Chapter 8 ~
Rory ~
It's dark when I go back.
I held off my return as long as I possibly could but once the shadows emerged, everything seemed to jump out at me.
I stopped by Target on the way and got some pyjamas. It makes me nervous using Mum’s money. I don’t know how long it will last. The bank won’t release the information until I’m eighteen and I need enough to be able to get far away from here.
The roller door's open when I get there. I get the keys out of my car and shut the roller door.
Anxiety pricks at me as I walk through the house. Luc scrambles to stand from the couch when he sees me.
"Rory," he says relieved. The rest of the guys who are positioned around the room, get to their feet. My eyes get stuck on Jace who's awkwardly standing behind Luc.
Those grey irises are filled with pain and guilt. He looks so different but god, he’s exactly the same. I feel numb. I can’t possibly cry any more than I already have but I feel my throat tighten.
I rip my gaze away and keep walking.
"Ro," Jace whispers and something comes over me. Red flickers in the corners of my vision.
"Don't you dare call me that!" I yell. "You have no right! You lost it that day."
His face falls and I storm off. Well, I'd like to think I’m storming off but with my ribs I more so walk quickly.
I resist the urge to slam the bedroom door.
Dropping the go bag on my bed that I finally got out of the car, I notice someone brought in my school books and stuff from the car. It's set up neatly and ordered on a desk in the corner of the room.
I open the drawers and they're filled with clothes. I just stare at them.
Why is this happening to me? I met this amazing group of people and Jace shows up. Now he's my legal guardian for three days. How?! How did this happen? How did all of this happen and he didn't know it was me?
I can't believe the guys arranged all this and didn't tell me. It's unbelievable. After all they said about helping me. They weren't asking—they did all this behind my back.
At the same time, my fondness for them grows. They did all this so I wouldn't have to go back. Whoever Alec's father is, he's big. I could see it in the cops faces and in the way Alec changed everything I'd come to know about him for a brief moment before returning to normal.
He was wary to say his name in front of me. Like he was scared I'd recognise it.
I resist the urge to pull out my laptop and search his name. I don’t doubt that something would come up but I'd rather he tell me.
I gather my pyjamas and listen for any movements before opening the door. I go into the bathroom and lock the door.
Getting my jeans off is a struggle. I never want to wear denim ever again because this is hell.
Everything hurts. My head. My body. My heart.
I step under the hot water and sigh. There's nothing a nice shower can't fix. Except maybe hunger—I never did have lunch since we left in period two but skipping a meal is not new for me.
I put my hair up into a bun so I don't get it wet. I look around for the soap and notice in one corner of the shower there's a bunch of girl products. This stuff wasn't here yesterday. There’s shampoo, conditioner, body and face wash and a razor. Bloody hell. When was the last time I shaved?
With that in mind, I spend an extra few minutes shaving from the floor of the shower. It’s uncomfortable—nearing painful—on my ribs but worth it.
My thoughts travel back to Jace. God, I’ve waited three years to see him again.
Despite my brief show of anger…I’m not mad. I’m hurt, I’m upset, I’m confused but I’m not angry. There’s a reason he didn’t answer me all those years ago and I’ve waited three years to hear it.
God, how many times have I played it over in my head?
When Dec died, J didn’t leave my side all day and all night. I lost my sibling and Jace lost his best friend.
Helen told me why he didn’t answer me…but I never wanted to believe it. But I had to and it killed me to not be able to confront him, to scream in his face, to break down and hopefully know that the decision my father made me make three years ago was worth it.
When I eventually get out, I search the cupboards for the towels. There's several light pink and teal towels in the top corner, standing out against the plain black and white ones. I pick one out and wrap it around me. It’s incredibly soft.
I take an unsteady breath, leaning back against the wall. A wave of emotion comes over me suddenly. I push it away and get dressed, the soft feeling of pyjama’s is a nice change from denim.
Raised voices are heard in the living room as I cross the hall. I gently close my door behind me.
I open the concealed zipper where I stashed some money and first aid shit. I pull out a bandage so I can wrap my ribs again.
There's a hesitant knock on the door. When I don't say anything, it slowly opens.
Alec pushes the door open far enough for him to stand in the doorway.
"Can we talk?" He asks, hesitantly. I fiddle with the bandage in my hands and nod slightly.
He comes in and I notice the others standing uncomfortably in the hallway. I'm relieved to see Jace isn't one of them. I sigh and motion for them to come in.
"I've been talking to a friend of mine and he's told me they don't wrap broken ribs anymore because they can stop you from breathing properly," Alec says, concerned.
"Oh." That's not what I expected him to say.
"I guess, the person I learnt from was old school," Alec rambles slightly.
I notice the ice pack and tea towel in his hands. "Are those…"
"Oh, yeah." He hands them over. I put the bandage back in my bag. The guys eyes stay glued on my bag.
I slowly sit down on the bed, leaning against the bedhead. I position the ice pack so it's right on my broken and bruised ribs. I ditch the tea towel and put it straight on, hissing slightly at the sudden cold.
The guys awkwardly stand around the bed. "You may as well sit," I mumble. My manners have clearly gone flying out the window.
Luc sits directly in front of me, a grimace crossing his features when he moves his leg. The twins lean back against the bedhead beside me. Dom and Alec sit at the end of the bed.
"Rory," Luc starts and I flinch. I try to cover it but I know he saw it.
He hasn’t really called me Rory. I mean, it’s my name but he never uses it. Something about him using it now makes it sting more.
"Butterfly," he says softly but that hurts more. He sighs harshly. "I didn't mean to keep this all from you. I just…I wanted to be sure everything worked, that it panned out before we told you anything."
"But it did," I whisper. "Alec told the cops it was a done deal." My eyes flick across to Alec.
I see Luc stop. Like something occurred to him. I look around and then guys do the same.
Dominic turns to Alec. "What did you do?"
Alec sighs and gets up. "My father did me a favour. Now I owe him one."
You could hear a pin drop in here.
"You said James didn't want anything," Dominic’s says. An uncomfortable silence fills the room.
"He doesn't—yet." Alec stares out the bedroom window.
"What? What does that mean?" I look around at everyone's faces.
Alec doesn't say anything.
Maverick sighs. "It means one day James will come calling."
"We'll deal with it when it comes to it." Alec turns around, his hands in his pockets.
I catch a glimpse of the person I saw earlier but the second we make eye contact he's gone.
And the spotlight shifts and everyone's eyes fall on me. I shift the ice pack on my bare skin. I pull my shirt over it when Maverick's eyes don't stray my ribs.
Mason puts his hand on my knee. "Are you still mad at us?" He asks, shooting me the puppy eyes.
"I'm not mad," I sigh, "I'm…disappointed. And I'm scared."
Mason takes his hand off my leg and puts it around my shoulders.
"Of what?" Maverick asks like he knows the answer.
"Everything!" I raise my voice. Alec flinches and Dominic puts a hand on his shoulder.
I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I murmur to Alec. He lifts his head and nods.
It grows silent. I speak up again. "Look, I'm grateful for everything you guys have done for me." Luc opens his mouth but I shake my head.
"No. I-I need to say this." I finally meet his eyes. "You got me away from him and I'm so thankful." I look between everyone's eyes. "I will never forget it but no matter how much I like being here with you guys…I can't stay."
The guys yell, everyone speaking over the top of each other. I feel panic start to rise up in me. Alec's silently staring at me, the pain in his eyes reflecting mine.
"You can't leave because of me."
My eyes snap up to Jace's as he stands in the middle of the doorway. The silent is deafening.
Jace leans back against the wall. His grey eyes reflecting a pain I don't understand. He runs a hand through his short midnight black hair.
When we were kids, it was almost collar length. He grew it out so I could play with his hair, even encouraged Dec to do the same. He was less willing.
"You can't leave because of my mistakes," Jace says softly.
My eyes travel up him. He's wearing…a suit? Clearly, I wasn't paying enough attention earlier. It looks good on him.
"You said the only time you'd ever wear a suit was when you planned on dying," I finally say.
Mason mumbles something like 'how the hell does that work?'
Jace chuckles. It hurts like hell to hear it. He must see that because it stops.
"Ro." Jace whispers. I close my eyes briefly before reopening them. He opens his mouth before sighing and shakes his head.
"Why didn't you answer?" I ask quietly.
Jace is silent. The agony in those grey eyes almost has me breaking
"Why, Jace? I nearly died,” my voice trembles. Mason jolts beside me.
Jace flinches, raw pain in his eyes. I don’t let him speak as I continue.
"You know. After I spent three weeks in bed recovering, I called your mum,” I tell him softly.
The surprise is evident in his eyes.