The refs send everyone to their designated locker rooms while they decide what action to take against both teams.
Steph is waiting for all of us when we walk in, her arms crossed and the nastiest glare I’ve ever seen on her face. The wall behind her is covered in photos, text messages from Nathan, bruises on Claire’s body… it rips me apart. I walk up to them, completely ignoring the angry girl next to me. I deserve to stare at these for the rest of eternity, I deserve to fuckingsuffer.
“Take a good, long look Lucas,” Steph whispers in my ear. “Fucking burn.” It’s like she can read my mind, hear the words bouncing around the inside of my skull. She turns on her heel and walks away, brushing past August without so much as glancing at him.
Miller rips his gaze away from the wall, his hand flying up to his face, “I think I’m going to be sick.” He runs off towards the bathrooms, the sound of gagging following soon after.
The change room is silent while we stew in our own self-hatred. We should have done something,Ishould have done something.
None of us really know what to say right now, so we walk out to our cars. When we get to the parking lot, Nathan is losing his shit by his car. The windshield is smashed and there’s giant red letters sprayed on the side of his car that spell out ‘rapist’.
I have to smother a laugh at the sight of it all.
You did good Claire.
Steph is leaning against a car not far away, and when Nathan see’s her, he rushes over and starts screaming in her face. August goes to step in but I stop him, “she’s pissed at you right now. Let her do her thing, she can hold her own.” He steps back and watches his girl helplessly.
“What the fuck is wrong with you two?” Nathan yells at Steph.
She smiles at him, “oh this was all me, Claire is way too nice to ever do this, but no one fucks with my best friend and gets away with it.” She sends a glare in our direction, and I shrink into myself. “Anyway, here. This should be enough to buy you a new car… have a shit life Nathan.”
He holds the envelope filled with cash, trying not to boil over with rage as she walks away triumphantly.
* * *
“Fuck!” I yell, cradling my hand. Pain radiates through it, but punching a wall is nothing compared to knowing I’ve just lost the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
The rest of the boys sit silently on the couch, watching me throw the biggest temper tantrum anyone’s ever seen. I don’t blame them though, I wouldn’t want to talk to me right now either.
I grab a bag of frozen peas from the freezer, placing it on my hand and sitting down on the couch next to Blair. “Stop being a brooding piece of shit” he mutters, “you know you fucked up… now what are you going to do to fix it?”
I send a glare his way, “you guys fucked up too. I didn’t see any of you reaching out to get the truth.”
Davis snorts, “yeah but we aren’t the ones who told her not to come home.”
Do you think the cops would understand if I killed him?
“Claire,myClaire got fucking hurt and you’re worried about the fucking details?” I yell at him.
August slaps a hand on my back, then quickly takes it away. “Blair’s right, we know we all fucked up, but now it’s time for us to do something about it. She wont stay away forever, she’ll eventually want to come and talk things out with us… it’s who she is.”
Miller groans from across the room, “ever think that maybe this was her tipping point? Are wereallysure she’ll still be as forgiving?”
His words dig their way into my stomach, hitting just the right nerve to send me into a mental tailspin. What if I never get to see her smile or laugh again? What if she moves back to Canada and the only time I ever get to hear about her is through Steph?
That’s if Steph ever talks to you losers again.
“I guess we just have to hope she loves us enough to give us another shot,” Davis says.
thirty-two
CLAIRE
“Where is she?”
I wake up at the sound of my mother screaming downstairs, her shrill voice bounces up the walls and into my room. My whole body goes rigid, fear racing up my spine.
Footsteps stomp their way up the stairs, my heart pounds.
