“And if I don’t want to?” I inched forward. Pushing myself into her space. Harleigh stumbled back, pressing herself against the trailer.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Proving a point.”
“And what exactly would that be?”
I leaned in, ghosting my lips over the corner of her mouth. A mouth I’d only ever allowed myself to kiss twice before. Because she’d always been off-limits to me.
Too good.
Too fucking pure for the dirt on my soul.
The corner of my mouth kicked up as I said, “That you were so jealous of watching me with Cherri that you couldn’t think straight.”
Her body trembled, but she didn’t cower, glaring at me with the heat of a thousand suns.
Silence enveloped us as we stood locked in a brutal stare. I refused to look away. Refused to give her even one more ounce of control over me. I’d been a fucking mess ever since Chloe had said those five little words.
She’s back, Nix. Harleigh’s back.
But it was the words that rolled off Harleigh’s lips that shattered my thoughts.
“I hate you.”
Barely a whisper, the words clanged through me. “What—”
“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.” She started chanting the words over and over, each syllable more frantic than the one before.
I staggered back, so fucking confused and concerned.
“I hate you. I hate you. I hate—”
“Oh my God, Harleigh.” The sister rushed over to us, practically shoving me away. “What did you do?”
“D-do? I didn’t do fuck all. She just started freaking out like this.”
“Shh, Harleigh, it’s okay.” She stroked Harleigh’s brow. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Harleigh slumped against her, and she draped her arm around Harleigh’s shoulder as she began leading her away.
“Wait,” I called after them. “What’s wrong with her?”
She shot me a terse glare over her shoulder before hugging Harleigh closer and guiding her away from me.
Leaving me standing there, wondering what the fuck had just happened.
“You spent all night trying to keep Cherri off Harleigh’s scent and then end up pulling that shit. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t, okay?” The car rolled to a stop as I parked outside my trailer. “That’s the problem. I can’t fucking think straight. Ever since I found out she’s back, it’s like… fuck.” I exhaled a long, steady breath, but it did nothing to abate the anger inside me. The powerlessness and utter despair I felt.
Harleigh had been a mess. But I was fucking wrecked inside. Seeing her like that… it had fucked with my head.
Zane ran a hand over his buzzed hair and down the back of his neck. “I told her to leave.”
“Yeah, well, she didn’t fucking listen.”
“Seems that makes two of you.”
“Asshole,” I grumbled, even though he wasn’t wrong.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked. “I mean, I assume there is a plan?”
“Avoid her for as long as possible?” I shrugged. “Fucked if I know.”
I didn’t want to avoid her, I wanted to drive straight over to that fucking house and demand answers. But I couldn’t.
“What about Cherri? She was pissed you left her waiting so long.”
“Cherri is inconsequential.”
“Try telling her that when she’s sucking on your neck like a fucking vampire. You’ve got a nice hickey, bro. Right… there.” He leaned forward and pressed his finger to my neck.
“Fuck off.”
The atmosphere turned somber as he asked, “What do you think was wrong with her? Harleigh, I mean?”
“Shit, I don’t know, Z. But the way she bolted up off the bench and stumbled between the trailers, it was as weird as fuck.”
“Maybe she had a panic attack or something?”
Or something.
“She’s different,” I said quietly.
“Yeah, she is. But does it matter?”
I glanced at him. My best friend. The guy who knew me better than I knew myself at times. Most people thought Zane was cold and cruel, but I knew him as a guy steadfast and unwavering in his friendship. Sure, he didn’t take any shit and he always told it like it was, but I appreciated that about him. He kept me grounded.
And when things had gone to shit last year, he’d been there. Right by my side, holding me up.
“No, I guess not.”
There was no going back for me and Harleigh. I knew that. I fucking knew it, and yet, it was like my heart was singing for closure. Demanding it.
I stared up at my trailer, dread slithering through my gut.
“You can stay at my place again.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I need to show my face. You know how it is.”
Zane nodded before climbing out. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
“Yeah, see you.”
He disappeared, but I made no move to get out of my car. Anything to reduce the amount of time I had to spend breathing the same air as my father.
The soft flicker of the television reflected off my windshield. A warning beacon that he was awake, or hopefully ass over elbow drunk, passed out in his threadbare armchair.
With a heavy sigh, I climbed out of the car and trudged up the stairs to the door, slipping inside. Except for the low din of voices coming from the television it was quiet, a thick haze of smoke lingering in the air. Sometimes, I wondered how he hadn’t already burned this place to the ground. Cigarettes, and a penchant for drinking liquor until he passed out weren’t exactly a good combination.
I kicked off my sneakers and went straight to the refrigerator, grabbing a beer. Something to take the edge off and maybe help me sleep after my weird as fuck conversation with Harleigh.
Her broken expression and hateful words were burned into my fucking skull like a brand. I don’t know what I’d expected to find when I followed her tonight, but it wasn’t that. She was so broken. So fucking sad. At the time, I couldn’t see past my own anger and frustration but she wasn’t okay.
Harleigh wasn’t okay.
And I didn’t know what the fuck to do about it.
Leaning back against the counter, I closed my eyes and took a long pull on my beer, letting the cold liquid douse some of the fire burning inside of me.
A rustle and heavy thud made my eyes snap open.
“Where the fuck have you been?” my father slurred, running a hand down his off-white wifebeater. Faded ink covered most of his arms, wrapping around his shoulders and creeping up his neck like dark vines.
“Out.” I held his stare, as much hatred radiating in my eyes as he reflected back at me.
“Don’t fucking speak to me like that, boy.”
Great. He was in one of those moods.
“It’s late. You’re drunk. We can do this tomorrow.” I went to move around him, but he grabbed my arm. Hard enough that I flinched, my spine going rigid.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I said with simmering fury. It exploded inside me, angry flames licking my stomach, my chest, burning my goddamn throat.
His grip only tightened, pure rage shining in his eyes. “Or what, kid? What the fuck are you going to do about it?”