Leave it to Kenna to be dramatic as fuck.
Josie came into the room and sat down beside me. “Are you okay?” she murmured.
Ainsley plopped down on my other side, sandwiching me in, the two of them essentially holding me up.
My chest ached, and I could feel myself withdrawing before I crumbled. “I just want to sleep.”
Ainsley shifted, pulling back the blankets on my bed and tucking me in. “How about I order us some ramen from that place we like for lunch?”
“Sure,” I mumbled, curling up into a ball, food the furthest thing from my mind. I knew the three of them were giving each other worried glances, but I was too tired to care.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
MICAH
Hurting Mads cut me deeper than I anticipated. If my will to keep her safe hadn’t been so strong, I would have caved at the first quiver in her voice. The idea that she might be alone and crying somewhere tore at my chest like I was being clawed from the inside out.
I should have rushed after her instead of sitting in the dark, but I couldn’t move. I wanted to run after her, stop her from leaving. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her I was sorry. That she was right. That I was scared and being an ass.
But then I glanced at the rumpled bed and remembered what happened last night, how she’d been drugged right in front of me and I hadn’t known. Not until it was too late. Sterling had come on my turf, fucked with my girl, laughing like a smug prick. The bastard was lucky he still had two legs to stand on, because when I was finished with him, he would be wheeled out of KU on a stretcher.
I didn’t give a shit if it got me expelled. There were other schools. My dad’s wrath would be fierce but nothing compared to mine. I needed to do more than hit something, and busting my ass in the gym wasn’t going to give me the satisfaction I craved. Not just craved. Revenge was a pulsing demand. My muscles shook with it.
The front door slammed shut, and I stood, staring at the window, combating the urge to peek out as Mads stormed off.
Clenching my fists, I bashed my hand into the wall; it went straight through, battering the drywall. Still, it wasn’t enough. Not nearly. I could picture Sterling’s face and hit the wall a thousand times and it still wouldn’t calm the beast roaring within me.
The twenty-ninth couldn’t come soon enough. It was no longer just about some pictures. I had to find dirt on him, find a way to make him gone. And stay gone.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Not in the mood,” I said gruffly, but the person behind the door wasn’t discouraged. The hinges squeaked as they pushed open my bedroom door.
Brock leaned a shoulder on the doorway. “Micah, what the fuck did you do?”
He’d seen Mads leave and clearly noticed she’d been upset. Fynn and Grayson had probably also caught sight of her considering they were sleeping on our couches. Wonderful. Not only had I upset Mads but now my friends were pissed off at me too.
I shoved my hands into my pockets before I punched another wall. “What needed to be done,” I said.
“I take it you did something stupid, then, like push her away. Again.”
“She’ll get over it,” I replied, my tone sharpening. I didn’t want to talk about this, not when it was so damn raw. Couldn’t he see I was dealing with my own shit?
Brock rested a shoulder on the doorframe, cocking a brow at me. “Really? That’s what you have to say? Don’t be a fucking ass.”
I heaved out a sigh. “Too late. And before you start, save the pep talk for someone who gives a shit.” I turned my back on him and walked to the window, hoping he would leave me alone. I didn’t want company.
He didn’t leave. “Prickly. From someone who knows how you’re feeling, make it right with Mads. Before it’s too late.”
I tilted my head to the side, regarding him with a narrowed eye. “What do you think I’m doing?”
“I think you’re making a mistake if you think a girl like Mads will wait around a second time or even give you another chance.”
He was right. Perhaps that was why my chest hurt so damn much.
If I lost her, truly lost her, then I had lost myself as well.
“Mads is good,” I stated, returning my gaze to the window, although I didn’t really look at anything particular. The world was nothing but shades of muted colors blurring together. “I’m not.” It was that simple.