Page 43 of Save Me

It’s hatred. Pure hatred.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I can’t answer; all I can do is look at that look in her eyes.

“Fuck you, Micah! Fuck you! You didn’t listen to me.”

I open my mouth, then close it again, my heart racing. What is she talking about?

Tyler whirls, shoving her dad back in the car, then gets in the seat behind him. There’s yelling from inside the car, threats to call the cops, and then they’re pulling away.

I stare after them, body still humming. I didn’t finish it. Didn’t finish the job. Why did she get back in the car with him? Why did she defend him? Why didn’t she tell me? Fudge, tell anyone?

I go home, and I sob. I call Tyler to apologize, but she never picks up. The next day, she isn’t at school, which freaks me out more. I want to go to her house, and I almost do, but now that I’ve had time to consider it, I’m afraid of what her dad will do to her if I do.

I never found the answers to my questions. When Tyler did come back to school, she didn’t talk about it. In fact, she didn’t talk about anything, and slowly she iced me out and stopped talking to me altogether. It took me a bit to realize I screwed up. What was I doing? I probably made it a hundred times worse for her. Because I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t help her.

I never stopped wanting to kill Tyler’s dad.

My client comes back to the seat.

Fudge. My chest feels like an elephant is sitting on it. Maddox has gotten hurt, and his abuser got away with it. Just like Tyler’s. That makes me want to kill him. But what if Maddox hates me for it like Tyler did?

My chest rips with agony. Maddox is hurt, and just like before, there’s nothing I can do about it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Suffering succotash, the older I get, the more tattoos hurt.

Am I tattooing a sugar glider on my knee in the middle of the night to avoid going upstairs and asking Maddox his life story?

Yes. Yes, I am.

Because by some miracle, Maddox stayed. He stayed, and now he’s staying in the guest bedroom upstairs.

Did I tell him I had a client early in the morning, and he may as well just get a few hours of sleep ‘cause I’ll need him again?

Yes.

Did it look like he knew exactly what I was doing?

Also yes.

But he stayed.

The tattoo machine rattles as I go over the bone, and sweet, mind-numbing pain embraces me. It cuts through every thought of revenge, every memory, even the absolute high of coming home and seeing that Maddox was still here. Now, did he offer to transfer money into my account to pay for staying here?

Yes. Buggar. I forgot that paying him meant he also had my information to pay me. It’s okay, I’ll make sure to repay him somehow. I mean, the man just lost everything. Why is he paying me? Oh, maybe he’ll want a tattoo. I haven’t seen any on him. I wonder if he has any hidden–

“What is it?”

I yelp, jumping as my vision goes black for a second. I raise my tattoo machine up to defend myself, and there, standing in the shadows, is Maddox, arms crossed across his chest.

For a moment, I just stare, then I let out a shuddering laugh. I am not used to having anyone else in my home. I forgot how they can just…move around whenever they want to, unlike Princess.

Then, I register his question. He’s looking at my knee.

“Oh, uh, sugar glider.”