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“Fuck this,” Salem huffs. “Let’s go to Theo’s first. He’s closer. I’ll drag him out by his balls if I have to.”
“Thank you for helping,” I offer.
“You don’t have to thank me. And no offense, but I’m not doing it for you. He’s going through shit. This isn’t like him, running off like that. I’m worried, too.”
We reach Theo’s in record time—and what I see on pulling up in front of the huge house makes me want to scream.
“He said he didn’t know where Hayes was!” I shout, pointing at the familiar car sitting next to the house. He parked it at an angle, like he was in a hurry. “I’m going to kill him for lying.”
“Take a breath. He probably made Theo promise to pretend he didn’t know where he was.” Still, there’s an edge in her voice like she’s just as mad as I am.
I’m out of the car before she puts it in park, running up to the front door.
I jam my finger against the bell. “Theo!” I shout, even though he probably doesn’t hear me inside the huge house. I punch the bell again and again since that’s the only thing he’ll hear, and I need to vent my anger somehow.
The door swings open to reveal a scowling Theo. “For fuck’s sake.”
“I know he’s here. He should have parked in the garage if he was trying to hide. Why did you pretend you didn’t know where he was?” By this time, Salem is behind me, and I can almost feel her anger mixing with mine.
“He made me swear. What am I supposed to do?” He runs a hand through his hair, his forehead creasing. “It’s not like I did it to fuck with you.”
“I need to talk to him.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea right now.”
“Then let me do it,” Salem suggests. “I’m not a part of any of this.”
“Any of this?” Theo’s head snaps back, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not part of the family, you know? If he’s freaking out because of the wedding and the baby, I’m an outsider.”
Some of the confusion drains from his expression, but not all of it. His eyes dart back and forth between us. “I don’t think that’s the whole problem.” He shifts his weight from one leg to the other, thrusting a hand into his pocket before glancing over his shoulder.
That’s when it hits me. Why didn’t I see it before? Something must have happened today at school between Hayes and Coach Greg. Finding out about the wedding and the baby alone wasn’t enough to make him go off the deep end like this. It was only the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Do you know?” I ask Theo. “You do, don’t you?”
His head swings around, eyes wide. “You know about it?”
“Know about what?” Salem demands. “Dammit, would everybody stop being so cryptic? What am I missing?”
“No!” It’s a roar coming from deeper inside the house. I look over Theo’s shoulder to find Hayes jogging down the hall with fury written all over his face. “No, you will not. Get the hell out of here. I don’t want you here, either of you!”
“We just wanted to make sure—” Salem begins, but he cuts her off.
“I don’t fucking care! Both of you, stop fucking around in my life.” He jabs a finger at me. “This is all your fault. You and your fucking family. You ruined everything, my whole fucking life!”
“How?” I ask, and I don’t care that I’m crying. I can’t help it. Let him see what he’s doing to me, let them all see. “All I ever wanted was to help you. Remember? I just wanted to be your friend.”
“I don’t want you to be my friend. I don’t want you. I don’t want your mother. I don’t want any of it. Get it through your fucking head. What do I have to do? Do I have to kill you?”
Theo steps between us, a hand against his chest. “Wow, hold on.”
“Get out of the way.” Hayes shoves him aside before advancing on me until my back is against the doorframe. “Go away. Stay away. Get out of my life. I wish I never set eyes on you.”
I can barely see him through my tears, can barely breathe as I sob. “Hayes, no...”
“You should have let me do it. Why didn’t you fucking let me do it?” He leans in close, vibrating with rage. “Why?” he roars.
“I’m sorry,” I sob, even though I’m not. I don’t want him to die. “Please, let’s talk about it.”
“What is there to talk about? My life is over. It’s all fucking over.”
“I don’t understand.”
“And you never fucking will. So damn clueless. You think you’re helping, but all you do is make things worse.” He takes a breath like he’s about to say something else, but pauses, eyes narrowing as he studies my face. “What happened to you? Your cheek?”
