Page 16 of Pretty Little Lies

“Says my sanity.”

“Well, that’s not on the top of my priority list right now,” he counters back dismissively. “So, I’ll see you when I see you.”

And then he hangs up.

Hot tears brim the back of my eyes as I stretch my jaw to keep from sobbing.

I did this.

I tore a hole in between our relationship because I didn’t trust him. I didn’t have faith in his decision-making to not dosomething stupid. I didn’t have confidence that he wasn’t going to go off Emilio himself and get into a whole shitshow of trouble.

What’s the lesser of the two evils?

Keeping Levi alive.

“He’s blowing off steam,” Juice reassures me across the table. “Let him be.”

Yeah, he is.

With Reeve’s body.

SIX

bay

TRAVIS: He’s gone.

I haven’t stopped cryingsince Travis sent me that text message over an hour after Levi and I spoke over the phone last night. I sauntered off to bed, pretending that I was tired when I left Juice in the kitchen, but I haven’t slept.

And I’ve been a wreck of guilt for not saving him.

Fuck, I’m going to miss that smile.

With my eyes closed, I can still see Reeve’s dark, sandy blonde hair and those pretty hazel eyes. That bottom lip that he’d catch with his teeth when he was flirting with me and how much I pretended not to like it.

His boys are going to search high and low for him without any luck. And I know I’m going to hear from Pretty Boy about it. If I’ve heard anything or if Levi had anything to do with it.

I’d have to tell him no and put another nail in Reeve’s coffin.

When I hear Ellie and Mae wake up, I start breakfast. I try to get lost in something else that doesn’t require thinking about what happened last night but it’s futile.

It’s absolutely worthless.

Because, deep down, I know that Reeve would’ve found a way to save me. I just know it. He would’ve fought Levi and the boys until he got to me.

And I let him down. I kept hidden under the pretense that I wasn’t aware of a thing when I ran into Juice and I’m as much to blame as Levi for sending him off.

I serve up breakfast to the girls and Dad, then begin cleaning up the kitchen. I’m about to bleach the damn fridge to give me something to do, when Levi’s deep octave sends a warning shrill up my spine.

“We need to talk.”

From my haunches, I glimpse over my shoulder to find Levi standing over me in a white tee and black ripped jeans. His pierced eyebrow is prominent through clenched brows and warning me not to fuck around today with him and find out.

I rise to my feet and toss the dry dishcloth in my hand to the counter when Levi jerks his head.

“Garage.”

I blow a heavy exhale between my lips before Levi pivots and makes his way through the living room. I hear him say hello to the girls and Dad, putting a black Connect Four chip in one of the slots before Ellie smacks his hand away and calls him a cheater.

---