Page 110 of Chaos at Westbrook High

Later that night, I’m laying in bed, staring at the balcony doors in my room, unable to shut off the thoughts running wild through my head.

Wyatt’s supposed to be my friend. I’ve known him for years. Why would he do this? Is it for money? Is he being threatened? Why is Kai just staring at me? Why hasn’t he said anything?

I can feel him watching me, leaning back against the wall next to the door. He’s been there for a while. An hour? Maybe two?

“What are you doing?” I whisper into the silence.

“Waiting for you to fall asleep.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “You might be there a while.”

I hear him inch closer. “Hailey.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you still mad at me?”

“A little bit.”

He hesitates, then asks, “Are you okay?”

I nod, then shake my head, squeezing the pillow to my chest.

“Baby, come here.” He peels the blanket back, taking my waist and pulling me up into his arms.

I go willingly, wrapping my legs around him and burying my face into his warm neck. He carries me out of my room and down the hall, stopping outside Wren’s bedroom.

“Is this okay?”

I nod against him. He quietly steps inside the dark room, the door clicking shut behind us. I hear movement on the bed, Levi wrapping his arm around Wren’s body and pulling him closer into his chest, making room for us. Kai sets me down on the bed and climbs over the top of me, laying in the middle between me and Wren. Still wearing Wren’s hoodie, I curl up into Kai’s chest and close my eyes.

Just as I’m drifting off with his hand in my hair and his fingers drawing circles on my hip, the bed dips behind me. Callie lies down beside me with Damon wrapped around her.

I fall asleep surrounded by five people I never thought I’d feel safe with.

Chapter 35

HAILEY

“You sure you can do this?”

“Yes,” I say, my stomach twisting with dread at the thought of speaking to Wyatt on the phone.

Kai said he was going to call me. His shift starts in ten minutes and he still hasn’t called.

I want to be pissed at Kai for forcing Wyatt to quit, but I’m not. How can I be when he was right about him? If anything, I should be grateful. If Kai hadn’t threatened him last night, I’d be forced to work with Wyatt all day and pretend not to know he’s a backstabbing asshole, that he’s been spying on me for Maverick for I don’t know how long.

My hands tremble as I pick up a coffee cup, and I drop it, cringing as it smashes on the tiled floor.

“Fuck this.” Kai crouches to clean up the broken pieces, holding me back when I try to help. “I’m answering the phone when he calls.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I can do it.”

“You can’t spook him,” Damon reminds me. “You need to react how you would react normally. Ask him why he’s quitting. Ask him if everything’s okay.”

“I know, Damon,” I grit out. “I’m not an idiot.”

“I didn’t say you were.” The softness in his tone makes me pause, and I lift my head to look at him. He looks into my eyes. “You don’t have to do this, Hailey.”

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