She shook her head. “I’ll go back home with Wyatt and take care of things there.”
“Can I come with you guys?”
Julie shook her head with a mournful expression. “We want you to stay here for a while. Luke’s brought in a doctor to check up on you too,” she said, looking extremely worried. “You gave us a bit of a shock when you passed out. You should stay here for the night. We can trust Luke.”
I switched off the water and stepped out of the bathtub.
Water dripped onto the immaculate marble floor from my soaked dress as I walked toward Julie.
“I’m fine now,” I said in a low, scratchy voice. “And I’m sorry to put you guys through that crap show. I never should’ve invited you guys.”
“None of this was your fault,” Julie said in a suddenly fierce voice. “Those guys are such assholes! They let you feel you were welcome in their family and then they treated you this way.”
I stayed quiet. Noah, Corey, and Caleb never welcomed me. They made sure I understood how much they hated me and my mom.
It really was my fault for inviting my friends to a house where I wasn’t welcomed in the first place. Brian’s enthusiasm made me forget the true reality of my relationship with the Amhurst brothers.
“They even waited for your mom and Brian to leave,” Julie shouted, unable to put a lid on her anger anymore. “Fuck! I thought you were lucky living with those hot-as-fuck guys but damn! For a moment, I was even jealous of you, Milla!” She swiped at her eyes but angry tears still slid down her cheeks. “Shit! I don’t want you to ever go back to that house.”
She threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “You’re too sweet to be around those awful shitheads,” she said, choking the life out of me.
The stench of rotting blood wafted into my nostrils from Julie’s clothes but I stayed in her embrace. Even though I was at the risk of passing out again, her warmth made it all better.
Julie, Wyatt, and Luke were on my side. They even rescued me from that awful scene.
Warmth spread through me despite the heavy, soaked dress weighing me down. I didn’t have a lot of friends but the ones I had were worth their weight in gold!
“Julie,” I said calmly. “I’m okay. Really.”
My friend finally loosened her hold on me.
“Did you get these for me?” I asked, gesturing toward the towels and clothes.
“Oh, yeah,” she said as if she just remembered about them. “Get dressed and come out. Luke’s freaking out. Let him see that you’re okay.”
“Give me a minute,” I said, taking the towel from her.
Julie came behind me and helped with the zipper on the dress. While she did that, I wrapped a towel over my sopping wet hair.
Within a few minutes, I’d shed the black gown and donned on an overlarge t-shit and loose, flabby shorts that reached my knees. They clearly belonged to Luke.
“Done,” I said, turning around to face Julie.
She gave a nod. “You look like yourself now.” Relief spread through her features as her gaze swept over me. “Come on. Wyatt’s waiting too.”
We stepped out of the bathroom together.
A luxurious room came into my view.
“Milla!” Wyatt’s familiar voice grabbed my attention at once.
My best friend marched toward me and pulled me into a hug.
“Hey,” I said in a soft voice. “I’m okay now.”
He let go and leaned in so he could take a closer look at my face. His anxious gaze raked me from head to foot.
“At least, you’re not physically hurt,” he mumbled, hugging me again.