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CHAPTER 23
SILVER
We exit the bathroom and the guys are standing there, waiting. Jax opens his arms, and I hesitate before slowly moving in to give him a hug.
He sighs and squeezes me tight. “Listen, Silver. The thing with the girls is that they talk. They are gossip queens, and our parents wouldn’t approve of us spending time with you. Not that there's anything wrong with you. Because there isn’t. Our families have known each other for years and... I’m really making this situation worse.” I try to pull away and he won’t let me go. “Okay, listen. Winnie, Hazel and Kaci come from powerful families, and our parents decided they’d be the perfect trophy wives for us. We can hardly stand them, but to keep our parents off our backs, we try to keep up appearances with them,” he blurts out, finally letting me go.
“Well, except me,” Wells says, coming up and kissing me hard in front of everyone. When we pull away, I chance a glance at Donnie but he won’t meet my eyes.
“We should go,” he says tightly, and heads for the car, but before we can leave, Winnie comes running back up to him.
“Baby, I thought we were going to get a drink and talk,” she whines. I cringe and take a step back. “Just let the trash catch a cab or something. The girls and I miss hanging with you guys,” she simpers with a fake pout. She reaches up to touch his chest and I growl. Legit growl.
What the fuck is going on with my hormones?
She turns and raises her eyebrows at me. “Problem?” I shake my head and keep walking to the door.
“Win, we are no longer together. You know this, so you can stop trying to cause unnecessary drama. Go back to whoever that guy is you were fucking last week,” Donnie says softly, as if trying to censor what he really wants to say.
Winnie stomps her foot and screeches, before taking off.
Something wet suddenly slams into the back of my head and I freeze. It’s green, gooey and smells awful.
“What the fuck is in my hair?” I yelp, panicked.
Wells groans and rips his jacket off before running it through the strands. “It’s okay, Snow. Looks like some kind of smoothie. It’ll wash out.”
I sigh in relief and just leave. I just walk the fuck out of there and to the SUV, climbing in the back the second Donnie unlocks it. Shutting my door, I lean against the window and rest my eyes.I’m just done.
When we get home, I’m mentally and physically exhausted. Today just needs to end. I’ll try again tomorrow.
Jax opens the kitchen door and turns to give me a comforting hug, then heads to his room. I toss my bag on the kitchen counter and move to follow. The door slams behind me and Donnie gently grabs my elbow.
“Hey, can we please talk?” he asks but I sigh and cut him off with a tired laugh.
“Why? You made your point plenty tonight. I just really want to take a shower, wash this gunk from my hair, and get some sleep. Can we chat in the morning?” I request, covering up a yawn.
He comes up and kisses my forehead. “Yeah. Get some sleep.” He turns to leave but I grab his hand.
“Thank you, Donnie. Tonight had some hiccups, but it really did help, and it means a lot to me that you wanted to try and make it bearable.” I reach up and kiss him softly, then walk to the bathroom.
I open the shower door, turning it on, before taking a quick glance in the mirror.I look like shit.My pale skin shows the dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. My eyes are red and puffy from crying off and on all day, and my hair is limp and covered in green goo. No wonder people were looking at me.
I kick my heels off and step out of the beautiful dress, careful not to get any gunk on it. Once naked, I walk into the shower and plop my ass down along the wall. Bringing my knees to my chest, I wrap my arms around them and cry. Gut-wrenching sobs erupt from my mouth and I don't care about hiding them anymore. Those guys out there want me? Well, then they are going to get every broken, misshapen piece.
I stay in the shower until the water runs cold, so I wash my body and hair quickly, then get out of there. I don’t know whose it is but I find a soft fluffy robe in the cupboard so I slip it on. I grab a towel and dry my hair, then walk back to my room.
The bed has been turned down, and there’s a mug of some sort of drink next to Elena's journal on the nightstand table. My heart flutters with hope.
I grab my brush and sit on the bed, getting out the knots and tangles. I don't know what conditioner I bought that day at Target but it sucks.
Someone knocks and enters. “Hey, want some help?” Wells climbs up behind me and gently moves me to his lap. I hand over the brush and he starts to comb through the knots. Tears fill my eyes once more, but I laugh; I’m so tired of crying. He drops the brush and wraps me tight in his arms, just holding me until I’m calm once more. Once I’ve taken a few deep breaths, he kisses the back of my neck and resumes brushing my hair.
“Why are you so nice to me?” I ask him, shifting on his lap until I can meet his eyes.
He gives me his signature smile and kisses the tip of my nose. “Because you are my future, Silver Forest. I knew it the moment I saw you in the library on your first day.” He pauses then continues. "You were beautiful, almost ethereal, looking around in amazement and excitement. But I could also see the hurt you were trying to mask. I knew I had to meet you." He kisses my nose and looks into my watery eyes. "You are a fighter, Snow, so don't ever stop fighting. Don't let those bitches get to you. They’re just jealous."
I freeze and stare at him, opening and closing my mouth a few times. I’m speechless—I don’t know how to respond to that.
