Page 120 of There's No Us Without You
Pain shoots up my thighs, but I don’t care.
All I can do is focus on my breathing, my chest so tight I’m struggling to take in enough oxygen. I suck in the warm, humid air and blow it out slowly.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
My hair has fallen over my face, so I brush back the strands sticking to my sweaty forehead and squeeze my eyes shut to stop the sting of my tears.
I don’t care that people are staring at me. Let them.
That woman in there is the most manipulative person I’ve ever met, scheming and lying behind my back—exactly what I never wanted to become but did.
It’s my worst fear come true. How could I not see it?
In one swift movement, I push myself into a standing position and swipe the tears and snot from my face.
The only thing that’s going to help right now involves plenty of sugar and chocolate ice cream.
THIRTY-FOUR
Emerson
Carter pullshis car up out the front of my house and shuts off the engine, silence now filling the small space between us.
After leaving my car at the bar last night, I begged Carter to pick me up and take me to training this morning. I’m notprepared to confront Will just yet over what happened between us, so my car will sit there for a while longer.
I don’t regret the kiss for one second. I just regret how I went about it. Will deserves an explanation, I know that much. So until I can rein in my hormones around him—which may be never—I need to keep a little distance.
Carter clears his throat, getting my attention. “So ...” He nods at the house. “You going to let Eden explain why she did what she did?”
Sighing, I cross my arms over my chest, running my tongue over my top teeth as I stare up at the front door.
No.
“Yes.”
With a pat on my shoulder, he smiles. “Good.”
I groan but make no attempt to leave the comfort of his car. Why does he have to make so much sense?
Training involved not only getting my body flogged by Coach, but also my brain poked and prodded by Carter and his reasonable suggestion that I need to at least let Eden explain why she crushed my soul with her betrayal.
I’d been so stupid, imagining what we could be after finals, that I never imagined she was only getting close to me for money.
And fucking Cooper . . .
He’s lucky I didn’t pin him down and strangle him to death. But that’s the last thing our team needs right now—fighting within the squad—so I’ll wait, bide my time until I can let loose on his stupid, smug face.
“Do I need to kick you out?” Carter drums his fingers on the steering wheel.
I give him a hard smile, my muscles tense as I snatch my bag from the back seat. “I’m going, I’m going.”
“Deep breaths, bro.”
I flip him off and make my way up the driveway. When Carter reverses out onto the road and disappears out of sight, I take a deep breath and push through the front door.
