Page 195 of There's No Us Without You
Christ, I don’t even know who I am right now. I’ve never laid my hands on him—ever.
I’m just like that piece of shit we call a father.
A single tear slips down my cheek, but I swipe it away.
“Will, what the hell are you doing?” Eden’s voice is stern, but she doesn’t touch me.
Nor does she do as she’s told.
Fucking brat.
“Don’t,” I say, stepping away from her.
Tyler climbs to his feet and gives her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Edie girl. This is just between me and Will. It’s all good.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, racing over to hug him.
I turn my head, unable to look at how close they’ve become. It’s hard to admit, but even though Tyler’s done some dumb shit in his life, he seems to be good for Eden. He’s been a real friend to her, when Emerson or I couldn’t give her that.
“Go back inside. I’ll talk to you later.” Tyler nods to the door. “I promise.”
“But I don’t want to leave you alone.” She glares at me like this is my fault.
All I can do is shake my head.
I know she doesn’t blame Tyler for what happened to Emerson, but that doesn’t mean I don’t.
“It’s fine, Eden. Please, just go inside.” Tyler is pleading with his eyes, and finally she listens, moving towards the front door and closing it behind her once inside.
Tyler turns to me again. “I just wanted?—”
I hold my hand up. “Stop. Whatever you have to say, you can say it to Emerson when he’s not so fucked up and can actually stand straight.”
Tyler drops his head and pulls at his hair. “Fuck,” he says. “I’m sorry. I honestly had no idea until Eden told me.”
I nod. “Yeah, you’re always sorry, Ty. That’s the thing. Just like Mum’s jewellery you sold for drug money.”
Tyler throws his head back, his hands now on his hips as he laughs coldly. “You’re so goddamn delusional, Will, you can’t even see what’s right in front of you.”
“Me? Delusional? You think I’m an idiot? You think I didn’t know you were sneaking around with Brady, doing fuck knows what? I tried to help you, but you couldn’t see past the drugs to notice.”
Throwing his hands up, Tyler takes a step in my direction and throws my keys on the grass at my feet. “You didn’t even ask me what that money was for. You just assumed I had to sell Mum’s jewellery for drugs. Do you want to know what the money was really spent on?”
Sweat seeps through my white shirt, and I’m burning up. Do I want to know? If it wasn’t for drugs, then what was the money for?
When I don’t answer, Tyler sighs. “Gabriella needed the money for an abortion,” he says, his shoulders sagging, voice now quiet.
“You’re lying.”
He’s full of shit. Right?
Shaking his head, he steps forward. “I’m not lying, bro. She came to me because she couldn’t go to you.”
“Why not?”
“Are you fucking serious? Will, you push everyone away. You really think if Gabby had come to you all those years ago, you would have listened to her?”
Probably not. But that’s beside the point.
