Tragic (Cherry Grove Book 1)

by Cole Lepley

  When I make it back to the house, Elliot is sitting on a lounge chair with her legs pulled up under her chin. I know my behavior over the past couple of days has been unsettling, but I’m not ready to talk about it.

  “Hey,” I say as I make my way over to her.

  A genuine smile crosses her face, and it hits me hard for some reason. I sit down below her and pull her legs across my lap. “I missed you today.”

  She grabs my face gently, pulling me closer. Her kiss is soft and measured as opposed to the urgent nature in which we usually greet each other. It’s like she’s assuring me that everything is going to be okay without needing the words the say it.

  “I always miss you, no matter how long you’re gone.” She pulls back and searches my eyes, so I force a smile.

  “Is Oliver home?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “No, he said he had some extracurricular activities he needed to attend to, and I didn’t ask him to elaborate further.” She laughs. “I don’t want to know.”

  I pat her leg with a laugh. “It’s probably better that way.”

  Elliot leans into me and wraps her arms around my neck. Even though I know she wants to, she doesn’t say anything. She’s treading lightly around me now, and I don’t blame her. I always expect her to be so open with me and yet I can’t offer the same in return. Eventually I will have to tell her, but for now I’ll just try to keep my darkness inside where it belongs. Locked deep down where it can’t hurt anyone ever again.

  20

  Ambush

  Oliver crunches pretzels in his mouth loudly beside me while I stare down into the driveway below. “Do you have to do that right now?” I ask in frustration.

  He shrugs. “What? This is entertaining.”

  Judah is standing in my driveway, tears streaming down his face, begging me to come outside. I’m almost positive he’s wasted. Oliver and I have been watching from the upstairs window for the past five minutes. This unfortunate event was brought on by a series of unanswered calls and texts. Evidently, letting him down gently isn’t going to happen.

  “Elliot?” My dad asks from behind me.

  I turn to see him cross his arms with a slightly amused expression on his face. “Care to explain to me why the quarterback who won us State last year is currently crying outside my window right now?”

  My eyes drift back to the driveway where Judah is now on his knees with one hand on the pavement. I cringe slightly. “I think he’s upset.”

  My dad rolls his eyes. “You think? What did you do to the poor boy?”

  “Dad, seriously?”

  Oliver raises his hand like an idiot. “I know.”

  I glare at him out of the corner of my eye, but it doesn’t stop him from chiming in. “Elliot broke his heart, and now I’d say he’s losing his shit.”

  My dad laughs once. “Well, would you mind going down there and putting him out of his misery.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “I just talked to Jeff this afternoon while we were working out the plans for the new building. He said Judah’s not adjusting very well to being away.”

  Judah’s father, Jeff and my dad have been friends since they were kids. Not only do they work together on a number of projects at the resort, but we also spend quite a bit of time with them socially as well. It makes it extremely awkward now that things are ending so badly between us.

  I swallow back my frustration. “Fine.”

  He pats me on the back. “Thank you. You know how I feel about public displays of emotion, especially from such a big guy.”

  Oliver laughs. “Yeah, Judah really does look like a pussy right now.” He throws a pretzel at me. “You destroyed him. Savage, Elle.”

  “Seriously, Ollie. You’re not helping.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a few breaths. I never imagined things would escalate this far. My mind drifts to Hunter not twenty feet away from all this. I can only imagine what he’s thinking.

  I hear Oliver laugh again. “The only thing that would make this even more poetic is if it started to rain right now.”

  As if the heavens heard him, thunder strikes across the sky and rain begins to pour. Oliver’s hand flies up to his mouth. “Oh my God,” he whispers through his fingers. “He can fucking hear me.”

  This causes me to laugh. “If that were true, I’m pretty sure you would have been struck down by now.”

  He nods. “You’re probably right.” He shoves another pretzel in his mouth and smirks again. “You do need to go down there. I’m even starting to feel bad, and that’s pretty hard to do.”

  I let out a sigh. “Alright, I’m going.” I give Oliver a shove away from the window. “Don’t watch either.”

  I can still hear his snickers from the same spot as I walk down the stairs. Before I push the door open, I throw my hoodie over my head. Judah looks up immediately and rushes over to me. The scent of whiskey permeating off of him nearly knocks me to the ground.

  “Elle, listen—babe, I’m sorry. You have to listen—"

  He grips my arms tightly, and I almost wince. “Judah,” I sigh, looking up at him. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You haven’t been answering my calls.”

  “We broke up. That’s how this works.”

  He shakes his head. “No, that’s not how this was supposed to happen.” His eyes squeeze shut. “This is not how this was supposed to end.”

  My heart clenches at his words. It was never my intention to hurt Judah. I never want to hurt anyone, especially someone that I love—and I do love him, but I know he’s not the one.

  I gently place my hands on either side of his face. He opens his eyes and all of his sadness pours out to me. “I’m sorry, okay? I know this is hard, but I think it’s for the best.”

  His eyebrows pull in. “I can’t accept that. You’re all I think about. I’m going fucking crazy, Elle.”

  That much is obvious. The only question I have is why? He never seemed to care the entire time we were together, and I have never seen him cry. I tug his arm and drag him forward under the side porch awning out of the rain. He stumbles with me, and I sigh.

  “I don’t want you to be upset, but I’m not going to change my mind.”

  He throws his hands up and then grips them in his hair. “No, you don’t mean that. Not after everything we’ve been through.” He takes a shaky breath and then moves closer to me. “You love me—I know you do.”

  My stomach keeps clenching tighter at his torment. Regardless of my feelings toward him, it’s breaking my heart to see him like this. I place my hand on his face again to keep him steady. “Judah, listen to me. I love you, okay? We just can’t be together anymore.”

  His face relaxes for a moment and then shifts right back to agony. “Elliot, I tried so hard to get over you—but every girl I’ve tried to be with has made me realize that I can’t.”

  I roll my eyes. He’s still in there. He shakes his head quickly and pushes me back against the wall, caging me in with his hands on either side my head. “No, I’m not done yet. I know I fucked up—I know that.” He takes a shaky breath. “But we can fix it. I know we can.”

  My heart pounds, and I place my hands on his chest, but he’s too strong for me to move him away. “Judah, I know you’re upset—but I can’t do this anymore.”

  He shakes his head and leans in closer. “Not until you hear me.”

  I close my eyes for a moment to regain my composure. “I hear you.”

  He presses his face against my neck before pulling back to look at me. “Remember that night at Christian’s bonfire—remember how we promised to always be together? You said you didn’t want to be with anyone else.”

  “Judah, that was over a year ago, and at the time—"

  He shakes his head, cutting me off again. “No, you fucking promised, Elle. How can you just walk away from us like that?”

  His question makes me want to scream, but I can’t argue with him when he’s this drunk. I’m not the one who left. I’m not the one wh
o wanted to explore our options this year. He decided that, and now he has to live with those consequences.

  I take a breath when he leans further into me. “You’re not thinking clearly. You need to go back to school and start moving on with your life—”

  He grabs me by the waist and pins me back against the wall again. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here with you.”

  “You can’t give up everything you’ve worked so hard for. I would never let you do that.”

  Judah shakes his head again, refusing to hear what I’m asking. “No, I’m not leaving.”

  I close my eyes for a moment and try to think through this until the weight is suddenly lifted. Hunter still has a grip on the back of Judah’s hoodie when my eyes pop back open. “She said leave her the fuck alone.” He releases him with a shove and then looks to me with concern etching his features. “Are you okay?”

  I nod, but Judah starts to stumble back toward us. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Why are you here all the time?”

  Before Hunter can answer, Oliver steps out from inside the house. “Hey, come on now Judah.” He throws his arm around his shoulders. “Let’s go for a little drive, brother. Sober up a bit.”

  Judah looks to me and then back to him. “I can’t leave. Not until she talks to me.”

  Oliver gives his shoulder a squeeze. “She’ll talk to you. Just later, okay?”

  Judah doesn’t look convinced and shakes his head before staggering back toward me. Hunter immediately moves between us, and Oliver raises an eyebrow.

  “Elle,” Judah slurs. “Promise we’ll talk about this. Say that you’ll call.”

  I nod quickly. “I’ll call you later.”

  Judah’s nostrils flare, and I can see the tension in Hunter’s shoulders as he clenches his fist. “No, say you fucking promise.”

  My voice is nearly broken when I reply, “I promise.”

  Oliver pulls him back again. “Come on, man. We need to get you together. You’re falling apart.” He laughs to himself while tugging Judah toward his truck.

  I watch as he helps him into the passenger seat before walking back over to us. “I’m going to take him for a little ride. You seriously need to get a better handle on this.”

  My eyes drift back to the truck where Judah is already slumped down in the seat with his hand covering his face. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Hunter steps closer to me and glares at Oliver. “You should put an end to this. He can’t fucking treat her like that.”

  Oliver pats him on the shoulder. “I got it, don’t worry.”

  Hunter laughs coldly and shrugs him off. “Do you? Every time he does something crazy you act like he’s your best fucking friend.” He leans in closer to Oliver. “He could seriously hurt her and then I’ll fucking kill him.”

  Oliver nods, his features shifting more serious. “Okay, I’ll take care of it. Just relax.”

  Hunter takes a step back, and Oliver exchanges a look with me over his shoulder. I wait until he makes it back to the truck and begins to pull down the driveway before I speak. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  He spins around to me with an incredulous look on his face. “Are you kidding me right now?” He points over his shoulder. “Judah is crazy. I can’t stand by and watch him hurt you, Elle.”

  I take a step toward him and wrap my arms around his waist. “You also can’t act like that in front of Oliver. Is that how you want him to find out about us?”

  “No, but if it comes to your safety I would.” He places his hands on the sides of my face. “If anything ever happened to you I…I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

  I lean forward and kiss him once. “It won’t, I promise.”

  He shakes his head. “You can’t promise that, Elliot. No one can, but I’m going to try.”

  The look on Hunter’s face is overwhelming. I never once thought of Judah as a threat, but I can see how someone on the outside might view it that way. It’s clear I need to get a better handle on the situation before it spirals completely out of control and destroys us all.

  21

  Extraction Point

  After the scene that played out earlier today, Elliot decided it was best to stay in her own bed tonight. I’ll admit that my behavior may raise a few flags to Oliver, but I couldn’t help it. I’ve seen first-hand what blind rage mixed with alcohol can do to a man, and I’m not about to let it happen to her.

  It’s just after midnight when Oliver’s truck finally pulls into the driveway. A group of guys showed up hours ago to collect Judah’s vehicle so I figured he would have been home a long time ago. I watch him look to the house and then turn quickly in my direction. I meet him at the door.

  “Ollie, what took you so long?” I ask, pulling the door open.

  He gives me a stern look and steps past me. “You were out of line today.”

  I let out a stunned huff of air before closing the door. “Are you joking? I’m the one who was out of line?”

  Oliver turns to me and crosses his arms. “For you to insinuate that I wouldn’t protect my sister is beyond ridiculous.”

  I shake my head and take a step toward him. “Listen, man…”

  “No, you listen,” he says harshly, cutting me off. “I always have Elliot’s best interests in mind. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I know Judah. He’s young and clearly upset right now, but I have no reason to believe that he would physically hurt her.”

  My eyes widen. “Was I the only one who was here today? He had her backed against the wall out there and you did nothing to stop it.”

  “I was right there watching the whole thing. I stepped in when I thought he was getting a little too pushy.”

  I scoff. “Yeah, after I already pulled him off of her.”

  Oliver throws his hands up. “Why are we fighting over this? Everything is going to be okay now. We had a long talk, and once he stopped crying and sobered up, he started making some sense again.”

  I laugh. “Judah made sense. Really?”

  He nods. “Yeah, the back and forth between them has really been getting to him. Elliot is extremely manipulative whether she intends to be or not. Some guys can’t handle that.”

  I cover my mouth with my hand for a moment. I’m about to say something I’ll regret. Oliver takes a seat on the couch and clasps his hands in his lap. “She’s my sister, and I love her, but she’s quite selfish. I can’t say anything really because I act exactly the same way. We’re cut from the same cloth.” He shrugs, and I clench my fist involuntarily.

  He laughs once. “This is not the first time something like this happened. Last year her and Judah broke up, and she started dating some guy from the swim team to make him jealous. After that whole ordeal the guy stalked her for weeks. It’s like she doesn’t realize the way her actions affect people or even cares.”

  My mind is completely blown right now. I can’t believe that Oliver is almost defending Judah. “So, you’re saying this happened because Elliot brought it on herself.”

  He shakes his head. “No. Listen, right or wrong, I would defend her above anyone else. I not so subtly explained to Judah that a repeat performance will not be tolerated. I’m just saying it didn’t surprise me it came to this.”

  Honestly, it shouldn’t surprise me either. After the games we played I saw firsthand how vindictive she can be. But the part that Oliver is missing is the side of her that you can’t see. It’s a front so she can protect herself from how she really feels. Not to mention her most substantial role model is a glorified playboy. That would cause anyone to have a skewed sense of what a relationship is supposed to be like.

  Oliver stands and walks over to me, extending his hand. “I’m glad you were there today. She’s lucky to have two guys that care that much for her.”

  I shake his hand in return. “Anytime.”

  He smiles. “Good.” He pats me on the back on the way out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The way that O
liver views Elliot should be unnerving to me, but for some reason it isn’t. This is what she wants you to see, and the fact that even her own brother does, proves just how far she takes it. I don’t for one second think we’ve seen the last of Judah, I just hope I will be there next time he comes around.

  Even though we’ve tried to be extra careful this week, it wasn’t enough to keep her completely away. She’s currently curled up beside me on the couch as I sit through another episode of this stupid reality TV show she loves. It’s a pain I’m willing to endure. I would stare at a blank wall if she asked me to.

  “Hunter,” she says suddenly. I look down at her as she pulls herself into a sitting position. “I feel like we should talk about the other day.”

  I lace my fingers with hers and pull her hand to my lips. “Are you still upset?”

  She shakes her head. “It’s not that…I mean yes, that was upsetting, but I’m more concerned about you.”

  My eyebrows pull in. “Me? Why?”

  Her eyes drift to our hands. “I made a lot of mistakes with Judah. I misinterpreted his feelings for me, and even though he has his share of flaws, I really hurt him.”

  I tilt her chin up with my finger. “Elliot, you’re defending the guy that wanted an open relationship with you so he could fool around at college. I don’t feel bad for him.”

  She laughs a little. “Okay, that may be true, but isn’t it weird that it didn’t bother me at all?”

  I shrug. “How deep can a relationship be if it’s just based on sex?”

  Elliot bites her lip, and I instantly feel like a dick.

  “I don’t think our relationship is that way if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Hunter, you can’t even talk about a dream that you had. There’s so much we don’t know about each other.”

  I take a breath and square my shoulders. “Okay, ask me what you want to know. I’ll tell you anything.” I say a silent prayer that she doesn’t start where I know she wants to.