Page 30 of Heart of Gold
“The night your mom died…” He starts and I feel a weight suddenly against my chest, as if someone is standing on top of me. “We fought, remember?”
I try my best to go back there, to that place in the back of my mind I try so hard to suppress. I nod.
“Do you remember why?”
I nod my head, “I wouldn’t leave with you.”
He runs his hands down his face, “Okay but do you remember why I wanted you to leave?”
I search for a memory. Anything to remind me of that night, but it’s all a blur. “No.”
“Rae invited some boys from the school in the next county to the party. She’d been talking to one of them.”
“Corbyn or something?” I remember, but barely.
“I don’t know,” he sighs. “They were all making plans to leave and go back to this guy’s house. Everyone was fucking hammered.”
“Except for you.” I state.
“We weren’t on good terms, but I didn’t want you to get hurt. Those guys weren’t good, Quinn. I didn’t want them to touch you orhurtyou.”
I feel my stomach constrict. I don’t remember that at all, but I also probably would’ve done whatever Raelynn wanted to do back then. Especially since I’d been drinking.
“So you called my mom.”
His eyes scream that he’s sorry, “I did. You wouldn’t leave with me and I knew that if you knew your mom was coming, it would sober you up enough to stay put.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
His expression changes from sorry to sad. “Raelynn left that night. Do you remember that?”
I shake my head, “No? She was too drunk to drive.”
My eyes fill with tears and I feel my throat burn with the contents of my stomach threatening to come out.
“We were so busy fighting. I don’t even remember her leaving.” I choke.
“She got in the car with those guys,” he admits, “and your mom never made it to the party.”
A sob crashes through my body, and I feel my heart pounding against my ribcage.
Did anyone know this?
I tried my best to let my sister handle the police and funeral arrangements because I could barely bring myself to even breathe. The only thing I could think was that it was my fault.
“But they arrested someone,” I cry.
“And they let them go.” He sighs, “They told the police the car was stolen.”
I feel my chest tighten. Raelynn was in the car that hit my mom and she just left her there to die?
“She left my mom?”
Grayson shakes his head, “She was scared to death. She didn’t know it was your mom.”
I can’t breathe. Why is he defending her?
“You kept this from me?” I croak. “You knew this entire time and you didn’t say anything?”
