I cut him off before he finishes, pulling back and slowly sliding my way down the length of him until my feet find their place on the ground.
I can feel Ty is reluctant to let me go, his fingers trembling, still buried in the hair at my nape when I tilt my chin up at him, our fingers interlacing.
“Please don’t apologize for their actions,” I whimper, and when two tears roll down my cheeks, he shuts his eyes, his chest falling with a heavy exhale when he reefs me back into him.
His arms coil around my shoulders as he holds me, and I find my hands fisting the back of his shirt as I continue to cry, trying to pull my best friend impossibly closer.
When the sobs quieten, and I hear the creak of Cameryn moving on the bonnet behind me, I raise my chin and Tyler pushes my now tear-drenched hair away from my eyes, grabbing my cheeks between his clammy palms.
His eyes are hard when he holds on to me. “No, I’m sorry, B.” He pauses only for a moment to clear his throat before he continues, “For leaving you, for thinking I knew what was best for you.” He sucks his bottom lip back into his mouth. “For fucking cutting you off. I thought I was doing the right–”
Swallowing his words, he shakes his head, and before he can finish talking, I whisper, “It’s okay, Ty. All of it’s okay.”
Because the truth is, I don’t need to hear his reason.
Half an hour ago, I would have begged for it. But now, as my best friend holds me, I know he did what he thought he had to in the moment.
I can’t kill a man for that.
The pain I’ve harbored for so many years is excruciating. I just want to fucking breathe again.
Does it still hurt? Yes.
Will it always? I think so.
But it’s time to make peace with it.
“I could have stopped this from happening. You could have been in LA with me. I could have–” My hands find a place around his wrists, and I shake my head.
“It’s done, Ty. This is my story now.” My words get stuck in my throat, and I swallow hard. “I can’t change it, and I can’t rewrite it.”
“You didn’t have to go through this alone, B.”
I feel my heart stop, my stomach bottoming out.I didn’t.Cameryn is beside me now, her hand taking my free one when Iraise my chin again and flick my gaze between both of my best friends.
“I didn’t. Laney was with me,” I whisper, bile rising up my throat when I hear the echoes of her phantom screams rebound in the back of my head. “And she fought so hard forbothof us.”
My wheels roll over the steel grate at the entrance of the underground parking lot beneath my apartment building, and I swiftly guide my car into my designated space. Turning off my engine, I fall back into my seat and stare at the dark gray concrete walls as a chill tingles ominously at the back of my neck. They look so much like the basementwewere held in, and I can’t help but think of how the system failed Laney.
I didn’t offer the police officers much information. I gave them what I could. However, it's as if they did nothing, like they gave up.
It’s not good enough.
I direct my gaze to the entrance and confirm Cameryn and Tyler aren’t here yet. They followed me back to LA and mentioned something about picking up food. I know they won’t be far, leaving me with little time to do what I’m about to.
Snatching up my phone and opening my web browser, I grab what I need before pressing it to my ear.
“Devil’s Peak Police.” A male’s voice comes down the line. It’s not warm. It's abrupt and cold, yet I don’t let it deter me.
Clearing my throat, I reply confidently, “Hi, I would like to speak to Officer Reid or Officer–”Fuck, I forgot her name.I drop my chin while I strain my memory.“Maeve, Officer Maeve.”
“Were they expecting your call?” the man asks, entirely bored.
I clench my phone tighter, sucking on my front teeth as I shrug. “Maybe.”
“And who should I tell them they’ll be speaking with?”
“The girl they visited in the hospital more than nine months ago.” I swallow as a shiver crawls down my spine. “They’ll know.”
