Twisted (Torn Series)

by Robinson, K. A.

  As I realized just how much of a manipulative bitch Kadi really was, my temper flared all over again. There was no way I was letting her get away with all of this. And then she’d had the nerve to come up to my room and pretend to feel guilty. All while taking pictures of me and Jordan in bed to show Drake. She just kept digging that hole of hers deeper.

  “That doesn’t surprise me; Kadi is twisted and always has been. I was young and stupid when I met her, and I regret ever getting involved with her. I was still in high school and blown away that some college girl was interested in me. She hid the crazy side of herself well at first though, in my defense.”

  I cringed at the thought of Drake with Kadi. She was a perfect example of the type of girl I always worried about when it came to Drake doing shows without me around. Knowing he had been with someone like her didn’t help my self-esteem one bit.

  “Why are you so quiet over there? What’d I say?” He asked with a confused look on his face.

  I couldn’t help but smile at his obliviousness. “Knowing you’ve been with girls like her hurts a little bit, I won’t lie. You have all those girls at shows fighting for your attention and I always feel like I don’t add up.”

  He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Are you kidding me? I noticed you the minute you walked into the room that first day. I’d never seen anyone as beautiful as you were. I can’t change my past or the things I did, but I don’t want that to hold us back,” he frowned, “You know, you’re really good at distracting me.”

  “Huh?”

  “You never told me what happened with your mom. Don’t think I didn’t notice that so start talking.”

  I groaned. “I thought I had you. She got me when I got out of the pool; she snuck up behind me and threw me to the ground. She kicked the shit out of me, beat my head against the concrete and then tried to drown me. Jordan showed up around then and got her off of me. Allison called the police and paramedics and I spent a couple of days in the hospital. No one has seen her since.”

  I thought that was a good summary of what happened. I didn’t want to get into the details with him; I knew it would only make him angrier and I didn’t need him chasing after my mother. If I had any luck at all, she’d just disappear and leave me alone.

  “I shouldn’t have left you there alone. I put my stupid band before you.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not your fault. Jordan was watching me like a hawk and it still happened. Even if you had been there, she would have found a way to get to me. Your band is important to you, I would never expect you to give it up for me.”

  “Nothing is more important than you.”

  “Seriously, stop beating yourself up. Regrets will get you nowhere; we’re together now and that’s all that matters.”

  He kissed me again and I shivered at the sensations that it caused. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too. I feel like we have a lot of time to make up for.” I gave him a devious grin.

  He laughed as he shook his head. “Not happening; at least not until you’re healed. Besides, it’s kind of hard to do any of the things I want to do to you in a small bunk on a bus filled with people.”

  “I’m not made of glass and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if we went to a hotel for the night.”

  He brushed his hand against my ribs and I grimaced. “Not made of glass huh? While I’m not opposed to getting a room with you, we’ve got to get back on the road. Jade already had to cancel two shows because of my dumb ass. If we miss anymore, she’ll be out for blood.”

  “Fine,” I pouted, “We should probably get back then. I need to take Jordan home then I’ll meet back up with you.”

  He frowned. “Stay with me overnight, then you can take him home. I just got you back; I’m not ready to give you up just yet.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me as long as he’s ok with it.”

  He pulled me to my feet and started pulling me through the park, but stopped at one of the pits that were used to build fires in.

  “Give me those pictures.”

  I handed them to him and watched as he laid them in the pit and pulled his lighter out. Without a second thought, he lite the envelope on fire and watched as it and the pictures inside started to burn.

  When there was nothing left but ashes, he turned to me. “There. Now I’m ready.”

  I smiled up at him as he took my hand and led me out of the park and back to the bus. Jordan exited as soon as he saw us, worry etched into his face.

  “Everything ok?” He asked as he eyed Drake suspiciously.

  “Yeah, we’re good. You up for a small road trip?” I asked as I walked back to my car.

  “Um, sure?” It came out as a question more than a statement.

  “Just one more night and then I’ll take you home.”

  “Fair enough, you want me to drive?” He asked.

  I pulled my keys out and handed them to him. “Sure.”

  Drake pulled me to him, careful not to touch my ribs. “She’s on the bus with me, or I’ll just ride in the car with her. Your choice.”

  Jordan rolled his eyes as he tossed the keys to Drake. “By all means princess, I’ll just hang out on the bus.”

  I gave him an apologetic smile as he shook his head and boarded the bus.

  Drake helped me into the car before taking a seat behind the wheel. “He’s had you long enough, it’s my turn.”

  Shortly after Jade came out and Drake explained the driving situation, we were on the road. I smiled as I rolled my window down and let the warm summer air blow through my hair. Drake was safe and we were going to be ok; things were finally starting to look up for us.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Drake

  I laughed as I watched Chloe stick her head out of the car window. “What are you doing?”

  “Pretending to be a dog,” she deadpanned, “What do you think? I’m letting the wind blow my hair!”

  “The dog excuse sounded better.” I said as she smacked me.

  “Shut up! This is the first time I’ve felt free in a long time.”

  “Go right ahead, but when you eat a bug don’t come crying to me.”

  She stuck her tongue out as I gunned the engine and flew down the interstate, passing the tour bus. She flew backwards into her seat cursing and clutching her side. “Damn it, watch the ribs!”

  I instantly felt guilty. “Sorry babe.”

  She grinned as she leaned back out the window. “Just kidding!”

  I frowned. “Not funny.”

  I took the next exit to fill up on gas and make a pit stop. As I drove down the exit ramp, she stuck her body further out the window. Her ass was the only part of her I could see and I grinned to myself before smacking it. She squealed and sat back down in her seat.

  “Stop it!”

  “What? You had it right there in front of me, what did you expect me to do?”

  She rolled her eyes as I pulled in next to the gas pumps. I sent a quick text to Jade, letting her know that we would be right behind them once we filled up. As I stuck my card in the machine, Chloe got out and walked into the store. I watched her go, smiling to myself. It was good to have her back with me, especially now that I knew everything Kadi told me had been a lie.

  I finished filling up and walked into the store to find the bathroom. Chloe was standing in line and I pointed to the bathroom in the back of the store, letting her know I’d be just a minute. As I walked in and locked the door, I was relieved to see that it was a single stall bathroom so I knew I wouldn’t be interrupted.

  The bag in my pocket felt like a lead weight as I pulled it out and stared at the white powder inside. What the hell was I doing? Everything was fine between us now and I didn’t need to do this. I debated on dumping it down the toilet, but quickly shoved the thought aside. There was no reason to just throw my money away; I would finish this bag and then be done with it all.

  I pulled the mirror and dollar bill out of my pocket and set them on
the sink. I dumped a small amount out and made a line, snorting it quickly. Just as I finished, someone started beating on the bathroom door.

  “Hold on!” I shouted as I stashed everything back in my pocket. My heart was beating out of my chest as I looked around, making sure that I had left no evidence behind. I threw the door open to see Chloe standing there waiting for me.

  She smiled brightly as she handed me a soda. “You take longer than a girl. Hurry up or we’ll never catch up with the bus!”

  I wiped my nose to make sure there were no traces of powder as I followed her out of the store. I started to feel the effects as we walked back to the car; it had been a couple of hours since my last fix and I instantly started to relax as I felt the rush running through my veins. I stopped Chloe just as she started to open her door and kissed her hard on the mouth. She sighed and her lips parted as I ran my tongue along her bottom lip.

  I pulled away and she stared up at me, breathless. “What was that for?”

  “Because I felt like it. Do I need a reason?”

  “Nope, you can kiss me like that anytime you want.” She said as she slid into her seat.

  I closed her door and walked around the car to get in. As I sat down, I noticed her sifting through the massive bag she called a purse. I refused to ever stick my hand in that thing; I had seen her pull her hand out cursing from some kind of injury far too many times to feel safe sticking my own hand in. How would I play guitar if I lost a hand to some unknown purse beast?

  “What are you doing?” I asked as she continued to dig.

  “Ha! Found them!” She pulled out a pill bottle with a triumphant look on her face. “My ribs are starting to hurt so I was trying to find my pain pills.”

  I watched her wearily as she popped the top and pulled out a small white pill. I didn’t want that temptation around me as well. “Do you really need those?”

  “Um, yeah. If I don’t take one every couple of hours my ribs and face start throbbing. What’s the big deal?”

  “Nothing, I just don’t want you stoned and trying to seduce me while I‘m driving.” I joked, hoping she wouldn’t notice my discomfort.

  “Pretty sure I’d have to take more than one to make me do that while you’re on the interstate,” she smiled at me playfully, “Although, we’re not on the interstate just yet.”

  She reached across the console and ran her hand across my leg. I bit back a groan as I pushed her hand away. I was trying to be the good guy and she wasn’t helping me any.

  “Don’t even think about it.” I said as I pulled out of the parking lot and up the ramp to merge into the three lanes of traffic.

  She pushed my hand aside as she cupped me through my pants. I bit my lip as I tried to focus my attention on the road in front of me. I wasn’t doing a very good job paying attention.

  “If you keep that up, you’ll be sorry.” I groaned.

  “That was the plan.”

  “Not happening, I don’t want to hurt you Chloe.”

  She pouted. “You’re not going to hurt me. I’m starting to feel like I’m not wanted.”

  I grabbed her hand and pressed it against my hard on. “Now tell me you’re not wanted. All you did was touch me through my pants and I’m about to bust my zipper. Wanting you isn’t the problem.”

  “Well I don’t see the issue then. I bet I can change your mind tonight.”

  I sighed as I pushed the gas harder when I noticed the bus in the distance. “You’re not going to make this easy are you?”

  “Nope, I know you’ll cave eventually.”

  We spent the next two hours catching each other up on everything that we’d missed by being apart and fighting over what CD to listen to. As the miles crept by, I started feeling restless and debated pulling over again but I couldn’t think of a reason to. I smacked the steering wheel in aggravation; feeling weak.

  Chloe looked up at me in surprise. “What was that for?”

  I took a deep breath to control my temper. “Nothing, just tired of driving.”

  “We can switch if you want.”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I just want out of this car.”

  I was not going to let this get to me. I had spent years staying away from drugs and I wasn’t about to relapse after only a few days of using again. I controlled my own actions, not some fucking powder.

  Chloe helped to distract me by singing along to the songs she had blaring from the speakers. I laughed as she did as much of a car dance as her ribs would allow. My laughter soon died as I noticed two guys driving next to us watching her. Chloe was oblivious to the attention as I flipped them off and sped up. I had never been the jealous type, not that I had ever cared enough about anyone to get jealous, but with Chloe anytime a guy looked her direction, I wanted to rip his head off. It made life difficult when she was around, since she always seemed to catch men’s eyes without even trying. Her innocence when it came to the opposite sex was cute and all, but sometimes it became annoying when she acted like I was blowing things out of proportion.

  Before I knew it, we were following the bus down an exit ramp. We drove through a small town before stopping at a bar just past the city limits. The bar looked small from the outside, but it was a lot better looking than some of the ones we had played in recently. The parking lot was free of any liter and the bar itself looked like it had just recently been painted. I hoped the inside was just as nice, it would be nice to leave a gig without needing to shower right after we finished.

  I parked the car next to the bus and got out to stretch my legs. The long ride had made Chloe stiff and I had to help her out of the car. As I pulled her out and shut the door, Jordan and the band stepped off the bus and walked over to us.

  Jordan was instantly by her side. “Are you ok? Did you take your pill?”

  I felt my temper flare again as I watched him look her over. She didn’t need him to take care of her anymore; I was back around to do that for her. And it wasn’t like I couldn’t take care of her for the couple of hours since he had last seen her.

  “I’m fine, and yes I took my pill. Stop acting like you’re my mom.”

  He snorted. “Gee thanks, that’s who I was trying to be.”

  “Oh, you know what I meant.”

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as I glared up at Jordan. “You can back off now; I can handle her from here on out.”

  I knew I was being an ass, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. Whatever truce I had with Jordan had disappeared when I looked at those pictures. I knew now that they were innocent, but I didn’t like that he had curled up in bed with her while I was away. It was taking the whole friendship thing a little too far.

  “Drake, don’t.” Chloe pleaded.

  I ignored her as I continued to glare at Jordan. “Chloe explained the pictures to me, but I still don’t appreciate the fact you had your hands on her more than once when I was gone. She’s mine and I’m making that clear right now. If you don’t like it, I’ll be glad to go another round with you.”

  Jordan laughed, which only infuriated me further. “It’s not like that with us, but she is still my friend and I’ll take care of her if I need to. You need to tone down the jealous boyfriend thing; you’re making yourself look like an idiot.”

  I stepped forward and shoved him. My body was tight with anticipation as I waited for him to shove me back. That’s all I needed to start punching him again. I willed him to hit me, but he shook his head and stepped back.

  “You need to get your shit together or she’s going to dump your sorry ass,” he growled.

  Chloe stepped in between us and put her hands out. “Enough! What’s wrong with you Drake?”

  “Nothing.” I spat as I turned away from them to look at the band. “Let’s carry our stuff in and start setting up.”

  Eric watched me closely as we unloaded the instruments and carried them inside. I tried to ignore him, but I could feel him staring at me as I helped Jade set her drums up. Out of everyone, Eric was the one w
ho I was worried about. He was always so quiet, but I knew he spent that time observing people. He had an uncanny ability to see things that others missed, and if anyone caught me, I knew it would be him.

  We finished setting up and started walking back out to the bus. Jade had forced us to stop a couple of towns back to pick up real food from the supermarket because the constant fast food was starting to get to her. I knew there had to be something microwavable in there and I was dreaming of macaroni and cheese as we entered the bus. All thoughts of food left me as I saw Chloe sitting at the table with Jordan, leaning against him with her head on his shoulder as he ran his hands through her hair.

  I saw red as I stomped over to stand in front of them. “What the fuck?” I shouted.

  Jordan held a finger up to his lips and pointed to Chloe. I looked down at her and noticed that she was asleep. I felt like an ass as I watched her stir in her sleep before slowly opening her eyes. They landed on me and she smiled up at me, until she noticed the look on my face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I motioned between her and Jordan. “Sorry, I just came in and saw you two all cuddled up together. Again.”

  She must have realized that she was still leaning on him and pulled away instantly. “I must have fallen asleep, I didn’t mean to make you mad Drake.”

  I ran my hands through my hair and turned to start digging through the cabinets for food. “It’s alright, I jumped to conclusions again.”

  Unable to find any macaroni and cheese, I settled for the next best thing – Pop Tarts. I pulled a pack from the box and ripped them open. Chloe stood and walked over to me, wrapping her hands around my waist.

  “I’m sorry, I really am. But you promised to always ask before you jumped to conclusions again, remember?”