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Chapter Ten
Farlee
I smile when I feel the vibration of my phone. The only person to ever text me is Griffin. Well, now I'm in the group chat with all the girlfriends of the outcasts, and that's a lot of fun, too. The girls have welcomed me with open arms, and we've become best friends. They all even came over to the house a few times to visit daddy. The girls and the guys have come and helped me with chores. The guys actually brought some extra wood, nails, and construction stuff to help clean up the old barn and around the house. They have been amazing, and I couldn't ask for better. However, us girls take school rather seriously, so I know it's not them messaging me.
I pull my phone out and look at the screen, confused. The text is from a number I don't have stored, and I don't recognize. I debate whether to leave it there until after class, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I open the message, and the picture on my screen shatters my heart.
Griffin kissing Sara... passionately. What the hell? I feel like I’ve just been thrown into the dark black ocean. I'm drowning and can't find my way to the surface. I keep staring at the picture as tears gather in my eyes. How could he do this to me? Griffin knew... He knew what it meant for me to give everything to him. My trust, my heart, my soul, and he just crushed it. How could Griffin do this with Sara? He knew what she did to me. He knew… wait a minute.
My heart finally catches up to my brain. Griffin knows what happened with Sara. He knows why I don't trust or talk to her, and I know full well what she did to him. There is no way he could do this to me. I look closer at the photo and see not passion in Griffin's eyes… But resistance. He looks like he wants to rip her to shreds. I try to see where they are. I pinch the screen and zoom in until I see it. The water hose in the back. The empty plant planters. They are in the greenhouse. I don't wait for class to be over. I stand from my seat and rush out of the class as my teacher hollers from behind me. I don't stop, though. I take off down the hall. I turn the corner at the end of the hall and, of course, my luck, I run dead into a hard chest.
‘Woah.. what's the hurry?” someone says, holding my arms steady so I don't fall, “Oh Farlee, hey hun. What are you running so fast for?”
“Canaan, sorry. I need to get to Griffin,” I say, trying to rush around him. I watch the deadly look cross his face at my panic.
“What is it? What happened to Griffin?” he asks, his voice deceptively calm. I hold up my phone, showing him the picture. He looks at it, and his eyes shoot wide when he realzes what it is.
“Farlee, you have to stay calm. There is no way Griffin would do this shit to you. That man is so deep in love with you. He would never hurt you like that,” he pleads with me to understand. I smile quickly at him.
“I know Canaan, I know. Calm down. I'm not headed to break up with him. I'm headed to check on him. Look at his face. She’s forcing that kiss, and the only way she could do that is if his hands aren't working.”
That realization hits him, and he turns and takes off, looking at me over his shoulders.
“Well, hurry up. Let's find our boy,” he says, rushing off. I know he has no clue where he's going, but I can see the worry for Griffin on his face.
“Greenhouse,” I say as we sprint down the halls, me close on his heels. When we make it to the door that leads to the greenhouse, Canaan stops me with a hand on my shoulder.
“I don't know who’s in there with her, but no way was she able to take Griffin down on her own. We need to be smart about this. Is there another way into the greenhouse?” he asks me, and I know he's right, even if all I want to do is rush through those doors and get to my man. I nod, though, and lead him out the door and around the back of the greenhouse. Luckily, the plants hide us from the outside, but the windows are open, and we can hear everything being said.
“No way will she want you now. She would hate to get on Sara's bad side.” What the hell? Is that Louis?
“I would make her life even more miserable. I knew she had you to protect her before now. I knew I couldn't touch her with you and your trashy friends watching over her. Now though, she won't want anything to do with you,” Sara says giddily. I'm going to whoop her ass.
“Why would you do this? I love her, and you just took her from me. Why?” Griffin says, and I can hear the heartbreak in his voice. I want to go to him. I want to hold him, but right now, we have to do this Canaan's way. I lead us to the back door. From where they are, there is no way they will see us coming.
“You were mine. Farlee tried to take everything from me my whole life. The popular girls wanted to hang with her until I spread rumors. The popular guys had an obsession with her. I never understood until I told them she had a disease from the animals she sticks her hand in all day. She was so liked even though she never talked. All the teachers loved her, and everyone just thought Farlee was amazing. I was sick of being in her shadow. Then she took you. That was the last straw.”
I look at Canaan and give him a determined look. I'm done with this shit. I’m done with her hurting Griffin. I can see his shoulders slumped from here. We hide behind some plants, and I can see he's zip-tied to a chair.
“I'm going to take out the little fucker. Think you can handle Sara?” Canaan asks me in a whisper. I turn deadly eyes to him.
“I’m gonna drop her ass, tie her down like a calf at the rodeo.” Canaan smiles before he nods, and we make our way around the table. We come up behind Sara and Louis, and when Canaan gives me a nod, I rush at Sara while he throws a punch, landing it squarely on Louis' jaw.
I grab Sara by the back of the head before pulling her by her hair to face me. I don't give her a second to be surprised. I ball my hand into a fist and deck her right in the nose. She screeches, but I don't give her a chance to retaliate. I push her hard to the ground and punch her one more time for good measure.
“Hand me those zip ties,” I tell Canaan, pointing to the chair beside Griffin where a whole pack lies on the ground. Canaan knocked Louis so hard he’s snoring on the ground as Sara screeches.
“Go get to Griffin. I’ve got her,” Canaan tells me as he takes over, holding Sara down.
“He’s mine. He’s mine,” she screeches, but I ignore her.
“Griffin,” I say when I get to the chair.
“Farlee, please, baby. You have to believe me. I didn't kiss her. She…” He starts to beg, but I don't let him finish. I lean in and kiss him hard, wanting the thought and memory of her on his lips to evaporate.
“I know, baby. We are okay. It's going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of here,” I promise as I use Canaan's knife and cut the ties off him.
“You aren't leaving me. I’ll stalk your ass. I’ll fight for you every day. Hell, I'll sleep in the barn with the animals.” He starts to fight again, and I can't help the laugh that bubbles up.
“Let's save the barn for when you really do something wrong.” I smile at him and finally see the light come back into his eyes. The minute I get him free, Griffin pulls me into his arms and kisses me over and over. He tries to apologize again, but I cut him off. No way was this his fault. He finally lets me go but holds my hands tight as we make our way toward the greenhouse doors.
“Just one more thing. Canaan, make sure this little fucker is tied up too so when I call the cops, they know where to find these two,” Griffin says, pointing at Louis. The cops might not take Griffin and the guys seriously, but there is no denying what happened here this time. I recorded a little bit of Sara and Louise's conversation before we moved in. I wanted to make sure they paid for what they did to Griffin.
When Canaan gets Louis tied up, he still isn't awake. I watch Griffin lean down and grab a taser from Louis' pocket, and I know that's what they used to take Griffin down. He checks the charge before leaning down and tasing Louis right in the balls. Louis wakes with a start, screaming like a little girl, and I can't help the laugh that takes over.
“Paybacks a bitch. I know what you had planned for my girl with this little pecker. Now you won't ever get the chance.”
And with that, we walk out, hand in hand, to the screams of our past finally being put to rest.
