Toxic: Logan's Story (Torn #4)(60)

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” I laughed. “She can say anything she wants. It doesn’t change what I saw. Just because she told you her version doesn’t mean it’s true.”

“And just because I cheated on you doesn’t mean you should assume that she would, too. Jade doesn’t lie, Logan. She cares about you. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be this upset over everything,” Chloe said as she walked over to me. “What Drake and I did was wrong. We never meant to hurt you, but we did. Please, don’t make Jade suffer for something we did to you. She wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

“I’ve known Jade for years. I’ve never seen her with a guy. She doesn’t ever get close to anyone. It took her a long time to warm up to me when I joined the band. It’s just not in her nature to trust people or put herself out there. With you, she did. You have to give her a chance, Logan,” Drake said quietly. “If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Don’t let what happened with Chloe and me cause you to make the biggest mistake of your life.”

I looked back and forth between the two of them, unable to say anything.

What did they want me to say? That I’d go call Jade right now and tell her she was forgiven? It didn’t work that way. Just because they thought she cared about me didn’t mean that she did.

But what if they were telling the truth? What if Mikey had tried to use her, and I’d just walked in at the wrong time? I wanted that to be the truth, but I was so afraid to let myself hope. If she had lied to them and I went back to her, only to find out that she was with Mikey, it would kill me.

The fact that I was even debating on giving her a chance to explain herself made me realize that I cared about her. This summer with her had been amazing. She’d made me happy, and she’d shown me that I was capable of caring after what Chloe had done to me.

“I need to get out of here,” I said as I stood and walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Chloe asked, her voice full of hope.

“I have a lot of shit to think about. I’m going for a drive. I don’t know where I’m going or if I’ll even be back today.”

Instead of going out the door, I turned and walked over to my closet. I pulled out a bag, and after throwing some of my clothes inside, I walked back toward the door. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Take all the time you need, Logan. Just so you know, we’re leaving for L.A. in three days. You’re more than welcome to come with us,” Chloe said as she walked over to me. She gave me a quick hug. “I love you, Logan. I hope you know that.”

I kissed her forehead. “Yeah, I know.” I glanced over at Drake. “Sorry I hit you.”

He grinned. “It wasn’t the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Just get things figured out before Jade loses her mind, okay?”

I nodded, and I walked out the door. I didn’t look back as I made my way down the hallway and out the front door. Once I reached my car, I threw my bag in the passenger’s seat and climbed behind the steering wheel. After backing out of my driveway, I turned onto the main road.

I had no idea where I was going. All I wanted to do was drive.



When I’d started driving, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up here. I stared at the tiny trailer I’d called home throughout most of my high school years. I hadn’t come home since I left for college, not even for Christmases. My mom and I weren’t close. We certainly didn’t hate each other, but we never really got along either. I’d resented her for moving me around so much when I was a kid, and she’d been so busy working that she didn’t have time to soothe my anger.

It’d taken me over two hours to drive here, but it’d felt like minutes. One minute, I had been merging onto the interstate, and the next, I had been pulling up to my old driveway. I’d spent most of the drive down thinking about Jade and whether or not she had been telling the truth. I’d left my phone off. I’d been afraid that if she called again, I would cave and answer. I wasn’t ready to talk to her yet. I was still processing the fact that Mikey might have forced himself on her, and instead of beating his face in, I’d called Jade names and walked away. Yeah, if she had been telling the truth, I owed her one hell of an apology.

I shut off my car and stepped out. My mom’s old Chevy was parked a few feet away, so I knew she was home. I walked across the yard and climbed the steps to her front porch. After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I knocked.

A minute later, the front door opened. My mom stood in the doorway, looking shocked. She looked younger than she actually was. She always had. When I had been in high school, some of my guy friends had made me want to vomit when they would talk about how hot she was. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were exactly like mine. She was thirty-seven, but she could pass for twenty-seven if she wanted to. She was tiny anyway, but she looked like a midget when she stood next to me. It was obvious I’d inherited my height from my dad—whoever the hell he was.

“Logan?”

“Hey, Mom,” I said quietly as we stared at each other.

She held the door open, welcoming me inside. “Come in. I have to say, this is a surprise.”

I shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing in Charleston?”