Never Standing Still (The Never Duet #1)(20)

The next thing I knew, Patrick was telling me that Ella wanted me to go home with them, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“What about Ella?” I asked. “Is she all right?”

“Let Porter handle it,” Megan said. “Ella needs him right now.”

I nodded; surely Megan would know better than me.

I walked with Megan and Patrick to their car, climbed in the backseat, and couldn’t have felt more like an outsider if I’d tried. They were murmuring to each other, making comments I didn’t follow, and I couldn’t help feeling like I was out of place.

“What happened to Ella?” I finally asked, straight out, tired of being in the dark.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think Kyle attacked her in the hallway.”

“Kyle? Her ex-boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” Megan said, catching my eye in the rearview mirror.

“Shit,” I mumbled. “Do you think she’s okay?” I wanted to pull out my phone and call her, wanted to talk to her, hear her voice.

“No, I don’t. I don’t think she’s hurt physically, but I can’t imagine she’s faring well emotionally.”

I didn’t bother responding. Besides, there wasn’t much else to say. Ella had been put through the wringer for the last couple months. I was glad she had Porter with her. If anyone could help her deal with this, it was him.



The next morning I was woken by Megan. She’d let me crash in her and Patrick’s spare bedroom. My head was foggy and pounding from the alcohol the night before, but Megan’s voice was urgent so I found myself alert immediately.

“Kal, wake up. We’ve got to talk.”

I slowly sat up, letting my eyes adjust to the light and, well, being awake.

“What is it?”

“So, Ella and Porter are on the phone.”

“Okaaaay….”

Megan’s voice and face were strained. She was worried about something. “Ella says that Kyle, you know, her ex-boyfriend? Well, she’s saying that he’s that guy you were supposed to meet there last night.”

“Wait, what?”

Megan took in a deep breath, obviously flustered. “She says that last night, while Kyle was attacking her, he said that he was Scott. That he’d been using you to get information about her.”

My stomach dropped and my breath caught. My pulse sped up and my eyes darted around the room as I tried to comprehend what she was saying. My mind reeled, trying to remember what I’d told him, what kind of clues I could have given away.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. There had been a couple conversations where I’d spoken about Ella and her unusual circumstances. One in particular where I expressed real hatred for her ex-boyfriend whom I’d never met, but told Scott I fully supported Porter when he wanted to go to the police. And, I had told him she’d be at the bar last night. “This is all my fault,” I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.

“Kalli, no. This is Kyle’s fault. He’s the psychopath.” Megan sweetly patted my hand, but then stood up and I heard her walk down the hall, still talking into the phone. I could hear her consoling Ella, trying to convince her that I was fine, that I hadn’t gone home with anyone, and that I was safe.

Of course, the night after Ella got attacked, she was worried about me. My head fell into my hands and I couldn’t help the cries that came out of me. I was a quiet crier, a habit I adopted after listening to my parents fight at night. I could cry without making a sound. So I did. I cried as I got out of bed, as I put my clothes back on, leaving behind the pajamas Megan had loaned me the night before. Then I continued to cry as I slipped out of her house, sending her a text that I had to go and would talk to her later.

I cried until I was well into Washington, nearly halfway home.



When I finally arrived home, exhausted from both lack of sleep and also two hours of crying, I was greeted by Marcus. He enthusiastically hugged me, meeting me halfway up the path, like always.

“Hey, Marky. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I missed you, Kalli. You were gone longer than you said you’d be.”

Guilt immediately ripped through me. I had stayed an extra day to see “Scott.” Had I just left when I said I would, nothing would have ever happened. I sighed, but tried to smile for Marcus, not wanting him to know anything was bothering me.

“I’m sorry. Something came up in Portland and I had to stay an extra day. But I promise to make it up to you. Let’s go inside.” He pulled away from me, smiled, turned, and nearly skipped back to the house.

Marcus’ spirit was admirable. Even though he’d been dealt a rather rough hand in life, he hardly ever let it affect his mood. I don’t know if I’d be able to always be happy if I were him. He could very well choose to be angry or sad, but he never seemed to dwell on anything for long, which I was very thankful for at that moment.

I found Nancy in the kitchen, putting dishes in the dishwasher. She looked at me with a smile, but it faded when she actually saw me. I watched as her smile dropped away and she reached to turn the water off.

“Marcus, sweetie, can you go put all of your sister’s bags in her room for me?”

“Sure thing, Nancy. Then can we order pizza and watch a movie?”