Twisted (15 page)

“Stay out of shit you don't
understand,
Blayre
!”

“You're damn right I don't
understand. Why didn't you stand up for Blake?”

“He's a big boy. It's not my
job to babysit him!”

“It's not babysitting, it's
called being a good friend!” I yell back angrily.

“He brought the cash to bet.
It's not my fault he went past his limit. And quit looking at me like that. I
don't have a grand just laying around with Blake's name on it in case he needs
bailing out. I haven't got shit to my name right now.”

“Couldn't you have talked to
Ethan?” I press, absently rubbing my ribs where they throb painfully.

“Blake knew the rules.”

“Ethan's
your
brother.
Couldn't you have at least tried to talk to him on Blake's behalf?”

Cole runs a hand angrily
through his hair, his expression irritated. “Ethan doesn't listen to anyone,
much less me. And he will never bend the rules, not with his reputation on the
line. Why do you think he's so successful? He scares the shit out of people.”

“So Ethan goes around cutting
off people's fingers if they can't pay him?”

“Yes.”

“And you're
okay
with
that?”

He throws his arms up in
exasperation. “This is my life,
Blayre
. I grew up
this way and you are sheltered as hell. Grow up!”

I take a step closer, unable
to believe he could be this blasé about the situation. “It doesn't bother you
at all that your best friend's girlfriend is in a room with your brother doing
who knows what to save Blake's ass?”

“She's the one who offered
herself to him!” He snaps back.

“To save his finger, you
ass!”

Cole's eyes narrow
dangerously as he looks down at me, his lips tight. “And if it would have been me,
would you have fucked another guy to save me?”

I do not like the turn the
conversation is taking and I decide to avoid directly answering it. “We'll
never know because you're not stupid enough to put yourself in that kind of a
situation.”

“Exactly. Blake's the
dumbfuck
, not me. His problems are not my own.”

“You're a real bastard,” I
can't help but say as I shake my head with disgust.

“You know what, fuck you,
Blayre
. You've got the very best part of me and it's still not
enough. You've got me running around circles to please you and what do I get
out of it? Not a damn thing! You won't sleep with me even though we've been
together for weeks. Then you think you're too damn good to mess with drugs and
don't think I don't notice how you act like you're better than everyone else
for it! If you'd just take that stick out of your ass and try to have fun once
in a while, you might just have a good time!”

I find myself flinching at
his insults but I push it aside. “I see. I'm not worth it unless you're getting
it all your way, is that it?”

“I haven't been getting my
way with you at all!”

“Bullshit!”

“I'm done. Get out of my
house!” He stalks to the bedroom door and yanks it open, a muscle ticking in
his jaw as he stares me down.

He's kicking me out. My jaw
clenches slightly as I walk over and pause near him, my eyes searching his.
“What happened to the guy that I saw down by the lake? I liked him,” I say
softly.

“That's not who I am.”

“It could be.”

“I don't want to be him.” The
anger deflates from his eyes and he sighs. “Just go. We'll talk later.”

Without a word, I walk past
him and make my way down the hall and stairs, heading for the front door. When
I get outside, I pause abruptly when I realize it's pouring out. The scent of rain
is strong in the air and it holds a slight chill, matching my mood. It also
dawns on me that I don't have a ride home. For a long moment I stand under the
overhang, staring out at the darkness as I debate my options. I'm sure Cole is
aware of the fact that I have no way to get home but he's past the point of
caring.

I could
either
go back in and
try to get someone to take me home, or I could start
walking back towards town and hopefully flag down a cab once I reach the
downtown area. The thought of going back inside that house where my best friend
is locked in a bedroom with Ethan has me feeling sick to my stomach. After what
had just gone down earlier, I didn't dare go back in. It wasn't worth it.

I brace myself with a soft
sigh as I step into the pouring rain and end up immediately drenched. With my
head down, my arms wrapped around my body, I make my way towards the cracked
sidewalk. I find that I have a little shelter from the rain, thanks to the
trees that are growing in people’s front lawns, the branches hanging over the
sidewalk.

It's dark out, much darker
than I'm used to. There aren't that many lights on in the houses down the
street, most likely because the residents are at Ethan and Cole's party. It's
eerie out here and a shiver of trepidation slithers down my spine. This is a
bad part of town and I am out here all
alone
. My mind immediately begins
to race as I try to remember how many blocks I have to go before I reach the
downtown area where there would be public transportation.

I should have been paying
attention when Cole brought me out here because my mind is drawing one big
blank. Of course, I never expected to be in this situation. Since I'm not sure
what to do, I huddle in the shadows as I walk, my eyes watchful as raindrops
drip steadily down my face. What I need to do is figure out if walking towards
downtown is a lost cause or not.

As I dig my phone out from my
back pocket, I walk over to a tree and huddle underneath it as my phone glows
in the dark. Now I am really wishing I'd allowed Tate to buy me a good phone,
one with Internet. Instead, I'd been stubborn and insisted on a cell phone with
just the basics. I'd rather be looking at a map on my phone right now instead
of working up the nerve to text message Noah. Unlike my brother, Noah's sharper
and quicker with questions.

The phone tells me
it’s
ten-forty-five, so I am guessing he's either at work or
he's home. I quickly text,
Where are you?

He answers within thirty
seconds.
Home. Everything okay?

Can you look up how many
blocks Conroy Street is from downtown?
I wait patiently as I shiver slightly, trying to keep my phone from getting
wet.

NOAH:
Twelve blocks.
What's going on?

Twelve blocks is not the news
I had been hoping for. As for Noah's question, I want to avoid it. There is
absolutely no way I want to admit my boyfriend kicked me out of his house. I
reluctantly text him back.
Nothing. I'll talk to u later.

I could call information and
get a cab but that's when I realize I'm not carrying any cash. I suppose the
cab might be willing to wait in the driveway while I run in and get some money.
My phone vibrates in my hand and I glance at the new
message.        

NOAH:
Are you alone? Your
car is parked out front. I can come get you.

As I debate his offer, I chew
my lower lip. It would be easier to just have Noah come get me but that would
just give him and Tate more ammunition against Cole. A curse escapes me and I
sink down to sit on the lawn, not caring that my shorts are getting dirty. I
set my phone in my lap and drop my head down into my hands. My ribs are
throbbing and I am cold. Yet here I am, trying to figure out how to defend
Cole. Hadn't I seen enough tonight to know that Cole is bad news? I
know
he's bad and yet there's a little place inside me that is terrified we are
breaking up. I don't want to lose the only friends I've made in my entire life.
I also have a feeling that if Cole and I break up, I would lose Paige as well.

I am in one hell of a mess
here.

My eyes burn and I just want to
sit and cry, but I won't. I never cry. My phone buzzes in my lap a couple more
times and I ignore it as I try to pull myself together. After a while, I
reluctantly pick up the phone and read the messages.

NOAH: 
Blayre
?

NOAH: 
At least text
me back and tell me you're okay.

I sigh and cave. I can't walk
twelve more blocks by myself. I've been lucky so far but I wasn't up to betting
it would stay that way.
Can you come get me? I'm sorry.

NOAH: 
Don't be
sorry. Are you still on Conroy?

ME: 
Yes. I'll watch for
you

NOAH: 
I'm walking
out the door.

ME: 
Thanks

He doesn't reply back, which
means he's probably already in his car and backing out of the driveway. I tuck
my phone back in my pocket and try not to feel miserable over my situation. I
supposed it could always be worse. I could be in Paige's shoes right now and
that has me shuddering.

When I catch sight of a car
slowly making its way down the street ten minutes later, I know
it's
Noah. I stand up and walk to the curb, waving to flag
him down through the pouring rain. When he pulls up next to me, I run around to
the passenger side and pull open the door. Then I hesitate because I am
dripping wet.

Noah leans over from the
driver's side to peer at me. “Get in!”

With a resigned sigh, I
gingerly climb in and shut the door. Then I slip on the seatbelt, feeling
absolutely awful that I might be ruining the interior of his car. I'm back to
regretting text messaging him.

Noah pulls back out into the
street and I huddle in the passenger seat, staring out my window. A couple
times I can tell Noah is glancing at me through the corner of my eye but I
ignore him. It is dark out and he wouldn't be able to read my lips anyway. And
even if it was daylight, carrying on a conversation with a deaf person while
they were driving would be asking for an accident.

The ride back home is tense
and silent.

When Noah finally pulls the
car into the garage, I know the mood is going to go from tense to worse. He's
going to want to know how I'd ended up stranded and no matter what I say, it is
going to look bad. When Noah cuts the engine, I climb out and glance over to
see he's getting out and right on my heels as we enter the kitchen, which is
brightly lit since Noah had left all the lights on.

I turn to look at him as I
pause in the middle of the kitchen. “I'm sorry about your seat,” I say
sincerely.

He studies me as he sets his
keys on the counter near him. “It'll dry. How did you end up on that side of
town?”

I purse my lips and hesitate.
“Cole lives in that area,” I say grudgingly.

Noah's lips visibly tighten
and suspicion flares in his dark eyes. “And where is Cole currently?”

“At home.”

He crosses his arms over his
broad chest, displeasure making its way across his face. “He let you leave in
the middle of a storm and allowed you to walk around one of the worst parts of
town? Obviously you guys had a fight of some sort, but he still owes it to you
to make sure you get home safely,” he says flatly.

I run both my hands through
my wet hair with frustration before saying, “Noah, just leave it be, okay?”

“I don't think so. From what
I can tell, you've got a lousy boyfriend.”

“Well, I didn't ask for your
opinion!”

“I'm aware of that.”

“Look, couples fight all the
time. It's no big deal.”

He arches an eyebrow at me.
“True. But I know a lot of guys that wouldn't allow their girlfriend to rush
out of their place in the middle of a storm. If it were me, I would have never
let you take one step out the door.”

“Well, he's not you,” I
retort.

“No, he's not,” he says
tightly.

“What makes you think he
didn't try to stop me, anyway?”

“You're standing here, aren't
you?”

That has me rolling my eyes.
“I'm stubborn.”

“I've noticed,” he says dryly
before his eyes search mine. “What happened?”

I'm not sure what to say, so
I turn away and walk to the patio doors and stare out at the rain. Then I
realize he might have thought I'd just brushed him off, so I turn my head and
meet his eyes. “I don't want to talk about it,” I say, and then much to my
horror, I feel tears burn at my eyes. I quickly avert my gaze, staring outside
as the rain pelts the patio and the pool.

“Did he hurt you?” he asks
quietly as I sense him walk up behind me.

With a sigh, I turn and face
him. “No. I've already told you, you've got it all wrong and he's not abusive.”

“There are other kinds of
hurt.”

“Don't we all get hurt at one
point or another?”

“We do,” he agrees. His eyes
hold mine as he says, “I don't like seeing you hurt,
Blayre
.”

I'm dumbfounded by his
admission and I simply stare at him. I'm not used to hearing things like this
and it is the second time he's hinted that he cares.