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Chapter Thirty-One
Phoenix
We’ve been sitting here for the last few hours. After we left the school, Stryker drove me back to Logan’s house so I could pack a bag. It would appear that everyone has decided that it’s a better idea for me to stay with one of them rather than continue to stay with the Ducanes.
That’s where their agreement ended, though. We’ve descended into chaos. Cami argues that I should stay with her again, while Stryker insists that I would be safer with him. Obviously, Jonah is refusing to let that happen.
What really pissed me off, though, was no one was asking what I wanted to do. It’s like my opinion wasn’t needed, and they were all treating me with kid gloves.
“I’m not broken guys,” I tell them flatly. “I was pushed down the stairs, yeah, but I don’t know if he even did it. I didn’t see who pushed me, and I couldn’t tell you if it was a guy or a girl, it all happened so fast.”
The truth is, I don’t know if it was Logan. The chances are that it could have been him, but it also could have been anyone. It could’ve been my crazy admirer too. I didn’t want to believe that Logan was capable of this, so I’m choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“I mean, yes, he’s been a little physical with the shoving and grabbing, but he’s never done anything like this before, nothing that could’ve caused serious damage anyway.” I look at them all now, everyone in the room showing some degree of shock on their faces as I somewhat defend the one person that’s been anything but nice to me.
“I don’t know, Phe, he blames you for everything when it comes to his cousin,” the gentleness in Stryker’s voice puts me at ease somewhat. “I need to tell you what he thinks went down, but I also need you to open up to me and tell me what actually happened.”
As Stryker goes into detail about what Logan’s aunt and uncle have fed him over the years, the realization hits me. It’s like the light bulb turned on, and I finally understand why he’s been so hostile toward me. His letter finally makes sense, and the flood of emotion I’ve held back for such a long time consumes me as my tears fall freely.
Wrapping his arms around me, Stryker tries to comfort me the best he can.
“I know it’s hard for you to hear this, but you need to know. He’s been told the same things over and over again by his aunt and uncle. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get him to understand.” He kisses me lightly on my forehead as he gets up.
“So all this time, he thought I made up a lie about what happened so I wouldn’t land myself in hot water?” even as I ask the question, I’m having trouble believing it. How could he think that lowly of me, that I would stoop to something like that? “He actually believes that I wanted Kyle?”
Handing me a bottle of water, he sits in front of me on the coffee table, “I know it’s hard to believe, but yeah, he does. It’s why I’ve been urging you to tell him your side of things. I know it’s hard to talk about, but with his actions and behavior escalating, I don’t think you have another option anymore. You could’ve been seriously hurt today.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin, and that’s not to say he’ll believe me anyway, it’s not as easy as you think. You don’t understand what you’re asking of me, Stryker. And besides, we don’t even know if it was him.”
“He’s right, Phe. You need to tell him the truth,” Jonah adds. I look between the two of them, a silent conversation passing between them. I wonder when that happened.
“I need time to process all of this.” Why were they pushing this so hard? My limbs become heavy as tiredness sets in. I turn to Stryker, “Is there somewhere I can lay down for a bit? I need some time alone to think.”
Nodding at me, he leads me up the stairs to what I can only assume is his room. Feeling exhausted, I’m not one to argue. I know he’s been tasked to monitor me for the next few hours, so he may as well be comfortable.
“Phe, when you’re ready, I need you to tell me what happened,” he whispers, pulling me in for a hug. It’s warm and tender, and so much is said through such a small gesture. “I really want this to work with us, but unless I know what you’re comfortable with, it won’t work.”
Looking him in the eyes, I know he’s right. I’ve been thinking about this since the night he came to the studio, pleading with me for a chance to prove himself. We’ve been spending quite a bit of time together since, and I am starting to trust him. I just don’t think I’m ready. I guess you need to take a leap of faith at some point. I only hope that after I tell him my secret, it won’t scare him off.
Detangling myself from his arms, I stride into his room, motioning for him to follow. As the door shuts behind him, I hang my head, dreading what has to be said. Here goes nothing. “The night Kyle died was the same night he raped me.”
