… He’s harmless…
“Shh,” Billie shouts from the other side of the room as she glances over to Caroline who shifts uncomfortably from side to side, “Dax text they should be here in a couple of minutes.”
“You okay?” I lean over asking Care, and she shakes her head.
“No, this is all a bad idea. I wish I wouldn’t have gotten roped into it. He’s going to hate this. And he’s going to hate me being here.”
“But you want him to get better?” I ask her and she nods her head, and I can see the slight tear that hides behind her eye.
“Yeah, but—” she trails as we hear Billie tell us they’re here and everyone makes their way to the front door, but I notice how Caroline remains in the kitchen, downing her drink.
“You coming?” I ask her and she shakes her head as she walks back over to the counter, pouring another one. Glancing back over at me, she nods to the front of the house.
“You go though.” Slowly, I nod my head before I move to the front of the house.
We’re all waiting in the entryway and I can feel her close before I glance over in the direction that the energy is coming from and catch Ella’s eyes for a second before she glances away back to the front door as it opens. “Welcome home!” Everyone shouts around me, but I can see his face as he crutches into the house, and I know he doesn’t want this. He’s sulking right now and nothing that is positive is going to pull him out of it until he’s ready.
I know, I’ve been there before.
He looks at all of us and Khan stands looking over at him as if he’s excited and proud of himself for setting all of this up. Then, without saying a word, Ash turns and crutches down the hallway. The door slamming is everything that we need to hear.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming over, but it’s probably best if everyone leaves. Text me sometime and we’ll figure out a way for everyone to come and see him individually… it may take off some of the pressure.” Caroline tells us before she nods to the door.
“I’m sorry, Care.” Khan leans over to her and hugs her. “Let us know if you need anything.” She nods her head slowly as she talks to him.
“I told them he was going to act like this.” I hear Ella say next to me as I look over and I can’t keep the laugh to myself as I see the guy who is standing close to her, his arm keeping a protective grasp on her. She’s talking to Billie, but she keeps looking over at me and I roll my eyes before pushing myself off of the counter and walking out the front door. Walking back toward where I parked my bike down the road.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself as I reach the bike, realizing that I forgot my phone back at the house.
Rolling to a stop on the street in front of Lucy’s house. I get off and move back towards the front of the house as most of the guests make their way out of the house and to their own vehicles.
“—then what the fuck was that all about?” I hear the voice snap out in a hushed tone as I step in through the threshold of the house.
“What do you mean?” Ella’s voice halts me, causing me to look over.
“You fucking know—” he pauses as Ella looks up to me, wide-eyed. I’m sure he can see, based on her face, that someone is standing behind him.
“You good?” I ask her, watching as the fuck boy’s shoulders tense up but doesn’t look over, and she quickly nods her head. Shrugging, I continue to walk into the kitchen. When I walk in, I see my phone sitting next to Caroline, who is sitting on the kitchen counter. I’m sure, waiting for everyone to get out of the house. She smiles at me as I walk up and picks up my phone, handing it over to me.
“Wasn’t sure which one you were going to come back for first.” She laughs out as I grab at it.
“Fuck off.” She pulls the phone back just as I get close to it.
“You know she did that just to piss you off, right?” She asks me, nodding her head down the hall in the direction I just walked from. Groaning, this time actually able to snatch it back from her.
“I told you nothing was ever going on.” She nods at me slowly, as if she doesn’t believe me. “Nothing ever happened. I crushed any possibility of that before it could. I needed her to not want anything to do with me. Let me know if you need anything.” I tell her before I move towards the door again, but first stopping at the bathroom in the hallway opening the door. “Oh sorry,” I mutter, seeing that someone is inside, but not who it is. The hunched over body glances up in the mirror at me in fear. I step inside quickly, nearly snatching Ella up as I watch her leaning over the lines of coke on the counter. “What the fuck.” I grip her wrist, pulling her up to look at me.
“Let go of me.” She snaps back at me.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” She looks at me as if she’s tempting me, purposefully baiting me.
“Goddamnit, Ella.” I snap at her again.
“What? I’m just being too young for my own good. Too young to not know what I’m doing.”
“Fuck,” I groan out as I, with one swipe, push the powder towards the sink. Trying to wash it down when she pushes me back against the wall.
