Page 16 of You Found Me in the Dark
My chest was heaving, “You touch her again, and Iwillkill you.”
He was still lying on his back on the ground, holding his now bloodied and broken nose.
“You can’t press charges unless you want people finding out what a piece of scum you are.” I spat out.
For a second, I thought he might actually try something slick. But then he looked at me again, and I saw the part of him that always hated when someone was physically bigger than his ego.
He scoffed, finally getting up to stand. “Whatever. You’re not worth the paperwork.”
When he looked at Wren, something mean and petty flickered across his face.
“You used to know how to pick your battles,” he said, backing away. “I remember how easy you used to be.”
Wren winced. I have never seen her look so hurt. I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the asshole. If we stayed near him any longer, I would’ve beaten him within an inch of his life, and I knew it. We stood close to the house, and I watched him leave around the back of the property. After I knew he had left, I turned back to face her.
Her shoulders were shaking. Her hazel eyes were glassy. I knew this night was far from over. Not for either of us.
She looked so small standing there beside me. I grabbed her hand again and opened the back door. I walked us through the house, finally bumping into Harper.
She gave Wren a small half smile and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“You got her?” Harper finally asked, glancing at our interwoven hands.
I nodded once. Wren didn’t speak.
Harper glanced back toward the stairs. “Okay… I gotta go deal with Lena. She’s trying to freestyle rap in the laundry room, and I think she might have been crying about pasta. Or maybe kissing pasta. I don’t know.”
That pulled a small sound from Wren. Almost a laugh.
Almost.
Harper moved her hand from her shoulder to her cheek. “I’ll text you soon, okay? Take care of her, Reed.”
Wren closed her eyes, then nodded. Harper’s hand fell from her cheek, and she disappeared into the party.
I continued our departure, walking Wren through the sweating bodies and horribly loud music straight to my truck. I wasted no time opening her door, physically putting her in the car, and quickly putting the seatbelt on her. I knew she was capable of doing it, but the urge to take care of her right now was too great.
I climbed into my truck and put on my own seatbelt. We sat there in silence, hearing the dull beat of music from the house. I faced her and could read her thoughts from the expression on her face.
“You’re not dumb,” I said eventually. “So don’t talk to yourself like you are.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Wren mumbled.
“You didn’t have to. You’re wearing it on your face.”
She swallowed hard and stared at the windshield. “I forgot what he was like. I thought maybe… maybe it had been long enough that I could just talk to him without it going anywhere.” Her voice cracked. “I thought I could handle it.”
Wren pulled her feet onto the seat and wrapped her arms around her knees, letting her hair fall over one side of her face.
“I didn’t mean to kiss him,” she said suddenly. “I didn’t even really want to. It was just that he looked at me the same way he used to. Like I was something he already owned.”
“And that felt familiar.”
She nodded, eyes filling with tears. “I think even after all theshit he put me through, I still saw the good in him. I remember the good memories before the bad. I swear, this is a fucking curse. ”
“But you did remember the bad,” I said gently, “you told him to stop.”
She nodded once, finally making eye contact.
