Zoe
Why? Why did he have to say her fucking name? Why did he feel the need to bring all that shit up? I’ve worked so hard on burying those memories, but nooooo let’s leave it to Elliot to dig that fucking knife deeper into our chests and remind us all about that fucking night.
Slamming the door to my dorm room, I slide down the wood, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I slam my head against the wood as tears threaten to spill from my eyes. I can feel my heart cracking in my chest. I don't want to think about this. I don’t want to think about her. Most days it doesn’t seem real. It should’ve never happened. But the tears fall, and I’m sucked into the memory of us.
“Why doyou always hog her?” Elliot asks, pulling Zoe away from me as I sit on the hood of the car.
“Not my fault you are too busy star gazing instead of entertaining our girl,” I state, and she turns around, pinning me with that sexy look of hers that is supposed to scare me, but it doesn’t. Her long black hair whips in the cold air as she looks at me.
“Cut it out. No need to fight over me.” She giggles, and Elliot wraps his arms around her waist, shoving his face into her neck, making her squirm in his hold. Grayson walks over and cups her cheek, placing a gentle kiss on her red lips. I sip my beer and watch the show while we wait for Terrance to be done banging some chick, then we can go back to the house and chill out.
“Why is it that you guys always let Terrance run shit? Like we could be watching a movie right now, but no, we’re out here on the top of the cliff in the fucking cold while he’s fucking that poor girl in the car,” she whines, but she’s not wrong. I didn’t have a say in the matter. Grayson calls the shots. I’m just here for the ride. Plus, I don’t like being far from Zoe. We’ve been keeping a huge secret from her, and a part of me feels guilty for lying, but we did what we had to do to protect her.
“Oh, stop complaining. We will be home in no time,” Grayson says, but her eyes collide with mine,and I shrug. I’m not sure why she’s looking at me for an answer because I’ve got none.
“Fine, fine. I’m just cold,” she admits, and I laugh.
“I told you to bring a hoodie. Do you ever listen? No, you don’t,” I say, and she rolls her eyes and laughs, but I raise a brow. “Is someone being a brat?” I ask, and she turns in Elliot’s hold, trying to hide her face as if he’s going to save her from me. His eyes snap to mine, and I wink as I slide off the hood of the car and walk up behind her. I lean in, inhaling deeply. She always smells like a watermelon jolly rancher. I don’t get it.
“You can never hide from me, Zoe. I will always find you,” I whisper, and she giggles.
Slamming my head again against the wood as the tears continue to fall, I smile at the memory. We were so fucking happy. We had everything planned out for senior year and beyond. Now—we’ve all changed. We aren’t the same people we were back then. Not even close. I’m pretty sure our humanities left the day she stopped breathing. We’ve become so self-absorbed that I’m sure Zoe would be ashamed of us. I know it—they know it, but we don’t have a reason to care anymore. It also doesn’t help that this school has demands we need to fulfill, and if we don’t—there are dire consequences. How did we find ourselves in this mess? Oh, I know—one night… one fucking night and everything changed. Decisions were made, and that led to events we cannot come back from, but now, we have Rowyn, who thinks she was almost raped and shoved off the cliff, almost dying in the same spot as Zoe. Me and Gray didn’t do that shit. I know what Elliot is thinking, but fuck. Zoe’s name triggered me. He deserved to get hit. I don't regret that, I just don’t understand what the hell happened.
Wiping my tears, I get up from the floor and plop down on my bed. No one would go against us, and the asshole from the frat party is a nobody, so he wouldn’t come after us either. Is it a Lockridge Boys thing, or is it a Rowyn thing? Did she piss someone off who also hates us? I have so many questions that need answers. This is bullshit.
I hate that someone else hurt her. That’s my job. She’s my chosen one. I don’t particularly like it when Grayson sinks his claws into her, but he always seems to catch me when I’m in a mood, so I don’t care at the moment. I didn’t want to leave her in the woods, but Gray had other plans. I also never thought someone would be out there after we left. I wanted to go back so bad, but Grayson said no. Plus, on top of everything else, my father called to catch me up on all the bullshit Cynthia is causing him. That’s a whole other issue, but luckily, I don’t have to deal with it. That’s my father’s issue, not mine. Ididn’t realize sleeping with his ex-wife was going to put such a strain on our relationship, but it did. It’s wild that he was even mad. She is the one who came on to me. Not the other way around, but he doesn’t believe me. Which is sad in itself. I’m his only child, but that doesn’t matter—he constantly calls me a liar and a disappointment. It hurts, it really does. No one ever chooses me. Zoe never did. She wouldn’t choose. She always told us she couldn’t. I just want to be chosen for once. My phone vibrating in my pocket pulls me out of my thoughts, and I dig into my jeans to take it out.
Grayson:
Meeting with the juniors in ten minutes.
I sigh but reply because I never have a damn choice.
Me:
Where this time?
Grayson:
Locker room.
Me:
Okay. See you in a few.
Darkening the screen, I toss the phone on the bed and reach over to my desk and grab a prerolled.If I have to deal with bullshit tonight, I might as well get high as fuck, because come tomorrow, I will do some digging and find out who hurt my Shadow Mouse. There will be fucking hell to pay.
fifteen
Rowyn Hale
Taunts
Walking into my first class of the day, everyone seems quiet, and that has me on edge. Even when I was in the cafeteria, things were odd, and now, as I enter this room, all eyes are on me, making me just want to run and hide. My body crawls as if a million ants are running up and down every inch of my skin. I try not to make eye contact with anyone, especially Grayson, who is sitting in the back talking to some guy. I keep my eyes down as I make it to my seat, then gasp when I see the desk. I swallow thickly as tears threaten to fall down my cheeks.I will not cry in front of these people. I will not give them what they want.
“Aren’t you going to sit down, Chunkers?” Grayson shouts, making me jump as the room fills with laughter. My eyes shoot to him, and he smirks,then tilts his head, but the professor enters the room, and those who were standing around me all find a seat. So I’m left standing here with nowhere to sit because my desk is too small for me to sit in. I tighten my hold around my books, trying to come up with any possible solution.I cannot miss class. I’ll lose my scholarship.
“Ms. Hale. Please sit down. You are holding up the class,” she spits, and I look at the desk, then at her. “Sit, or you can get out,” she scolds.
