Page 46 of Diem

I know I said I wasn’t looking forward to letting him down but now I’m dreading it. Will he stop talking to me altogether?

I need my friends dammit. My world is spiraling out of control.

“Look, it's fine Mae. Just stuff at home. I gotta go,” he says, and I slump when he walks away.

What do I do?

“Everything okay, kiddo?”

Jumping a foot, I turn to Dad and grab my chest. “Oh, hi Dad.”

It’s weird because just a few weeks ago, he was my hero. Now I can’t look at him without envisioning Dixie’s death. Is my dad violent? Could he kill someone? I don’t know and that’s what scares me.

Dad’s brows furrow as he searches my expression before he glances down the hall. Helplessly I follow his gaze as he says, “Don’t worry. Matt’s a good kid. He’ll get over whatever is upsetting him.”

With a weak smile, I wave and say goodbye, glancing back to find him still staring into the distance. What’s he thinking about? Dixie?

Later at home, I take advantage of Mom being gone and go through the house room by room, but everything is as it should be and after I collapse to the couch with a groan.

Maybe I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist, and this is proof. Or maybe I’m deluding myself because why would he keep that shit here?

When I hear the garage door open, I head up the stairs because the last thing I want to do is speak to my mom.

I should be working on my homework, instead I open up my browser and begin a new search.

Hours later, I’ve found nothing on the dude with the handle Dr. Love but after stalking all my peers, I happened upon plenty of garbage from Jaxon.

Now, as I stare at the ceiling, the new day sun beginning its ascent into the sky, I’m resolved. End this with Jaxon and walk before I’m sucked under, and I can’t emerge.

∞∞∞

Thankfully, the opportunity presents itself quicker than I hoped.

We’re at another damn party and the evening is winding down. I haven't gotten the chance to speak to Jaxon privately, not that I’d go anywhere alone with him again, knowing how much of a skeev he actually is.

I should’ve waited until Monday because the guys are drunk off their asses, acting like morons, and it's taken all the acting skills I possess to pretend to be happy and buzzed when all I want is to drink myself into oblivion. Instead, I’m subjecting myself to their fucking stupidity to my everlasting dismay.

Although it is remarkably pleasant without Hailey around because the girls invited are less inclined to the crazy nonsense that she brings with her everywhere she goes.

One such girl sits down next to me with a hesitant smile and says, “I heard Diem broke up with Hailey.”

My brows flip up my forehead at her statement, but I have no chance to respond nor consider it because the door blows in behind us and the cheer team appears.

With a determined glint in her eye that I can’t say I appreciate, Hailey stalks through the entrance dressed in a skimpy as fuck dress with her tits practically hanging out for all to see.

Immediately, her gaze lands on me, and her nostrils flare, rather unattractively, as she says, “What’sshedoing here!”

Jaxon smirks and slides his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss and I’ll admit some part of me is relieved because being on his arm the last few days was excruciating, but he’s a fucking asshat for both taking her back and leaving me in the lurch.

When they break away, Hailey shoots me a triumphant stare, and I smile wide, standing and clapping my hands slowly for dramatic effect. “I guess it didn’t go too well with Diem. What’s the matter? Get tired of sucking dick?”

Jaxon stiffens beside Hailey, and she shoots me a glare that fades into a smirk. “Diem wasn’t enough for me, but he did tell me quite a lot about you.”

My stomach clenches but I ignore the burn and arch a brow. “You must not have been a very good fuck if he was talking about me while you were going at it.”

Her lip curls and I see the wheels turning in her head before she glances around for dramatic effect and drawls, “Have you written any new poems, Maeve? Maybe this time, you can rhapsodize about his ass?”

“Whatever. He dumped you, don’t take it out on me,” I say, summoning a bored expression.

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