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Dom nods, agreeing, and Ash looks pissed. He clenches his fist so hard the plastic fork snaps. “Why would they want to keep it hidden? What the fuck do they know?” he growls, and King speaks, wiping his fingers on a napkin.
“Things are fucking weird there, man. Gracie’s mom is an alcoholic. Her dad is never around, and like Carter said, Gray is always hovering. Something is going on in that house,” he mutters, then shrugs.
“I stayed last night, and it seemed pretty quiet, but Christine was passed out upstairs, and Gray came home late. He was acting shifty about something, though. I think if we really want to know the truth about that night, then we either need to get Gracie out of that house, or someone needs to stay with her.”
I glance around at the room, and an idea comes to me. “Well then, we will just have to kidnap Gracie and all move in here. She’s eighteen. Her parents have no legal right to keep her home.”
Ash scoffs, “Why my house? She will never agree to that,” he says, waving his hand and laughing. Dom gets a huge smile, and King grumbles.
“You have three days until the Halloween party, Ash. You better start getting your shit together and making nice with her again. It’s not about just you anymore. Gracie is hurting, and she belongs to all of us if she’ll have us,” King explains. “We’ve let you have your time to mope around, but that’s over now.”
Ash grunts. “I don’t want her back,” he roars, and I’m over it.
“Yes, you do! We get it. You think people will be upset or think you’re crazy for still wanting her after what she supposedly did, but who the fuck cares. I agree with King; get your mind right and your head out of your ass before it’s too late. You want fucking answers, well, so do we. You weren’t the only one there that night, Ash; we were by your side when you found them.” I take in a deep breath, then sigh.
“We were all changed that night, Ash, but the way Gracie’s family is acting is suspicious. I think this might be the only way to finally get some closure.”
“I agree,” Dom says, standing. “You have three days to think it over. In the meantime, I’ll stay with Gracie tonight. She said her nightmares are gone when I’m there.”
King jumps up. “The fuck you will. You were there last night. I stayed here and cleaned up vomit. It’s my fucking turn!” He leaves his food and races for the stairs.
Ash looks perplexed and a little nauseous. “This is never going to work,” he mutters. “You will have to kidnap her.”
Dom groans, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Someone knocks on the door while my mom is screaming at me. I guess I wasn’t supposed to wash her stoneware. How was I to know? Maybe if she wasn’t drunk, sleeping on the couch, and had done the dishes herself, then it never would have been ruined.
“Do not walk away from me, Gracelyn Rose,” she snaps and grabs my arm roughly as I’m turning the door knob. I wince, and King sees it.
My mom lets me go and pretends to fix her hair. She’s still wearing her bathrobe, and I’m not sure if there is anything under it. “Kingston, what a pleasant surprise,” she coos, and I roll my eyes, then wipe the tear tracks off my cheeks. I have been berated for the last ten minutes straight, and some of the things my mom said were not nice.
“Mrs. Rose, how are you this evening?” he asks, and she preens.
“Oh please, sweetie, call me Christine. Do I look like some fat, old hag?” My eyes widen, and King chokes on air, shaking his head.
“No, Ma’am,” he gasps, and I want to physically hurt my mother. How dare she talk about my grandma like that. From what I can recall, she’s a very sweet lady who loves to bake and read books with me. I don’t think she has ever yelled or treated me like my mother has recently.
Maybe I should see if I can go live with her. I hate being here. Between the secrets and the verbal abuse, I’m just so tired. I wish I could run away. Is this how it was before? Was Ash right? Did I try to kill myself after all?
“Well, anywho, you kids have fun. Gracie, we will finish our chat later,” she sneers, and I nod, then take a breath as she leaves. I don’t know what is going on lately, but everyone in this house has changed in the past month. Or they have been faking since I was released from the hospital.
“Are you okay?” King asks, and I shrug. He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper, and he laughs. His chest shakes with the movement.
“I came for some more cookies, but I'm staying for the girl,” he mutters, then scoffs. “Damn, that was cheesy as hell. Truth is, I missed you,” he says, and I smile into his dark purple sweatshirt.
“Well, thanks. I really needed a hug.” I step back and give him a watery smile. He places his warm palms on my cheeks and wipes away my tears with his thumb.
“Talk to me, baby. Why was your mom screaming when I knocked? I could hear her all the way from the driveway,” he says, and I close my eyes, sighing.
“I washed some pan, and it cracked. I was just trying to help out. When I got home from practice, the kitchen was a disaster zone. All I ever do is fuck up, it seems,” I mumble, and he shakes his head.
“No, it’s not you, baby. Something is going on with your family. They were never like this before the accident. How about we go to your room and watch a movie or something?” he asks, and I nod. I notice he has a gym bag over his shoulder, and I laugh.
“Is this going to become an everyday thing?” I point to the bag. “Should I start making you pay rent?” I joke, and he laughs, then moves closer to me.
