I hear her footsteps down the line as she walks through the empty halls. “Let me in,” she says as a knock sounds on the door.
I end the call and open the door. She gasps when she sees me, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh, V.”
“I know. I just… I need to go home,” I say, my throat thick with emotion, still trying not to cry because it seems ridiculous that this is the thing to push me over the edge. So I do what I vowed I wouldn’t and shove it down for the time being.
She wraps me in a hug, but I shake her off. If I let her hug me, I’ll cry. “Okay, come on. Let’s go. I swear to fucking God, I’m going to burn those bitches to the ground.”
I try to smile, because I love how feisty she gets when she’s mad, but I just feel beaten.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to ruin your night…” I trail off and she pulls me to a stop making me face her.
“V, boys will come and go, but best bitches are for life. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you.”
A lump forms in my throat as I shake my head, trying to tell her that she has nothing to be sorry for, but words don’t come. I managed to stay strong through so much. I thought I could survive it all, but I was wrong. I thought I’d finally made it past everything. I was beginning to have hope, and now…
I open the door and come face to face with Lincoln, whose gaze scours me from head to toe.
That’s when a tear slips down my cheek. I wipe it away quickly, not wanting him to see me cry, but when his eyes narrow, I know I wasn’t fast enough.
“Who?”
The one world fills the space between us, but I don’t have to say a word. I see it on his face when it comes to him.
Another tear falls and he reaches forward to wipe it away, caressing my cheek. Without another word, he turns on his heel and walks away from me, shoulders rigid as he heads back toward the gym.
Maybe one day Blair will get what’s coming to her, but I doubt today will be that day. Regardless, she’s officially pushed me over the edge. A war is coming, and whether she thinks she has nothing to lose or not…
I’m going to show her that there is always something more to lose.