Page 17 of Arden and the Girl Downstairs

“But the thing is, I need you, Arden. Julia needs you. We are both living under your roof. Ally and I have been looking after Julia for the past three days. We hired a tutor for her, we’ve made sure she is okay, and we’ve been making sure she isn’t alone for long. But we aren’t you. I feel like I just got this amazing family, and now I’m barely keeping it together. I miss you, Arden. We all do. I just want to know what’s going on in your head.”

Yasmin’s words hit me harder than she intended. I know she’s right about everything.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” I run my hand through my hair in frustration and stare out the window to avoid eye contact.

“Where do you go every night?” Yasmin asks.

“Out. A pub here, a club there,” I respond, but it’s void of my usual humour.

“Why do you always end up at Grumpy’s?” Curiosity laces her voice. I don’t go to Grumpy’s every night.

“What are you talking about?”

“Grumpy’s. You go there every night. You usually walk in trashed, then sit at the bar, nursing enough drinks to keep you over the edge. You wait until close and then you leave without saying goodbye to anyone.”

I glance at Yasmin and try to determine if she’s making this up. This is absolute madness. There is no way that I’d go to Grumpy’s. The look on her face is a dead giveaway, though.

She isn’t lying.

“How do you know that?” Curiosity, meet cat.

“Ella told me the other day while I was sitting with her. She made me promise not to tell the others, but she mentioned it when I asked why she was so angry at you.”

I take a moment to process what Yasmin is saying. Ella told her . . . but made her promise to keep it quiet. Why is Ella protecting me?

“Why don’t you tell me why you drink so heavily every night?” she asks softly. It reminds me of when someone is meeting a new animal for the first time. It’s like she’s approaching with care, waiting for me to be spooked and run off.

I don’t think about my answer. I’m tired of holding it all in. “It helps me forget and allows me to sleep without nightmares.” I’m honest with her because she deserves it.

“Did you tell Caleb about the nightmares? He’s helped me.”

“No, he can’t help with this. No one can.”

“Arden, don’t be like this. We love you. We can help you.”

“I don’t want to make this your burden. You have enough going on, and you don’t need my crap as well.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I won’t fight with you tonight, Arden. But I will say one more thing before I leave.”

I look up at her, nodding slightly to let her know I’m listening.

“This isn’t you. But you need to work out what you are doing because I don’t know how much longer we can put up with this Arden. You promised us this year would be our year. You barely show up to classes. You don’t hang out with us . . . Hell, even Millie, Nat, and GW miss you, and they aren’t even here. We don’t expect the old Arden back, but we’d really like it if our friend would show up every once in a while. It would be even better if you chose to hang out with us and have dinner. I can’t say this enough,we miss you.” Yasmin doesn’t wait for my response.

She walks straight out of my room and out of sight.

I play her words over again.

Why don’t I remember going to Grumpy’s? Why hasn’t Chad said anything to me?

Before I can even conjure my next thought, my brain supplies an image of a blonde haired, blue-eyed girl who is hiding herself and her pain away from the world . . . I stop.

Ella.

Is she the reason I go there every night?

Grabbing my phone off the coffee table, I send a quick message to Ralph.

Arden: Can you drive me somewhere tonight?

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