“Can we go back to yours?” He flicks his head behind him, punctuating his words.
I curl the material of my jacket over my fists and pull my knees to my chest. “I don’t live here anymore.”
“What?” Cameryn asks, her voice so deep. Her brows furrow as she lowers her knees and turns in her seat to face me.
I bite into my bottom lip when it begins to quiver. “I’ve been in LA for just over nine months.”
She shakes her head before she falls back into the seat. She’s pissed, and I can see that she’s biting her tongue.
“Say it.” I urge her to tell me how she really feels.
She shoves a hand into the pocket of her leather jacket and taps out a cigarette before holding it between her teeth.
“That hurts, Cherry.” The flick of the Zippo is the only sound around us, then a sharp, dutiful inhale.
I keep my eyes on her and watch her take another deep pull through my tears.
I start to shake my head, a little taken aback by her statement. “Out of everyone, I thought you’d under–”
She cuts me off, turning her head back to me, and her words fall with the tendrils of smoke that whisper from her swollen lips. “But I get it.”
The hand pinching her cigarette reaches out, and she curls her fingers around my chin, leaning forward and pushing her lips to the corner of my mouth, right where my tears have melted. My chest vibrates as I continue to sob.Fuck, I missed my best friends.
She pushes back into her seat, and I flick my gaze between both Tyler and her. My stomach clenches, as I feel like I’m about to start convulsing.
“I need to tell you both something,” I croak, my voice barely a whisper with my admittance.
Cameryn grabs my hand again and squeezes it tightly. “Anything.”
Tyler clears his throat, though it’s still rough. “Come on, I’ll take us somewhere.” His muscled arms coil around me as he starts to help me out of the car. I can barely feel my legs.
“Fuck,” Tyler mumbles with rage beneath his breath, and when I rise to my feet, he pulls me into him a little harder than normal, his words ghosting right over the top of my head. “I’m so sorry. Fuck, Blaine, I’m so sorry.” He repeats the same statement over and over and over again.
And I just hold on to him, not saying a single word.
Because it still hurts.
I think it always will.
I needed him,and he didn’t need me.
The wheels come to a stop when Tyler pulls the car up at a narrow one-way bridge. I’ve never been here before. I didn’t know a place like this even existed so close to Shadow Heads, although it’s not like I would’ve ever gone out of my way to look for a structure that sits over the top of water.
I’m not a fucking masochist.
I swallow hard when both Tyler and Cameryn push out of the car, but I remain bolted to my seat, my seatbelt chaining me to the leather.
Like hers.
Did he forget about my fear of water?
My terror is loud with the phantom ringing and distortion of our car plunging into the lake.
The trickling water as it started to pool around my ankles.
Mom’s painful cries, filtering through the thick air.
Dad’s soulless body, behind the wheel.
