Page 23 of Shattered

“You’re right. You’re right, I’m sorry, fuck.” He lifts a hand to scratch the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, man.”

I release an aggravated huff. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah.” He nods in agreement. “Man, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you yell before.”

Exhaling a long breath, I drop my head back and look up at the sky. I don’t usually lose my cool, but I’m pissed at him—fucking furious at what he did. I want to unleash a full barrage of anger on him. Lips set in a grim line, I face him again.

But I take in the dark circles and tired eyes, then his large pupils, and I know it won’t do any good right now. He’s been struggling, and everyone deals with things differently. I can only hope this is a phase for him.

“My parents are going to kill me,” Jason blurts, his voice slightly panicked as the situation finally sinks in for him.

I almost feel like I should tell them about the pills and what he’s been doing, but I don’t want to betray his trust. He’s always had my back, always defended me, and I’m sure if the roles were reversed, he’d keep his mouth shut. And up until today, it’s been harmless.

With a sigh, I grip the keys in my hand. “We won’t tell them. I’ll drive the rest of the way, and we’ll pretend it never happened. Okay? But if you ever do anything like this again, I’ll kill you myself.”

He stares at me for a moment, then nods. “Yeah, okay.”

“I just need a minute. Go wait in the car.”

I pace a few steps away, scanning the surrounding area while trying to settle down. Hopefully, Jason can pull himself together enough for the hearing. We’re probably going to be late now.

An old Ford pickup truck slows and pulls to the side of the road, the driver looking over Jason’s car as he winds down the window. “You boys need some help?” the old man asks, leaning out the side.

“Oh, no, thanks.” I try to keep my voice steady. “My friend just needed to stop and find a tree.”

He looks back at the car, confused. “You got a spare, or is someone coming to change it for you?”

“A spare?” I turn back to the car to see what he’s talking about, and that’s when I see it. The driver’s side tire is completely flat. It must have happened when we hit the ditch. Another sigh leaves my lips and my eyes close.

I don’t know if Jason has a spare, but one thing is for sure: we won’t be making it to the hearing.

...

Sunflower: I heard the verdict. Are you okay?

Neilix: I’m starting to feel like I’m drowning.

Sunflower: Gosh, that makes my heart hurt. I wish I could take some of the weight off you.

Neilix: You do.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Neilix

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here on the edge of the bathtub at Jason’s house, mulling over everything in my head while staring at the faded bathmat beneath my feet. But my ass is numb, and I’ve counted over one-hundred squares in the design.

I never really considered the saying “when it rains, it pours,” but it couldn’t be any truer than it is now. Things have only been going from bad to worse, and I’m not sure how much more I can take. Everything is changing, and none of it is for the better.

Jacob was sentenced to ten years in prison, and I wasn’t even there to see it happen. Ten fucking years. The sentence was more severe due to her being a minor and Jacob being eighteen, and no doubt due to her parents’ influence. What Deanna said held some truth to it, though I don’t believe they found any evidence of pedophilic behavior.

My mind has been a seesaw ever since I heard the verdict, going back and forth about it all. They had to have had enough evidence to convict him, and a rape kit would have been used on her. But could that have been wrong or inconclusive? Those are the types of thoughts that have been plaguing me. I guess I just can’t accept that he did it.

Then, besides that shit, there’s the fact that my parents have made the decision to move us into a trailer park in Shorewood, about twenty minutes away, since we can’t afford to stay in our house anymore. We’re supposed to start packing right away and be out within the next two weeks.

On top of all that, we found out Campbell is moving to the other side of the country, and he didn’t even have the balls to tell us. Jason’s mom let us know while we were eating lunch shortly after I got here today. Campbell has barely said a word to any of us for the past few weeks, not even after I went to see him, and he couldn’t be bothered to say anything.

Jason felt pretty bad about what happened when we were driving that day and has apologized multiple times, saying it won’t happen again. And, because he’s the only one in my life who hasn’t ditched me besides Sunflower, I forgave him and have tried to forget it. I don’t want to lose him as well.

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