Twisted (Torn Series)

by Robinson, K. A.

  “Wake up asshole!” I shouted.

  He groaned and rolled over, but continued to sleep. My patience was running out and I slapped his bare arm; next would be a kick to a certain area he was extra fond of.

  “Wake! Up!” I shouted into his ear.

  His eyes opened slowly. “Chloe?”

  “Good job, you know who I am. Now get up.”

  He slowly sat up and peered at me through bloodshot eyes. “Not so loud, my head is killing me.”

  “It’s really going to hurt after I get through with you,” I threw the bag at him. “Look what fell out of your pocket.”

  His eyes widened and he glanced back and forth between the bag and me. “That’s not mine.”

  “Don’t lie to me Drake, I’m not stupid! It fell out of your pocket!”

  Eric stood and put his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, calm down.”

  I turned to glare at him. “Stay out of this. Actually, I want you guys to give us a minute alone.”

  “I, uh you’re kind of mad right now. I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Eric said.

  “No, I want to be alone with him. Please.”

  Eric seemed unsure, but Jade nodded. “We’ll be outside, just yell if you need us.”

  I waited until they left to turn back to Drake. Neither of us spoke as we stared at each other and my eyes welled up with tears, both from anger and hurt.

  “How could you?” I whispered.

  “I didn’t…” He started, but I held up my hand.

  “No, just stop. Tell me the truth.”

  He stood and reached out for me, but I pushed him away. “Chloe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  “That’s a lie. If you didn’t want it to happen, you wouldn’t have started using to begin with. You’ve gone years without using, I thought you were done with this shit.”

  “I was, I mean I am. Everything got to me and I wanted a release, I never meant to keep using, but things just kept getting worse.”

  “Drugs are not a release, they’re a prison. How long?”

  He looked away and I counted to ten in my head to keep from screaming.

  “How long have you been using again?”

  “Since the night Kadi showed up with the pictures.”

  “Jesus Drake!”

  “It’s not a big deal alright?”

  “Not a big deal? Are you kidding me? You know what I went through with my mother and I’m not about to go through it again with you!”

  “I’m nothing like her; I would never hurt you like that!”

  “You already did Drake. You’ve been lying to me the entire time and don’t even get me started on your anger issues. I won’t do it again. I want you to get help.”

  “What do you mean help? I don’t see what the big deal is Chloe, I’ve got it under control.”

  “No you don’t or you wouldn’t still be using. I want you to go to rehab again. Please, for us.”

  “I’m not going to rehab Chloe! You’re overreacting to all of this!” He shouted, finally losing his temper.

  “Then stop using right now!” I shouted back.

  “I will when we go back home, I promise!”

  “Bullshit Drake, you can’t stop. Either you go to rehab or we’re done!”

  His mouth opened and closed but no words came out.

  “I mean it Drake, either you get your shit together or I’m walking out the door right now and I won’t be back.”

  “You don’t mean that Chloe. You wouldn’t just leave me like that, you love me.”

  “You’re right, I do love you. But I have to do what’s right for me too. I can’t be with you if you won’t stop Drake. I’m sorry, but I can’t do that again.”

  “Just wait until we finish the tour, and I’ll go. I swear to you I will.”

  “No, I won’t wait that long, either you go now or it’s over.”

  “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” He shouted as he kicked the bag next to him and the contents scattered. “Why are you doing this to me?”

  “Because I love you, and I want you to get help! You haven’t been on them long and it won’t be hard to stop.”

  “I can’t do rehab, just let me do this on my own. Please.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry Drake, but if you won’t go, then it’s time for me to leave.”

  “You wouldn’t really leave me Chloe, think about it. I love you, hell I want to marry you someday!”

  That hurt. I knew he was serious and I wanted to marry him one day too, but it wasn’t going to happen. He needed help and this was the only way I could think of to make him see that.

  “Goodbye Drake, I love you.” I stepped closer to him and kissed his cheek.

  “Chloe, please don’t go.” He pleaded, but I ignored him as I walked off the bus.

  Jade, Eric, and Adam were all standing next to the door. They looked up as I stepped down onto the pavement.

  “Everything ok?” Eric asked.

  I was on the verge of tears as I shook my head. “I can’t do it all over again. If he won’t get help, I can’t be with him.”

  “Oh honey, come here.” Jade held her arms out and I fell into them. “Don’t cry, he’ll get his shit together. You’re too important to him.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I don’t know. He just let me walk away. I’m going to miss you guys so much.” I sobbed.

  “Shhh, it’s alright.” Jade said as she rubbed my back.

  I pulled away from her and wiped my eyes. “I have to get out of here, just watch out for him ok?”

  Eric nodded as he hugged me. “Of course we will, you take care of yourself.”

  “I will, I think I’m going back to Danny’s; Charleston is too far too drive from here.”

  I stepped away from Eric and started toward my car, but Adam stopped me. He surprised me by wrapping his arms around me.

  “Regardless of whether Drake is being an idiot or not, you’re still part of this band,” He said as he squeezed me tightly, “Even if you can’t play an instrument and you sing through your nose.”

  I laughed. “Thanks Adam, that means a lot coming from you.”

  “Just don’t get used to it. I don’t do this mushy shit.”

  I waved at them as I stepped away from Adam and got in my car. They stood by the bus and watched until I disappeared around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight, I lost it. I pulled into a parking lot and put the car in park as sobs shook my body.

  I had done the right thing, but it killed me. Drake was my life and now he was gone, just like that. I didn’t know where to go from here; since I had been with him, all visions of my future included him in them. I hoped that once he realized that I was serious, he would get help so that he didn’t lose me.

  I waited until my sobs quieted to hiccups before pulling back onto the road. It was a long way to Ocean City and I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I knew Danny wouldn’t mind me staying with him again, but I felt horrible for abusing his hospitality. Hopefully I would only stay there for a few days and then head back to Charleston with Amber and Logan. They had decided to spend a couple of weeks in Ocean City to enjoy the beach, and Danny had offered to let them stay at his place while they were there.

  I grabbed my phone off the console and dialed Danny’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Danny? It’s Chloe, I need a place to stay.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chloe

  Six Months Later

  I blew a strand of hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail out of my face as I left my class of the day and walked to my car. After throwing my books in the backseat, I sat behind the wheel and started my brand new car. I had decided to trade my car in for a brand new Kia Sorento at the beginning of the school year, using a small amount of the money my aunt had left me.

  Winter in West Virginia could go from warm and sunny to snow-covered roads in a matter of hours. If I wanted to make it from the house I shared with
Amber and Logan off campus to my classes when the roads were bad, I knew I needed something four-wheel drive.

  The three of us decided that we were over the whole sharing a bathroom with other students and started looking for a house to rent as soon as we got back from Ocean City. We found one just a couple of miles away from the main campus for a reasonable price. As soon as the ink was dry on the paper, we had picked up my stuff from Drake’s house and took it to our new home. When everything was packed and loaded into my car, I sat my key on the kitchen counter and walked away from the house and from Drake.

  That was almost three weeks after my break up with Drake and I hadn’t heard a word from him. With every day that passed with no word from him, my hope had dwindled. He knew by then that I was serious, but had obviously decided that the drugs meant more to him than I did.

  A week before school started, Jade had called me with some news. The band had been contacted by a studio in Los Angeles that wanted them to come out and record a few tracks to see how they sounded. While I was glad that things were starting to look up for them, I was also disappointed. Jade said they had all accepted the offer, which meant Drake would be in Los Angeles working on his music instead of returning to school. I had hoped that if Drake came home, maybe he would see reason and seek the help he desperately needed.

  Jade and I had kept in touch through the first month of school, but with both of our schedules full we had quickly lost contact. I hadn’t heard from her since September and the last time she called, she said Drake seemed to be using more instead of trying to get better. The band had been pushing him to stop, but with the potential of a recording contract hanging over all of them, they didn’t want to push him away and ruin all of their dreams.

  I pulled into my driveway and parked my car. One of the things that had drawn us to this house was the fact that it had private off-street parking, something that was a novelty in a college-student packed town.

  Since it was a Friday and I had no weekend classes, I left my bag in the car as I walked into the house. Amber and Logan were sitting in the living room watching some stupid reality television show. Amber was addicted to reality television and I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on Logan’s face as he watched it with her. His eyes found mine as soon as I entered the room.

  “Thank God, a reasonable person. Can you convince her to change the channel to something worth watching; at this point I’d take the cooking channel over this shit.”

  I laughed as Amber stuck out her tongue at him. “And miss all the miserable faces you’re making? Not a chance.”

  I sat down next to Amber and pretended to have my eyes glued to the television. I hated reality shows as much as Logan, but it made them worth the trouble just to watch him squirm.

  “This is what I get for living with two women!” He groaned as he stood and walked out of the room.

  I turned to Amber and grinned. “I hate this shit too.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I don’t like this one either, but it seemed to annoy him the most.”

  “We’re horrible.” I said as we collapsed against the back of the couch in a fit of giggles.

  “I know, but it’s so worth it to annoy him.” Amber gasped out.

  I loved living with Amber and Logan, and not just for the good parking and actual bathroom. Coming home to both of them was the favorite part of my day, and it had helped me through dealing with the loss of Drake.

  I had been nervous about living with Logan considering our past, but we had sat down and talked about everything a couple of nights after we moved in. He had sensed my uneasiness and wanted to put me at ease. While he admitted he still cared about me, after everything that had happened between us, he never wanted to go down that path again. To say I was relieved at his confession would be an understatement.

  One of my fears after Drake and I split up was that Jordan or Logan would try to start a relationship with me, but I should have known better. Jordan had taken care of me after I arrived back at Danny’s. I had been a blubbering mess, but he didn’t seem to mind as he held me close and let me cry into his shirt on more than one occasion.

  Amber, Logan, and I had spent a couple of days at Danny’s before leaving for West Virginia and never once had Jordan pushed the issue with me. He knew that I wasn’t looking for that type of relationship and had respected me enough to understand. Even now, we never spoke about his feelings toward me, but I think he finally accepted that we would never be more than just friends.

  I still spoke with both him and Danny several times a week and had spent most of my Christmas Break at the mansion with the two of them. Amber, Logan, and I had even made the long drive out to their school during football season to watch Jordan play.

  I knew next to nothing about football, but I was smart enough to know that he was good, really good. Even though he was only a sophomore in college, he had already been contacted by a couple NFL scouts about possibly joining their ranks after he graduated. I was so proud of him when he told me and I could tell just how excited he was about the whole thing.

  Since my aunt left me more than enough money to cover my basic living expenses, I decided not to go back to my old job. I used the extra free time to study for my classes and I had managed to pass every single class last semester with A’s and B’s. I had made school my number one priority and threw myself into my work to distract myself. It worked most of the time, but not a day went by that I didn’t think of Drake.

  The fact that he hadn’t called even once was what hurt the most. It was like I had meant nothing to him, and it made me question every aspect of the relationship we had shared. They say time heals all wounds and I guess that’s true. The first couple of months after our split, I had been depressed to say the least. Amber and Logan had stayed by my side though, and with their help I had slowly started to become the old Chloe. I hadn’t made it quite yet though, and I wasn’t sure I ever would. A broken heart was a hard thing to come back from.

  Amber had forced me into a couple of blind dates, hoping to get me out of my slump, but nothing ever came of them. While most of the guys were nice, I couldn’t help but compare them to Drake in every way. Needless to say, none of them even came close. Several asked me for a second date, but I politely declined, much to Amber’s fury.

  I just wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship and I didn’t think I would be ready for a very long time. I was on campus daily with literally thousands of men and none of them caught my attention in the least. I couldn’t help myself; I looked for Drake in every face even though I knew he wasn’t coming back.

  I sighed as I realized I was thinking about Drake again. It seemed even bad reality television couldn’t help me escape.

  “Can we change the channel before my eyes start bleeding?” I begged.

  “Fine, let’s see if there are any good music videos playing.” Amber said as she started flipping channels.

  She stopped at one of the music channels that actually played music. I relaxed as Stone Sour started blaring from the television. There was nothing like music to take your mind off of your problems.

  Amber and I talked while we watched the video play. When it finished, another video I didn’t recognize started playing. I leaned forward, anxious to see who had come out with a new video. A few seconds in, the camera flipped to the lead singer and my heart stopped.

  “Oh fuck.” Amber muttered as she grabbed the remote to change the channel.

  “No, leave it on.” I mumbled as I kept my eyes glued to the television.

  Drake was staring right back at me, giving me his trademark sexy smile. I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away, even when the camera switched to Jade beating the hell out of her drums. My heart was beating wildly as I willed the camera to pan back to Drake. I got my wish a few seconds later and my breath caught in my throat.

  He looked amazing, which surprised me. He had lost a little weight since the last time I’d seen him, but he had bulked up a bit as well. The shirt h
e wore clung to the muscles of his chest and stomach, showing just how much muscle was hiding under there.

  I had envisioned him pale with bloodshot eyes, but he was just the opposite. He had never been pale to start with, but now his skin was tanned and his striking brown eyes were clear. It seemed that drugs and time away from me had been just what he needed to look even better.

  Amber and I sat in silence as the video ended and the host appeared on-screen.

  “That was the brand new band, Breaking the Hunger, with their first video. I have to admit, I can’t wait to see what else these guys have in store for us! We’ll be right back after the commercial break.”

  Amber shut off the television and turned to me. “You ok?”

  “Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know. I never expected to see him again.” I mumbled.

  “I know, I should have changed it.”

  “No, it’s fine. I have to face it sometime. I just didn’t expect him to look that good.”

  “Me either. Are you sure he’s on drugs, because he certainly doesn’t look like he is.”

  “I’m sure Amber. I found the cocaine and I talked to Jade.”

  “How long has it been since you talked to her?” She asked.

  I shrugged. “A couple of months ago. Why?”

  “Did you think that maybe he’s cleaned up since then?”

  “If he did, why hasn’t he called me?” I asked as another thought crossed my mind. “Unless he did and decided he still doesn’t want me.”

  Tears sprung to my eyes and Amber hugged me. “Don’t assume that Chloe, why don’t you call Jade and see what’s going on?”

  “I don’t want to bother her.” I said as I wiped a tear away.

  That was a lie; I wanted more than anything to pick up my phone and demand an answer from her, but the thought of Drake being clean and still not wanting me was enough to send me into a brand new depression.

  “Then text her. You know Jade wouldn’t mind.”

  “I guess I could, that way if she’s too busy or she doesn’t want to talk to me she can just ignore it.”

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and took a deep breath as I sent her a text.