Page 48 of Code Word
It was Maddox.
I was not in the fucking mood for him. I hit Answer, and he sounded so fucking normal, I couldn’t stand it. “Hey, had a missed call. Everything okay?”
Rage seared through me, burning my eyes and nose with tears. “Is everything okay?” I said with a bitter cry. “Fuck you. Fuck. You.”
I ended the call and dropped my phone, digging the heels of my hands into my eyes and letting myself cry.
I was losing my damned mind. I was very much alone, and I was beginning to think I was in love with Luke, but it was too late because Luke didn’t want me.
And Maddox asked if I was okay.
Fuck him.
My phone buzzed again, and this time I assumed it was Maddox again, or maybe Roscoe. But nope.
Mom.
Her name on the screen hurt to see, and I almost didn’t answer. But fucking hell, I needed to hear her voice.
“Hey, love,” she said gently.
I burst into more tears, trying to keep it quiet. “Hey.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned. “Blake, darling?”
I scrubbed at my face, my nose. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just . . . just . . . you know. Things are . . .”
“Oh, love. Do you need to come home for a day or two? I’ll cook you whatever you want, and you can sleep.”
It just made me cry more. It took me a second to get my shit together.
“Where are you, love?”
I held the song lyrics and sobbed, trying to talk through it. “I’m okay, Mom. I just... I think I fucked up so bad.”
“Oh, Blake. Is this about you and Rebecca? I heard, I’m sorry. I was talking to her mom.”
I barked out a laugh because she had the right mom, just the wrong child. “No, it’s not about Becca. It’s... I dunno.When you spoke to Mrs. Dougherty, did she mention Luke? Like where he is?”
There was a beat of silence, and I regretted asking the second it was out of my mouth. “No. Not to me. What do you mean? Why don’tyouknow where he is? Blake, what happened?”
I bit back another sob and tried to sound as normal as I could. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m sorry. I’ll call you later tonight, okay? I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“Blake, darling, are you sure? I thought I saw something about Luke on that entertainment show, you know the one. I thought it was all lies like it usually is, so I didn’t think much of it. I thought you’d know where he is. You always know.”
“What about him?” I asked, sitting up straighter. “Mom, the TV show. What did it say?”
“I just caught the end of it. I thought it said he was spotted at some beach town by himself. Love, I’m not sure. Someone took a photo, but you know I don’t like those paparazzi jerks, and maybe it was Photoshopped. They can Photoshop someone in anywhere nowadays, and I just assumed it was lies because you two are always together.”
I couldn’t process what she was saying, not really hearing her, too busy rummaging through the desk drawer for the TV remote. The big screen at the end of the room blinked on and I began searching channels.
“Mom, I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
I ended the call, concentrating on the screen, finding that stupid show I’d always fucking hated. The one that posted unsolicited photos for a cheap headline, that printed garbage, whether it was true or not, for clickbait and ratings.
The show was over, airing again in an hour, so I tried searching online for what Mom might have seen.
Nothing.
