Chapter Twenty-Two
Matt
Gavin and I had been trying to decide what to do this weekend.
With my parents out of town and summer in full swing, it seemed self-explanatory to throw a pool party. Gavin’s older brother was freshly twenty-one and willing to supply the booze.
The one problem was my psychopathic sister. The only way she’d keep her mouth shut about the party was if I let her participate.
She was only fourteen; there was no way in hell I was letting her drink. I didn’t even take my first sip of booze until I was sixteen, and most would argue that that was still too young.
So, I compromised with her— she could hang out, but she wasn’t allowed to drink.
Saying it took a bit of persuasion would be an understatement. She fought me tooth and nail for hours straight, but unfortunately for her, I was in charge this weekend, and as her big brother, I won the battle.
The party was planned for tomorrow, and I was halfway through my invite list, typing up a text to El when I ironically received a call from her at the same time.
“Hey,” I smiled. “I was just about to text you.”
A whimper sounded through the phone, and everything that was originally on my mind faded into concern.
“El?” my brows came in. “What’s wrong?”
“Mattie?” she cried. “Can you just come over?”
I’d never hopped up so quickly. “Yeah,” I slipped my shoes on and grabbed my car keys off the kitchen counter. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”
It was a twenty-minute drive, but I’d speed.
El spoke so quietly that I could hardly make out her respond, “Okay,” before she hung up.
Our house was so small that if you spoke even semi-loudly, you’d be heard from the other side. Standing at the front door, I called out, “Jade!”
“Yeah?” she answered from her room.
“I have to run over to El’s for a bit. Do me a favor and please don’t cause any trouble while I’m out!”
“Mkay!”
Good enough for me. I didn’t have time to ridicule her or question her about what she was planning on doing while I was gone. My priority was getting to El.
On the drive, a million possibilities were roaming through my mind. My first thought was that something else happened between her parents, but as far as I knew, they hadn’t had many problems in the last two years. I was pretty sure El mentioned they were having a date at a winery all day today.
Pulling up to the Burkeley mansion, I sprinted out of my car and up the walkway, letting myself inside.
The air-conditioning blasted me as I trotted in, cooling me after a heated adrenaline rush. “El?” I instinctively called out.
The house was eerily quiet, overwhelmed with a ghostly energy. It almost felt like I was in a horror movie, as if this stillness was just a ploy and something was about to jump out at me any second.
But the only fear I was feeling revolved around El, and the closer I got to her room, the more fearful I became.
Just like when I’d found her a year prior, crying about her prom date, her bedroom door was slightly ajar. When I poked it open this time, the sight wrecked me even more than before.
She was curled up in her bed, blankets messily wrapped around her. Tears actively streamed down her face, and a full sob left her mouth when she saw me. Before I could say a word, she was sitting up with her arms out as if she were reaching for me.
My breath caught and I rushed forward, scooping her up in a hug that I had no idea the purpose for. Not that I needed a purpose to hug her. I’d hug her every day for the rest of my life if I could.
El shook against me, her tears leaving a wet mess on my shoulder.
“El,” I said softly, giving a careful squeeze, “what happened?”
“Riley,” was all she got out, her warm breath hitting my neck as I held her.
Riley Greybek. I should’ve fucking known.
The Lakeview High School football star was well-known in both his school and mine.
Not only was he a serial dater, but he was a serial heartbreaker.
When El told me they were dating, I didn’t like the idea at all.
But like every other time she dated another guy, I suffocated my jealousy and tried to just be happy for her.
I positioned myself beside her and in seconds, her damp, reddened cheek was on my shoulder.
“What did he do?” I asked. The only response I got was a weep, and ever so gently, I lifted her chin with the tip of my finger, so she had no choice but to look back at me.
Gravely focused on keeping my voice more delicate than it’s ever been in my life, I said, “El, what did he do?”
Glassy, hazel eyes, still somehow the most beautiful eyes in the world, blinked swiftly at me, forcing more tears to spill over.
Her blotchy cheeks and quivering top lip caused a lump to form in my own throat.
The most divine creation that God had ever made was crumbling in front of me, and the sight sucked my soul out of my body.
She responded in fragments through a small sob. “He cheated... on me... and then... broke up... with me.”
A tiny shard of my heart split off from seeing her so broken. She was usually so confident, so strong and so lively. Right now, she looked like a weeping angel.
As far as I knew, this wasn’t her first time getting cheated on. That whole fiasco earned me a suspension from clocking the guy on school grounds. But even then, she didn’t seem this torn up.
“You weren’t this upset last time something like this happened,” I tenderly let out. “What’s different this time?”
Dropping her head, I watched a few loose tears fall from the corner of her chin. “Because, I...”
When she glanced back up at me, the look in her eyes told me everything. I didn’t need her to finish her sentence.
“No,” my voice cracked, and I shook my head in denial. “No... El, you didn’t.”
Slowly, she nodded through a wave of embarrassment and regret.
Meanwhile, I just got shot in the gut. My stomach churned; I nearly vomited.
I lost my virginity at fifteen, and realistically, I couldn’t have expected her to keep hers forever, but selfishly, I wanted to be her first.
I was used to being jealous when it came to other guys in El’s life, but this was a whole new level.
I could feel the envy burning through my bloodstream. I was in a desperate internal battle not to show it though.
This fucking kid took her virginity before cheating on her and dumping her?
Wrong fucking move, Greybek.
It was damn near explosive what was happening inside my chest. Suddenly, the only thing I could think of was ramming my fist into Greybek’s jaw.
“I wish I didn’t,” El confessed.
Even with the rage building within me, I moved with the tenderness that one would have when holding a newborn. Arms wrapping her up, I held her to me.
The gesture caused her to cry harder, and the only relief I currently had was knowing she was safe right here with me.
I wished I could take it all away for her. That beautiful heart of hers was loudly cracking in her chest as she cried in my arms, and it was the only thing keeping me from committing a murder right now.
With El’s parents gone for the day and Lo having moved back to college last week, I was all she had at the moment.
I had no idea how much time had passed before she climbed out of my lap, her wails fading to light sniffles. The second she was out of my arms, all my anger came surging back with the force of a fucking tsunami.
“El,” I said. She looked up, still shattered. “Where does he live?”
“Huh?”
“Where does he live?”
“Why?”
I stood. “Because I’m going to teach him a lesson.” As El opened her mouth, I knew she was about to ask why, but I beat her to it, resting my palm on her tinted cheek. I could feel her tears beneath my fingers, and it only fueled me. “Because nobody is allowed to hurt you.”
I could tell she was thinking about it, probably wondering what damage I’d do if she were to give over his location.
Honey, I’d burn his house down if you asked me to.
Regardless of if she gave it to me or not, I was getting that address. I knew plenty of people at Lakeview that would happily cough it up.
“El?” I softly asked.
Just as I thought she was about to shake her head and forbid me from stepping foot on his street, she squeaked, “23 Summet Lane.”
I was like her own personal hitman, and unfortunately for Greybek, his mistake was about to be fatal.
Both of our schools knew how close El and I were; he should’ve known I would’ve been after him for something like this.
Leaning down, I planted a tame kiss on El’s forehead. “Call or text if you need me.”
“Matt!” she called after me as I briskly walked out. “Don’t do anything too stupid!”
Truthfully, I had no idea what I was going to do. All I knew was that I was fucking mad. I usually tried to channel all my aggression into hockey, but with it being the off-season, and more importantly, with this having to do with El, I was taking action now.
Breaths growing heavy and labored, I could feel the adrenaline raising in my veins, fueled by rage. My knuckles were turning white, curling so tightly around the steering wheel as if it were Greybek’s throat instead.
I drove my shitty Celica ten minutes away to a nice, polished neighborhood, full of rich cheaters, apparently.
When 23 Summet Lane came into view, I parked at the curb, pleased to see my intended target working on his dirt bike in the garage.
Because of course this scumbag had a fucking dirt bike.
With a quick glance around, my eyes landed on the crowbar in my backseat that Gavin and I had used to redo the floor in his bathroom just the other week.
Without a second thought, it was in my hand, and I was out of the car.
“Matt Gallagher?” Greybek thought aloud.
I didn’t give him a hello. Or a wave. Or any indication that I had any intention on speaking with him about his wrongdoing. There was no talking this out or talking me down.
He hurt the girl I loved, and he was going to pay for it.