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"You miss it," my mom says, appearing out of nowhere over my shoulder.
I startle from the sudden intrusion. "What? No."
She hums. "Don't lie to me. I can see it on your face."
Busted. "I mean, yeah, I guess, but I'm where I need to be right now. You and Dad need me."
"Paige, what we need is for you to be happy. And this? Sitting around the house every day waiting for us to ask you to do something? That's not being happy."
"I am. I love being here with you and Dad."
She levels me with a look, but it's a soft one. "No you don't. I see the way you break inside every time you leave that bedroom. This is eating you alive."
Dropping my gaze and staring at my lap, I sigh. "It's just hard, but that doesn't mean I'd rather be anywhere else."
"I know, sweetheart. I know." She reaches over and places her hand over mine. "But I don't think getting out every once in a while would make the whole world fall apart."
"No." I shake my head. "You need me here."
A small chuckle bubbles out of her mouth. "Oh, please. I've been taking care of that man for as long as I can remember. I think I can handle it."
I'm wracking my brain for another excuse, but there isn't one. Nothing comes to mind that would get me out of going out tonight. I can't even fake sick, because a simple cold could kill my dad. So instead, with a heavy sigh, I nod and switch to Charlotte's contact info. It only rings for a second before she answers.
"Tell me you changed your mind," she begs.
I roll my eyes playfully. "Yeah, I did. I'll meet you there."
Char screeches through the phone so loud it nearly pierces my eardrum. "I promise you won't regret this!"
A few thoughts run through my mind when I realize Jace will most likely be there too, since Carter is going, and I really hope she's right. Because there is a very good chance I will regret it. Especially if Carter is wrong.
PULLING UP TO THE house, it isn't at all what I expected. It's a two-story, white house with a car and a motorcycle in the driveway. It's obviously not the nicest house in the area, but then again, no one rents nice houses to college kids. That's like giving a sixteen-year-old a brand-new car. You'd be setting yourself up for failure.
Charlotte is waiting for me on the porch when I climb out of my car. She had texted me and offered to pick me up, but I want the ability to leave whenever I want, so I nicely declined. However, judging by the way she lights up when she sees me, I don't think I have that option anyway.
"I'm so glad you're here!" she squeals, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to a group of her friends. "Girls, this is Paige. Paige, this is Olivia, Demi, and Lola."
They all look like they came out of some kind of model magazine, with their long hair in perfect waves and their makeup that looks like it took hours to put on. Yeah, I feel a bit out of place, but I can't leave now, so I smile and greet them with as much happiness as I can manage.
We all make our way into the cramped house. People are literally everywhere, including climbing on top of tables and making out on the stairs and the couch. It takes me a minute before I find Carter. He's standing next to Zayn who has a blonde goddess under his arm. Easton is next to them, chugging a beer as Zayn's girlfriend smacks him for it.
"That's Easton and Amelia Donovan," Charlotte fills me in. "Amelia started dating Zayn last year. It was a total shitshow. You should have seen it. They tried to hide it but it was totally obvious. To everyone but Easton, anyway."
Wow. Now that I look at them, I can see the similarities, but my eyes are very quickly torn away when Carter turns around to talk to a familiar face. Sitting there, on top of the island, is none other than Jace London. He looks so carefree, but there's a darkness brewing under the surface. His hair is longer now, long enough to cover his eyes. I can't tell if it's because he likes it that way or because he can't be bothered to cut it. Regardless, it looks good as he swipes it away from his face.
He must be able to feel my stare, because his gaze locks with my own. I swallow harshly and try to control my breathing, but it's no use. He only looks at me for a second before he grabs his beer and hops down. Tilting his head back, he swallows the rest in one go and slams the bottle down on the counter. After mouthing something to Carter that looks a lot like "fuck you," he comes walking straight toward me, ignoring the calls of his name from his little brother.
If I thought being apart for over a year would get me over him, I was horribly mistaken. It hasn’t even been a few minutes of being in the same vicinity and already, I’m reacting to him the same way I always used to. My palms are sweaty, my heart is racing, and all I want is to end up right back where I was—wrapped up in his arms in a tangled mess of the sheets.
My breath hitches as he stands right in front of me and looks me up and down, but before I can say anything, he smirks—and not in the sexy way I’m used to.
"So she is alive," he murmurs with a venomous tone. "Too bad."
Just like that, he pushes his way past me and out the door, and all I can do is watch him leave.
I lay on my bed, throwing a ball into the air. It's probably risky, being as if it hits me in the face, it could break my nose. But lately I can’t seem to care about anything. Besides, with the amount of narcotics coursing through my bloodstream right now, I probably wouldn't even feel it.
The door opens, and I don't even need to look to see who it is. I groan under my breath as Carter walks over and sits in the chair near my desk.
