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“She always was a feisty one. A was a lucky guy to tap that ass.” Who the hell is A? Are they talking about Ash?
“Guys, I don’t know about this,” someone else mutters, and I have to agree with him.
My head is killing me. This can't be happening right now. My air supply is cut off, and my brain is becoming fuzzy. I feel my consciousness slipping away.
No, Gracie, stay awake. You have to stay awake…
Ashton
“Is it done?” I ask Dom. My best friend since middle school.
“Yeah, dude, she's locked in the shed on the southwest corner of the property. The tin one, like you said. No one will find her till lunchtime tomorrow. Are you sure you want to do this? She was your girl for a really long time, and she's super sweet at that.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes people are fake, and you never know their true intentions till it's too late. She's getting off easy if you ask me. Plus, we have the cameras set up; I'll keep an eye on her. She will be fine. Thanks, Dom, for doing that,” I say, giving him what I hope is a reassuring grin.
Honestly, I don't give a shit if she is okay. I wanted to chain her naked outside the front of the school for everyone to see but then decided I didn't want any other guys leering at what was once mine.
Turning toward my locker, I finish getting ready to head home. It's been a long day, and I'm eager to see how Dollface responds once she wakes up.
* * *
Walking into an empty house again,my mood plummets even more. The days of coming home to loud, boisterous noise and homemade treats on the counter have long since passed.
Since Mia died, my mom has been at the ‘spa’ for rest and relaxation, or so she claims. I think she just can't handle the silence that remains now, or maybe it's the shame. She's avoided the country club since that night. Not that she was ever home much to begin with. She was always at an event for one charity or another.
As for my dad, who knows? He was never around much either, even when Mia was still here. “Running a Fortune 500 company does not leave time for frivolous activities,” he once told me when I asked if he would be coming to my playoff game.
I mean, most dads would applaud their son for working hard and being the quarterback. Not my dad. He wants me to follow his life plan and become a commercial real estate developer just like him.
That was never the goal for me, though. I've always wanted to join the military, specifically the Air Force. To serve my country and travel the world doing something I love. That's always been the dream, and Gracie was a part of that dream. Guess it's time to come up with a new one.
I enter the kitchen and open the fridge. Fuck yeah. I see Monica, our chef, left me some containers with pre-made meals for the week. Even with my parents neglecting us, she always made sure we were well-fed.
I pop what looks like lasagna into the microwave, set the timer, and then head down to the game room. I boot up my laptop and TV, then connect the cables so I can watch my dollface on the big screen.
When it's all set up, and I see her sitting there in the dark, broken, with tears streaming down her face, I run back and grab my dinner before getting situated on the couch and digging in.
After a few minutes of nothing but her soft cries, she says something that wrecks me to my core.
“Mia, I’m not sure if you can hear me, but I like to think you’re still around watching. I don't know what to do without you. I miss you more and more every day. I don't know what happened, and no one wants to tell me. I just feel so lost, and the only thing I remember is your beautiful face. But you're not here.”
She pulls her knees to her chest. She looks so small. After a short while, she speaks again.“I met your brother today. I think his name is Ash. All I know is that he hates me. He wants me to join you. Maybe I should. Nothing seems to be worth living for these days. I was really hoping this depression or whatever side effect from my accident would get better being out of the house. I thought today I might make some new friends, or I guess friends I already had, but instead, I was suffocated and locked in here.”
She sobs again, hiccupping through her tears and hugging herself tightly. “Should have known since no one visited me during the five months I was stuck healing at home. The sad thing is your brother. I have such strong reactions to him. I know he's hurting, and I just want to hold him. Weird, right?”
She giggles—a sound I haven't heard in so long—before continuing.
“Me wanting to comfort someone who tried to run me over and had his friends trap me in here. I must be losing my mind like Gray keeps saying. Whenever I try to talk to him, tell him about my nightmares, or ask him a question, he just says it's my imagination, a side effect of my injury, and that I should go see Dr. Pepper. I wish you were here every day. I love you, Mia, forever and on.”
Hearing her say those words causes a flash of memories to hit me all at once.
Walkingdown the hall at school, I grab Gracie and push her up against a locker before dominating her mouth in a kiss so passionate the teacher yells at us.
“Grace, don't let Mr. Daniels get you in trouble. You’re one of my favorite students. I don't want to have to punish you. Get to class.”
“Yes, sir,” Gracie tells him. Staring into her endless stormy eyes, I run my fingers through her long, silky locks. Before I pull away to head to class, she gets on her tip-toes to whisper in my ear, “I love you, Ash, forever and on.”
Screamingfrom the TV snaps me back to the present. I shake my head and laugh.
