Chapter One
Ezra
Ishifted my weightfrom one foot to another. I absolutely should not have come here. I could leave now before anyone saw me. It wasn’t like I was invading their space. I was invited. I had been invited to every holiday since I was thirteen. The last one I had spent with my horrible family. Even though New Year’s Eve had happened, and CC and I had this weird falling out months ago, I needed my best friend right now. Assuming he was still my best friend. I chewed on my lip as I raised my hand to ring the bell, everything in my body screaming at me to stop. What if his new best friend was in there right now?
My ribs, hell, they hurt the worst. Bruised, that’s what the doctors told me. “You’re lucky nothing’s broken or that a lung wasn’t punctured.”
If I ever saw him again, I was going to light that man on fire and watch him burn like a sparkler, because it felt like everything inside of me was yanked out and squeezed back in through my nostrils. I stared at my left hand, the one I was going to ring the bell with, and noticed, for the first time, that I had two broken nails. I had tried to fight back; but being all of five-foot-four, one-hundred-ten pounds, it was useless. He was at least a hundred pounds heavier and probably a foot taller. I should have learned my lesson the first time he hit me, but I thought he cared about me.
Maybe I needed to start taking karate lessons or something.
I caught the flicker of the TV in the living room to my left, and I dropped my hand. Senior and Amelia, CC’s parents, were probably watchingJeopardy. It was about that time of night. It was tradition. I had spent countless nights tucked on the couch with CC trying to win against his father, but that was impossible. Senior was brilliant, hardly ever lost, and I loved messing with him. I would come up with the most ridiculous answers just to see his reaction. His laugh was infectious.
Again, I thought about leaving. I had my own apartment I could hide in. My own bed to curl up on and cry myself to sleep. Only, there was a chancehemight be there despite the restraining order. I also needed to see my best friend, apologize for what happened, and have him comfort me tonight. The need was so strong that I finally dropped my finger against the doorbell and put all my weight into it.
The sound hadn’t changed. The familiar chime that echoed inside my ears as it rang through the house. How many times had I stood here waiting for CC to come greet me? Countless minutes, I’m sure. He’d rush down to get me, then whisk me up into his room, where we’d play video games or talk about our future. The night I came out to him, tears spilled down my cheeks before he hugged me. CC had been the best friend I could have asked for until I ruined it. Because I ruined everything, like the dumpster fire I was.
“I got it, Ma!” His voice boomed through the wooden door, and I swallowed the nerves in my throat.
I heard the sound of the lock, watched the handle as it twisted and then there he was, staring at me with those big brown eyes, all six-foot-two of him.
“Ez...what happened to your face?”
I grimaced. “Well, it’s nice to see you, too, CC.”
I knew it looked terrible. Two days ago, I could hardly see out of my eyes, they were so swollen; but that let up this morning before I checked myself out of the hospital against medical advice. Have you ever eaten hospital food? Blech, no thank you.
“What happened?”
“Would you believe me if I said I was attacked by a bear?”
CC’s lip curled over his teeth. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny.” I was, but clearly, this was a rough crowd. “You should see the other guy?”
CC growled. “Get in here.” He reached for my hand and yanked me into the foyer.
“Sweetie, who is it?” Amelia called from the other room. “Is that Ezra?”
My eyes widened, or at least as much as they could with the bruising. “No.”I mouthed.
“What am I supposed to do, lie to my mother for you?” he hissed, and his eyes flashed with anger. Okay, so he was still mad at me. “We’re going upstairs.” Then CC was dragging me by the hand through the house, up the stairs, and to his childhood bedroom. “Sit the fuck down.”
I did as he told me, glancing around the room that hadn’t changed a bit since we were kids, then shoved my hands back into the pockets of my coat. Still the same NASCAR posters on the wall, pictures of us growing up. When I met his gaze again, I realized that my best friend had never looked that upset before.
“It’s good to see you.”
“Skip the bullshit, Ezra. Tell me who did this to you.” CC popped his jaw. “I’m not fucking around here. You look like someone’s personal punching bag.”
