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"I don’t say it back because I don’t fucking believe you!" He was shouting, andwith every word "When I hear you say I love you, what I hear is you keeping score, and I’ame with you There is no score for me There never was"

I couldn’t speak,to process his words, to try to ether in a way that I could accept, and not bleed out fro but the most flexible promise," he continued mercilessly "You use it for your purposes, and it can lose itswhenever you feel like it Don’t act like you’re more committed to us than I am, just because you like to say those words"

I shookuncontrollably

"You’ve already thrown out the boood for each other You think I don’t know you well enough to know that’s just the excuse you’ll use onyour case, even as we speak That’s right; I know you that well Just like I know that, though you’re very comfortable with the term I love you, you will be the one to walk away from this Guaranteed You think you lovein love"

"Don’t try to tell ht--"

"Don’t I? I thought you lovedit back so soon? Or is this it then? Have you built up enough of a case to walk away yet? Because I haven’t said three fucking words to you that you’ve taken theout of?"

That broke me, because I’d let him see who I was, and all he saas the worst ofto let me walk away

He always said he didn’t want to hurt me, but what he didn’t seem to understand was, his rejection of my love was the worst kind of hurt

I don’t know if so that loudly, but the yard was suddenly filled with faet close, to put her arm around me, but I backed away

Kenny and Cory had obviously finallyTristan, looking wary

Jared clapped a hand onto his brother’s shoulder, his eyes concerned "Why don’t we take a walk, bro? Let’s cool off for a h to wake the dead, and this entire neighborhood does not need to know that ed off his hand, striding down the sidewalk, his pace eating up the paveht in the dark in just seconds

Eyes ith tears, my heart in tatters, I walked back into the house I needed a bathrooainain I didn’t want to think, and I had no idea what to do next

I just felt…lost Like life was a ate, like everyone else had been born with a otten, and I was destined to keep repeating the saain

I had a bona fide pity party for at least ten ot ain

I dried oal--to find Frankie and get a ride home without another ounce of drama

That wasn’t meant to be

I ran smack into Patrick’s chest before I’d taken five steps

He saw ainst hi I had the brief thought that he eeter than I’d reh, as he dipped his head and kissed ht smack on the mouth, and then didn’t pull back

I didn’t react at first, stunned by what an insensitive prick he really was, to plant one on a crying girl It wasn’t until he pushed his tongue intoat hiain, Tristan was there, catching enough of the kiss to put murder in his eyes

I backed away as he cursed, and then charged, taking Patrick down to the ground with a tackle that I swore made the entire house shake

I screa the sain, his massive arled, he tried, but he didn’t get one punch in before he went li flesh, and flesh giving to fist, made me nauseous, and I backed away, further and further, , what he was capable of

Tristan kept hitting the liht on punching, if Kenny, Cory, Jared, and souy I’d never seen before forcibly separated him from his prey As it was, Patrick was out cold, his face bloody

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

TRISTAN

It didn’t even take tenI’d said to her, and moreover, the way I’d said it Even the parts that were true shouldn’t have been delivered like that

I turned around, heading straight back, jogging now, panicking inside because I kne she was, knew she would use my outburst to alienate us coh I knew that I could change her ot back to the house No one was left in the front yard, and I burst straight through the front door, searching faces I went through three roo, too