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“Now you’re the one who's lost your mind. I don’t write notes. I text.” He scoffs as I approach my car, refusing to believe a single word out of his mouth.
He comes up behind me as I pull open my car door, then I step to the side, holding on to the frame so he can see the remnants of his work. “You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
His eyes go wide and he points at the pipe sticking out of my seat. “You think I did that?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know you did it.” He comes closer, but I block his path; he’s already done enough damage as it is.
“Elodie,” he says my name point-blankly while moving me out of his way, “I didn’t fucking do that.” Reaching in with his bare hand, Rome yanks the rusted metal out of the seat in one swift motion. He tosses the bloodied pipe onto the pavement and it hits with a vibrating thud.
“Now you’re the one who is lying,” I say with a shaky breath, worried he is telling the truth.
“You really think I did this?”
I nod, arms now crossed over my chest. “Sure do. Convince me otherwise.”
“Umm,” he drawls. “How about I’m not a fucking psychopath and I have no reason to pull a childish prank like this.”
“This isn’t a prank, Rome.” I gesture to the blood. “This is a threat.” I reach into the pocket of my sweatpants and pull out the note I folded up. Shoving it to his chest, he grabs it.
After reading what it says, worried eyes lift to mine. “I didn’t write this, Elodie.”
It’s rare that he calls me Elodie. Rome always calls me Freckles. Which almost makes me think he’s taking this seriously and it really wasn’t him.
A sense of dread overcomes me. “Tell me the truth. Please,” I beg him. “Tell me it was you.”
I need it to be him. I need it to be him.
He folds the note back up and passes it to me. “Wasn’t me.”
A hard lump lodges in my throat and I swallow hard as my lips tremble. “Who would do this?”
Rome’s nostrils flare, jaw clenched. “I think I know exactly who it is.” He walks over and picks up the broken pipe, eyeing it as he says, “And they’re gonna wish they’d never stepped foot on my fucking property.”
“Rome,” I warn. “Don’t you dare do anything stupid while you’re on probation. You’ll?—”
He turns so fast, he nearly hits me with the pipe. “How do you know I’m on probation?”
“I…talked to my mom. She told me.” His face flushes red as he drops the pipe, only to crowd my space.
“So you’re snooping around in my business?”
Like always with him, I begin to yell, “Don’t even start that. You went through my shit. Besides, I’m trying to help you!”
“Just get your ass inside the house while I clean up your fucking mess again.”
There’s a pang in my chest, a feeling like my heart has sunk deep into the pit of my stomach. Rome is the master at making me feel like complete shit.
I rip off the gloves and toss them at his feet. “Fine!” I snap back. “Just stay the hell away from me!”
Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I storm back inside, not moving until I’m behind my locked bedroom door. My back hits the wall and I slide down with my head in my hands, doing everything I can not to break right here and now.
Four days ago I felt a shift in my relationship with Rome. I thought the turmoil was over and better days were ahead.
But, once again, Rome has proven that a zebra can’t change its stripes, and a misfit can’t be trusted.
CHAPTER 23
ELODIE
