Page 37 of All That Glitters
“What about tomorrow?”
I gave a small shake of my head. “Please, Helen. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t ask if…”
I couldn’t remember the last time I said the word please to anyone. It made me feel weak, like I was begging and that wasn’t me. Not even in the current mental and physical state I found myself in, I wouldn’t beg anyone…
But I needed help. That wasn’t something I could deny anymore.
Asking anyone other than Helen for it made me feel ill.
Despite my unsavory plans for her, I trusted her.
The hard edge in her eyes softened and some of the tension slipped from her shoulders.
“Okay. I’ll come back.”
The relief I felt should’ve alarmed me, did alarm me, but not as much as it should have.
“Thank you.”
“You’ve been quiet since we left,” Hale said, breaking the silence.
“I know.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes. I think I’m… I think I’m just tired. Tonight wasn’t as comfortable as it has been in the past. But… you and Brax, some of the other guys seemed to enjoy dinner and being around each other again.”
“Yeah. I think we’re all just ready to get back to it.”
“So, you don’t want to quit anymore?”
“No. I never really did, it’s just… I think maybe I have to get used to the idea that Ashton isn’t going to be in my life.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’m pissed and I’m hurt and I’m kind of angry about it.”
“So, you don’t feel too bad?”
I was trying to lighten the mood in the Jeep, not that it was as tense as it had been when we left to go to the Glitterati’s earlier.
We were nearly home, and I was still trying to come up with the next lie I needed to tell Hale so that I could leave the house again, this time without him.
If I told him Ashton asked to talk to me, he wouldn’t take it well. He was already suspicious of Ashton.
But maybe he wasn’t as on edge now. It was hard to tell.
Ashton didn’t trust Hale and Hale didn’t trust Ashton. I didn’t want to be in the middle. Brax would be in the middle, too, but not in the same way.
I hated drama. Boy drama, friend drama… And right now, there was more than enough of all of it to go around.
The lamp posts outside our drive came into view. I patted the pockets on my jacket when Hale turned in. I patted my pants pockets next.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he pulled in and parked.
“Yeah, I…”
“Are you sure?”
