Page 1 of Cruel Titan

1

Quinn

It’s my worst nightmare come to life. I can’t seem to look away. My dad’s eyes are staring back into mine. There are so many questions going through my mind but it’s useless. None of them will ever be answered because my dad is dead.

Nausea flows through me as I keep my eyes fixated on the photograph. I just want to talk to him. Just for one second. I need to know what’s going on. I need to know who to trust, because right now, I don’t trust anyone.

“Quinn,” a familiar voice says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Looking up, I see Haley, my former best friend. Her eyes are red and swollen as tears fall down her cheek. This is exactly why I didn’t want to have this memorial service. She didn’t care enough about me to be my best friend, so I don’t need her to shed any crocodile tears for my dad.

Haley hesitantly takes a seat on the church pew next to me. “I’m so sorry about your dad.”

Focusing back on my dad’s picture, I remain silent. There are no words that I want to say to her and there are no words that will make the pain of losing my dad any easier.

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later after the service. We could go to—”

“No.”

“Quinn, please. Just talk to me. I’m worried about you.”

I know she’s trying to grasp onto what little friendship is left between us. The problem is, I don’t have anything left. “Tell Mason I said hi.”

My hands brush up my arm, remembering his tight grip on my arms and the anger in his eyes when he confronted me after school. He’s pissed at me because Haley blew him off. As far as I’m concerned, they can have each other.

Haley slowly stands, walking away without another word. And I’m alone again even though the room is full. I watch as strangers walk up to the closed casket, glancing over at the picture that pulls in my gaze. Some of the people I don’t know, the others I just don’t want to talk to.

Shifting against the hardwood pew, my body is stiff, reminding me that I’ve been sitting here for hours. It should be time for the funeral service to get started soon. I’m so thankful to Candace right now for not fighting me on having the wake and funeral the same day because I don’t think I could have done this all over again tomorrow. One day of telling my dad goodbye is difficult enough.

“How are you holding up, kiddo?” Nathan plops down next to me.

“Fine.” I say with little enthusiasm.

“You and me both.”

It’s more than obvious by his exasperated tone that he knows I’m anything but fine. The fact that he can read me so well still bothers me. Although in this situation, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I’m not okay. I’m saying goodbye to the man who raised me my entire life and was lying to me and possibly leaving me behind when his car went over a cliff. Nothing inside my head or heart accepts that he was leaving me behind. Money trouble or not, he wouldn’t do that. The more I learn, the more I know it wasn’t intentional, at least not on my dad’s part.

A dark figure catches my eye, drawing my attention to the side as I look over to see Asher standing in the aisle, his hands tucked into the pockets of his all-black suit, which matches his soul perfectly. Every part of Asher Hastings is dark. A black hole that sucks you in until he’s embedded in your soul.

Nathan shifts in his seat, cautiously placing an arm around my shoulders as his hand squeezes my upper arm, knowing I need some type of support. Nathan doesn’t know what happened between Asher and I, but he knows something is up. No one knows what I discovered because the only person I want to confide in isn’t around.

I stand. He’s been everywhere—lurking around, hovering incessantly the last week. Begging for a chance to explain, but I won’t tolerate it here of all places. The place we are at because of him.

“You need to leave.”

Nathan stands beside me, shifting glances between Asher and me. “Asher, you should go.”

Asher doesn’t make a move, standing stock-still, his eyes remain fixated on me.

“Now,” Nathan says, shielding my view of the emerald eyes that remind me of all the pain I feel at once. “Give her some space. This day is hard enough on her without added shit.”

“I’ve given her all the space that I can,” Asher says before walking away.

Sitting back down, I let out a breath of relief as Nathan retakes the seat beside me. “Thank you.”

“I’m still here if there’s something you want to talk about.”

“I’m fine.”