Chapter 14 #2
“Vail is more fucked up than you realize, Casey,” Lee said, and though his words were ugly, I could hear in his voice how much he respected him.
“The violence would consume him. He’d get lost in it.
If Shaw is coming for you, you know you’re going to suffer; you’re going to hurt.
With Vail, if he is coming for you, you’re going to fucking die. ”
I stared at him, feeling like I’d fallen into a vat of freezing cold water. I remembered the night of our last sleepover as kids, how Vail, at only eleven years old, nearly killed that guy who broke in. He was like a wild animal, lashing out at anyone that tried to pull him off.
Lee reached out, sliding one of his hands into mine, and squeezed, yet his face remained serious and somber. “His dad-”
“That was an accident,” I said, coming to Vail’s defense. “It was self-defence. He was protecting his mom-”
“Vail killed his dad, Casey. He knew what he was doing when he grabbed the kitchen mallet. He wanted to.”
I couldn’t believe that. He was just a kid.
He’d just turned eleven a month before the incident in January.
How could he be capable of it? I recalled how he was forced to go to therapy after, but he’d been cleared after only a few sessions.
Once the shock of what he did wore off, his caseworker said he had made amazing progress, and he’d been released.
“He knew what he was doing,” Lee repeated. “He knew what to do to get the social workers to back the fuck up. Vail killed his dad, Casey. And he’s killed more than just him.”
“What?” I gasped, my heart crashing in my chest, and I squeezed Lee’s hand, needing the stability.
“Why do you think Vail is the leader of Vendetta?” Lee arched a brow at me. “He’s the most controlled, the most dangerous person at Harley Institute. Hunter is just a fucking idiot, and he’s fucking lucky that Vail hasn’t lost himself around him.”
“You honestly think Vail would hurt me?” I whispered, now terrified.
He shook his head and brushed one of his dreads out of his face.
“I don’t think he’d intentionally hurt you, Casey.
He loves you. We all do. More than any fucking thing in our lives.
And that’s why if you don’t follow orders, you’ll be punished.
” He rose then, heading to the door. “I saw that little list of yours. Give me ten minutes, and we’ll head out together, yeah?
” He changed the subject so abruptly I’d been a little thrown off.
“So... I can’t go to school, but I can go out shopping in Harley now?
” I said, struggling to understand. I knew I was being a brat, but I couldn’t help it.
I didn’t sign up for whatever the hell this was.
If any of the guys tried to punish me, I’d make sure that as soon as it was over, I’d make them regret it with a swift kick in the balls.
I just prayed to fuck that it wasn’t Vail.
We were at the dollar store, filling up a little cart with food.
I ended up actually grabbing a second one for things like extra bath towels, cleaning products, some plates and cups, kitchenware, bathroom supplies, and some things I’d need, as I had to use one of the guy’s shampoo this morning and I just feel off.
Lee raises a brow when I add things like candles and couch pillows, too.
“Geez, since when did you become Martha Stewart?” Lee asked when I added some pots and pans to his cart before moving on to throw in dishcloths and a toilet scrubber.
“Since I moved in with three teenage boys,” I said, looking at a container of laundry detergent. “You guys have any of this?” I asked him.
“What is it?”
I immediately added it to the cart.
He just laughed, “You don’t have to do this, babe.” He chuckled as we moved on.
“Yes, I do,” I said and pressed on, noticing a stack of drawing paper sketchbooks, and decided to grab several, as well as some drawing pencils, too.
I missed doodling and sketching. I only did it while Meredith and I waited for whatever we were baking in Home Ec.
to finish, which was why my notebook was almost full. I was hoping to get back into it.
“Casey, I-”
“Lee, just, please… let me do this. I want to.” I peeked back at him, noticing that he appeared a little uncomfortable.
I softened a bit and reached out, cupping the side of his face, loving how smooth it was.
“You guys are everything to me. If I can help in any way, then I will. And doing this makes me feel better. So really, I’m being selfish. ”
He chuckled a little but leaned into my touch before pressing a soft kiss to my palm.
He stared down at me in a way that made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world, and not just some teenager in ripped boyfriend jeans and a t-shirt with her purple hair tossed up in a messy bun.
When Lee looked at me this way, I could see the burn in his dark eyes.
Every thought that crossed his mind at that moment was so clear to me.
“I really fucking missed you, Casey,” he said, reaching out to slide his hand over my waist to the small of my back. He started pulling me in when I felt a vibration in my back pocket.
Wait, what?
I reached back and felt my phone buzzing away.
Lee raised his brows in question as I pulled it out and checked the missed call.
Nylah. Shit. I couldn’t keep avoiding her.
But how the hell was I going to explain everything that had been happening?
I didn’t want to lie to her, but this has gotten so insane, I knew she’d freak out and drive down here, and Nylah in Harley would stand out.
She’d only put herself in danger. My phone buzzed again, a text coming through, and I knew she was probably bitching me out.
I didn’t blame her. I needed to explain some things, but I couldn’t with Lee around.
I slid my phone back into my pocket. “Let’s pay for this stuff,” I told him and led the way to the cash. There was a small line up there, and the whole time we were waiting, I felt my phone going off. Shit… I needed to do something.
“Hey, I just remembered that we need containers to store this stuff in.” I turned to walk away.
“I can grab some, Casey,” he said, ever the gentleman.
“Naw, I saw some specific ones I like. Save our spot in line. Be right back!” I ran down an aisle and out of sight.
The containers were at the opposite end of the store, but rather than heading there, I snuck outside when Lee wasn’t looking and huddled off to the side, out of view of the store windows, and pulled out my phone.
Sure enough, there were several angry text messages from my best friend, and the guilt was starting to choke me.
I needed to say something … just not everything.
Not now, at least. I pressed the call button and waited, but she picked up on the first ring.
“Casey!” She practically shouted through the other end.
“Ny, I’m so, so sorry that I haven’t called. It’s been crazy here-”
“My God, do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?” She cut me off, but I couldn’t be mad at her. She had every right to be upset right now.
“I know, I’m sorry,” I said again, but she wasn’t having it.
“I’ve barely heard a word from you, and my last message goes unanswered?
” she said, sounding incredibly hurt. Ugh!
It felt like a knife had stabbed me in the gut.
“At first, I was upset, but then I got so freaking scared because you’re living in fucking Harley, and when I didn’t hear back, I thought you’d been attacked or some shit!
I was about ready to tell my dad to take me down there to make sure you were still alive! ”
I had no doubt she would have done it, too. Thank fuck I called her back now.
“Casey, I’ve been freaking out!” I heard the break in her voice, and I leaned against the brick wall of the building, feeling like shit.
“Ny, I can’t say sorry enough cuz it won’t change what I did. But please know that I am. You didn’t deserve that. I just… I dunno. I guess I was worried about distracting you-”
“Distracting me?” she said incredulously. “What are you talking about?”
“You have basketball, the social committee, and school to think about. I want you to get into McGill and go places. If I’m texting you all the time telling you how I’m-” I stopped suddenly, not wanting her to think that I’d been struggling. “I didn’t want you to worry about me.”
“Well, that kinda backfired, girl.” I could hear the Nylah sass coming in, which told me she was on her way out of her angry fit.
In the background, I could hear her moving things around and I wanted to laugh.
She’s always been a little OCD with her space and would carefully line things like knick-knacks and books up so that everything in the room was perfectly spaced apart and presentable.
If she weren’t so into science, I would push her into interior design.
“Do you really think I’d just forget about you now that you’re there?
” she asked. “Seriously.” She paused to cough, the sound like a deep rattle in her chest. “I ought to come down there and kick your ass myself!”
“Are you sick?” I could hear her wheezing a little.
“Don’t change the subject-”
“Good lord, get into bed now!” I snapped at her while she sniffled.
“I will, when you tell me what the heck is going on?” she said, coughing again. “I’ll survive this flu bug, but I care more about my best friend. Honestly? I’m gonna blame you for making me sick. You made me so worried that I became ill. That’s how it happened.”