Take (Need #2)(77)

“Are you okay?” Ashley asks me.

A sob catches in my throat and I shake my head. “M-my fault.”

She squeezes my shoulder. “What?”

“This is all my fault,” I whisper, trying to hold back the tears. My attitude pushed Brayden to this point. I should’ve been more upfront with Austin, done an even better job of pushing him away. Had I done so, he wouldn’t have come up to me today.

Had I been kinder to Brayden, he would’ve never felt threatened by Austin’s presence.

I pushed both of them to this point because I was too mentally f*cked up to do right by either of them.

“Come on. I lost Lyn and Jenna in the crowd. We need to find them so Jenna can drive us to the precinct.” Ashley grabs my hand.

I’m thankful one of us has a clear head. Without her, I’d probably still be rooted to the same spot.

We walk a few feet through the crowd. I see Ashley looking around for the other girls; my mind still can’t focus past the back of her head. Brayden’s keys and phone are clutched tight in my hands, along with his broken glasses that I picked up off the ground during the fight. My hands are braced against my broken heart.

“There they are!” Ashley points at her sister about thirty feet away from us, and we head in that direction.

Is it me, or are most of the people we pass turning to stare at me? I know a lot of them, too. People both Brayden and I went to school with. Austin hadn’t been too discreet when hurling his accusations at Brayden. I wonder how much of that did these people hear.

Probably all of it.

Even more probable? By tomorrow afternoon, this entire town will be aflame with gossip about how I’m f*cking my stepbrother.

I’m going to care about this tomorrow. I’ll be furious with Austin. He loves me, but he practically ruined a good portion of my life because he couldn’t keep one of my most important secrets to himself.

I’ve hurt that man. More than I had any right to. I will hurt him again the next time I see him because I’m finally going to make it clear to him that we’re never going to happen. Ever.

But that doesn’t erase what he’s done.

Right now, though, I don’t care about any of that. I can’t. Getting to Brayden, making sure he’s okay, is all that matters.

“Yo!” Ashley calls out.

Marilyn and Jenna’s heads snap in our direction. They jog in our direction, both of them staring at me worriedly.

I don’t even know what the f*ck to say.

“Dude,” Jenna says. “I want to crack a joke about how f*cking lucky you are, but your expression tells me it’s not the right time.”

I roll my eyes at her.

“We need to get her to the precinct,” Ashley tells her, letting go of my hand. And that’s all it takes for the four of us to start pushing our way through the crowd. We make it to Jenna’s car and she presses the button to unlock the doors.

I open one of the back doors.

“You’re f*cking disgusting.”

All four of us freeze.

There’s no need to turn around and see who that is. I know. An old, familiar anger burns through my veins.

“Do us a favor,” Marilyn sneers, looking like she’s ready to storm around the car and start throwing punches. “Leave her the f*ck alone before we make you.”

“Oh? Is the little girl incapable of defending herself?”

That’s it.

I spin around, my free hand fisting. Jennifer’s malicious, narrowed eyes focus on my other hand, the one holding Brayden’s phone and keys, and they narrow even further.

She knows this is his phone.

She knows it because this bitch has the bad habit of paying way too much attention to my f*cking man.

“Do you want me to break your face?” I ask her slowly, calmly.

“You mean like Austin had to do to poor Brayden because of your slutty ass?”

Her arms are crossed. Her posture is entirely defensive. This cunt is preparing herself for my attack and she’s afraid of it, yet she has the nerve to still goad me.

“When are you going to stop being the pathetic bitch who sucks every dick you can find while waiting, praying, hoping that Brayden one day looks beyond how cheap you are and falls in love with you?”

Everyone around me gasps.

Jennifer’s mouth falls open, her face paling.

I meant every word. At this point, nothing in the world could make me take them back. So I stand here, eyes on hers, waiting for whatever comes my way after that statement.

The last thing I want is to be delayed from going to Brayden.

But so help me God, if this bitch doesn’t realize in this moment that it’s in her best interest to back the f*ck off away from what’s mine, I think I’m going to kill her.

The next round of cop cars that arrive will have to bring an ambulance in tow.

Jennifer snaps her mouth closed, practically shaking with her fury. “You have so much f*cking nerve, little girl. Who the hell do you think you are? You’re f*cking your stepbrother, and you think you have the right to believe you’re better than me?”

I knew this was coming, but my stomach bottoms out regardless.

She knows now. Without a doubt, she knows.

If the whole town didn’t know before, I give it a matter of hours before it’s all over the grapevine.