My chest cinches tight, heartbeat spiking.
Dad was right.
I need to brush up on my shooting. And fast.
Thirty-Five
Hudson
It’s been a rough twenty-four hours since we got outed in the lunch room, mainly because Hadley switches between ignoring me and throwing insults. Honestly, I can’t blame her. I don’t know what I expected to happen when she found out about Cull and me. Maybe some yelling, or a dramatic door slam, but I guess I was naive enough to think she’d sit down and talk it out.
I’m such a fucking idiot.
If I put myself in her shoes, I’m not sure I’d react much differently.
The tension in our house is so thick, I don’t think even a machete could cut through it. We’re all just moving around each other, making bland small talk to smother the awkward silence.
Cull’s truck is going to the mechanic today to have something checked out, so I told him I’d pick him up for school. I made the mistake of saying that out loud. Hadley blew a gasket, calling me a boyfriend thief and a son-of-a-bitch.
When Mom tried to reprimand her, Hadley went in on Mom, screaming about betraying her. She stomped out of the house, crying and shouting her regret for not staying at Maggie’s like she originally planned.
But not before she said I made her sick.
I tried to apologize to my parents for the mess I’ve made, but they were quick to shut it down. They said this isn’t ideal, but it’s going to be okay. That, as unfair as this is for Hadley, it would’ve been just as unfair to Cull and me to keep our relationship a secret. Someone was always going to get hurt.
Still doesn’t take away the guilt.
I’m just finishing up the last exam of my high school career when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Thankfully, Mr. Bowman gave us permission to slip out once we turned in our AP Chem final. I quietly shut the door behind me and slide out my phone.
I pull up my text thread with Cull and shoot off a message.
ME:Officially done! Bowman let us leave once we finished. I’ll be waiting in the Bronco.
I doubt he’ll respond right away, so I swing by my locker to clean it out. Next week is all senior celebrations, so I won’t need my notebooks, and I just need to return a couple of textbooks to teachers.
I toss the books I don’t need into my backpack, slam my locker shut, and head out to the parking lot. As I fiddle with my key fob, my phone buzzes again. I slide into the driver’s seat, crank the A/C, and check the other messages.
Three texts. All from the same unknown number.
UNKNOWN:One down. One to go.
UNKNOWN: We’ll be together soon.
My stomach drops.
I’ve never responded before, but this time my thumbs move before I can stop them.
ME:Who is this?
UNKNOWN:You’d know if you’d just SEE me.
See them? How am I supposed to see them if I have no clue who it is?
ME:Please leave us alone.
UNKNOWN:Not until you’re mine.
I nearly drop my phone when there’s a knock on my window. Heart still racing, I turn and see Ella standing there. I haven’t seen her all day, and I just assumed she was avoiding me because of our phone call last night. Sleep was hardly a thing because I felt like shit for flaking on Ella. Not to mention, she was outed just as much as Cull and I were. We never talked about telling everyone we broke up, just letting it quietly die out. I should have made sure she was okay, but as usual, I was blinded by my own shit.
