Even as I retell the story, I still don’t really believe I’ve just lived through it. It’s like something you see on TV, it’s not something that happens in real life.
Only it has. This is very, very real.
I’m finally allowed to come down from the roof after walking the officers through everything, along with what I know about Preston’s previous abuse toward Poppy.
As I say the words, guilt floods me. I should have done more to stop all of this from happening. I should have taken him out before this, I should have done what I promised Poppy I wouldn’t do and called a couple of guys from Harrow Creek and dealt with it once and for all. It never should have got to this.
“Zayn,” Mom calls, jumping from her car and running toward me. “Are you okay?” she cries, pulling me into her arms and holding me tight.
“Yeah, Mom. I’m fine.”
“Where’s Poppy?”
“Over there.” I nod to where she’s sitting in the back of a police car answering questions.
“She’s okay?”
“Physically yeah. She managed to convince the paramedics not to take her to the hospital.”
“Good. That’s good. I’m gonna...” She gestures toward the car and marches over, pulling the door open and dropping down.
“Your mom’s a bit of a whirlwind,” Jake says, walking over with two cans of energy drinks in his hand. I have no clue where he’s found them but I’m more than grateful as he hands one over.
“She loves all this. It’s her job.”
“I thought she spent her time getting kids out of juvie.”
“Yeah, let’s just hope there’s no juvie involved in this one,” I say, cracking the can open and downing half in one go. “If you didn’t read into that screenshot—”
“Can we not?”
“Sure.”
“Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?”
“I didn’t know he was that deranged. I had no idea it was going to escalate this far. Plus, Poppy never actually told me any details. She refused, told me she could deal with him. I wasn’t going to force it out of her.”
He’s silent for a beat. “You gonna tell me the truth yet?”
“The truth?” I ask, half choking on a mouthful of my drink.
“Yeah. There’s something going on with you two, isn’t there?” He drops down on the curb at our feet, bringing his knees up and resting his forearms on them.
“Uh...” I hesitate, dropping to sit beside him.
“Just tell me, Zayn. Your answer can’t be any worse than anything that’s happened here this afternoon.”
“Um... yeah, it has.”
“Fuck,” he barks, his body locking up with tension.
“How long?”
“What?”
“How long has it been going on?”
“Couple of weeks, but—”
“You should have fucking told me.”
“I know. But there’s nothing to tell now, I don’t think. She called it quits.”
“You serious?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re fucking delusional, Hunter.” As he says those words, the back of the police car opens and Poppy’s legs appear before she climbs from the car.
My mom races around and pulls her into her side.
She looks tired, so fucking tired. But she’s still beautiful.
A soft smile pulls at my lips when she looks up and finds Jake and I waiting for her.
“Let’s go home,” Mom says, looking between the two of us.
“You go with Poppy,” I say to Jake. “I’ll meet you back at home.”
He nods, quickly rushing to Poppy’s side and taking her from Mom to help her into the car.
My heart aches to watch her walk away from me but she needs Jake right now, not me. As much as that might hurt, I need to accept her wishes and take a step back.
34
Poppy
Jake’s hand holds mine as we make our way through town toward the Hunter’s house. It’s the only thing that keeps me grounded, stops me from falling headfirst into the nightmare that was this afternoon.
How could I have been so stupid to believe that Mom was sending me those messages? I should have seen the warning signs. But even now, I know that I wouldn’t have done anything differently. No matter the past, no matter how terrible of a parent she has been, I’ll always jump when she says to. It’s just ingrained in me.
It’s my ultimate weakness. If only I’d realized that before Preston did.
A sob rips from my throat at the thought of Preston. Jake’s hand tightens in mine and I feel him look over at me but my eyes remain on the headrest in front of me. I can’t cope with seeing the sympathy in his eyes right now.
I didn’t see him fall. I didn’t see his body in a crumpled mess on the ground. By the time I got down there, the police had already set up barriers and covered the area. But I have a good enough imagination and that’s enough to keep the image burned into my mind.
I didn’t want him to die. I might have hated him, but I never would have wished that on him.
Why did he let go? Zayn and Jake could have got to him.
Why did he decide that was how this was all going to end?
To continue punishing me.
It might all be over for him now. But I’ve got to live with this for the rest of my life.
I may not have pushed him or caused what happened today in any way. But right now, the guilt is pressing down on me so hard that I’m struggling to breathe.
“You’re safe, Poppy. It’s over,” Jake soothes, but as comforting as his voice is, I can’t help wishing for another.
I glance in Jada’s side-view mirror at the car that’s following behind us and I suck in a breath.
Why was he there today? Why did he have to be the one to save me when I’m trying so fucking hard to put a wall up between us.
Without knowing it, he’s just come in and bulldozed it because all I want right now is to be in his arms, to hear him tell me that I’m safe and ultimately, to make me forget. He’s the only one who can do that.
No one says anything else the whole way back. There aren’t any words to say.
I told the officers everything I knew. But only Preston knew the real reason for all of this and he’s no longer able to tell his side of the story.
I shake my head, trying to get it to register that today actually happened.
Preston is gone. His threat is gone.
I can walk back into school without having to look over my shoulder wondering when the next attack is going to come.
That might be true, but all of this is going to bring me something I really don’t want.
Attention.
Now I’m not just Jake Thorn’s cousin who’d rather hide in the shadows. Now I’m Jake Thorn’s sister and I’m responsible for the death of one of my classmates.
Silently we all climb from the car, Jake has me in his arms again the second he’s jogged around to me and I welcome his warmth, his support, but I can’t help thinking that I need to get away from all of this.
Jada lets us in and she immediately turns toward the kitchen, Jake follows, pulling me with him and in only seconds Zayn jogs up behind us.