Page 113 of Destroying Everleigh

“Here,” I said, peeling off my hoodie and offering it to her. She grabbed it and tugged it on over her head. It practically swallowed her whole, stopping around her knees.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, stuffing her hands into the pockets.

Another cold breeze swept through the air, biting at my skin. Once we got in the truck, I’d be fine, though. She needed it more than me.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Jameson asked, his question directed at the girl standing between us.

She bit her lip, allowing the silence to stretch around us for a few moments. For a minute, I thought she’d ignore his question entirely. “I don’t think Amber would like that very much,” she finally answered with a sharp bite to her tone.

Jameson flinched, running a hand through his dark brown hair. He couldn’t even argue that. His little plan of dating her best friend was backfiring on him, and he had no one else to blame but himself.

“Let’s go,” I said, fishing in the pocket of my sweats to retrieve my keys.

I led the way to my truck and unlocked the doors before hoisting myself inside. It took her a few moments of struggling, but she finally managed to haul herself into the passenger seat. A snort of amusement escaped me and she shot me a glare in return.

I blasted the heater, the warmth filling the truck instantly. My gaze snagged on the radio where the time flashed. It was only five, but it felt much later. Looked it, too. The sun had dipped behind the trees off in the distance, making it much darker than it should be this time of day.

I peeled out of the parking lot and drifted onto the main road. The steady hum of the engine reverberated through the air, which I found to be soothing. She didn’t need to tell me where she lived. I’ve picked Briley up from her house on an occasion or two at Ashton’s request.

Everleigh bit her lip, a crease forming between her brows as she allowed her thoughts to consume her. “When is this going to end?” she asked me, not bothering to look my way.

“When is what going to end?” I turned onto a secluded road, my headlights illuminating the street in front of us. Trees littered either side, giving it a more ominous appearance.

“Never mind.” She sighed. Her eyes flickered to the window, and I was half tempted to ask her what the hell she meant, but I had a feeling I already knew.

Everleigh wanted this all to stop. The bullying, the emotional turmoil, and the obstacles we’ve inserted within her life. I had to agree with her. This was becoming drawn out. I had no idea when Ashton planned on giving up on it. There was only so much we could do, and he had to know that.

My ringtone filled the car, cutting off any other forms of communication between me and the girl at my side. Reluctantly, I glanced at the screen, taking in Ashton’s contact flashing across it.

“Hello?” I asked, placing it to my ear.

“I’m not dropping Briley off at her house,” he replied.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. He wasn’t taking her home? Was he letting her stay with us? A mixture of emotions pummeled through me. I didn’t want her in our house. Briley was of no use to us anymore. Hell, she couldn’t even suck dick.

“Then where are you taking her?” I gritted out, attempting to rein in my emotions.

Everleigh looked over at me, a stitch forming between her brows. She knew who we were talking about, and by the look onher face, her train of thought was going the same direction as mine. Her jaw tightened and she turned to look out the window again.

Ashton was silent for a few moments, probably to get under my skin. “She’s moving in with her grandparents,” he finally said.

A breath of relief slipped past my lips. “Okay. That’s probably the best place for her right now.” I smirked over at Everleigh who was staring at me in confusion again, trying to figure out what the hell we were talking about.

Ashton grunted his agreement. “Yeah. How is she?”

I snorted in amusement. “What happened to not giving a shit?” I countered.

I didn’t have to see him to know he was probably scowling at the phone right now, fantasizing about all the ways he could fuck me up for making such a comment.

I turned onto Everleigh’s road at last, squinting at the variety of run-down houses littering either side. A few of them had porch lights, so that helped me see a little bit. But other than that, it was completely dark aside from my headlights. “Why don’t you call her and ask yourself?” I continued when he didn’t respond.

“Fuck off,” he muttered. The line went dead soon after, and I stuffed my phone in my pocket.

I pulled up in her driveaway, chills crawling down my spine when I took in this piss poor neighborhood she lived in. It looked even worse than Jameson’s old neighborhood, and that was saying something.

Everleigh stared out the window for a few minutes, her gaze lingering on the lonely house sitting up ahead.

“I can come in with you if you want,” I offered.

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