AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She needs you,” I repeat her words to him. I don’t even know what else I’m supposed to say.
“Where?” His voice becomes different when he realizes that he isn’t talking to his sister.
“My place.”
“What the fuck happened, Grant?” I can hear him shifting around and someone in the background talking to him.
“She only wants you,” I add, ignoring his question. She didn’t say she needed her brothers. She said Patrick.
“Jon, stay here. I gotta go get Luce,” he says. Jon says something back, and Patrick snaps at him. “Yeah, well, I told y’all to leave her the fuck alone!” To me, he adds, “I’m on my way. Is she crying?”
“Yeah.”
He curses and then the call disconnects.
“He’s on his way,” I whisper into her hair as I feel my t-shirt become wet. Lucy doesn’t respond except to wiggle closer to me. We lay like that until I hear a distant banging, and I know that Patrick is here. “I’ll be right back.”
With so much reluctance, I leave her to let Patrick inside. He repeats his earlier question the moment I open the door.
“After Corey stopped by, she wanted to stay with me. She was crying and I didn’t want her to go back to campus anyway after that. We fell asleep, but I woke up to her thrashing around, hitting me and crying. Once I got her to calm down, she said she needed you.”
He nods, like this has happened before. “Where is she?”
I lead him to my room, but hang back by the door as he goes over to her. Patrick sits on the edge of the bed and whispers her name. Lucy rolls over, sits up, and he pulls her into his lap as if she's a child, hugging her and comforting her like only a big brother can. He continues to talk to her softly, bringing her away from whatever ledge she was on. I almost feel like I’m intruding.
I almost hate him. Only because I want to know what is going on, and I want to be the one making her feel better, especially when part of this is their damn fault.
“Where are her things?” Patrick directs his question to me. How did he even know she had anything? Wordlessly, I go grab her bag by my closet and her cell off the nightstand. He nods a thanks for getting them. “Lucy, are you ready to go now?” I watch her shake her head. “Do you want to stay?” She shakes her head against his shoulder again. Patrick gives her a few more minutes, whispering into her ear, while running his hand up and down her back.
Without any pushing, Lucy stands, turns to face me, and gives me a breath-stealing hug. Patrick takes the bag and cell phone from my hand, so I can hug her back.
“Patrick is taking me with him,” she says into my chest. “I’m sorry and thank you.”
It’s then that I don’t want her to go. She can’t leave me, not like this. Not when I’m so lost about what’s wrong. Lucy looks up at me.
“He’ll take care of me.” Of course he will. Out of the three Kennedy brothers, I know Patrick will think of her first without a doubt. But then she stabs me in the heart. “Will you give me a few days before you call?”
I glance at Patrick and his look dares me to tell her no. “Call me whenever you’re ready, Lucy.” Ready? Ready for what? There’s too much left in the unknown and now, I can’t even talk to her for a few days.
Lucy places a kiss on my cheek. It’s simple and quick and before I can even acknowledge it, she turns to Patrick. He takes her hand, leading her away from me. I wait until they are gone to lock the door again.
SOMETHING POKES ME hard in the stomach, waking me up, and I hear a voice whisper, “Winston!”
“What?” I grunt, pulling Maddie's already close body closer without opening my eyes.
“Did you hear that?”
“No, I was trying to sleep on this piece of shit floor.” I finally open my eyes to see her glaring at me.
“I think someone's here.”
“Three other people live in this house, Maddie. I'm sure someone is here.”
She pokes me hard in the stomach again. “Don't be a smart ass.” Maddie starts to roll away from me, but I hold her tightly in place.
“I'm sure it's no one. Let's go back to sleep.”
“Will you go check to be sure?”
