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I choke down what feels like a lifetime of fuckups. The truth is, while I’ve been throwing verbal stones at Bianca, she isn’t the only villain standing in this arena. We’ve made a professional sport out of hurting each other. I’ve done and said things I’m not proud of. Things I can’t take back. And she’s cried for me more than I deserve. But she always wiped those tears away, got up, and came back for more.
I thought she was unbreakable in that way. Now, I have to consider that the night I left her may have been her breaking point. I rejected her in a time of need, and the worst part is I don’t know what happened or how she dealt with it once she walked inside that house. At this point, I’m not sure I’ll ever know. But it’s clear that we can’t go on the way we have. Something needs to change.
“Thank you for your time.” I nod at the doctor as I slide out of the booth abruptly.
“Wait.” She scrambles around in her purse.
When she hands me her card, I stare at it with lingering uncertainty.
“Just in case your imaginary friend needs a safe space. The same goes for you if you ever decide you want to talk.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She offers me a warm smile as I stuff the card into my pocket. When I head for the door, I’m relieved nobody has recognized me. But as soon as my fingers wrap around the handle, a voice calls after me, shattering that peace.
“Madden?”
I don’t turn to look. It doesn’t matter who it is. The line between my former fans and my current enemies doesn’t exist anymore, and it hasn’t since the day my name was condemned in a trial by the media.
My boots stick to the hot asphalt as I stalk through the parking lot, heading for my bike. But the sound of footsteps echoing behind me doesn’t bode well.
“Madden, stop. Please.”
Something about her voice makes me do exactly that. And when I turn to look over my shoulder, I’m surprised to find the last person on earth I ever expected to see again.
“Tori?”
She nods and gives me a nervous smile, keeping her distance and watching me carefully. “I thought that was you, but you look so different now.”
“Yeah, well, it’s been a while.” I swivel around to face her and do a quick once-over.
The girl I used to know traded in her cowboy boots for a server uniform and her thin build for a curvier figure. Time has been good to her, it seems, and I can honestly say I’m relieved to see she’s all right.
“Do you work here?” I ask.
She nods and laughs. “Yep. Living the dream.”
“I figured you were still in Florida,” I tell her.
Her features tighten as she shakes her head. “I was never in Florida. I moved here to live with my dad, but I couldn’t tell anyone where I really was.”
I shift, stuffing my hands into my pockets because she still seems scared even after all this time. “Why not?”
She glances over her shoulder at the diner and crosses her arms. “I need to talk to you, but I can’t right now. I have to get back to my shift. Can you meet me here tomorrow afternoon?”
I hesitate, the distrust I’ve learned to rely on taking over. Everybody has an ulterior motive, and I’m not sure there’s any point in us rehashing the past.
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” Tori says. “But I understand if you can’t or won’t.”
“What time?” I already have a bad feeling about where this might be going.
“Noon.” She smiles softly. “I’ll be here at noon.”
Chapter 40
Madden
—PAST—
“I don’t understand, Madden,” Mom whispers as she glances over at the liaison waiting for me to finish this conversation. “You just sprang this on me. I haven’t seen you in two days, and I get a call to drive up to San Antonio, and you’ve given me no time to think—”
“What is there to think about?” I ask. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
She purses her lips, and her eyes dart away. “You make me sound like I’m a bad mother.”
“I’m not trying to have a discussion about that right now,” I tell her. “We both know what the situation is, and I’m not asking for your permission. I just called because I thought you might want to know.”
The slightest flicker of remorse passes through her eyes, but it disappears behind a veil of emptiness a moment later.
“What about college?” she asks.
“I can still go if I want to.” I shrug. “After I get out.”
“How do you know this is even a valid option? Aren’t there tests you have to pass?”
“I’ve done them. That’s why I’ve been here for two days.”
