyes brimming.

“How can you be this shallow?!”

“Where was I supposed to get the money for an expensive dress…”

His voice cracked halfway through. He clamped his jaw shut, swallowed hard, and pushed on.

“A hundred dollars is a lot for a dress! The guy at the stall said it was top quality!” He was almost shouting. “He said it was really, really nice!”

“And it’s the first present I’ve ever given you. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

He wouldn’t let it go. I gave up and called security to escort him out.

I went out to the pool. Gano was already waiting at the edge, watching for me.

When I got close, his gaze dropped, suddenly shy. He held out both hands. Cupped in his palms was a handful of pearls — perfectly round, catching the light.

“I overheard someone say it was your birthday, Hazel. I don’t have anything else to give. But humans like pearls, don’t they?”

My God. I took the pearls from his hands.

“The rat dealer said you couldn’t cry. Said you couldn’t make pearls.”

“I didn’t want to cry in front of them.”

“How long did you cry to make these?”

“Not long. Just one night.”

He hauled himself out of the pool and pressed his wet body against mine.

“Is it not enough, Hazel? My eyes are a little dry right now, but I can cry more if you need me to.”

I brushed my thumb across the corner of Gano’s eye. Something in my chest collapsed.