Page 38 of Weak Side

A wobbly breath shuffled out of my mouth as I powered my phone down, not wanting to hear his voice through the other line. There was an ever-present ache in between each breath that I forced from my lungs, but I focused on the chill in the air and blamed the trembling of my lip on that instead of the complete and utter disbelief that I was feeling in every hidden part of my body.

I knew I was in self-preservation mode, blocking out the visual of my boyfriend openly cheating on me in the middle of a college party that he swore he’d never go to. The feeling of inadequacy was completely going unnoticed as I hid from the disappointment and feeling of defeat. If anyone were to look into my eyes, they’d see the hurt there, but I wasfine.

There were a million and ten questions going through my head, all of which were skirting right past the empty feeling in my heart and more so revolving around my mother and our future. Was her job at stake? What about the money we owed? Would they require my mother to pay it back in full if Chad and I weren’t together? His warnings were at the forefront of my brain, and even though I tried, I couldn't hide from those—not when they’d been pounded into my skull for over a year.

“Shit.” The word was as bleak as I felt.

I wrapped my arms around my midsection, hiding from the cool wind. I wasn’t even sure where I was. I refused to turn my phone back on to pull up my map, though, because if I saw Chad’s name flash across the screen, I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t throw the device into moving traffic. And let’s face it, I couldn’t afford a new phone.

The frat houses along the street were partying in full force. The music was blending together, and I was thankful that it was drowning out my thoughts. I stepped down onto the curb to cross the road and stopped at the last second as a car flashed its lights at me. I squinted and blocked the brightness with my hand, but when they pulled up beside me, I felt like I’d swallowed my own tongue.

“Get in.”

Honestly, the last person I wanted to see—other than Chad—was Theo. I didn’t want to face him—not after I learned that he was right.

“No thanks,” I said, stepping back onto the curb and walking along the sidewalk again. I still had no idea where I was going, but it felt right to keep moving forward.

“Claire. Get in my car.”

“I would rather walk right now. I n-n-need the fresh air.” I was used to the cold, northern air, but I wasn’t exactly dressed warmly, and I cursed my dead giveaway that I was freezing.

Theo’s car trailed behind me for a few steps until he said, “You know you’re going in the wrong direction, right?”

I paused, and next thing I knew, Theo’s passenger door was opened, and he was leaning over the center console. The small lights above his head showcased the tiny shadows along his ticking temples, and I sighed in relief at the heat coming from his dashboard. “Just get in my car, Bryant.”

I zipped up the emotions that were clogging my eyes and focused on a different type of emotion. Instead of getting into his passenger seat, I moved past the open door and slid into the backseat instead.

“Seriously?” I peeked at Theo as he half-turned around and looked at me sitting in his backseat. “You’re that stubborn?” He sighed agitatedly when I didn’t answer and leaned over the empty passenger seat and shut the door, closing out the cool air. I sighed in relief, trying to keep my teeth from chattering, but apparently, Theo had noticed, because I watched as his steady fingers adjusted the vents along his dashboard to point in the backseat.

Nothing but the sound of heat blasting from the vents filled the tiny space between us, but to my surprise, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as it should have been.

The moment we pulled up to the dorms, I quickly opened my door. His car wasn’t even off by the time I unsnapped the seatbelt and started toward the dorms. Apparently, Theo was a freaking magician, though, because when I went to open the door to Dorothy Hall, his large hand was there, and he opened it for me. I went to murmur a thank you but did a double-take at his swollen, bright-red knuckles with the tiniest splatter of blood against them. My cold, shaky hand landed on his wrist, and I examined it before pulling us both inside the warm hall.

“Did you hit Chad?” My voice bordered on terror.

“Yep.” Theo looked away, but there was a bite to his answer. “Got a problem with that?” His question felt like a test, as if he wanted me to stand up for Chad just so he could shoot me down.

My slightly gaped mouth snapped shut, and I dropped his hand. “Thanks for the ride.” It was a race for me to get back to our room, and I hoped with everything I had left in me that Theo would head back to the party and leave me be.

Knowing that Theo hit Chad made me panic.Shit.I began to feel lightheaded as I fumbled with my room key. I let out a quivery breath before I smelled Theo’s cologne, and a moment later, his hands gripped my waist. He gently moved me over so he could take charge and unlock our door.

The moment we were inside, I rushed over to my dresser and pulled out some comfortable clothes. When I spun back around with my clothes held tightly in my grip, I spotted Theo leaning against the edge of his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. A second passed in silence before I blurted out the question I didn’t want the answer to.

“Is that why you nudged me to go to the party?” I gulped up a mouthful of air, bringing my clothes to my chest as a shield. “You wanted me to see it for myself?”

The angry lines around Theo’s mouth lessened. He popped off from the desk and shook his head. “Believe it or not, Bryant, I’m not as bad as you make me out to be. I had no idea he’d be there.”

“But you were right.”And I was humiliated.

The clanking of his teeth confused me. “I didn’t want to be right about that.” More silence passed, and I dropped my gaze to the floor, feeling worse the longer I stood there, seeming pathetic in front of someone like Theo Brooks. A deep sense of sadness started to move through my body, and my chest grew tight. The floor began to grow blurry, and I bit my tongue to keep myself from breaking. Chad’s lips against someone else's was something that was hard to swallow. My face stung like I was being slapped with the visual over and over again.

“I’m going to get ready for bed,” I announced, all but running over to the door to head to the bathrooms. It took less than ten minutes for me to get changed and to brush my teeth, because I was afraid Chad would show up to my room and corner me in the hallway.

Theo looked at me abruptly when I stormed in the room and charged over to my bed. We made eye contact for a single second before I climbed under the covers, not bothering to plug my phone in.

My back was to him, and I pulled the blankets up high in a poor attempt to block out the world. I ran through my dance routine in my head, doing eight counts in another poor attempt to keep things locked away, and was immensely thankful when Theo turned off the light.

Thank God.

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