Page 16 of Losing a Piece of Me

“Have you forgotten who you’re dealing with?”

I take a sip of my coffee and straighten up just a bit. “What do you mean?”

He walks around the counter and sits down beside me, training his eyes on mine. “This is Lex we’re talking about. She’s never been the kind to just roll over and give up information. If you want answers from her, real answers, you’re going to have to force them out like you always had to. She will mess around and give you everything but the one thing you want. You know this - I’m surprised that I have to remind you.”

I look down at my coffee. He’s right. This is Lex. She never was easy, that’s why I always loved her. She would make me work for everything. I’d spent months working for that first kiss, I’d spent years working my way into her heart, and I’d spent a decade being totally hers and nobody else’s.

Nothing is easy when it comes to Lex. She is closed off, stubborn, difficult, and full of determination. But once you’ve wormed your way underneath all her layers, she loves strongly and fiercely.

“You’re right.” I push away from the counter.

“Where ya going?” Pops asks.

“To find Lex,” I shout over my shoulder, heading for the door.

Chapter 5

The pit in my stomach, which has been there since pulling into my parents’ driveway, swells as I walk away from Striker. I feel that familiar pull that he’s always had over me. It’s as if we are connected by a rubber band and the more I walk away, the tighter that band gets. You would think at some point over the past six years that rubber band would’ve snapped, but it hasn’t – it’s only gained elasticity. I know in my heart that no matter how far I run from him, that band will always be there. It may hurt less and less the further I get, but it won’t ever break.

The engine turns several times before finally struggling to life, and once it starts I throw it into reverse and hit the gas. The car lurches backward and before I know it, I’m speeding away from him.

My mind is still reeling when I reach my parents’ house. I park quickly and run up the few steps to the front door, taking a deep breath before walking in. The optimist in me is hoping to God that my mother isn’t anywhere nearby.

With a surge of bravery, I open the door quietly and close it behind me. I rush to the stairs directly in front of me.

“Alexis?”

I stop dead in my tracks and turn slowly towards the voice. “Yes?”

“I got you a new dress for tonight’s dinner. It’s been pressed and is ready to put on.”

I take a step closer. “I already have a dress.”

“No you don’t, I threw it out. I mean honestly, Alexis. Did you really think that was appropriate to wear to your sister’s engagement dinner?”

It takes a firm biting of my tongue to keep from saying something, telling her to fuck off in one way or another, but I manage to fight it. Just get through the weekend. Let it go.

I turn away from her and climb the stairs to my room. Walking into it now feels no different than yesterday, as if I’ve time-traveled back into my horrible childhood.

It wasn’t all horrible, though. The parts with Striker were all worth it.

And with that thought, I throw myself on the bed. I curl up into a ball, but not before I spitefully kick the freshly-pressed dress into the floor.

Sure, it’s childish, but what does she expect when she treats me this way?

Focusing on breathing deeply, I will myself to think of anything other than the stress of the day. After some time, my breathing slows and I feel myself slip away, sinking further and further into the comfy blanket and fluffy pillow.

There’s a tapping on my window. I rush to it because my mother hasn’t done her nightly checks yet. I throw the window open and whisper down to him, “Not yet. Hold on.”

I close the window and wrap my robe tighter around myself. Not two minutes later, she opens the door and sees me lying in bed with a book.

“Good night, Alexis.”

“Night,” I say back without taking my eyes from the pages.

Signaled by the soft click of the door latch closing, I toss the book to the floor and pull off the robe. I adjust my shirt and pull the pant legs of my jeans back down while slipping into a pair of flip flops. I open the window and begin my journey to him.

The bright moon lighting up his features makes me go a little weak. His green eyes are shaded by the night, but it just adds to his mystery. His chiseled jaw is set and his perfect lips are turned up in a grin as he watches me climb down to him.

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