Page 68 of Embers of Torment

"I rushed over here because you weren't answering your phone or door last night or today. We got concerned, and now I see we had a reason to be."

"Whoa, back up." I shook my head, losing patience with her explanation. "Again, who iswe?"

"Me, Adam, and Jace. I made an excuse so your brother doesn't know what transpired yet."

"You talked to Adam and the asshat?"

"Yes, and I agree Jace is an asshole, but it's complicated. He told Adam and me what happened at the soccer field between you and him yesterday, along with the whole backstory."

"Jeez, it appears nothing's sacred these days. That's all personal stuff."

"It is, but Jace is devastated over the situation and terrified you're not okay."

"Yeah, right. Like he freaking cares," I scoffed, my voice riddled with bitterness. "You still haven't shared how you got in here."

"After you failed to show up for the barbeque and refused to pick up my calls, I contacted Adam to get Jace's phone numberand found out Jace had already called him because he was worried. I got a hold of Jace, and he explained everything. He informed me he'd been trying to reach you since last night and had come to your door twice this morning, but you wouldn't answer. We decided it would be less intrusive if I was the one to check on you and told Spencer you were sick as my excuse to come over. When I arrived, Jace met me in the lobby and gave me his key to your apartment."

"No wonder everyone knows what the frig is going on. Remind me never to give a boyfriend a key to my place again." Irritated, I yanked my arm away when Kendra placed her hand on it.

"Come on, Della, don't get upset. We love you and care about you. And don't think for a minute that either Adam or I forgive Jace. Because we don't."

"Good, because neither do I." I slowly stood and sat on the couch, my clothes a twisted mess. My body ached from the unyielding floor.

Kendra joined me, her face blanching at my appearance. "Why don't you take a warm shower and clean yourself up? I bet you'll feel better."

"Why? You don't like how I look?" I snapped. Seeing Kendra's frown, I wished I could take it back. "Crap. I didn't mean that. It's just… Last night was rough. I spent it reliving a merry-go-round of memories I would have rather kept buried. I finally dozed off about the same time I ran out of tissues."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, me too. I should have listened to my conscience and stayed away from Jace. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Good 'ole me got screwed again, and this time I went out with a freaking bang. Of all the guys on the planet, I fell in love with the asshat that tormented me when I was a kid and did his best to ruin my life. Nothing like personal sabotage."

"Della. You said the L-word." Kendra leaned back and studied my swollen face. It was like she was trying to figure out if I said it in sarcasm. "You said you loved Jace."

"Stupid, huh? I ignored my instincts and followed my heart, getting burnt to a crisp this time. The irony alone is ridiculous. I spent my life hating the boy who bullied and tormented me and wishing for all sorts of despicable things to happen to him. I wanted him to suffer the way I did." I shook my head, snorting with disgust. "And look at me now. Who's the one who got hurt? Freaking dumbass me. I can't win. No matter how hard I try, I just can't."

"Don't say that. You didn't know Jace was your bully."

"Not specifically, but I sensed some weird connection as soon as we met. It was like I knew him but couldn't figure out how. And how many guys are named Jace? I should have put it together."

"Now you're being unfair to yourself." Kendra got up and pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator, handing it to me after retaking her seat on the couch. "You said you couldn't remember your bully's name because everyone called him Junior. Plus, when Jace informed you his cousin lived here, he made it sound like he visited Boston as a kid, not that he used to reside here. Besides, I'm sure he looked different back then."

"He did. Jace was tall and thin, and his parents kept his head shaved. It's funny. When Ree told me her real name was Rielle, I instantly knew she was my old classmate. It only took another second to connect her to Jace, the bully. His surname wasn't the same back then. It was Lyons and must have changed to Welch when his stepfather adopted him."

"So what now?"

"Nothing. Our relationship is terminated, kaput, dead, whatever you want to call it." I curled up on the couch with my head tucked into the corner, too exhausted to do anything else.

"Oh, no, you don't." Kendra stood and grabbed me by the arm. "Go clean up. You'll feel better. You can take another nap afterward."

"Okay,Mom." After she helped me up, I trudged to the bathroom. Stripping off my pajamas, I set the water temperature and climbed into the shower. When the deluge of liquid warmth hit my shoulders, I felt my body relax. Kendra was right. I needed this.

Finished, I brushed my teeth and slipped into a pair of shorts and another tank top. Feeling almost human again, I rejoined Kendra and curled up on the cushions. Her cell phone dinged seconds later.

"Who is it?" I muttered.

Kendra checked her device. "It's Jace."

"Why?" I turned to see her fingers tapping on her screen. "Oh, hell, no. What are you frigging saying to him?"

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