Page 54 of When You Stayed
Dude, you’re being lame as hell. It’s a birthday party…I’m turning sixteen. Royce has been invited to every party since we were in diapers. I can’t just say I don’t want the Quinn family to come.
This was like a car wreck I couldn’t seem to look away from. I knew reading any further would hurt my feelings, and yet I couldn’t seem to stop.
Not the entire family, just tell your dad that you don’t want Royce to come. Let’s not have any girls, that way my dumb sister doesn’t get to go either.
I don’t mind Ellie being at my party.
Ford wrote back, but it was clipped and short.
Whatever, I just won’t go if she’s there.
I remembered that birthday of Rook’s. There was tension when I arrived, and while I had smiled brightly at Rook, I felt Ford’s angry gaze land on me. Shortly after, he left, and Rook told everyone he wasn’t feeling well.
It was me. I was the reason Ford would leave events, parties, and any sort of gathering that brought all of our families together. The delusion that I had regarding my friendship with Ford was more than embarrassing, it was devastating. How had I gone so long not realizing that he hated me this much?
The humiliation spread through me, forcing angry tears to slip down my face.
I swiped to no avail as new ones fell.
Realizing that someone disliked me wasn’t the end of the world, I could handle rejection. I didn’t like it, but I could manage it. This wound hurt because it was Ford. In light of what happened last night with Jasmine, and even before that…this clarified things.
Ford hated me, and any kindness that he’d shown me was just his way of pretending. He was playing me. Likely telling everyone bullshit about me behind my back. My life felt like a poorly woven sweater that seemed to come undone with the lightest touch. Trapped inside a prison of my own design because of my desire to stay in a town that I should have left long ago.
I had to get up. While there was no band arriving tonight, there were accounts to balance and a variety of emails I needed to get to. Maybe in the past, Rodney wouldn’t have cared if I took the night off, but after the situation with the bass player and Ford, he’d been snappy and snarky. I informed him that I was assaulted, and that Ford came to my rescue, but he argued that what Ford did was outrageous. It made everything worse. He then lectured me on having any Stone Riders in the club and how that was a bad idea. I listened, unsure with what I should do. He was holding my dream position hostage, and all I wanted was for him to walk away so I could have it, but I felt like I had no choice but to do what he wanted.
The sky was nearly dark outside when I finally tucked the two pages into my jacket pocket and began closing up the house. I was supposed to start my shift around four, and now as I glanced at my watch, I saw it was close to seven.
I’d ignored the few alerts that came through on my watch, notifying me of someone attempting to reach me. Once I pulled my phoneout, I sifted through the notifications. A throbbing sensation continued behind my eyes, but I blinked past it.
Rodney: You coming in tonight?
Rodney: A little warning would have been nice.
Rodney: Are you on your way, I have a rep from Ion Records here, asking if he can talk to you about the upcoming set for next week.
Rodney: Where the hell do you keep the set list?!
Rodney: Shit, Royce. I thought you wanted this promotion. This little stunt does not bode well for you.
Fear gripped me for a second before I remembered what Ford had said about Rodney faking the accounts and hiding things from me. He was using me. I wasn’t sure how yet, but I was going to figure it out.
Just as I moved to my bike, I glanced over my shoulder, checking the darkened trees. There was a branch that snapped in the other direction, making my head turn. Something twisted in my stomach, forcing me to straddle the leather seat and pull my helmet on. I started my bike and then quickly shot off into the evening dusk.
As I drove back into town, I couldn’t help but remember the boot print I’d found in the boys’ room. Someone aside from me had been visiting the orchard.
The way my insides were shaking when I got into town had me turning into a neighborhood that I shouldn’t have been in. I was feeling reckless, and I wasn’t sure what to do with all of the emotions at war in my chest, but going to work wasn’t an option. Someone could have been watching me. They could have taken me.
Fuck.
I parked a few houses down from the place I knew I shouldn’t be and pulled my phone out, dialing a number.
“Royce?”
Anger exploded from me as I yelled, “Where the hell have youbeen? You left me, Taryn. I’ve needed you, and now, I could have been abducted tonight, and you wouldn’t have even known.”
“Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about?”
I paused, rubbing the stress out of my forehead. “Where are you, T?”
