AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Everything’s going to be okay.” I hang up without saying goodbye, frantically putting my shoes back on and rushing out the door without telling my mom I’m leaving.
My stomach hurts by the time I pull into their driveway. I grip the steering wheel hard, trying to calm myself down. I need to be the one in control here. I can’t let my anger get the better of me.
But fuck! I’m already hurting for them. Their parents have always been toxic, so maybe it’s best that their mom left. I know it’s not that simple though. I close my eyes and take one last breath before jogging up to the front door.
Trevor opens the door almost immediately, and I don’t know what to do at first. “Hey man,” I whisper. It’s fucking weird being in a situation like this. I don’t know how to handle it. He’s my best friend. I want to bring him comfort, but it’s not like I’ve ever hugged him before.
“She’s in her room,” he says. I know he’s using Thea as a distraction, but I also know he’s worried about her. Fuck, I’m worried about her too.
“How about you go pick us up some pizza?” I ask, knowing he needs a distraction more than anything else right now. Not to mention, I’m sure none of them have even thought about what to have for dinner since this was dropped on them on a random Tuesday night. Fuck.
Trevor grabs his keys and is out of there almost immediately. I’m sure he needed a breather, and he knows Thea will be okay with me here. It appears their dad took off because he’s not in the house right now. Probably seated at one the local rundown bars.
I pause with my hand on her bedroom door knob. I knock lightly, but I don’t wait for a response before walking in. She’ssitting on her bed, staring out of the window with a little stuffed gorilla in her lap.
Seeing her breaks me. It’s the hardest I’ve ever seen her facade. It sends a cold chill down my spine. Her eyes are unnerving. Like she’s not even behind them anymore. Nothing has scared me more than the blank stare she gives me as I sit down next to her on the bed.
She blinks a few times, staring back at me through foggy eyes. Her vision finally comes into focus. “Mack?” she whispers like she doesn’t fully believe I’m really here.
“Hey there,” I say softly, lifting her chin. “There’s my Thea Marie.”
Her face scrunches as she opens her mouth to speak, but it’s just a bunch of small gasps. Her body begins to tremble as she tries to maintain control, and then she crumbles. I pull her up against my chest as she lets out the first sob, and she falls apart in my arms.
I squeeze her tighter, trying to ease some of the pain, but there’s nothing I can do. I’ve never heard anyone cry like this before. Sobbing from her gut, a cry of pure agony, a brokenheartedness that I can’t even fathom. It tears my heart to shreds.
It wasn’t until this moment that I truly learned what it meant to hate another person. Because I hated Thea’s parents. I hated them more than anything I’ve ever felt before.
Being rejected by your own parent is something a child should never have to endure. It goes against nature. It’s so vile and so disgusting that I can’t even wrap my head around it. She doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve any of this. Fuck!
I kiss her head, rocking her in my arms. “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper against her ear. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. You willalwayshave me to take care of you. I promise.”
Chapter 9
Present Day
Thea
Bzz, bzz. My phone vibrates on my nightstand since I still have it on silent from brunch earlier. It’s a text from a number I don’t have saved. I almost swipe it away, thinking it’s spam, but do a double take when I read the first few words.
Unknown Number:Hey, this is going to sound so lame, but I don’t think I ever got your name, so I’ve been embarrassed to text you… but hey, this is John, the guy from the bar. If this is too cringe, please ghost me. I promise I won’t be mad.
Oh my God. John from the bar? I was so distracted that night I forgot I even gave him my number. Since he never texted me, I must’ve erased that memory or something because what the fuck? Usually I’d be in my head about it. Weird.
I pause, thinking about if I should respond or not. Could I really be that into him if I forgot he even exists? Definitely not a great start to a relationship.
Although, I was already pretty tipsy when we met, so I can’t be one hundred percent at fault. Why do they make wateralcoholic now? It’s way too easy to sip while doing your hair and makeup.
I can’t lie, he did make an impression. It’s why I gave him my number after only a few seconds of talking to him at the bar we stopped at before heading to the club. He has that kind of awkward charm but is still devilishly handsome. Something about a muscular ginger in a tight white dress shirt that really does it for me. Plus he’s a pharmacist. I wouldn’t mind peeling him out of one of those white coats.
Me:Thea. Lol.
There. Simple enough. I’ll give him the opportunity to redeem himself after making me wait so long for a message.
Not that I even noticed. I need to stop with this whole Mack thing. It’s not like he makes it easy though. Every time I think I’ll push him too far, he just accepts it. He never sets the hard lines when it really matters, and that’s the part that always makes me forget it’s a bad idea.
Bzz, bzz.
I hop back and forth on my feet, shaking my arms out before grabbing my phone back off the nightstand. Okay, let’s see what this motherfucker’s got. I momentarily look up at the ceiling, whispering to myself. “Please don’t be a douchey message.”
