Travis and Shepley jumped into their seats, and Shepley cursed when he saw the trapped cars backing from the only exit. He slammed the car into drive, and the Charger bounced as it jumped the curb. He spun out over the grass, and we flew between two buildings, bouncing again when he hit the road behind the school.
The tires squealed and the engine snarled when Shepley slammed his foot on the accelerator. I slid across the seat into the wall of the cab when we took a turn, bumping my already sore elbow. The street lights were streaks across the window as we raced to the apartment, but it seemed like an hour had passed by the time we pulled into the parking lot.
Shepley threw the Charger into park and turned off the ignition. The boys opened their doors in silence, and Travis reached into the back seat, lifting me into his arms.
“What
“I’ll tell you inside,” Shepley said, guiding her to the door.
Travis carried me up the stairs, through the living and down the hall without a word, setting me on his bed. Toto pawed at my legs, jumping onto the bed to lick my face.
“Not now, buddy,” Travis said in a hushed voice, taking the puppy to the hall and shutting the door.
He kneeled in front of me, touching the frayed edges of my sleeve. His eye was in the beginning stages of a bruise, red and swollen. The angry skin above it was cut and wet with blood. His lips were smeared with scarlet, and the hide was ripped away from some of his knuckles. His once white t-shirt was now soiled with a combination of blood, grass and dirt.
I touched his eye and he winced, pulling away from my hand. “I’m so sorry, Pigeon. I tried to get to you. I tried….” He cleared his throat of the anger and worry that choked him. “I couldn’t get to you.”
“Will you ask America to take me back to Morgan?” I said.
“You can’t go back there tonight. The place is crawling with cops. Just stay here. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
I sucked in a faltering breath, trying to ward off any more tears. He felt bad enough.
Travis stood up and opened the door.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’ve gotta get a shower. I’ll be right back.”
America shoved past him, sitting beside me on the bed, pulling me into her chest. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there!” she cried.
“I’m fine,” I said, wiping my tear stained face.
Shepley knocked on the door as he entered, bringing me a short glass half-full of whiskey.
“Here,” he said, handing it to America. She cupped my hands around it and nudged me.
I tipped back my head, letting the liquid flow down my throat. My face compressed as the whiskey burned its way to my stomach. “Thanks,” I said, handing the glass back to Shepley.
“I should have gotten to her sooner. I didn’t even realize she was gone. I’m sorry, Abby. I should’ve….”
“It’s not your fault, Shep. It’s not anyone’s fault.”
“It’s Ethan’s fault,” he seethed. “That sick bastard was dry fucking her against the wall.”
“Baby!” America said, pulling me to her side.
“I need another drink,” I said, shoving my empty glass at Shepley.
“Me, too,” Shepley said, returning to the kitchen.
Travis walked in with a towel around his waist, holding a cold can of beer against his eye. America left the room without a word as Travis slipped on his boxers, and then he grabbed his pillow. Shepley brought four glasses this time, all full to the brim with amber liquor. We all knocked back the whiskey without hesitation.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” America said, kissing my cheek.
Travis took my glass, sitting it on the night stand. He watched me for a moment and then walked over to his closet, pulling a t-shirt off the hanger and tossing it to the bed.
“I’m sorry I’m such a fuck up,” he said, holding the beer to his eye.
“You look awful. You’re going to feel like shit tomorrow.”
He shook his head, disgusted. “Abby, you were attacked tonight. Don’t worry about me.”
“It’s hard not to when your eye is swelling shut,” I said, situating his shirt on my lap.
His jaw tensed. “It wouldn’t’ve happened if I’d just let you stay with Parker. But I knew if I asked you, you’d come. I wanted to show him that you were still mine, and then you get hurt.”
The words took me off-guard, as if I hadn’t heard him right. “That’s why you ask me to come tonight? To prove a point to
“It was part of it,” he said, ashamed.
The blood drained from my face. For the first time since we’d met, Travis had fooled me. I had gone to Hellerton with him thinking he needed me, thinking that despite everything, we were back to where we were before. I was nothing more than a water hydrant; he had marked his territory, and I had allowed him to do it.
My eyes filled with tears. “Get out.”
“Pigeon,” he said, taking a step toward me.
“Get OUT!” I said, grabbing the glass from the night stand and throwing it at him. He ducked, and it shattered against the wall in hundreds of tiny, glistening shards. “I
Travis heaved as if the air had been knocked out of him, and with a pained expression, he left me alone.
I yanked off my clothes and pulled the t-shirt on. The noise that burst from my throat surprised me. It had been a long time since I had sobbed uncontrollably. Within moments, America rushed into the room.
She crawled into the bed and wrapped her arms around me. She didn’t ask me questions or try to console me, she only held me as I let the tears drench the pillow case.
CHAPTER TWENTY
last dance
Just before the sun breached the horizon, America and I quietly left the apartment behind. We didn’t speak on the way to Morgan, and I was glad for the silence. I didn’t want to talk, I didn’t want to think, I just wanted to block out the last twelve hours. My body felt heavy and sore, as if I’d been in a car accident. When we walked into my room, I saw that Kara’s bed was made.
“Can I borrow your flat iron?” America asked.
“Mare, I’m fine. Go to class.”
“You’re not fine. I don’t want to leave you alone right now.”
“That’s all I want to be at the moment.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but sighed. There would be no changing my mind. “I’m coming back to check on you after class. Get some rest.”
I nodded, locking the door behind her. The bed squeaked beneath me as I fell onto it with a huff. All along I believed that I was important to Travis; that he needed me. But in that moment, I felt like the shiny new toy Parker said I was. He wanted to prove to Parker that I was still his.
“I’m
As the words sunk in, I was overwhelmed with the grief I’d felt from the night before. I belonged to no one.
I’d never felt so alone in my life.
Finch sat a brown bottle in front of me. Neither of us felt like celebrating, but I was at least comforted by the fact that, according to America, Travis would avoid the date party at all costs. Red and pink craft paper covered empty beer cans hanging from the ceiling, and red dresses in every style walked past. The tables were covered with tiny foil hearts, and Finch rolled his eyes at the ridiculous decorations.
“Valentine’s Day at a frat house. Romantic,” he said, watching the couples walk by.
Shepley and America had been downstairs dancing from the moment we arrived, and Finch and I protested our presence by pouting in the kitchen. I drank the contents of the bottle quickly, determined to blur the memories
