Page 55 of Unholy Confessions
"He checked himself in about three hours ago," EJ interrupts, and I can hear the exhaustion in every word. "Dad and I flew him out to the facility to make sure he went."
"Three hours ago?" I sink onto my couch, suddenly dizzy. "But when? How? I was just with him last night and he was a mess, but he didn't say anything about rehab."
There's a long pause, and I can hear voices in the background. "Look, Montgomery, I can't get into all the details right now. What I can tell you is that he's safe, he's getting help, and this was his decision."
"His decision?" My voice cracks. "EJ, he could barely string two sentences together when I left. How could he have made this decision?"
"Because he hit rock bottom," EJ says simply. "And sometimes that's what it takes."
The words sting because I know they're true. Last night, seeing him like that, knowing I couldn't help him anymore—maybe that was rock bottom for both of us.
"How long?" I ask, though I'm not sure I want to know the answer.
"Five weeks. He'll be out in time for the European leg of the tour if everything goes according to plan."
Five weeks. Five weeks without talking to him, without knowing if he's okay, without being able to fix things between us. Five weeks of wondering if he even wants to fix things.
"Can I visit him? Or call him? I need to know he's?—"
"No visitors for the first two weeks," EJ says firmly. "And no phone calls. Montgomery, I know this is hard, but he needs to focus on getting better. That's the only thing that matters right now."
The line goes quiet except for the sound of my own ragged breathing. In the background, I can hear Skylar whispering something to Hayden, but their voices sound like they're coming from underwater.
"Is he going to be okay?" I whisper.
"I don't know," EJ admits, and the honesty in his voice breaks something inside me. "But this is his best shot."
We hang up after that, and I'm left staring at my phone, feeling more lost than I did when I walked out on RJ last night. At least then, I was angry. Now I just feel empty.
"Hey," Hayden says, sitting down next to me on the couch. Too close. "You don't have to go through this alone."
Before I can react, his arm is around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. His touch feels wrong, invasive, nothing like the comfort I need right now.
"I'm here for you," he continues, his voice low and intimate. "I know how much you care about him, but maybe this is an opportunity for you to focus on yourself. On what you really want."
His hand starts rubbing circles on my back, and I stiffen. There's something in his touch, in his tone, that makes my skin crawl. Like he's not here to comfort me as a friend, but to take advantage of my vulnerability.
"Hayden, don't." I try to pull away, but his arm tightens around me.
"Montgomery, you deserve better than this. Better than someone who puts you through hell and then disappears into rehab without even telling you." His other hand comes up to cup my face, tilting it toward his. "You deserve someone who puts you first."
"Stop." I push against his chest, harder this time. "This isn't appropriate. I need you to leave."
"I'm just trying to help?—"
"No, you're not." I stand up abruptly, putting distance between us. "You're trying to swoop in while I'm vulnerable, and that's not okay. I need you to go."
Hayden's face flushes red, and for a moment I think he's going to argue. But then Skylar clears her throat from across the room.
"You heard her," she says, her voice ice cold. "Time to go."
He looks between us, his jaw tight with embarrassment and anger. "Fine. But Montgomery, when you realize what kind of person RJ really is, when you get tired of being his second priority, you know where to find me."
The door slams behind him, and I collapse back onto the couch, suddenly exhausted all over again.
Skylar pulls me into a hug. "You want me to stay for a few days? Until the media circus dies down?"
I nod, not trusting my voice. Through the window, I can see a news van pulling up across the street, and my heart sinks. This is going to get so much worse before it gets better.
