I bring my hands to my mouth, trying to muffle the intense agony I’m feeling from escaping from my lungs, but I’m unable to keep it all in. A whimper creeps out and my legs give way. I fall to my knees and rest my head on the bed next to her as I gasp for breath. I lift the blanket that’s covering her partially naked body. The entire side of her stomach and ribs are blue and severely swollen. I gasp. Tris must have kicked her while she was lying on the ground defenseless… probably begging for him not to!
My head is spinning and I immediately start to cry. I’m unable to contain the tears any longer. I wasn’t there to protect her! I should have stopped him!
My wails echo through her room and even though they are loud enough to wake the dead, Skylar doesn’t budge.
Parker, placing both of his hands under the crooks of my arms, yanks me to my feet. I spin around and, without thinking, slam my fists into his chest, over and over again as my cries continue to flow out of me. He tries to stop me from hitting him, reaching for my arms to keep them at bay, but I keep pulling them back and continue hitting. Eventually, he wraps his arms around my entire body tightly so that both of my arms are pinned between us. It’s the only way to get me to stop. Moments later, he lifts me up off the ground and walks us out of the room.
He lets me go once we are in the kitchen and all I can do is stand there and continue to cry uncontrollably. I’m unable to stop gasping and sputtering, and I’m unsure why that is. I think seeing her like this has left me in some sort of hysterical state.
He watches me bawl, waiting for me to stop, but when I don’t, he hesitantly steps toward me, and once he’s sure I won’t hit him again, wraps his arms around me, this time in an embrace, attempting to calm me.
It’s a stiff, awkward hug, a hug between strangers, but it still does the trick and I am finally able to slow the tears down and catch my breath. He pats my head softly once I’m calm again and takes a step back. I see the pain in his eyes, and I know, without him saying so, that he’s feeling the same way I am. Someone he cares about was hurt by another, and that pain resonates from him.
“Tris did all that?” I ask finally, between sporadic breaths.
He nods. I see the emotion in his face, his lower lip is struggling to keep it together, and his eyes are close to giving his pain away. He turns from me quickly so that I don’t see.
“Why isn’t she at the hospital? What if she has broken bones, ruptured organs? Morphine might not be enough.”
“I wanted to,” he says, “but she made me promise her not to. You know how she is with hospitals. If she gets worse, I’ll bring her, I promise.”
“You aren’t exactly able to make that type of call. You’re a drug dealer, not a doctor,” I say probably a bit too harshly, but I don’t care. I’m pissed and this is his fault. Tris did this to hurt him.
He looks me right in the eye, staring me down with an intensity I hadn’t anticipated. I take a slight step back because of it. “I love her as much as you do!” he growls.
The confession breaks my heart. I know he loves her, but I wasn’t expecting him to be so forward about it with me. He must know how much that type of confession would hurt me.
“I know you do. I’m not saying that you don’t. I just want to make sure she’s going to be ok.”
“I’ll make sure she’s ok,” he assures me.
“And what about Tris?”
“I don’t know what to do about him yet. But I will do something. I promise.”
“He’s your friend,” I remind him, although I’m not sure why. There is no need for the reminder. He knows Tris is his friend, or at least he was.
He winces. “A friend wouldn’t do something like this to a person I love.”
There it is again. The love confession. It hurts, and even worse, it sucks that it hurts.
“I’m going to go,” I say, wiping a stray tear from my face and starting toward the door. “Evan’s waiting downstairs.”
Parker raises an eyebrow and shoots me a look that’s somewhere between a standard smirk and his trademark condescending smile. “Daniels brought you here to see your ex-girlfriend and waited downstairs for you. I have to say, I’m actually impressed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, frowning.
He shrugs. “Nothing. I just didn’t expect him to be so casual about you still caring about Skylar.”
“She’s my best friend. I can’t exactly shut that off overnight you know,” I reply defensively.
Parker doesn’t seem too phased by my defensiveness. He leans up against the kitchen counter and nods. “I know that. I just don’t think he does.”
I sigh. “He’s trying. He’s downstairs, isn’t he?” I say, gesturing toward the patio door.
“Does he know I’m up here?”
“I don’t know,” I snap. I know where he’s going with this and it’s really pissing me off that he thinks he has a right to even go there.
“I bet he doesn’t. I bet he thinks you’ve been up here alone with your ex-girlfriend, getting back with her. I bet he’s scared as hell.”
“That’s ridiculous. I needed to know if she was ok.”
He walks over to the patio door and slides it open. He peeks over the edge of the balcony at Evan waiting in the car, but Evan doesn’t see him. He turns back to look at me. “You could have called, or texted… You didn’t need to come here. You know that, right?”
I did text her first, not that I need to defend myself to Parker. If he has a problem, he better just spit it out, because I hate games like this. “Do you have something you want to say to me, Parker? Is my being here threatening you in some way?” I ask, testily.
He thinks for a moment, seeming to gather his words carefully as he re-enters the kitchen and closes the patio door behind him. “I’m not threatened by you. I know how Skylar feels about me. But if she were running after you the way you’re running after her, I just might be worried.”
What an ass! He thinks he knows it all. “Evan trusts me,” I say, clenching my teeth together in an attempt to calm my anger. “He knows I’m just worried.”
“Does he?”
“You’re trying to piss me off, but it won’t work,” I say.
He shrugs carelessly. “I’m just trying to make you see things through Evan’s eyes for a minute. Not that I care or anything, but you’re hurting him.”
“How the hell would you know that I’m hurting him? You two having heart to hearts now?”
He smiles but doesn’t answer my question. Instead he changes the subject completely, “Anyway, you don’t want to keep him waiting much longer, I bet. You better get going. I’ll be sure to tell Skylar you were here when she wakes up.”
“Yeah, fine,” I mumble. I walk out of the apartment without another word.
I don’t have the patience to put up with this guy. I don’t care how much Skylar loves him. I’ll never be able to be his friend.
I wait a few moments for the elevator to reach the top floor and once it opens, Spencer is standing before me.
“I didn’t know you were coming here,” he says. “I just saw Evan downstairs. He seems… concerned about how long you’ve been up here.”
“I just wanted to see if she was ok,” I reply angrily. Why do I have to keep defending myself about this?
“I told you I was coming.”
“I know. I needed to see her, though.”
He nods knowingly, not wanting to push it any further. He can tell I’m already annoyed. “Is she all right?”
“I’ll let Parker tell you.” I give him a quick kiss on the cheek before taking his place in the elevator. Once the doors close, I push the button to go down and lean against the mirrored wall, feeling completely deflated. Could this night possibly get any worse?
Evan
Spencer’s pity annoys me. Waiting outside of Skylar’s building for Bree to come back was already hard enough, but to see the look he gave me when I told him that Bree’s been up there for fifteen minutes
now, was painful. I hate pity. Why am I always the guy that gets walked all over in situations like these? Because I’m way too nice for my own good, that’s why.
A minute after he disappears into the doors of the building, Bree finally reappears and climbs back into the car next to me. As she’s buckling herself in, I’m trying to decide if I should just come out and tell her how uncomfortable this whole situation is making me feel. Do I put my feelings out there, begging for some boundaries, or do I continue on like nothing is wrong and hope it all just goes away? The second choice sounds appealing, but I know it’s not going to help the way I feel. I need to talk to her.
“Sorry it took so long,” she says to me breathlessly, and all I can think is that she was up there that whole time making out with Skylar. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I trust her?
“Is she ok?”
Bree shakes her head and I see the tears well up in her eyes. “He beat her, Evan. He kicked her in the ribs, he hit her in the face, he held her down and hurt her over and over.”
I’m shocked. That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear at all. That fucking son of a bitch! I always knew he was a piece of shit, but I never thought he’d do something like this. I can feel the anger boil up inside of me. I wish he was here right now so I can kill him myself, that’s how much anger I’m feeling at this very moment.
“Parker was too late,” I say like it’s a fact, and she nods. Parker can’t always be there to protect them. This is exactly what I was trying to explain to Ellie. She could be next.
“Where is he now?”
“He’s upstairs taking care of her. He gave her morphine so she’s asleep. I didn’t get to talk to her.”
I don’t want to show how relieved I am that she wasn’t alone with Skylar, but I am. I’m not ready for that type of trust yet. There’s still too much between those two that hasn’t been dealt with. “You were up there that long talking to Parker?”
She shrugs. “He’s not so horrible anymore, I guess. I still don’t like him, though.”
I guess that’s how I’m feeling about him now too, oddly enough. It’s weird how so much has changed in such a little amount of time.
I turn the key in the ignition and before I put the car into drive I look at Bree. I think I’m just going to say what’s bothering me and get it out there. I can’t keep it in forever. If I try, I might just snap someday, and I think that might be worse.
“Can I ask you something?”
She glances at me uneasily. “I guess so.”
“Are you still in love with Skylar?” I ask, and before she has a chance to respond, I quickly go on. “Because I know you keep saying that you’re not, but your actions are saying that you are. You were really worried about her tonight.”
“I care about her and I care about what happens to her! It doesn’t mean I’m still in love with her! Why is it that none of you guys can seem to understand that?”
It’s pretty clear that I’m not the only one who has expressed these same opinions to her tonight. “Well, maybe everyone else is seeing something that you’re not.”
“Maybe what Adrienne did to you is making you paranoid,” she returns harshly. It’s a low blow, and she knows it.
“Yeah? Fine, tell me, Bree, who’s your roommate for the class trip next week?” I ask pointedly.
She avoids my gaze and looks to her lap. “It’s Skylar, so what? That was arranged months ago.”
“Have you considered changing it?”
“Why would I? It doesn’t mean anything. I’m with you now! Not her.”
“If it doesn’t mean anything, then switch rooms with Kelsie. For me.” I know even as I’m asking that she won’t go along with it. She doesn’t see anything wrong with what she’s doing.
“I don’t want to,” she returns loudly. “I want to have a chance for Sky and me to be friends again. I miss her Evan. I feel like there’s a piece of me missing since we broke up. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m with you and she’s with Parker and we can be friends without complications. I know that we can.”
She just doesn’t get it! She’s in denial about all of it. “What if I don’t want you two to be friends?” I ask.
“Then I’d say you’re not being fair.”
“I’m not being fair? Bree, listen to yourself. I can’t be with you if you’re friends with her. It’s too hard. And do you want to know why it’s too hard? Whether you believe it or not, it’s because you’re still in love with her! I know it, Parker knows it, Spencer knows it, and hell, I think Skylar even knows it. The only person who doesn’t seem to know it is you!”
Bree grows very quiet, her cheeks flush, and she turns away from me to look out the passenger window. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Drive me home, please.”
“Gladly,” I reply bitterly. I put the car into drive.
Once we are in her driveway I consider getting out and walking her to her door, but I’m pissed and hurt and I don’t want to, so I don’t.
“Please try to understand,” she begs as she’s getting out of the car.
“Just leave, Bree. You’re selfish, and I just can’t right now.”
“You can’t what?”
“I can’t deal with your confusion. Figure out what you want!”
“I want you!”
I shake my head. “You don’t know what you want.”
“Evan, please.”
“No,” I say, feeling worn out and emotionally drained, “just go. I’m not breaking up with you, but we just need space to sort this out. We’ll talk in a few days.”
She nods reluctantly and closes the passenger door. After a few moments of sadly staring at me through the window, she walks up the driveway and enters her house.
Once the door is shut behind her, I hit the gas and take off out of her yard hastily, causing the tires to screech. I do it on purpose, to show her how pissed I am.
Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life or did I finally make the right call for her? Maybe she needs to be forced into realizing what she wants. As much as I’m petrified of what that means for me, I can’t keep living with this jealousy and uncertainty, it’s turning me into a person I don’t even recognize and I hate it.
Skylar
I stay in my bed for days after the attack and only wake for a few minutes at a time. But each time I do, Parker is lying right next to me, squished to me in my tiny twin sized bed with his arm draped loosely over my midsection. Every part of my body hurts so much each time I come to, I can’t help but whimper in pain. The instant I make a sound, Parker drags himself out of bed, fills a syringe with what I'm later told is morphine, and injects it into my veins. At the time, I don't think too much about what it is he's giving me, I am just so happy to be getting something to take the pain away.
I don't remember any type of conversation or interaction in those first few days, but I do recall the comfort I felt each time I woke and heard Parker's steady breaths next to me.
At one point, I recall waking up and seeing Cecelia walk into my room. Her face is stern, but I can’t seem to understand what it is she’s saying to me. I am so tired, and I don’t even care to try to figure out her words. Parker gets out of the bed and hurries over to her. I can tell by his movements that he is moving fast, but my fuzzy mind processes the action in slow motion. I see he's only wearing boxers, I like that he's only wearing boxers. I see my name written in Greek peeking out from the waistline of his shorts… it makes me happy. Then I slip back into a fuzzy world of unconsciousness for another twenty-four hours.
On the third day, I wake with a lot less pain and I’m finally able to sit myself up. I feel starved, but oddly enough not very dehydrated. I learned soon after, that Parker and Spencer had both been taking turns waking me every thirty minutes over the last three days to make sure I drink some water, even throughout the nights. I don’t remember any of it, but I have no doubt in my mind that they did it. Because that’s what they do, they take care of me, no m
atter what.
Apparently Spencer had brought in the couch cushion from the living room and made himself a bed on the floor of my room, which he had slept on every night. He and Parker bonded over their concern for me and have become sort-of friends in the process.
Spencer makes it clear that he thinks Parker might actually be meant for me. He tells me so while Parker is in the kitchen making me something to eat.
“What?” I ask in surprise. I’m incredibly weak and I want to laugh but I can't do much more than let out a sorry excuse of a chuckle instead.
“Parker is your perfect fit. He's exactly what you need in your life, and I think you're exactly what he needs too.”
That's a surprise. What the hell did these guys talk about over the last three days?
“What made you change your opinion about him so much?”
“Let’s just say that I got to know the Parker you know over these last few days and I see why you love him like you do.”
This time I actually do manage a small laugh. “You falling in love with my man, Spenc?”
He winks at me at the exact same moment that Parker walks into the room with my food. “What's not to fall in love with?” he jokes, having heard everything Spencer just said. He hands me the plate of food.
Wow, what three days can do. They are friends now, and joking around with each other like the best of friends! I'm in complete awe.
After that, the next four days are like heaven. Parker basically moves himself into Cecelia’s, rarely leaving my side. We sleep together, we shower together, we eat together, and we watch TV together. I even introduced him to The O.C., and like I’d suspected, he’s a fan.
Aside from having to slip away to take care of some issues with his ‘job’ and presumably some issues with Tris as well, he barely leaves the apartment at all.
Keep From Falling (Markson Grove Series Book 1) Page 36
