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“Why do I feel like you’re full of shit right now?” he asked.
“Let me go,” I ordered once more, cringing at his tight hold against me.
“That was my uncle, my family. All of us were a unit, and you went and fucked that all up.”
“He beat her! He beat my mom all the time, Garrett. He was going to kill her!” I cried, mostly from that truth, slightly from the pain of his fingers digging deeper into my skin. What was happening? Garrett wasn’t like Charlie. Never once had he hurt me physically, only mentally; he’d never laid his hands on me. Not until now. Now, he looked so wild in the eyes that I hardly even recognized him.
“Yeah, well, sometimes a bitch needs to be handled.”
Acid rose from my stomach and sat in my throat as I built up enough strength to shove him away from me. “Fuck you, Garrett.”
“I did you a favor giving you a minute of my damn time. You think anyone else would’ve put up with dating your disgusting ass? And then you go ahead and screw over the only family you ever had. Only three people in this town outside of Charlie knew about the drop location.” He grabbed both of my wrists in his hand this time and pulled me in closer to his body, pressing himself against me. His hot, intoxicated breaths brushed against my cheek as tears burned at the backs of my eyes. “Do you know what happens to snitches, Hazel Stone?”
It felt like a threat, but I knew it was more. Garrett didn’t come from a family who offered empty threats. They always turned out to be more like promises.
Before I could reply, Ian rushed over and shoved Garrett, knocking his hold away from me.
“What the ...? Back the hell off,” Ian ordered, his chest rising and falling.
Garrett stumbled back a little, taken by surprise. Yet when he regained his footing, he rolled up his sleeves and cranked his neck. “You know, I’m real sick of you preppy bitches thinking you own this town. Hazel and I were having a conversation that was none of your business.”
“Yeah, well, it looked like Hazel wasn’t really in the mood for talking, and seeing as how it’s happening in my house, that makes it my business.”
Garrett’s hands formed fists, and he moved in closer to Ian. “Well, if she’s not down for talking, maybe you and I should have a conversation, asshole.”
Ian rolled up his sleeves. “I’d love to hear what you have to say.”
“You guys, stop. Please,” I begged, stepping between them both. “Just leave, Garrett.”
He huffed. “Fine, but don’t think we’re done here, Hazel. You’ll be hearing from me again.”
That thought alone terrified me.
As he began to walk away, he turned back and flipped his lighter on and off in his hand. “Whatever your plan was with ratting Charlie out went sideways. He wasn’t the only one busted, you dumbass. Your mom was there too. So congratulations. You got your mother locked up too.”
11
IAN
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, knocking on Hazel’s closed bedroom door. Since that Garrett guy left, she’d locked herself away in her bedroom.
I was still trying to piece everything together, but listening to Hazel sob on the other side of her door was fucking sad as hell. The past few days, her life seemed to be in complete turmoil, and I hadn’t a damn clue how to help her.
But if she needed someone to listen, I was all ears.
“I’m fine,” she sniffled. Her sniffles were enough reason for me to know she was lying. “I just need to get some sleep.”
I didn’t know her well enough to push her, but man, did I want to. I wanted to make sure she was all right and give her anything she could’ve needed to feel a tad bit better, but I had a feeling she wasn’t going to leave that room anytime soon. So I gave her the only words I could think of.
“I would’ve done the same if it were my mom,” I offered up. “I know whatever your plan was didn’t go as expected, but I would’ve done the same thing. Think of it this way—as long as your mother is locked up, Charlie can’t get to her, and she can’t get into more trouble. It’s a chance for her to get a restart.”
I remembered when my parents used to go MIA, I’d hope that the cops would pick them up. That way, they’d have a place to sleep that night, and they couldn’t get into more trouble.
“Haze,” I sighed with my hands pressed against the wooden door, “if you need anything, I’m next door.”
A soft thank-you was all I heard before I walked away to give her some space to think and reflect. I had a feeling she’d be up all night, thinking and reflecting too much.
I would’ve done the same thing.
