Next up, Eli.
Elijah - Understand? I don’t fucking understand. You walked away from us, from everything we had. You’re supposed to be a little sister to us.
I skip over the rest of his response because I know how Eli gets, and it’s not good. It’s only going to tear me apart as he works through his anger at me. So instead of letting it cut me like he’d hoped, I move onto the final message and find five simple words that hurt me more than anything else ever could.
Sebastian - We will always love you.
A fat tear rolls down my cheek and splashes against the dirty school uniform that still dons my body. I haven’t showered in three days, simply because I have nothing to change into, and I’ll be damned if I was to ask any of the Wolves for help. Besides, getting naked in that place? No thank you.
I can’t wait to get home and feel human again, but before I can do that, I have to ease their minds. They have to know how much I care for them. I hit reply on the text.
Ocean - I’m on my way home. Maybe we can talk things through and I can tell you everything that’s been going on.
I watch the message go, and as all three of the guys receive and view it, I wait, hoping for even the smallest olive branch from just one of them. One minute, two minutes, three, four, five.
Nothing.
My heart shatters, but I hold back my emotions, not allowing them to take over as all that matters right now is getting home to Mom and Colton.
Putting the phone down, I hit the gas and pull back onto the highway, fighting my tired eyes the whole way. As I'm finally pulling into the Carrington driveway, I lean out my open window and hash the code in for the massive iron gates.
They slowly peel back as my patience wears thin. Finally, when they’re wide enough for me to squeeze the Audi past, I fly down the long drive in desperation.
By the time I finally make it and cut the engine, my mom is halfway down the grand stairs of the Carrington mansion. I hurry out of the Audi and race around to her, feeling the exhaustion of the past few days beginning to catch up to me.
Mom crashes into me as Colton stands at the top of the stairs, leaving us to have this moment. Her arms wrap around me, and for the first time in years, I feel like a little girl who desperately needs her mother's comfort. “Oh, honey,” Mom cries into my shoulder. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur into her neck, my words hardly audible by how hard I’m holding her. “I had to do it. We’re finally going to get justice for dad.”
Mom pulls me back, holding onto my shoulders, and gives me a pained smile. “I know, sweetie. I just hope getting justice doesn’t mean giving up a part of yourself.”
A single tear rolls down my cheek as I give her a brave smile, her words heavy with their honesty. “I think it’s a little too late for that,” I whisper.
Mom’s hands drop to mine and she squeezes them tight. “Come on,” she tells me. “Let me get you inside, then you can tell us exactly what happened.”
I nod, unsure that I actually have the strength to get the words out. “Okay,” I finally say, allowing her to pull on my hands and lead me up the stairs to where Colton waits for me, more than ready to pull me into his loving arms and never let me go.
Chapter 8
Monday morning comes around far too quickly, and Colton is curling his arms around me, reminding me that if I want to make it to school, now is the time to get up and make it happen.
I curl into his body, hating that I pulled away from him during the night. But after not sleeping for two nights straight, I can’t take responsibility for what I did once my eyes finally closed.
It was just after four in the afternoon when I’d gotten home, and it was well after six before I finally finished explaining everything that had happened. To be honest, I was expecting Mom to be really upset about it all, but she understood and accepted every word I said, almost as though she’d been considering doing the same thing herself. Colton however, still wasn't on board with the plan—not that he has much of a choice at this point. Though, I know he can’t deny that he’s happy I'm home unscathed.
Colton kept his hand on my body from the second I walked through the front door until I fell asleep at the dinner table. I can't explain the power he holds over me with just a single touch, one that both soothes and excites me all at once. When his hands are on me, I feel as though everything will be alright, and I'm more than grateful to finally have it back. It doesn’t matter if the world is falling down around me as long as I have Colton by my side, then it’s all going to be okay.
“What do you want to do?” Colton murmurs, his voice thick with sleep. “I can take the morning off and spend a few hours with you if you need me too.”
I let out a sigh and sink further into him, keeping my eyes closed as I refuse to believe that it’s already morning. “Can’t I just stay in bed all day and forget that anything ever happened?”
“I’m down with that,” he tells me, holding me a little tighter. “I’m sure I could make you forget your own name if you want me to.”
I groan against his chest. “No. I can’t even think about getting naked right now. I haven’t showered in days, and for the record, I’m pissed with you for letting me go to bed without showering last night. Do you have any idea how gross that is? You should be disgusted. How are you even touching me?”
I can practically hear his eyes roll. “Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, what was I supposed to do? You were asleep on the fucking table. The whole house could have burned down around you and you wouldn’t have known. I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Did you even sleep while you were there?”
I shake my head against his chest. “Nope. It was torture. I’ve never been so tired, but I don’t know … I just couldn’t force myself to give in to the tiredness.”
“Shit, Jade. I’m sorry. If I knew you hadn’t slept that whole time, I would have snuck out and let you sleep until you were ready.”
“No,” I groan, rolling out of his arms and stretching, feeling my consciousness really start to come back to me as the fogginess of my sleep begins to clear. “I need to get to school. I’ve missed too much of it over the last few weeks ... and ... well … I don’t know what’s going to happen with the whole college thing, but if this is my last shot at an education, I shouldn’t waste it.”
“It’s not your last shot,” he tells me, sitting up in bed and watching as I try to convince myself to get to my feet. “I swear to you, Jade. I'm not going to let that happen. The University of Bellevue Springs wants you, and I know I don’t like to share, but I won’t stop until they get you.”
“But …”
“No buts. You’re going to college, and that’s final.”
I roll my eyes as I finally get to my feet. The rejection letters I'd received Friday morning sit heavily on my mind, but I can't tell him yet. Now’s not exactly the moment to shoot down his hopes and dreams for me. And I really don’t want to get into the ‘I’ll pay for you to go to college’ argument that seems to be a regular occurrence around here.
I make my way across the room, and just as I go to step into his bathroom, I look back at Colton, finding his eyes all over my body. “I missed you,” I tell him. “I know it was only a few days, but those few days without you really sucked.”
A soft smile plays on his lips, and I watch as his eyes shine with joy. “I’m never letting you go back there again,” he tells me. “You’ll have to pry yourself out of my cold, dead hands.”
I laugh. “That can be arranged,” I tell him, winking before I disappear into the bathroom, closing the door on the shocked expression on his face.
I lean into the shower and turn on the water before stripping out of my clothes. I've never been so happy to be naked in my life. The water hardly gets a second to completely warm before I throw myself under it and instantly fall victim to its comfort.
Fuck, that’s good. I’ll never take for granted a good shower again.
I let the warm water wash over my face, and as the minutes pass, I don't move an inch. I kinda expected Colton to come in ages ago and take over my shower. Though I have to admit, for once, I’m enjoying the privacy, and I'm grateful that he’s given me a few moments to myself. I know how hard that must be for him.
I realize that if I don’t speed things up I’m going to be late for school, so I get busy washing my hair and scrubbing the memory of the last few days off of my body. The loofa roams over my skin, and when it passes by my nipples, I cringe as a shock of pain tears through me.
What the fuck was that?
I glance down at my tits and scan over them, but there's no cuts or bruises, nothing that could bring me any pain. My brows furrow as I take hold of them, feeling around and pressing my fingers into the soft flesh. I let out a long sigh, finding them both extremely tender and beginning to swell.
I really am pregnant.
I don’t know why I hadn’t expected any of this, but I should have known. I’m fucking lucky that I haven’t been hurling everything I eat with that dreaded morning sickness.
Maybe it’s about time I start googling these things. I mean, what’s supposed to come next? When will I start to get a bump? I should sit down with Mom tonight and discuss it all. After all, she’s been through it with me. Who better to ask?
I finish up in my shower and wrap my towel around me just as Colton barges through the bathroom door with my phone in his hand. “Here,” he says, handing me the phone with an annoyed expression on his face. "Please talk to Milo so he’ll finally stop calling me.”
I laugh and scoop the phone out of Colton’s hand and hold it to my ear. “What do you think you’re doing bugging my boyfriend at this time of the morning?” I question as Colton steps in behind me and curls his arms around my waist, studying my face through the mirror.
“Girl, where the hell have you been?” Milo questions, most of his perky attitude back in force after it took a hit when he was attacked on Wednesday. “What are you doing today?”
“Umm … I was planning on going to school.”
“Don’t,” he says. “I just got discharged, and now I have to spend the day sitting in bed with no one to talk to.”
“Really?” I question, my eyes going wide. “That's the best news I’ve had in days.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve never been so happy to get out of there. The dude in the next room snores like a fucking trooper, and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get the sound of it out of my head. So, what do you say? Are you coming? I’m halfway through the Vampire Diaries, and I’m a little obsessed right now, but I’m going to need you to stop and get me some popcorn.”
“A day in bed watching Vampire Diaries?” I ask, glancing up and meeting Colton’s eyes through the mirror. “I’m so down for that. I’ll be there in twenty.”
Colton’s mouth drops open as he stares at me in horror. “What?” I laugh once Milo has ended the call.
“Let me get this straight,” Colton teases, his lips pulling up into a cocky smirk that has me desperate to kiss him. He releases his hold from around my waist and turns me so that I'm staring straight into his perfectly hazel eyes. “You’ll spend the day in bed with Milo but won’t spend it with me?”
“What can I say?” I laugh, taking a step back from him and edging toward the bathroom door. “Milo has a bigger dick.”
Colton’s jaw drops again, and he stares at me as though I’ve just committed a heinous crime. I don’t give him a chance to defend his honor before I’m slipping from the bathroom and hurrying into his massive closet.
I start searching for something to wear and settle on one of his shirts that nearly drops to my knees and a pair of his sweatpants that I have to roll at my hips three times just to avoid them falling to my ankles. If I’m going to spend the whole day in bed watching Vampire Diaries, then I should at least be comfortable. It’s the only way to do it.
I hear Colton in the shower, and just as I finish getting ready, he meets me back in his room. “I’m going to go,” I tell him, stretching up onto my tippy toes and brushing my lips over his.
“Alright,” he tells me. “Try not to make any unplanned stops this time.”
“Okay,” I laugh as he wraps me in his arms. “I promise. I’ll be a good little girl all day long.”
He drops his lips to mine before murmuring the sweetest words I’ve ever heard. “Only if you promise to be a bad one when you get home.”
Well, shit. Maybe I should stay here with him today.
“No,” Colton says, stepping back from me. “I know that look in your eyes, and if you don’t show up at Milo’s place in twenty minutes as you promised, he’s going to end up here, and then he’ll never leave.”
“But …”
“Nope. Go. Get your sweet ass out of here, and when you get home tonight, I’ll show you exactly what you were missing.”
I let out a sigh, but he’s right. If I don’t show up on Milo’s doorstep with popcorn in hand, there’s going to be trouble. “Deal,” I finally tell him, stepping into him and kissing him one last time before marching my way to the door. “But I swear, Colton Carrington, you better make it worth my while, or you and I are going to have problems.”
With that, I step out of his room and get my ass to Milo’s place as promised.
Thirty minutes later, my arms are laden with ice cream, candy, and popcorn as I barge through the Queen’s bedroom door. What better distraction from my troubles than falling more and more in love with Ian Somerhalder?
“Take your time,” Milo grumbles as I climb into his bed beside him and study his face. He still looks like he’s in a lot of pain but he seems a million times better. I still can’t believe he was attacked purely because he likes guys. It makes me sick, and had the boys not gone and handled it, I would have been more than happy to handle it myself.
Though the swelling on his face has gone down, the bruising has come out, ready to take the spotlight. I scrunch up my face as I look at him and he instantly cuts me off. “Don’t even say it,” he says, holding up a hand to stop me. “I know how it looks and trust me, with the pain meds I’m on, it looks a million times worse than how it feels.”
“Are you sure?” I question, glancing around his room for some kind of way to help him.
“If you even think about fluffing my pillows or fussing over me, I’m going to whoop that fat ass of yours. I’ve had nurses in and around my business for days—constantly poking and prodding. All I want is to be left alone to watch Damon and Stefan fight over Elena as though she isn’t a whiny bitch.”
I roll my eyes and scoot closer into his bed, making myself comfortable. “Fine, have it your way, but just so you know, this ice cream isn’t going to stay frozen forever, and I have absolutely no plans to get up and put it in the freezer. So unless you want it melted through your bed and making everything all sticky, then we have to eat it now.”
Milo laughs to himself. “It’s not the first time my bed’s been all sticky.”
“Gross,” I say, wanting to be anywhere but in his bed after a comment like that. But considering his father's high standards for his staff, I'm sure his bed had clean sheets put on before he came home. “You’re disgusting.”
“You like it like that,” he tells me before struggling to sit up and grab the bag of goodies I brought along with me. “Ooh, chocolate chip.”
He dives into the bag and cracks open the ice cream before digging straight in. I won't lie, ice cream at nine in the morning is exactly the kind of bullshit I need in my life right now.
Just as promised, The Vampire Diaries gets turned on, and we watch in silence for half an hour before the dreaded question comes shooting through the room. He glances over at me, holding the ice cream in one hand while the spoon awkwardly points at me. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I feel my good mood plummeting, and as I look at him, I press my lips into a hard line, trying to not allow the emotions to well up inside of me
. “What do you mean?”
“Ocean, you disappeared for three days while I was in the hospital. Something happened. Otherwise, you would have been in my stupid hospital room demanding that my doctors find a miracle cure to make me heal overnight. You were gone, and judging by the way you’ve been avoiding looking into my eyes since you got here, it’s bad.”
“I … fuck. How do you do that?”
“It’s called being observant. If any of your other friends cared about you half as much as I do, they would have been able to tell. Now, like I said, do you want to talk about it?”
Letting out a sigh, I realize that Milo has become so much closer than I ever expected he would, and I absolutely love him for that. Seeing the pain ripping across my face at everything that’s been going on, he offers me his hand. I take it eagerly as he watches me, waiting to hear whatever it is I need to get off my chest. So without wasting another moment, I give it to him straight. “Nic killed my father.”
Milo’s jaw drops in shock, and he stares at me as though the words I just uttered make absolutely no sense at all. And just like that, the whole torturous story comes out. I tell him every last detail, right down to everything that happened while I was staying with the Wolves. Though, I skip over the whole rapist bun in the oven thing. That’s a story for another day.
We talk and talk until there’s nothing left to say, and only then does he start with his own issues, all revolving around the fear he’s felt since being attacked on Wednesday.
We completely forget the TV, and the hours fly by lost in conversation. It's after five in the afternoon by the time Milo’s parents are shoving me out the door, desperate to allow Milo a chance to rest.
After saying goodbye, I promise him I’ll be back tomorrow, and the next day, and then every day after that. I make my way out to Colton’s Audi, and just as I’m about to unlock the car door, my phone rings deep in the pocket of my borrowed sweatpants.
I ignore it, assuming that it’s Colton or Mom checking in on me for the millionth time today. I’ll be home in five minutes, and then they can check on me in person. I get into the Audi, and when my phone instantly starts ringing again, my stomach drops. No one rings me twice quickly like that unless there’s some kind of problem.
Ride or Die: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 4) Page 8