“Why?” she pressed. “I’ve never done anything to you.”
She was right; she hadn’t.
“I know you haven’t, Drew,” I sighed.
“Then why don’t you like me?” she asked. “Is it because I rang Kale after you were attacked?”
“No, I know you were trying to help that day, Drew,” I sighed. “But part of me wishes you hadn’t told him.”
“Why not?” Drew asked, exasperated.
“I didn’t want Kale, or anyone else, to look at or treat me differently, but now they do. Everyone treats me like a china doll.”
It pissed me off.
Drew frowned and folded her arms across her chest. “Would you rather Jensen had gotten away with it? He didn’t get to rape you, but what about the next girl who might not have been so lucky?”
The lump that formed in my throat kept me from replying.
“Once you have time to think on it, you’ll see having Jensen sent to prison was the right thing.”
“I know it was the right thing to do, and I’m over it,” I said. “You were right to do what you did.”
She frowned. “Then why do you hate me? Is it because of Kale?”
She must have read something in my expression because her face turned murderous.
“I knew it!” she snapped. “I knew you liked him. I have always had a suspicion, but Kale assured me you were just best friends.”
“We are just best friends,” I confirmed.
Drew’s gaze didn’t stray from mine. “But you want to be more?”
I rubbed my suddenly throbbing temples. “What does it matter? He’s dating you, not me. You.”
Her jaw set. “I don’t want you around him anymore. I refuse to let you ruin us.”
I blinked. “You’ve got to be fucking joking me. I’m not going to do anything to ruin your relationship. If that were the case, I’d have done it years ago. I’m not that fucking bitter.”
“Are you sure about that?” she questioned, her eyebrows raised.
I scowled. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Well, I’m not sure,” she stated. “I don’t trust you around him.”
Oh, for God’s sake.
“You’re the human version of Monday morning in my everyday life – I hope you know that.”
Drew blinked at me. “Flat out saying you hate me would have been less bloody hurtful.”
I hated that she was so nice. This was the first time she had ever been angry with me, and even then she wasn’t being half as mad as I would be if our roles were reversed.
“Sorry,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
I knew I was being horrible, but I just couldn’t help it. My feelings for Drew were petty, childish and completely out of order because she was quite possibly the nicest human being on the planet, but it was what it was.
She’d saved my life; any good person would be extremely nice to her, but I was a miserable twit who couldn’t get past her being Kale’s girlfriend.
I was acting bitter and plain pathetic, and knowing that only made me feel even worse.
“Stay away from Kale, do you hear me, Lane?” Drew said, the venom in her voice not going amiss.
I reared back. “Or what?”
“You don’t want to know what I’ll do,” she said through gritted teeth.
Well, shit, Drew actually looked like she was going to kick my arse if I gave her reason to.
“Whatever,” I said, not really confident that she wouldn’t come at me if I said something to challenge her.
She glared at me hard before she turned and stormed out of my room, pulling my door closed behind her. I shook my head clear and turned off my light, then climbed into bed. I lay staring up at the stickers on my ceiling for an unknown amount of time. Eventually, I heard more voices join the party downstairs, and they were loud as hell.
“Bloody hell,” I groaned to myself, and turned on my side, putting my pillow over my head.
My night certainly didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, I silently grumbled.
I must have fallen asleep, because I awoke to a clicking noise that startled me awake. I sat upright on my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I squinted into the darkness but almost jumped out of my skin at a loud clank that sounded against my window.
I tiptoed over to my bedroom window and looked out to find someone in our front garden, directly under my window. For a few seconds, I got really scared, but then I squinted and realised who the person was.
I opened my window and hissed, “Kale, what are you doing?”
He put his hands up to his mouth and said, “I want to talk to youuuu.”
He was drunk.
“Damn it, Kale,” I said in a low growl. “It’s the middle of the night.”