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His gaze meets mine, and the fire burning in his dark blue orbs is enough to scare even me. “I said leave! Go! Get the fuck out!”
Grabbing my clothes, I hurry upstairs and rush to put them on before racing out the door. The freezing December air does nothing to comfort me as tears pour down my face. I run across the street and knock on the door of the one person who can help me.
“Sav?” Delaney asks as she sees me. “Are you okay? What the hell happened?”
I shiver, half from the cold and half from sobs that rip through my body. “I n-need a ride.”
21
Grayson
I pace back and forth before grabbing one of the weights and throwing it against the mirror, watching as it shatters. Seven years of bad luck, right? Add it to the fucking list.
Why did she have to bring up my father? And to have the audacity to act like she doesn’t know the reason I moved away that summer. Like she wasn’t the catalyst of that whole shitshow.
Things between us were good until she had to go and make them personal. It was easy, separating my sex life with Savannah from the part of me that wanted to get revenge for what she did to my family. The little girl who ruined my life was a traitorous liar, while the one in my bed was a goddess. But when she dropped that emotional truth bomb, everything hit me like a truck. No matter how much I try to separate the two, they’re always going to be the same.
As unexpected as her confession was, what caught me more off guard was the rush of emotions that washed over me when she said it. Euphoric. Blissful. Happy. Ecstatic. Hearing her say those words is everything I’ve longed for since I was eight, and ten years too late. All I wanted was to be with her, until I learned the truth of what happened to my father. The love I once felt was replaced by a raging fire that could never be put out.
Sleeping with her is one thing, but falling in love with her is something I could never allow. To be with her would be the worst form of betrayal. How could I let myself be with the person who indirectly caused my dad’s death? It’s simple, I can’t.
If I’ve learned anything the past couple months, it’s that resisting her is not something that comes easy to me. I need to stay away from her. To gain some distance while I get my head on straight. It’ll be hard—I can already feel the gaping hole in my chest where she should be—but it’s what I need to do.
I take out my phone and dial the one number I haven’t called in weeks.
“Hey. Can we talk?”
22
Savannah
The music fills my ears, erasing all the thoughts from my head as I throw myself into each move. Tears flow from my eyes and blur my vision, but I keep going. Everything that happened tonight, the pain and the disappointment, none of it matters in this moment. Here, I can be free. Here, I’m okay.
Flashing blue and red lights reflect across the room as they fill the dark night outside, but I don’t stop dancing. This is the only thing holding me together. If I stop, I’ll break. I’ve put myself back together so many times in the last eight years. I’m not sure I have it in me to do it anymore.
Brady enters the studio, followed by two police officers. I must have forgotten to turn off the silent alarm. However, as his eyes see the tears in mine, he stops.
“It’s all right. I know her.” He tells them as I leap through the air. “You can go.”
Leaning against the doorway, he watches me carefully. The tears haven’t stopped, and therefore neither have I.
It’s late—nearly two in the morning—but it’s as if time doesn’t matter. Not in here. Not like this.
As the song fades to an end, Brady turns off the sound system, but I still continue to dance. He comes closer with careful steps, watching me like a caged animal that could attack at any moment. The second it all catches up to me, I come crashing down, and he instantly pulls me into his arms.
Sobs rip through me, making my chest hurt with every breath. The waterworks soaking his shirt don’t seem to faze him, however, as he holds me close and continues to whisper comforting words into my ear.
It’s okay. I’ve got you. It’s going to be all right.
But it’s not, and it won’t, because how could things be okay when the one person I love most in this world doesn’t love me back? I have nothing.
DESPITE WANTING TO STAY cooped up in my bedroom, I show up to school on Monday morning. Delaney stays by my side, giving me strength to get through this. As we walk through the doors, everyone stops to stare. They whisper to their friends, talking about how I have a lot of nerve coming back here, or how they thought I dropped out—believe me, I wish I could.
Reaching my locker, I see Carter, Jace, Hayden, Wyatt, and Emma. With a nudge from Wyatt, they all turn to look at me, but none of them say a word. Laney keeps a comforting hand on my back as I grab my books. I’m about to leave when the urge to say something makes it so I can’t move.
“I just want you
guys to know, I’m really sorry. I may have lied about my home life, but everything else was real.”
