“Is Ali okay?”I demanded, slamming the trunk closed.“I don’t have any calls from her.Not even from Mom or Kin.”
Bentley’s jaw tightened even more, and I felt sick to my stomach.Scrubbing a hand over his jaw, he went back to leaning against my car.I struggled to take a breath, sending my friend a look that promised death if he didn’t start talking.“Tell me she’s okay, Bentley.”
“I don’t know, man.After what Evan told me…” His exhale came out heavy.“I only know the bare minimum here, okay?Keep that in mind.”
“Just fucking spit it out!”I roared, causing someone’s dog to start barking down the street where their human was stopped to clean up the mutt’s evening walk bathroom break.
Groaning, he dropped his head back on his shoulders, muttering something under his breath up at the sky.I took a single step toward him.Bentley was a smart guy and had been my friend for our entire lives, so he knew the dangers of not keeping his eyes on me on a good day.And it suddenly wasn’t such a good day for me.He straightened to his full height once again, bracing his feet while holding my gaze.
“Evan said Ali has been acting off lately?—”
“I know that,” I interrupted, going on the defensive.“She said it was because of falling behind in class.”
“You want me to tell you what I know?”
I sucked in a breath, held it for a count of five, and blew it out for another count of five before nodding.
Bentley waited for another count of five before opening his mouth again.“He said she’s been acting off lately.Yes, she’s been falling behind in a few classes.Like nearly-failing-a-few-of-them kind of behind.Then he noticed that some days she wouldn’t shower after gym.It started getting more frequent.”
Ali was athletic.Cheerleading, gymnastics, dance.She was amazing at all the sports she participated in.But she couldn’t stand to be covered in sweat for long.Typically, she was in the shower as soon as any activity was over, then taking a longer one when she got home.If a singular person could be held responsible for a drought in Malibu, it would be my daisy girl.
“Monday, she was sick, or so she claimed.”
“She was,” I confirmed, again defensively.What the fuck was this “claim” bullshit?It was starting to piss me off, aggravating that itchy sensation deep in my brain.“I went over and spent the evening with her.Something with her stomach.”
“Yeah, that’s what Evan said.But yesterday, she skipped her last class.Didn’t tell anyone, not even Evan.He thought she had a doctor’s appointment because of how sick she seemed Monday, and he let it slip to Kin.”
“I didn’t know she skipped yesterday,” I muttered to myself, wondering why she hadn’t told me.We’d texted for most of the night like we normally did.
“With how off she’s been acting, Evan got worried.He said he was waiting for her after her final class today.Again, that’s gym, in case you didn’t know.”I lifted my brows at him, and he shrugged.I was well aware of what classes my girlfriend had and when.I had a copy of her schedule on my phone, for fuck’s sake.
“The teacher is one of the assistant basketball coaches.”Bentley let that sink in as he seemed to prepare what to say next.Itch, itch, itch.And there was no goddamn way to scratch it.“You know Evan drives her to and from school, right?”
I clenched my fingers around my phone but nodded.That little nugget of information wasn’t news to me.As much as I hated that they got to spend so much time together, I would rather she carpool with Evan than someone else.Once she got her license and her own car, she wouldn’t ride with him anymore, though.We’d already discussed that, in depth.It always made her roll those pretty blue eyes at me whenever I brought it up, and she reassured me that it was still the plan.When the next school year began, she’d be driving herself.
“Okay, glad you were aware of that.”Bentley scratched at his chin, one of his tells that he was agitated.“So, Evan was waiting for Ali after her class.He saw all the other girls leave the locker room, but no Ali.Which made him think she’d left early again.He went into the locker room, totally thinking she’d skipped, thinking he wouldn’t find her… But he did.”
That itching sensation got worse.I rubbed at the back of my head, hoping to ease it so I could focus.“He did what, found her?”
“Yeah.”
“He went into the girls’ locker room, knowing my girlfriend was possibly in the shower.And found her,” I gritted out each word, needing confirmation.
“Yeah.”Bentley nodded, scratching his chin like he was having an eczema breakout.
“While she was in the shower?”
“He said she had a towel on.”I reached for my door handle, and Bentley moved to block me from opening it.“That’s not the part we need to focus on right now, bro.Besides, a towel covers more than most of those stupid little bikini things she wears.”
I couldn’t think about Ali and her sweet little bikinis that drove me fucking insane.And I really couldn’t think about Evan Fucking Cutter seeing my daisy girl in nothing but a damn towel.Itch.Itch.“Tell me the rest, Bentley.”
“Evan said he found her in a puddle of vomit.”
“She’s sick, and you didn’t tell me that first?”I raged.
“Sixx, damn it, let me tell you everything.”He put his hands on my shoulders, pushing me back a few steps before dropping his hands again.“She was vomiting because she was upset, not because she’s sick.Fuck, I think the girl has the beginnings of an ulcer, and that’s understandable.You pricks are always stressing her out.”
“Bentley.”It was a warning—to stop rambling and tell me the rest of whatever Evan had sent him to say.
