The girl I’ve watched go from the best friend of my little sister to a gorgeous woman with goals and dreams.
And something happened to knock that light from her eyes.
“Nothing, can we—”
“Why are you here?”
“I just—” She reaches for the door handle again, desperate to get in and get away, but my hands go to her shoulders, and I hold her in place and force her to look at me.
“Tell me, Zoe. What’s going on? Why were you here?” I tip my head to the rundown apartment building just outside of town.
I know Zoe’s friends. None of them live over here.
There’s no logical reason for her to be here.
She sighs and looks at the sky, her dark curls tumbling down her back.
“I was with my boyfriend.”
“Your boyfriend.” The words twist a knife in my gut, something I absolutely will not be digging into more than I have to.
“Ex-boyfriend,” she says with a huff. “Now, can we go?”
“Recent ex, I assume?”
I don’t like that.
I don’t like that at all.
And not just because the idea of Zoe having a boyfriend or a recent ex-boyfriend makes fire run in my veins.
“Yes, Zee, can you just give me the third degree in the car? I’m cold.”
Something isn’t right.
Something is so wrong, and I just know it has to do with some man and Zoe.
My fucking Zoe.
“No.”
“No?” Her brow furrows, and it’s sweet, but the edges of my vision are going red. I just know.
“No. Did he touch you?”
Silence.
“Zoe, did he touch you?”
More silence as panic fills me.
Dread.
Someone touched Zoe. Did he . . .
“We just had an argument.”
“An argument.” She nods, reaching for the handle. I don’t unlock it, instead moving in front of the door so she has to step back from the vehicle and face me. “And then what?”
“And then I left, Zander. That’s it.” Her arms cross on her chest, her annoyed tough girl facade firmly in place.
“What did you fight about?”
“Nothing.” The word comes so quickly, I know it’s a lie.
“Jesus, Zoe. I’m about to lose my fuckin’ mind if you don’t tell me everything.” Her jaw goes tight before she answers.
But she answers.
“We fought about me going out, okay?”
No, not okay, but we’ll get there, I suppose.
“You going out?”
“Last night, I went out dancing with Luna. She posted a video online and he saw it. He was annoyed and told me I shouldn’t do that anymore. I told him I would be doing whatever I wanted.”
I fight the smile.
I really want this smile.
She’s so damn headstrong, some kid telling her not to do something will probably urge it on more.
Tell me you don’t know Zoe without telling me you don’t know Zoe.
“What made you leave?”
Silence.
That’s not good.
That’s really not good.
Fuck fuck fuck.
“Did he say something?” She sighs.
“It’s not a big deal, Zander.” She refuses to answer, but the fact that she neither confirms nor denies it tells me so much.
“Not buying that, pip.” She’s not going to tell me, that much is obvious.
Fine. I’ll go find him myself and ask.
“What apartment is he?” I ask, rolling my shoulders back and taking a step away from my car, toward Zoe, toward the apartments.
“Zander—”
“Tell me what happened or I’m knocking on every door in this complex until I find him.”
“No, seriously, it’s not a big—”
She’s not going to give in.
Not without a bigger threat looming over her.
“Tell me or I’ll call your dad.”
Silence.
That’s what she was avoiding, right?
I’m not sure why, but I know in my gut it’s true.
“Zander, it’s not a big deal, really. I just want to get out of here.”
“What happened? What made you run out without even worrying about your coat? What made you call me and not your dad? Tell me what happened and we can figure it out together.” She bites her lip, a finger grabbing one of her messy curls and twirling it, a nervous tick she’s had for as long as I can remember.
Long moments pass before she speaks, and I wonder for a moment if it would have been better if she stuck to her guns, kept avoiding the question, and just forced me to take her home.
“He pushed me into a wall. I left right after, but I left my purse in his place, so all I have is my phone. I’m fine, but I—”
Something in me snaps.
“Where is he?” Her eyes go wide, as if she instinctively knows what that means.
I’m going to have some fucking words with him.
“Zander, no.”
“Where the fuck is he, Zoe?”
“Zander.” She’s got that look on her face, her indignant tough girl coming out, the nervous one going back into hiding.
I need to be rational with this version of her. I can’t run on anger and the need to protect her.
“How are you planning to get your bag?” I ask, my voice low and even.
Almost normal.
Almost.
“What?”
“Your bag. It’s got your wallet? Your ID?” White teeth come out to bite a pink lip.
“I figured I’d call him in a day or two after we both cooled down.”
“You were planning to go meet up with a man who put his hands on a woman?” My heart is racing. “With who?”
“I didn’t think I’d need to go with someone. It really wasn’t—”
I want to pin her against my car, to talk some sense into her.
I want to yell at her for being so careless with her safety.
But she’s shaken.
She’d been through enough.
And I have to wonder, if she’s been dating this guy for six months like I’ve heard Luna mention to my mom, how long has this kind of shit been going on?
So instead, I take a deep breath before cutting her off.
“Come on, pip. Which apartment?”
“Zander—” I step closer to her until we’re barely a few inches apart, her head tipping back to look at me as I stare down at her.
I keep my hands to myself.
Even if I want to hold her head in my hands, even if I want to touch her to reassure myself she’s okay.
“I’m trying to be nice, trying not to freak you out, but I’m raging, Zoe. I will not allow you to be in this prick's presence ever again, to get your bag or otherwise. I’m going to let him know that. You tell me where to find him, make this easy, I’ll go in with you, help you get your shit, and we’ll be gone. If not, I’m knocking on every door, and each wrong one will make that rage boil. That shit will build, so when he fuckin’ opens that door finally, I might lose my shit, baby. I really don’t want to lose my shit, especially not when you’re already shaking. So please, do us both a favor and tell me which fucking apartment is his.”
She stands there, eyes wide, and fuck, I think I went too far.