CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
REBEL
The sound of Storm crying was like a punch in the gut. Her soft sniffles reached me, making me feel something I’d never felt before. Guilt.
I probably shouldn’t have walked away from her last night. She’d been honest, admitting her feelings. I’d done nothing but fuck with her. Guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that she didn’t trust me. Nobody should trust me. I’d gone out of my way to make sure everyone outside my friend group knew that.
When her soft sobs continued, I couldn’t take it anymore. Stubbing out my joint, I rose and went back in the house. Ignoring the sound of my mom and sister arguing in the kitchen, I went down to my room where I could be alone.
As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, I froze. Goddammit.
Turning on a heel, I went right back up the stairs and back out into the yard. Storm was still on her side of the fence. Shoving my phone in my back pocket, I grabbed hold of the fence and hauled myself up and over.
The sound of me dropping to the ground below made Storm spin around in her chair. She vigorously wiped at her face, trying to keep me from seeing the tears that stained her cheeks. The very sight made my stomach hurt.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice thick with tears.
I crossed the lawn to where she sat. Taking a seat beside her, I moved the chair closer to hers. “Why are you crying?”
“Like you care. Don’t try to play the nice guy now, Rebel. We both know that’s not you.” The scathing glare Storm wore cut like a knife.
Another feeling that I wasn’t used to. Since when did I care what anyone thought of me?
“I do care. I know that I’m shit at showing it, but I do. I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have left things like that. I’m a fucking dick, okay? I know that. Now tell me why you’re crying.” When she refused to meet my eyes, I grabbed her hand, sliding my fingers between hers and holding tight so she couldn’t pull away.
She sniffled a few times, wiping her eyes with the heel of her other hand. “Chase didn’t come home last night. Nobody has seen him since the party last night and his phone is off. My mom is freaking out.”
Comforting crying women was not in my skill set. I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb, searching for the right words.
“Maybe he got lucky,” I suggested. “That kind of thing can keep a guy busy for a while.”
Storm shook her head. “He still would have called to check in with my mom. He knows that she worries. It’s not like him to have his phone off. I’m afraid something happened to him. Something bad.”
I wished that I had something helpful to say. After Storm left the party, I’d pretty much drunken myself into a stupor until my friends had to drag my drunk ass home. I had no idea where Chase had gone or who he’d been with.
“I wish I had something helpful to offer. I can make a few calls and see if anybody remembers seeing him.” It was the best I could do. I hated that I didn’t know what to do or say in this moment. She was right. I wasn’t a nice guy. I didn’t know how to be.
“Thanks. I would really appreciate that. Someone has to know something. If something happened to him… God I can’t even let myself think about that. It would destroy my mom.” Storm shook her head, wincing against whatever nasty image she conjured up in her mind.
I brushed the hair back from her face. When she averted her gaze, I touched her chin, making her look at me. Hurt bloomed in the depths of her eyes. I wanted to believe it was only because of Chase, but I knew there was more to it than that.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. We’ll find him.” I tried my best to sound reassuring. Comfort was foreign to me. It might’ve been in that moment that I realized how genuinely fucked up I was.
I’d have loved to blame it on childhood trauma or some experience that left me a headcase. That had never happened. This was me. The way I was. The way I’d always been. And that wasn’t good enough for Storm.
She took a long, shuddery breath, her chest heaving and her shoulders shaking. “I’m only going to say this one last time. I’m done with the games, Rebel. As much as I try to hate you, part of me can’t. If you keep this shit up, you’re going to really hurt me. If that’s what you want, then you really are as awful as everyone says. I really hope you’ll show me otherwise.”
She let me sit with that for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of shit everyone had been talking about me. Although no doubt it was all true. I’d brought this on myself. The first time I met a girl that made my head spin and I was a piece of shit that fucked it all up.
I brought her hand to my lips, gently kissing her knuckles. “I can’t make any promises, pet. Trust me when I say that I wish I could. Making a promise would only guarantee that I’ll let you down. I know I’m an asshole, but I kind of want to be your asshole, and if that’s not good enough for you, I will totally understand.”
As far as heartfelt declarations went, it sure wasn’t Hollywood worthy. However, it was genuine.
A smile stole over her face. She rolled her eyes and punched me in the shoulder. “You’re really something else, you know that? I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Sometimes it’s better that way.”
Her mother’s voice carried from inside the house, calling for Storm. She rose quickly, our hands separating. “I better get inside. Hopefully she has good news.”
“I’ll make some calls. I’ll let you know if I find anything. Chin up, beautiful. Everything will be all right.” Because I couldn’t leave her side without doing so, I kissed her.
Not the hungry kiss of needing to devour her, but something tender and soft, filled with affection. Feelings I still hadn’t come to terms with and maybe never would. She was hesitant at first before opening up and kissing me back. That simple action made my whole fucking day.
When I hopped to the fence back to my own yard, I immediately pulled out my phone to start calling around in search of Chase. The guy meant nothing to me. He’d wanted to fuck me up. Knowing it meant so much to Storm was my motivating factor.
That’s when I realized I would do anything for her.