Page 66 of Gunner

I continued taking deep breaths to stave off the emotion I was trying hard not to release. Corbin was the only person who had ever seen me lose it. He’d been my rock while I tried to navigate my life after my parents’ deaths.

Missy had been like a sister, but she only knew the strong me, the therapist me. The person who everyone went to when they needed someone. I always needed to be strong for everyone else.

“It’s ok, Haizley. This won’t be the first time he fucks up.”

I simply nodded, knowing if I spoke it would be over. The tears would fall, and I would break. My reaction was irrational. I barely knew him. This shouldn’t be this devastating. It didn’t make sense.

“If Aspen and Amber wake before you, I’ll have one of the girls come get you.”

I nodded again.

“Here are the keys.” She opened my hand, placing two keys connected by a ring in my palm. “This is both of them, so no one else will have one.”

Curling my hand around the keys, I closed my eyes.

The bed shifted when Brandy stood up. She walked silently to the door, but before she left, she spoke softly, saying something I hadn’t heard since my parents died.

“Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

The soft click of the door closing was the signal my body needed to let go. I slid to the floor and cried.

Cried for the loss of my parents when I needed them most. Cried for my best friend Missy, who was seven hundred miles away. Cried for Amber, who needed me to help her work through trauma she thought she had conquered. Cried for Aspen, whoneeded me to be here when she woke up in a strange place after her assault.

But most of all, I cried for me.

For the girl who didn’t have a mom to help her get ready for prom.

For the girl who had no one clapping for her at graduation.

For the girl who didn’t have her dad to walk her down the aisle when she got married.

For the girl who would probably never get married.

For the girl who just wanted someone to take care of her for a change.

I didn’t know how long I sat on that floor and cried for all the things I never had, and never would have, until finally, I had no tears left to cry.

There was a soft knock on the door, and I turned my head to stare, not saying a word.

“Haizley? It’s Sam. I didn’t know if you were hungry, but I had Hash make you something to eat. I’ll leave it here by the door.”

I heard the muffled sounds of her putting whatever she had brought on the floor. Rubbing the emotion from my eyes, I sat for another moment, listening to her footsteps walk away.

And then another moment to be sure no one was out there.

Before I carefully stood and hesitantly walked toward the door. I laid my ear against the rough wood and listened.

I was hungry, but not hungry enough to fall into the trap of opening the door and finding Gunner there.

So, I listened.

When I was positive no one was there waiting, I carefully unlocked the door and slowly opened it. I looked down the hallway in both directions before dropping my eyes to the tray full of food and bottles of water.

I quickly pulled the tray through the doorway without lifting it and closed the door, turning the lock once again. Lifting the tray, I placed it on the dresser and finally took in my surroundings.

Grabbing a bottle of water and twisting the cap off, I lifted it to my lips. Whoever Hash was, I was thankful they had thought to send more than one bottle of water.

The room was sparse. A TV sat mounted on the wall, the remote tucked next to a lamp on the nightstand that sat next to a queen size bed covered by a soft gray comforter. Two doors across the room led me to believe there was a closet and a bathroom, though I had yet to open either.

---