Page 48 of Drown My Sorrow

I hear a crash, and then Beau is there.

A sob breaks from my chest as he carefully strokes my hair and holds me. The pain subsides, and I find myself exhausted and drenched in sweat. My head is veiled like I’m detached from the world, and I’m floating separate from my body.

Beau lifts me up.

Even in my pain, even in the haze, my soul recoils from the sight of Kelly standing with Gwen. Her hand is on his arm, she’s batting her lashes, and he’s smiling at her the way I’ve never seen him smile at me.

I squeeze my eyes closed.

“Get me out of here, Beau.”

“Aspyn-”

“Get. Me. Out. Of. Here.”

He turns on his heel and leaves the café and the nightmare behind.

Keagan and Shale materialize, and the three of them exchange a look that I don’t even bother trying to translate.

“All right, beautiful, you’re with me.”

Shale takes me from Beau and walks away from the other two without a backwards glance.

I turn my face into his shoulder and try really hard to pretend I’m not crying.

“Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m just so embarrassed.”

“Ah, my love. You don’t need to be embarrassed. You are so much more than this place.”

I don’t answer him because I can’t. Shale takes me to his house, where I find Nat dancing around the kitchen with a broom, singing to some angry chick song that makes my ears hurt.

“Natalie.”

She whirls, spots him, and keeps dancing, jumping up and down and moshing her way across the room.

I get the giggles. Nat is my rock. She doesn’t care what people think of her, she’s wild and unfiltered and the crazy in my life. Shale sighs in exasperation.

“I told you not to touch anything!”

“Why are we here?” I interject before they can get into another argument that lasts weeks on end.

“We’re having a party!” Nat screeches.

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not really up to a party, and my cane is at the café.”

“Keagan’s got it, and sure you are. It will be a party of all your favourite people.”

“Let me down. I’m going to limp home and hide.”

Nat swirls around me as soon as I’m on my feet and herds me deeper into the house, ignoring my feeble protests.

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

I sigh in annoyance but give in. Reluctant amusement steals the humiliation and shame. I won’t be able to fight Nat and the Daane. I grab onto the dresser in Shale’s bedroom, using it to help me get across the room. He’s got an amazing bath with jets, and that’s where I’m going right now.

“So, have you seen them today?”

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