“Who? Cory?” The question is for me, but Nate’s eyes are on her.
“Both of them,” I reply. My tone is now a little softer but still has some bite.
When Nate was younger, his mom was attacked by a random guy when she was out one night. She ended up in the hospital, and they never found the guy. Like me, Nate doesn’t take abuse lightly. I know he’ll be on my side when he has all the facts.
“What the fuck, Cory?” Nate stands up in front of her, looking down. Was I fighting fair? No. Did I care? Also, no. I know on some level it’s wrong to cause a fight between them, but the only person I care about right now is Summer.
Cory sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Does Logan know? I think I’ve got his number.” I make a show of getting my phone out of my pocket, but it’s a bluff. Yes, I know I’m an asshole. But I think this will work. Logan cares for Summer, a lot. There’s no way he knows about this. Cory takes the bait.
“No. Wait!” She jumps to her feet and looks at Nate, then back to me and then to the ground, but still, she doesn’t speak.
“Cory, I swear to—”
“Her father!” she yells, openly sobbing. “It was her father.”
Fuck!I freeze and then we both drop at the same time. Cory into Nate’s arms, and me to my knees on the hard floor. With a few simple words, Cory knocked the wind out of me. Literally knocked me off my feet. I’d expected her to say it was an ex-boyfriend or something. I never thought…How could a parent knowingly hurt their child?
My mind flashes back to the one day I’ve tried hard to forget and the little girl that I don’t want to remember. It’s so clear in my head that it feels like I’m reliving it every time I think about it. I see the man gripping the girl’s arm in a bruising hold and throwing her to the ground. I remember the tight feeling in my chest when he dragged her to the car. Then there’s the relief of seeing my father running toward them and the uncertainty of watching the two cars speeding away.
I will never forgive myself for what happened that day. If I’d run faster then maybe she’d be okay. If I’d left her alone and minded my own business, maybe he’d still be alive. I hate that when I think about that day, it’s not just my dad’s death that upsets me. He should be theonlyone on my mind. I don’t even know the girl, and yet, she takes up so much real estate in my mind, the guilt is unbearable at times. Sometimes, I wish I’d never seen her, but then I also wish I could see her again. Just to make sure she’s okay.
With my face in my hands, I shake my head and try not to spiral into dark thoughts. It’s been nine years, and that day still tears me up inside, to think that anyone could hurt someone like that. I may not have been able to save her, but I sure as hell won’t be sitting back when it comes to Summer.Why was she protecting him? How could her father…How could Thomas…?
“Thomas…” I pause, unable to bring myself to ask.
“He doesn’t know.” She answers my silent question, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Why wouldn’t she tell him?” My heart is breaking for her. For Summer. I want to wrap her in my arms and never let her go. Protect her from everything that’s bad in this world. I want to kiss her head and tell her…Actually, I don’t want any of that. Ineedit.
“She couldn’t…Wasn’t allowed…Please don’t ask me anything else,” Cory says, looking broken. “She’s never going to trust me again.” She breaks down, and Nate gives me a pleading look, causing my chest to tighten. I’m not sorry she told me, but I’m sorry for my behavior. Summer needs her friends, and Cory doesn’t deserve the hurt I’ve caused her.
“I’m sorry, Cory.” I get up off the ground and walk over, dropping down beside her. “I really am. I just…”
“You love her,” she says between sniffs, the hint of a smile now shining through.
I don’t have to think about my answer. It’s been screaming at me for days, maybe even weeks or months. I take a deep breath and smile. “Yeah, I do,” I admit out loud for the first time. “But that doesn’t make—”
“I told her to report it. I tried to help.”
I squeeze Cory’s arm and smile. “She’ll forgive you, Cory,” I say, and hope to God that I’m right.
Nate pulls her tighter against his body and kisses her head. “He’s right, Little Bit. She’ll understand. And Dylan will take the blame. Won’t you, Dylan.” His eyes meet mine, telling me, not asking.Little Bit? Never mind.
“Absolutely. It’s my fault. I’m sorry again.”
A throat clears behind me, and we all look up to see who’s in the doorway. Joel stares at me, looking as wrecked as I feel, and I’m guessing he’s been here a while.
“Come on, I’ll take you home, or…” he trails off, knowing I can’t go home until I’ve seen her.
“Summer’s, please,” I say before squeezing Cory’s hand and following Joel out the door.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Summer
WhenI’dhungupfrom Dylan, I’d stared at the wall in front of me. Unmoving. Defeated. I trusted Dylan. I… My stomach twisted at the thought of Thomas’s words—“he deserves better than you.”That may be true but he wantedme. He choseme. And thenhebrokemytrust.