Chapter 16 - Janella
I storm away from Riley, physically shaking with rage. All of these years later, I dreamed of an excuse. Even an apology for how he had anger issues would have worked. But to hear him admit he knew he was an asshole was not in my book.
I shook my head, wiping at tears. I sniffled as I tried to pull myself together. I rounded the corner and froze, realizing that Riley had been my ride. I wasn’t in the mood to walk home, nor did I really want to go back to the house. I wanted to go back to my apartment and my other life.
“Janella?”
I turned around as I heard my name and found Troy standing across the street. He had his hands in his pockets and looked at me with a worried expression.
“Troy…what are you doing here?” I quickly tried to fix my face, wiping at my tears.
He crossed the street, his lips forming a tight line. “I was having dinner with our parents. Mom got a phone call and told me that word was going around that you're a dark witch, and she wanted me to come in and help handle it. Though it would seem Riley did just fine.”
Jesus, word was traveling fast.
“Janella, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“I know that’s not true. So tell me what’s going on.”
I chewed on my lower lip for a moment before I sighed softly. “So much.” I felt more tears build up. “I feel it all slipping away.”
He moved closer, his hands reaching out, and grabbed my shoulder as he bent down. I remember him doing this so many times growing up. He wore the same concerned expression.
“What’s slipping away?”
“My happiness,” I whisper. “My freedom. Who I am. It’s just…disappearing.”
I felt the tears burst to the surface, and he pulled me into his chest as I started to sob.
What he didn’t know was that I no longer had my job. I had quit early this morning. And without a job, I couldn’t keep my apartment. I had an entire life, and each part of it was slipping through my fingers.
“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, his hand stroking my head.
I didn’t have an answer for him. I was trying to fix it all myself. He sighed and pulled back. “Come on.” He tugged me with him.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
I hadn’t expected Troy to take me home. I stiffened as we pulled up in front of our parents' house. “Troy, I can’t go in looking like this.” I knew that my eyes were still red, and the second they saw that, they were going to ask questions. Questions I didn’t want to answer.
“Well, for starters, they aren’t home. Dad is out working, and Mom just left, and for two, we aren’t going in.”
“Then where are we going?”
“The treehouse.” He hopped out before I could respond.
I shoved my door open, stumbling out. “You’re kidding, right?”
He was already at the gate, unlocking it.
He waved at me, and I hurried after him.
We slipped into the backyard, and it was exactly as I remembered it being.
They still had the swing set that we both kept telling them to get rid of since we were in middle school.
They had the grill set by a glass table with six chairs.
There was Mom's huge, beautiful garden and the big oak tree.
It wasn’t your basic treehouse because they didn’t want us to outgrow it within a few years. It had stairs leading up into a rather beautiful space. It engulfed the entire treehouse, yet left plenty of space for air to move in.
He started up the stairs, and I followed him. I remembered the countless times I went up here, and I couldn’t help but smile.
He opened the door, and inside was exactly how we left it for the most part. There were fewer kids' stuff up here than I remember.
There was a large yellow rug covering most of the floor. A small couch against the wall and a table in the other corner with two chairs. There was chess sitting out like we’d forgotten we were in the middle of a game all those years ago.
There was artwork that littered the wall. Hand paintings we did when we were little, but you could see the gradual increase in our ability to grow. There was even a portrait of Troy that I had done for art class the year I graduated.
“Wow, I thought for sure Mom and Dad would have gone through stuff up here.”
He shook his head. “Mom always said it was our space.”
I stared at the wall, taking everything in. “Why didn’t you move anything?”
“Because it was more your space than mine.”
I sat down on the couch. “I moved away. I think that gives up the rights to the tree.”
He laughed as he pulled one of the chairs out from the table and sat down. “I guess a part of me always hoped you’d come back. That you’d remember it wasn’t all bad.”
My stomach sank. “I knew it wasn’t all bad, Troy.”
He frowned. “Did he bully you before, Janella?”
I swallowed, not sure how I wanted to answer that. I knew he was talking about Riley. “Yeah. A little.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were aware of the bullying.”
“I’m talking about him. He was my friend. My best friend.”
“Exactly. He was your friend.”
“That makes it worse.”
“That makes it harder, Troy. I felt bad enough that you were stuck with me, and I didn’t want you to lose friends because of it.”
He looked shocked as he sat there. “Stuck with you? Is that what you think? That I was stuck with you?”
I couldn’t look at him.
He pulled himself up. “Does this wall mean anything? Do you honestly think I was playing pretend here? You're my sister, Janella. I don’t give a shit if it’s blood or not. You're my sister, and it was my job to protect you.”
I looked at the wall. The paintings that I drew of us together. There were pictures Mom had taken. You could see the sunshine in our faces as we stood together.
“You did protect me, Troy. I know that you cared about me, but I was trying to protect you.”
“I clearly didn't protect you well enough.”
“You couldn’t stop what happened.”
He thumped back into his chair. “I could have helped. Why didn’t you tell me about him?”
“Because he was your best friend, Troy.”
“Not anymore.”
“You don’t mean that. You guys were best friends. You did everything together. You're both Alphas now.”
He shook his head. “Did he ever hurt you? Is that why you were crying? Did he hurt you today?”
I quickly shook my head. “God no. He never laid his hands on me. He just spoke. And today was…. he was taking pity on me today.”
Troy looked confused now. “What do you mean?”
“He was putting me above his pack, and I know it was just an act. He didn’t mean what he was saying.” Right? It had to be. He had to be saying that because there was some kind of ploy behind it.
“I think I’m going to need more details.”
“All my life, Riley had a way of putting me down. Anything I did, he could spin around. And the few times he didn’t say anything, there was a reason behind it. And now he’s once again spinning things. He was talking like he actually cared.”
I watch the way he worked his jaw, his nostrils flaring.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“No, you aren’t.”
Troy scuffed. “I don’t think you know how much I love you, Janella. I’ve beat the shit out of people for less.”
I almost smirked. “I believe you.”
“What do you want to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you need a getaway? Need me to go to the council?”
“They wouldn’t listen to you,” I grumbled.
“Then I’ll help you get out. I’ll drive the car, for God's sake. Whatever you need, I'll do.”
“He would follow.”
“He wouldn’t find you.” His face hardened. “I won’t let him ruin you.”
My stomach flipped knowing my brother meant every word. No matter what, he’d always be by my side. “Aren’t you scared I’m evil?”
He laughed at this. “Please, you cried when you ran over that cat’s tail for a week. You don’t have evil in you.”
I smirked, looking outside the little window towards the house. So many good memories were here. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I let the hard times fog the good. Had life been as terrible as I remember?
The space fell quiet, and my mind seemed to settle. “I can’t leave.”
“Because?”
“This is still part of my home. This treehouse and this house are full of memories. I couldn’t let anything happen to it. I can't leave knowing I could have done something.”
My mind traveled to Riley and his face. How upset he looked.
“As much as I hate him for everything…I think maybe I’m letting my past affect my present.
Because he's not all terrible.” Riley had been trying, and I couldn’t deny that.
He had been offering me help with training.
He was asking how my day was, and he was there. This wasn’t like before.
Troy's eyes widened. “You like him.”
I scowled at him. “I didn't say that.”
“You don't have to. It's written all over your face.”
I rolled my eyes. “I just...it's not the same as it was before.”
Troy smirked. “You like him.”
“I'll kick you out of my treehouse, Troy.”
“I thought you said you gave up your rights.”
I couldn't help but smirk. I felt my shoulders relax and took in the silence. Once I pulled myself together, I could go home. I owed Riley an apology for yelling at him.
I lost track of time as Troy and I talked. I wasn't even sure what time it was when I arrived back at the house.
I pushed the door open and found the house quiet. I slipped my shoes off and flicked the light on. I froze when I noticed there was glass shattered in the dining room. There was a flipped-over chair and water covering the floor.
I swallowed. “Riley?”
I looked into the living room, finding it empty. I turned and headed down the hallway towards his bedroom. I froze when I noticed a few hung pictures shattered onto the ground. Glass was shattered down the hallway. I felt my stomach sink as I moved carefully over it. “Riley?”
I could hear movement in his bedroom and slowly knocked. “Riley? Are you okay?”
There was silence. I knew something was wrong. I grabbed the handle and turned it. I pushed the door open, and my eyes widened as I took in his room.