Page 140 of Rules

NOW

I blink, pushing the memories away. I was right that day. He might have been the most handsome guy I’d ever seen in my life, and I might have felt the pull between us, but I knew better than to open my heart. If only my heart had listened.

“Max isn’t in love with me…” She shakes her head, red locks bouncing on her shoulders. “He would have said something… he’d…”

I close my eyes, letting one more tear slip down. “He just wants you to be happy.”

I want you to be happy too, even if I’m not there to see it.

“We were both fooling ourselves, Lia.” Moving closer, I brush her tears away. “I don’t belong in your perfect little world. The only thing I can bring you is darkness and pain.”

Letting my hand fall, I start walking backward. Her lip wobbles as she watches me leave.

“We can work this out,” she pleads one last time.

“It’s too late now.” I take her in, that vibrant hair and those doe-like eyes filled with so much sadness. I hate myself for doing this to her, but not as much as I would hate myself if something happened to her. “Goodbye.”

Chapter Fifty-One

BROOK

The house is silent as I run downstairs, but I still give my best to stay as quiet as possible as I grab my things and get the hell out. I walk rapidly down the empty street of Lia’s neighborhood. The snow is falling slowly but steadily, and I pull the hood of my jacket over my head. Part of it is to keep from getting wet, but the other part is simply to hide.

I sniffle softly as the cold air hits my face. No matter how much I wipe the tears, I can still feel the wetness on my cheeks. I can only imagine how I look with big, puffy eyes and a red nose. Thankfully I’m not wearing any make-up, because if I was, I’d have black waterfalls running down my cheeks by now.

With no destination in mind, I wander around. At some point, I know I’ll have to sit down and figure out my shit, but I’m not ready for that. Not just yet.

I hated hurting Lia like that. Hated pushing my fears and insecurities in her face and blaming her for them, but there was no other way. If she thought there was something that could salvage our friendship, I knew she’d do it. She’d do anything to find me, and I couldn’t have her looking for me.

Once I leave Greyford, there is no coming back.

I stop and pull out the wad of cash from my pocket, along with the ID. A fake ID I got a few years back, just in case.

Once I leave Greyford, Brook Taylor will be wiped from existence.

“Brook?” A tentative voice startles me. I push the money and ID back into my pocket before I turn around and come face to face with Mrs. Brown. She’s in full winter gear: puffy jacket, knit cap and scarf around her neck. “What are you doing here?”

I look around, not even knowing where I am or how long I’ve been here. My hands are ice cold, fingers stiff. I just needed to walk to clear my head, so I say that, but the suspicious look she gives me makes me want to run away and hide.

“With your duffle bag?” One of her brows rises in question.

There is no shitting Mrs. Brown—she’ll call you on it every time—so I settle for a shrug.

Sighing, I look at the teacher who’s been there for me these last four years in more ways than I can count. “I’m leaving.”

I expect her to protest, even try and stop me, but the only thing she does is take me in, considering my words carefully. “Any destination in mind?”

“You’re not going to try and stop me?” I’m sure my mouth is hanging open in surprise.

“I thought you’d already decided,” she challenges.

“I did.”

It’s not like I have a choice. I don’t have the money to pay off Dan, and I know he’ll come for me after he’s done with Josephine. And while I could go to John Hill and ask him for money, that is just a temporary patch to a much bigger wound. Because Josephine will continue her ways and put us in even bigger debt than she did this time around and I can’t live like that. Not knowing when somebody will come knocking on my door demanding money I most definitely won’t have. Putting myself and…

No. I shake my head. I most definitely can’t live like that.

“Then it won’t matter one way or another,” Mrs. Brown says, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Come on. You’re freezing.”

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