Don't Follow Me: A High School Bully Romance (Diamond In The Rough Book 4)(6)

A body I hadn’t felt against mine in weeks.

“The distance won’t keep any of us apart. Not in spirit, anyway,” I murmured.

Mike nodded. “He’s right. We’re going to have our phones. Which means video conferences. Weekends with one another.”

Ally giggled. “And don’t forget holidays. We’re still exchanging New Year’s presents like we always do.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve only gotten to do that once with you guys. I’m not missing out on another chance to do it.”

Rae snickered. “I guess so.”

Ally shrugged. “Well, I don’t guess. I know.”

Rae whispered, “At least one of us does.”

I held her as close as she’d let me as her tears fell against my shirt. She cried softly as the sun set, and it felt as if the weight of the world had settled back onto my shoulders. I kept looking over at Mike’s and Ally’s worried faces. We were all worried for Rae. She’d shut all of us out, in some way, shape, or form. None of us knew what to do about it, either.

Especially after all we’d been through this past year.

The sun set and darkness blanketed us, forcing us to turn around. Rae skated in front of me, making a quick exit away from my embrace. I slipped my hands into my pockets. I heaved a heavy sigh. I walked behind Mike and Ally, trying not to stare as they kissed underneath the moonlight.

“You girls want a ride home?” he asked.

Ally smiled up at him. “I don’t know about Rae. But I’d love one.”

By the time we got to Mike’s car, Rae was standing there. She had her rollerblades in hand and she looked eager to get into the stifling car. Mike unlocked the doors and we all piled in. We rode home silently, and not once did Rae let me take her hand. She didn’t look at me, or talk to me, or lean in to kiss me.

The only thing that gave me hope was her climbing out behind me once we got back to my apartment.

“Rae, you staying here?” Ally asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Just want to spend some time with Clint for a little while.”

Mike leaned over. “Need me to come get you in a couple hours?”

She shook her head. “I’ll catch a ride or hail a cab.”

Mike looked at me before he nodded his head. Ally rolled up her window, and they slowly pulled away. I looked down at the woman I loved. The girl who was growing into such an angry, closed-off, uncertain woman. She bit her lower lip and shuffled on her feet. Clearly waiting for me to make a move.

So I did.

“How are your feet?”

She shrugged. “Kind of sore.”

“Want to go inside and soak them?”

She sighed. “I’d actually really like that.”

“Sure. Yeah. Of course.”

I escorted her to the apartment and let her inside. I called out for Cecilia as I shut the door, but no sound was heard. My stomach dropped for a split second. Had the door been unlocked before I walked in?

“A date?” Rae asked.

I whipped my head over to her and found her holding up a note.

“It says here that your stepmom’s… on a date?”

I grinned. “Oh, damn. She must’ve accepted.”

Rae’s eyebrows rose. “She’s already dating?”

I walked over, taking the note from her. “I mean, I knew this one guy was into her. Kept coming around with flowers and shit. But I didn't think she’d actually do dinner with him.”

“Has the divorce been finalized?”

I nodded. “Yep. She got the official paperwork in the mail… two weeks ago?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I paused. “I, uh… guess it slipped my mind.”

“Really, Clint? Something you and Cecilia have been battling against for months just slipped your mind?”

And when she scoffed, I felt like I’d taken three steps back.

She walked out of the kitchen and made her way to my bedroom. I didn’t even get the damn note settled down onto the counter before I heard my bath running. Rae kept murmuring to herself. I stood back to try and hear what she was saying. I couldn’t make it out, though. The damn water was running too loudly for me to hear.

“Clint, is it okay if I just take a bath?”

I stepped into the bathroom. “Of course. You can make yourself at home. You know that.”

“Do I, though?”

She shot me a look I couldn’t read. Which was pathetic, because she’d been giving me that look a lot. I watched her peel her clothes off, my hands aching to rush over her toned curves. I hadn’t held her naked body against mine in weeks. I felt my cock jumping to life as her clothes fell to the floor. I wanted her. I needed her. I’d do anything to get between those legs just for a few minutes.

Which is all it would take at this point.

Rae eased herself into the bath as steam slowly filled the room. The bubbles mounted around her body, shielding it from me as she sank into the tub. I went and closed the toilet before sitting down. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as her arms fell into the water. She sighed with relief. Much like she used to do whenever she was in my arms at night.

Then silence wrapped around us.

“The divorce was finalized a couple of weeks ago. But Dad really gave us the runaround on it.”

Rae’s brow furrowed. “Oh?”

I nodded. “Yeah. He came by more than a few times and kicked off arguments with Cecilia.”

Her eyes popped open. “Wait a second, you never told me that.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to worry you. I took care of it. Though once I had to call the police to have him escorted off the property.”

“See, this is what I don’t get about you. Why are you leaving me out of the loop all of a sudden?”

“I’m not leaving you out of the loop. I’m trying to fill you in now.”

“Yeah, two weeks later. How many times have we had alone time in the past two weeks?”

I paused. “Once, Rae. And that was only for a few minutes before your mother interjected and you invited her to join us for our pizza and a movie night.”

She swallowed hard. “Oh.”

“Yeah. So… anyway. The divorce is over. But things didn’t quite go our way.”

“How so?”

I sighed. “Dad fought in court that if Mom wanted her half of his money, then she should also assume half of his debt.”

She sat up. “What?”

I nodded. “Yeah. His lawyer argued that if she wanted to get her hands on his money, then it was only fair to ‘split up the red as well as the black’ between them.”

“Don’t tell me the judge went for it.”

“Yeah. He did.”

“You know damn good and well your father paid off that fucking judge.”

I shrugged. “Maybe so. But when the divorce was finalized, more than half of the money she got from my father was eaten up in past-due debt. Credit cards she racked up that he stopped paying on. Shit like that.”

“Wait, the card he had to legally let her use until the divorce finalized, he stopped paying on?”

I nodded slowly. “He manipulated this every step of the way. By the time Cecilia was done paying off the debt she inherited from the divorce, she had enough money to do one of two things. Set it aside for an eventual retirement if she wanted to ever have any solace in her later years. Or live frugally without a job until she could figure something out.”

“What did she pick, Clint?”

“I told her it was financially responsible for her to set that money aside. Let it grow, like a retirement fund. Maybe in a decade, if she invests wisely, it’ll grow to a point where she only has to work part-time. Because that’s the only kind of work she can find right now with absolutely no work history.”

“And until then?”

“I’ve… been helping her as much as I can.”

Realization washed over Rae’s face. And for the first time in months, she softened toward me.

“Why the fuck didn’t you just tell me this was going on?”

I shrugged. “Things between us have been rough lately. I didn't know if you were going through something at home, and I didn't want to pile on.”

“Why didn’t you just ask then, Clint? You never ask if I’m okay.”

“I ask how you’re doing all the time.”

“It’s not the same.”

I sighed with frustration. “Then tell me how you want me to ask if you’re okay. Because I ask, every day, how you’re doing. And every damn day, I get the same damn answer. Just tell me what you want, Rae. And you’ll have it.”

“Why do I have to tell you everything? You’ve been with me for how long now, Clint?”

“You know, I never took you for the kind of girl to play these kinds of games. I’m not a mind-reader, and I never will be.”

I reached over and turned off the water before it overflowed the tub.

“I’m not playing games, Clint. But, there’s a difference between you saying Hey, what's up? and Rae, you don’t look so good. You okay?”

“I asked you if you were okay over ice cream!”

“And I wasn’t ready to talk about it over ice cream. Not with Allison and Michael there, anyway!”

“Well, are you ready to talk about it now? Because I’m tired of this bullshit.”

“What bullshit?”

“This. The walking on eggshells, and the uncertainty. And your mood swings. And the lack of intimacy between us. And the lack of communication. You don’t even act like you want to be around me anymore, Rae. Do you know how that makes me feel?”