AllFreeNovel
Share Us
At one time this would have been our norm, but his betrayal still made my heart ache like it had happened yesterday. My pain was a constant reminder that felt like a fresh cut to the skin every time I was near him.
Reluctantly, I followed behind wanting nothing more than to find a quiet space where I could be alone with my thoughts.
Chapter 16
Jack - Seventeen Years Old
I stoodin front of Whitney’s small, worn-down house. The decrepit structure had seen better days. Paint peeling from the shutters, weeds filling in where grass should be, it was a far cry from my parent’s well-manicured two-story suburban sprawl complete with a fully furnished basement.
Sometimes it took my breath away how different our home lives were.
But as sad as standing in front of this house made me, I had to thank it and all it stood for because it selfishly gave me more time with Whitney. My house had served as her safe haven for years and if this house was any indication, that wouldn’t change anytime soon. Hell, my parents didn’t even bat an eye when I’d first brought Whitney over, her presence a now near permanent fixture in our house.
We could be there for her in a way that Whitney’s mother never could.
Sometimes her sister would come over too, when she didn’t have a friend of her own to stay with.
Despite our friendship, Whitney didn’t like inviting me to her house.
I knew from our innumerable discussions about her home life that she was embarrassed and didn’t want me to see her living situation firsthand. Despite Whitney and Savannah’s best efforts, the Rose household remained in a perpetual state of disarray. I caught enough quick glimpses of the inside to know firsthand.
I waited patiently for Whitney to grab what she needed from inside. It should have only taken her a minute or two, but it had already been much longer than that. I tapped my foot as each second ticked by without her return.
“No, no, no, no, no…” I heard a steady stream of “nos” coming from Whitney inside the house. I barged inside, breaking my earlier promise to stay outside.
The foul smell from the kitchen hit my nostrils immediately, and I noticed stacks of fast food on the counter and on the dinner table. Ignoring the smell and the mess, I proceeded to the back of the small home until I found Whitney and Savannah’s room.
Unlike the rest of the house, this oasis was normally neatly arranged, with beds made, and belongings always in their correct place.
That’s not what I found.
“What happened in here?” I paused in the doorway, stunned at the mess.
Whitney turned around, ghost white with tears streaming down her face. “Guess.”
I unfroze from where I stood, taking the few remaining paces between me and Whitney before wrapping my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to her as I smoothed her hair behind her ear.
Whitney hiccupped beneath me. “She ransacked the place looking for money. My money.” She heaved an unsteady breath. “And she found it.”
I pulled her in tighter.
“You’ll earn it back,” I promised her. “It will take a while, but you will.” My blood vibrated under my skin. I’d never been so livid in my entire life. It took all the restraint in me not to run out of the house and track down Whitney’s mom to try to at least recover some of the money she’d stolen.
If she hadn’t used it all already.
But Whitney needed me here, and I refused to be the second person today to disappoint her.
“I wanted to spend the money doing something fun for your birthday.” She cried into my shoulder, a tremble in her voice. I ran my hand up and down her back.
In my rage I almost forgot why we were at the Rose household in the first place. It was my seventeenth birthday and Whitney wanted to take me out to do something special to celebrate.
Too bad her mom ruined Whitney’s plans, as always. It didn’t matter to me at all if Whitney had money to spend on my birthday or not, just the fact that she wanted to spend my birthday with me made me happy. But I knew this betrayal cut deep.
My parents had given me a hundred-dollar bill that morning and told me to do whatever I wanted with it. I could make Whitney’s plans for tonight a reality.
Eventually, Whitney took a step back so I could examine her face. The tears were mostly dried, but I wiped the few stragglers that remained.
