Page 79 of Wild Card

“I think you’ve done enough,” Elias said before I heard the sound of skin hitting skin and someone grunting. I ran down the stairs as I heard someone’s body hit the floor, and then a crash sounded. They were fighting, and all I could do was hope the contents of my stomach would stay put until I found a bush or a garbage can.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Sorrow wasa constant companion as the days passed. Each one was slower than the one before. The sun would rise and fall, and I couldn’t seem to give any fucks about any of it. Taylor had been home but was hesitant to break through my frosty exterior. I wasn’t exactly mad at her or anything, but the memory of her inviting Decker was still a painful reminder that all of this was because of her.

I’d met Decker and fell for him because of her. He had wanted her first. There was pain associated with her, and I wasn’t ready to face it.

Decker had called several times a day. He’d sent messages. He’d sent flowers, the notes all begging me to talk to him.

I wanted to believe him; I had just hit a limit for how much fuckery I was willing to accept within a thirty-day period, and I’d warned him my heart was made of glass. Even so, I’d risked it anyway, and now it lay shattered in unusable pieces.

I didn’t know who to believe. Decker had lied in the past…or omitted things. I still had no idea who had invited Elias, and it was odd that he had just shown up. I’d known he was eventually going to head back up to the library, so it wasn’t too farfetched to assume he could have just been there waiting without Decker’s involvement. Every time I started down this path, excusing Decker…it just led back to that moment when I realized Decker had planned the exact same revenge with Taylor. If it were true that Elias had suddenly confessed to liking me in any way, I would be up next on his list of how to get revenge on Elias.

It was all a mess.

I nibbled on a lime-flavored chip while I stared out the window. I knew I should head to the kitchen and find better sustenance for my body. Hillary and Juan had been by a few times to ensure I was eating and showering, but it was now during the day, so they had class.

It wasn’t until the evening after binge-watching a few episodes of some mermaid show likely meant for kids that I saw I had a few unread text messages.

Taylor: I need you to come to Dad’s. It’s really important!

I skimmed through a few from Hillary about her clingy new girlfriend and found another one from Taylor sent ten minutes after the first.

Taylor: Please Mal, this is really important!

Then there was one from Juan.

Juan: I’m coming to get you. Your sister needs you.

I scrunched my eyebrows at that last one. Since when did Taylor reach out to Juan? That was definitely not normal for their relationship, as far as I knew. I checked the time and saw I only had about five minutes before he would arrive, assuming he was coming from his apartment, though he also could have been coming from the rink.

I jogged back to my room and dressed quickly for either scenario, finishing just as the front door opened.

“Let’s go. Vamanos.” Juan didn’t waste time greeting me or asking if I was doing okay. He moved his hands, waving me out the door. I didn’t appreciate being rushed on behalf of my stepsister. We both sped down the walkway until we clambered into his still running car. Juan only took the risk because he knew who inhabited the units next to mine.

“Since when are you buddy-buddy with my stepsister?” I asked, buckling myself into his little sports car.

I caught his eye roll as he shoved his car into first. It reminded me of watching Kyle race for some reason, and that made my heart sputter, like a reminder that the last drops of love were in there but soon enough it would be dry.

“Don’t be a snob,” he replied, speeding down the road and taking a hard left.

“Seriously, what is the rush?”

He let out an irritated sigh. “You’d know if you paid any attention to your stepsister at all.”

“Excuse me.” I turned in my seat, glaring at him.

“You’ve been in your own world for a month, Mal. Did you even know I was offered a spot on the Hornets?” He glanced over at me briefly.

“Shut the fuck up, Juan. Are you serious?” He’d been hoping he’d get scouted for our local hockey team. He was a fantastic player, so I wasn’t surprised at all that he’d been offered a contract.

“Yeah, I go in to negotiate terms next week.”

“Did I miss anything with Hillary?” I watched the road, now curious how true his statement that I had checked out of my friends’ lives was.

“She dumped her high-maintenance girlfriend, swore she was taking a break from dating, and within a week is already dating someone new.”

“I hate the girls she dates,” I muttered, uneasy that I had missed so much of their lives.

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