Page 99 of For Emery

I swung the towel over my shoulder. “I’m fine. I just needed to get rid of some rage.”

“Did you?”

I dragged in a deep breath before shaking my head.

“Why won’t you talk to Emery?”

“I don’t want her seeing me like this.”

“Dude. I’ve seen you a hundred times worse and I’m still here.”

“Yeah, well. I got shit goin’ on in my head that I don’t want touching her.”

“So, you’re pushing her away?”

I glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t act like you don’t keep everyone at arm’s length by being a dick most of the time.”

I scoffed. “Only most of the time?”

He chuckled. “Less since she’s been around.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You need her, Grady. Hell, you need me. Don’t push us away when you need us the most.”

Emery

“Emery.”

I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the early morning sun. I was sitting on a bench outside a small café when Sabrina strode toward me. Her face wore the same concern as mine.

“How is he?” she asked as she sat down beside me. “My calls keep going straight to voicemail.”

“His uncle took his phone.”

She nodded, now understanding why he hadn’t answered his phone.

“If it helps, he’s not talking to me either.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

I lifted my shoulders.

“Do you know what happened? Is he all right?”

I found it difficult to hold her gaze. “He was protecting me from my stepfather.”

“Oh my God. He found you?” Her eyes assessed me, as if looking for visible scars. “Are you all right?”

I nodded. “So, Jordan told you about my past?”

She cringed. “I haven’t told a soul. I promise. He just needed someone to talk to when you showed up on campus.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad he had you to talk to.”

“Yeah, but who does he have now if he’s shutting us out?” she asked.

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