“Hey, what’s wrong?” I take the seat next to her, gently rubbing my hand on her back.
“Riley’s in a coma. The police are out looking for whoever is responsible,” she says as she turns to look at me. What she says doesn’t really register. All I can see are the tears pooling in her big brown eyes. Don’t ask me why, but it’s like a sucker punch to my gut. I’ve seen that same look way too many times since finding her last night.
“Come here,” I say as I pull her into my arms. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.” As the words leave my mouth, I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself.
“What if they find out it was you?” she sniffles. “I can’t lose you again. I’ve only just got you back.” Fuck. The fact she even wants me around after the way I’ve treated her amazes me. She really is something. I’m not used to people giving a shit about me, except Pops. I don’t want this to pull us apart again either. Her words make me realise I need her in my life. I can’t lose her again.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say as I continue to stroke her back, pulling her in closer to me. She rests her head on my shoulder as I savour the feel of her in my arms. I hope it’s going to be okay, but I have this sinking feeling that it’s not.
When I release Angel my phone rings in my pocket. Pulling it out, I notice it’s Pops. “What the fuck is going on?” he screams down the phone when I answer. Surely he’s not pissed about me having his truck. It’s never been an issue before. “The cops have been here looking for you.”
Fuck.
“Calm down. Shit. I can explain,” I answer, trying to pacify him. Angel’s eyes are glued to me. I’m positive she can hear every word Pops says. The neighbours can probably hear, he’s screaming so damn loud.
“Well ya better fuckin’ start, boy. I never thought I’d see the day they’d come knockin’ on my door lookin’ for you.” I can count on one hand how many times he’s been pissed like this. I hate it when he’s angry with me.
I get up off the stool and walk to the other side of the room. I don’t want Angel to hear my old man handing me my nuts. “Look, I’m on my way home,” I say, cutting him off from his rant. “I’ll explain everything then.”
As I end the call, I can still hear him going off on the other end. Jesus Christ. I hope he’s fucking calmed down before I get there. He’s hard to talk to when he’s like this.
I take a deep breath and rub my hands over my face before turning around. I find Angel still sitting on the stool, staring at me with a shocked look on her face. I hate that she had to hear that.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, breaking the awkward silence which has fallen over us.
“Yeah. I’ve gotta go home. Will you be okay?”
“Of course. You don’t need to babysit me, Chase. I’m a big girl,” she answers as she rises from her seat and comes towards me. “Are you sure everything is okay? That call sounded pretty heated.”
Fuck me. I don’t really want to get into this with her right now. I’m sure she has enough on her plate without worrying about me. I can’t lie to her though. She’s bound to find out sooner or later.
“That was my old man on the phone. The cops went to my house looking for me.” She gasps as her hand goes up to cover her mouth, tears filling her eyes. Fuckin’ hell. I quickly close the few steps separating us and pull her into my arms. If I keep holding her like this, it’s going to be impossible for me to remain just friends with her. On the other hand, seeing her upset makes me want to comfort her. Going back to being friends is going to be harder than I thought.
“What are you going to do if the police are waiting for you when you get home?” she whispers into my chest.
“That all depends on you.”
“On me?” she asks shocked, pulling back to look at me. “Why?”
“Well it depends on what you want to do about last night, whether you’re going to report it or not. If you don’t and they question me, I’ll just play dumb. It’s something you need to think long and hard about, sweet-cheeks.” She drops her head. I cup her face in my hands and tilt her face back up to me. The turmoil I see in her eyes affects every part of me.
Fuck me if she isn’t the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on though. Everything in me wants to lean forward and kiss her. Instead, I let go of her face and take a step back. “Just know, whatever you decide I’ll stand by you.” I mean that too. The last thing I want to do is pressure her into doing something she’s not ready for. Maybe she’ll never be ready, but whatever she decides I’ll support her.