Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Of course, I am,” I say bluntly. “But that’s how you fall into old habits.” She chews on her bottom lip, and I can tell she’s trying desperately not to say something.
“Spit it out.” I sigh, stretching out on my stomach on the bed next to her. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
“You didn’t see his face, Bry,” she starts. “He was climbing the fucking walls at the hospital, and he blamed himself for your fall. Dash didn’t help matters,” she mumbles the last part.
“What do you mean? I told you guys—it was Whitley.” She’s the one who caused my fall, in more ways than one.
“Dash insists Asher pushed you, and honestly, I think it’s easier for him to blame Ash for everything.”
“He pushed me out of the way. It was my brother who almost hit me,” I argue.
“Either way,” she shrugs, “they both blame him. Then once he got the news about his dad, I think it was just too much for him.”
“Whose side are you on?” I try to joke, but it falls flat. “You guys don’t even like each other.”
“Yeah, well. Things change. And I wouldn’t be your best friend if I didn’t give it to you straight.”
“I just hope they can figure it out,” I admit sadly. Even though I know he’s no good for me, I don’t want him to be alone in this world.
“It’ll all work out,” she says reassuringly.
“Hey, whatever happened with Adrian?” I ask, suddenly remembering her mission to make him want her.
“Ugh.” She sighs, rolling her eyes, playing with the tips of her scarlet hair. “That was nothing. Just a game we were playing.”
She’s avoiding eye contact, and something in the sound of her voice makes me wonder if there’s more to it than she’s letting on. But, Nat doesn’t keep secrets. She tells me everything.
Suddenly, there’s a knock on my bedroom door, and we both turn in the direction.
“We’re dressed, Dash. You can come in.” Nat giggles, snapping out of whatever that was. She’s been staying with me a lot, and Dash walked in on her undressing the other day. He still hasn’t recovered. That, coupled with the fact that I now know way more about his sex life than any sister should, he’s been extra skittish lately.
But it’s not Dashiell that walks through my door. It’s Whitley. Her black hair that’s usually sleek and flat ironed to perfection is in a frizzy ponytail, and her face is devoid of makeup. She twists her hands in front of her nervously. Once the initial shock of her standing in my bedroom wears off, Nat springs into action and stands in front of me, blocking Whitley’s view of me.
“You have two seconds to walk your Emo-Barbie lookin’ ass out of this house.”
“Your brother let me in,” she says over Nat’s shoulder in a meek voice that sounds completely foreign coming from her. I make a mental note to punch Dash. Why in the hell would he let her anywhere near us?
I want to throttle her. To cause her physical, bodily harm for causing Asher more pain than he already had to endure. For setting this whole fucked-up thing into motion. How can one person be the root of so many problems? But something in Whitley’s tired, defeated expression has me listening to what she has to say.
“What do you want?” I ask through my teeth, and Nat still doesn’t move.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what? For having Asher sent away? For lying about sleeping with him? Or is it for sending me to the hospital with a concussion?”
“All of it,” she cries, swiping tears off her pale cheeks. “I know, I’m fucking awful. I don’t know why. I’ve always been this way. I’ve never had friends,” she says, and I roll my eyes, shaking my head.
“This is not the time to play the victim,” I inform her.
“I’m not,” she snaps, mindlessly scratching her forearm in a nervous gesture. “I’m just trying to explain. I see myself doing these horrible things—feeling this intense jealousy that consumes me—and I can’t stop. But when you wouldn’t wake up…” She leaves the sentence hanging in the air.
“You could have killed her,” Nat seethes. A little dramatic, maybe, but not technically false.
“I know. You just have everything. Asher, Dash, Adrian. People are drawn to you, want to protect you, take care of you. You have friends and people who love you. I had Asher for a minute, but then you took him from me. And then, I had nothing. It’s just so easy for you.”
“Easy?” I scoff. “Yeah, life has been a real treat these past few months.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just couldn’t understand why it couldn’t be like that for me. Is there something in me that makes me unlovable?” Whitley’s scratching intensifies, and she doesn’t even seem to be aware that she’s doing it. Her forearm is red and raw, and I’m realizing that Whitley’s issues are probably much more involved than I ever knew. “I just snapped. And I’m so sorry, Briar. For everything. I just needed to tell you.”