Maisy
It’s weird driving Fox’s matte black Charger. The windows have been fixed, but I can still hear the sound of the rear and driver’s side windows shattering from over the weekend.
The muscles in my stomach tighten and I focus on taking measured breaths, rubbing my thumb o
ver the quartz inlay in my brass bangle bracelet. Once my heart rate calms, I step out of the car and climb the steps to Thea and Connor’s apartment with nothing but my phone because I left everything at his place like I’d be back.
Except his converted warehouse is the last place I want to be right now.
I need to get my head and my heart back in balance before I fall under someone else’s control. I can’t jump from my parents' rule to his.
First I drove around for a few hours, stopping at a peaceful grassy field to watch the sunset dip behind the Rockies while I meditated. Nature has this magic power and sitting there centered me. Once the warmth of the summer day bled away, I texted my best friend and she welcomed me with open arms because we always have each other’s back.
Thea and Connor live in a chic, newer part of town in an apartment building built near the shopping district in the center of Ridgeview. The black metal railings leading up to their unit are modern with tension wire.
Letting myself in with a key Thea gave me, I shout, “Don’t be naked!”
Thea’s laughter rings out from the kitchen, her favorite spot in her home. She pokes her head around the doorway and beams at me. My heart swells at the sight of her, auburn curls piled on her head with flyaways framing her face.
“I thought you have no problem with nudity,” she says as I kick off my shoes in the hallway, relishing the feeling of the cool tiled floors on my bare feet.
So much for letting her and Connor enjoy their private time as newlyweds. At least they welcomed me to couch surf with open arms. I definitely can’t go home.
Not just because I don’t know how I’ll look my brother in the eye knowing I’m partly to blame for his college football draft being stolen from him. I’m still disgusted by what Fox and I discovered about my parents and I don’t want to see either of them. There’s no way I’m putting myself back in their clutches to try to control me again. Never.
Thinking of them only reminds me what I uncovered earlier in the afternoon that sent Fox flying off the handle. As mad as I am at him for keeping what he did to Holden from me, my heart is heavy for him. That was a shitty way to learn his parents were just as corrupt as mine.
“I don’t. Bodies are totally natural.” We go into the kitchen and I light up at my favorite batter in the mixing bowl, swiping a finger through it and sticking it in my mouth while Thea gives me a look. “But I don’t want to walk into your home and watch while Connor dicks you down, babe. I’d rather be the main show than watch one.”
Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink and she busies herself putting away ingredients. I fake a gasp and my mood lifts when a tiny squeak leaves her.
“You were totally doing it when I texted to say I was coming here, weren’t you?” When she opens and closes her mouth, darting her blue eyes to the doorway I nod. “Knew it. Sorry for interrupting.”
“It’s fine. You know our door is always open for you. Want me to invite everyone else over? We can make a night of it.”
“No, please.” Some of my easygoing bravado fades and I rub my hands over my face. “Can it be just you and me for a bit?”
“Of course, Maise.” Thea comes around the sleek white island to wrap her arms around me. “Connor’s in the shower, but he can go to Devlin’s if you need him to.”
“Thanks.”
A wave of gratefulness crests over me. I’m so glad I have such great friends and I feel more than a little bad I’ve kept them in the dark for so long. It’s only been a little under two weeks since I went to live with Fox, but how much I’ve been missing after getting sucked into his dark world hits me like a punch.
“How’s the bakery?” The opening is this week. God, I’ve been such a crappy best friend. “Everything ready?”
Thea lights up. “Yeah. I’m nervous as hell, but Connor’s been keeping me distracted whenever I go off on a tangent.”
I smirk at the loving curve of her mouth and the faraway look that fills her eyes for a moment. “I’ll bet he has.”
After she pours the batter into a baking tray and puts it in the oven, she washes her hands. I watch, leaning against the counter. She dries off, then nods toward the living room.
“What about that beach day you guys had?” We collapse on her couch, my head in her lap. “Tell me everything I missed while I’ve been laying low from my parents.”
“About that,” she says. “What’s the deal? You normally come stay with me when they suck.”
Biting my lip, I stare up at her. “I went to stay with Fox.”
Her brows jump up, but she makes no judgements. “Blair and Devlin called it.”