“What the—” The door to Kane’s room flies open to reveal an absolutelyflamingCedrick.
He stands before us, face bare, chest heaving, dark green eyes alight and dancing with…
Oh.
Oh, no…
Oh, nonono.
“Cedrick—no!” I shout just before I’m gently pulled to the side with a grace I don’t deserve, and then, I watch in abject horror as Cedrick’s fist lands directly against Kane’s jaw. The crack resounds, and I wince, jerking back from the impact that was so close.
“No!” I scream, lunging for Cedrick just as he goes to swing again, but Kane’s already pushing from the bed, shoving him back and swinging his arm out to clock him in the face.
“What’s your fucking problem?” Kane spits as they go back and forth, and all I can do is watch in horror as my friend and my… whatever he is, throw punch after punch. And I don’t even know why.
“C’mon, that’s enough!” Collin shouts as he runs into the room and wraps his arms around Cedrick. He growls furiously, managing to escape easily, but Lenny has grabbed Kane and is keeping him contained.
I run in front of Cedrick and plant my hands on hischest, feeling the rapid chug of his heart against my palms. “Cedrick, stop.” His eyes are wide and crazed, but when he feels my touch, they dart down to look at me, and then, they soften.
“Madison,” he says, and I can’t help but to give him a soft smile.
“Cedrick,” I repeat.
“You didn’t come home,” is all he says, eyes dancing back and forth between mine, and it takes me a minute to realize that’s why he’s here.
He showed up and barged into my house because he couldn’t see me in my room.
He didn’t know I made it home safe.
He had no idea, and he’s been worried this whole time.
“Shit…” I wince. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t… I wasn’t…”
His eyes narrow as he glares over at Kane. “Clearly.”
I reach up to grab his face to direct his thoughts back toward me and away from my friend. “No, it wasn’t like that, I swear. He… he was helping me figure stuff out.”
“Why couldn’t I?” he asks pleadingly, finger tracing the line of my cheekbone now that he’s been released, and it breaks my heart.
I swallow thickly, but I can’t blink away the tears. “I don’t know…”
“I was worried.”
“I know.”
“I couldn’t see you.”
“I know.”
“And when I couldn’t see you…” he trails off, and I nod. Because I get it. I messed up. In more ways than one. And we need to talk.Finally.
I don’t know if I’m exactly ready for it, but it needs tohappen because something like this… this misunderstanding, can’t happen again.
To any of us.
I’m…
I’m ready now.
