With a huff, I get out of the car, swaying on my feet as my stomach rolls and my vision goes dark.
“This is going to be a PR nightmare. You better hope Riley and Stacia answer their phones before this gets out.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I mutter, digging in my pocket for my keys. I find them but it takes way too long to get into my house. Jack is long gone by the time I stumble inside.
Peeling out of my clothes, I make my way up to my room and hop in the shower. I stay until the hot water makes me nauseous, then turn the water cold to help wake me up. It doesn’t work, so I get out, pop some aspirin and put on clothes to head downstairs. There is nothing to eat in the fridge, so I grab a couple bottles of water then go to the couch and lie down. I order food as I wait. Pizza because I need something greasy. Pepperoni, sausage, onions, peppers, and extra cheese.
I doze off, only waking up when there’s a knock on my door. Carefully, I make my way to it and give the delivery girl a hefty tip.
“This is a mistake,” she says, holding the hundred dollar bill out to me.
“No, it’s not.”
“But…”
“Just don’t spend it on drugs,” I say, then close the door on her and go back to the couch.
I eat half the pizza, going through a stack of napkins because it’s dripping with grease.
I guzzle a bottle of water, then lay back down and flip through the channels on my TV.
Eventually, I fall asleep again. And that’s how I spend my entire weekend. On the couch, ordering and eating greasy food. When Monday comes, I don’t want to get up. So, I don’t. I stayon my couch, not moving. Until I get a phone call from the manager at Seraphine’s building.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Seraphine
My phone has been dead for a few days now. Three, I think. Maybe four, I can’t be sure. When the situation with Harrison and Elliot first went down, I was angry enough to stay away from Elliot but not angry enough that I was incapable of doing things. I went out for walks, to get some groceries, for dinner, and even met up with Gia.
But then suddenly, for no reason I can think of, everything changed. It all hit me like a smack in the face and I’ve been doing nothing but living in my apartment in a daze. The weight I feel on my shoulders, not only about this but everything that’s happened to me in the last couple of months, is crushing the life out of me.
I know it isn’t healthy, and I know I need to get over it. After my dad killed himself, I went through something similar. Hiding myself away, shutting down, not wanting to be bothered. But I eventually got over it and I assume the same will happenthis time. So, when there is knocking at my door, I ignore it. Until the knocking doesn’t stop, and I’m forced to get up and open the door. My mistake is not checking who is on the other side before doing so. But I’m not in my right mind, so there’s that. When I see Harrison on the other side, I jolt back, feeling more awake than I have in a long time.
“What are you doing here?”
He stares at me, with no emotion on his face. He just stares. It’s kind of creepy. But also, it annoys me because how dare he act like this is something I did wrong. Like I’m at fault and he’s the one who’s hurting. He’s the one who messed this up from the very beginning.
He cheated on me—with his stepsister! That is the biggest issue, not to mention all the other things that happened too.
“We need to talk,” he finally says.
“No, Harrison. We don’t. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“Oh, but you want something to do with my father?” he barks.
I sigh, running a hand through my hair.
“I haven’t talked to him.”
“Well congratulations for that.”
“You need to go,” I say, closing the door.
He slaps a hand against it, pushing it open.
“I said we need to talk,” he growls.
For the first time since knowing him, a flick of fear spreads through my chest.
