“I’m just a druggie with a death wish.”
APRIL
i drive grave home from the hospitalHis hand is swollen, and he hasn’t said it, but I know he’s hurting. He hit the concrete hard.
I was so pissed at him when the guy announced what Grave and Lucy did. And when he just kept going, I got angry for a different reason.
That’s why Grave didn’t want to go check on her. Because she had drugged him. That’s why he wasn’t nice when she cried in his lap on her bathroom floor. That’s why she had said she was sorry. He knew what she did.
Why didn’t he tell me? Was he embarrassed? He let me stand there and slap him over and over while I blamed him for being an addict. I know Grave has a past with drugs, but I never saw him high. I found it so off that he was always hanging out with me and then dumped me for her and drugs that night. And instead of questioning him about it, I turned on him.
We pull into the Kings’ compound, and I park the car in his roundabout driveway, not bothering with the garage. He gets out of the car before I can even help him. I trail behind him, hands up, hoping he doesn’t fall down the stone steps to his house. He unlocks the front door and slams it shut behind us.
“Here.” I throw his left arm over my shoulders before he can even protest and start up the stairs to his second story.
I kick his bedroom door open and walk him into the adjoining primary bathroom.
He braces his hands against the white marble countertop. “You can take my car,” he states.
I look at him in the mirror. “What?”
His blue eyes meet mine. “You can drive my car home. I’ll have someone come get it tomorrow.”
“Grave…”
“You don’t have to stay here with me. I’m fine.” He walks over to the shower in the corner of his overly large bathroom. It has three glass sides so you can see inside of it.
I bow my head and let out a long breath. “I understand you’re mad at me. I’m sorry for turning my back on you.”
“I’m not mad,” he says softly.
I peer up at him through my lashes. “You should be.”
He runs his left hand through his hair, keeping his back to me. “I hurt you. I lied to you. I did everything that I didn’t want to do to you.”
I close the distance between us and place my hands on his back. He stiffens at the touch. I immediately pull away. “I shouldn’t have assumed the worst.”
He turns around. His eyes scan mine for a second before he looks away. “I’m an addict, April.” My chest tightens at his confession. Hearing others say it just isn’t the same as him admitting it. “You were right.” His eyes come back to mine. “They are all right. You deserve better than me.”
“I was wrong,” I argue.
“No, you weren’t,” he says, and I fist my hands.
He’s going to push me away. It’s what I did to him. “Don’t do this.” I shake my head.
“Do what?”
“Stop,” I order, getting angry with him. With me. “Quit pretending you don’t know what’s going on here.”
His blue eyes glare down at me. “You may go,” he says, dismissing me as though I’m nothing to him. As if the last month didn’t happen.
I scoff at his words. “I’m not leaving.”
“April,” he growls. “Turn around and walk away. You did it before without even thinking about it.”
“I thought you cheated on me,” I snap defensively.
“I fucking did,” he yells.
