39. Chase
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHASE
I tried to sleep when I got into the rental around three this morning, but my brain has been wired since last night. Forgetting to account for the construction detour, I made it back into town later than I expected. I exchanged my crumpled suit for sweats and climbed right into bed. Most of the dark morning hours were spent tossing and turning, sitting up to check my phone each time I changed positions, and lying back down to toss and turn some more.
Kayla hasn’t answered my messages from last night. I called her phone twice on the drive back into town, and it went straight to voicemail each time. I even got so desperate that I called Ashlie, getting nothing in return. Now I’m sitting up in bed, waiting for the morning to progress enough for me to go over and knock on Kayla’s door because I don’t have the courage to call again.
As soon as eight a.m. hits, I grab my keys and head out to my car, moving quietly so I don’t wake the sisters sleeping upstairs. I don’t actually know if Kayla came back to Bender, but I feel like going to her house is the best chance I have at getting her to listen to what happened last night. I pull up to her driveway in no time, and a sense of relief floods over me when I see Ashlie’s red hatchback in the driveway. I can fix this. Parking behind it, I take a deep breath, scrub my face in my hands, and walk to the front door. Hoping to see Kayla’s face, my heart pounding in my chest, I knock lightly.
“You need to leave,” Ashlie says, closing the door behind her as she steps onto the porch. Her arms cross, and despite her tiny frame, I recognize the enormous barrier for what it is.
“Is she awake? Ash, I just need to talk to her.”
“She just went to sleep. You need to leave.” Her scowl has never been directed at me before, but it is withering. “Do you know what it’s like to have your best friend sobbing in the seat next to you and not know what’s wrong for three hours? She was crying so hard; she couldn’t tell me anything until we got here. And then to find out she’s so upset because you were kissing Maggie … I don’t even want to be talking to you right now. How could you do that to her, Chase?”
I blink at her, not sure what to touch on first. I’m grasping at straws, trying to catch hold of the explanations swirling through my thoughts. They all slip through my fingers. In my flustered state, my anxiety riddled brain latches onto the most cliched excuse. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“So she’s lying? She didn’t see you kissing Maggie?” She glares, challenging me, ready to attack in protection of her best friend. I think anything I say at this point will be the wrong thing.
“Will you please just tell her to call me when she wakes up? Please?”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.” She pokes her finger into my chest. “Give her some space. I’m serious.” Ashlie whips around and walks back through the door, closing it quietly, leaving heaps of fierce indignation in her wake.
The lock clicks into place, like a deadbolt sliding into a solid steel door. I’m knocked back down to a position where I can’t reach through to Kayla, and this time, her friend is the brick wall. Feeling completely dejected, I hang my head, and with slumped shoulders, I do the only thing I can right now. I get back in my car and drive across town, back to The Bluffs Estates.
Hunter’s in the kitchen eating a donut over the sink when I open the door. He stares at me for a few seconds and wordlessly slides the box across the counter, nodding for me to sit on the stool. Eating is the last thing on my mind right now, but I pluck a donut out of the box anyway, needing something to do besides worry. We sit in silence, the only sounds coming from the whirring fridge.
He pours two glasses of milk, and I let the coolness coat all the heavy words stuck on my tongue. This is Hunter, my best friend since birth—basically my brother. He may not know how to be serious all the time, but he knows how to sit in someone’s pain with them, letting them process without needing to explain anything, and that’s something I appreciate right now.
“Maggie kissed me last night,” I start, covering my eyes with the heel of my hands.
“Ew,” he whispers. I can imagine the disgusted grimace on his face. “No wonder you look like shit…” he jokes, and I look up in time to see him shake his head. He doesn’t push, though, waiting for me to continue if I want to.
“I didn’t get any sleep. I don’t even know how it happened. Everything moved so fast,” I say, lacing my fingers behind my neck. I explain drunk Maggie and her scheme, her ankle, the kiss, seeing Kayla from the patio, me chasing her through the venue, and unintentionally yelling to everyone in the kitchen that I love her. “That was the only thing I could think to say that would get her to stop and listen.” I cringe. Recalling everything out loud makes it all sound so much worse than I remember.
“And you went to Kayla’s house this morning? How did that go?”
“It went nowhere. Ashlie wouldn’t let me past the front porch.”
He nods, leaning against the countertop with his fingers splayed wide on the marble. I dig my phone out of my pocket, checking it for the thousandth time before opening my messages app .
“Bruh.” He shakes his head, swiping his hand under his chin in a cut-it-out motion. “Look, I’m not taking sides. You’re my best friend. She’s my sister. I can’t. But even I know Kayla well enough to know that ”—he says, pointing to my phone—“is a bad idea. Give her some time.”
I know he’s right. I knew Patti was right last night, and I knew Ashlie was right thirty minutes ago. As much as I want to force this—make Kayla sit and listen to my version of the night—I know I need to wait. She’ll see I’ve called and texted, and I guarantee Ashlie will tell her I came over. I need to give her the time to decide to talk to me. So I’ll wait, and hopefully, she’ll come.
“Chase?” Avery says sleepily, coming down the stairs. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”
“Aw, did you miss me, Av?” I tease, trying to force the worry off my face.
“Whatever.” She scrunches her nose before walking over to the donut box. “ Ugh ! You guys ate all the good ones. All that’s left are the nasty custard filled.”
Hunter shrugs, smirking over at me. “Chase ate yours.”
“ Ugh , you’re so annoying, Chase.” She turns around, stomping up the stairs and slamming the door.
“Thanks for that. Let’s just piss off every girl in my life,” I say, shaking my head and standing from the stool.
“Eh, she’ll be alright.”
I flop down on the couch, turn on the first thing that looks interesting, and kick my feet up on the table. Hunter lands next to me, scrolling on his phone. I’m tempted to grab mine from my pocket, but knowing I’ll click right to my messages, I leave it alone. Forcing my eyes on the TV, I give in to the trance-inducing colors moving across the screen.