Page 644 of Rock Me All Night
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In the morning, the living room is filled with the smell of coffee, but there's no sign of Pete.
I drink a cup, eat a quick breakfast, dress in my best not quite business casual outfit, and drive to school.
Class grabs my concentration all day. I get dinner off campus and stay late in the library. When I get home, Pete is locked in his room.
I consider knocking. Asking for an apology. Asking for an emotionless fuck. Demanding he get his head out of his ass and realize he could love me.
Instead, I go to my room, and study until I'm too tired to think.
The next day, it's the same.
All week, it's the same.
Come Friday, I'm worn thin. My stomach in knots. My heart is achy. Avoiding Pete doesn't do anything to change my feelings. It only deepens the hole in my gut.
I reheat a plate of leftovers in the fridge and collapse on the couch, ready to give in to my exhaustion. I'm not due anywhere until eleven the day after tomorrow. Sleeping until ten-thirty Sunday is making a lot of sense.
My phone rings. Whoever it is, I'll call back.
It rings again.
Then again.
I push myself off my couch. Where the hell is that thing? It takes three more ring cycles for me to find my phone in my backpack.
Incoming call from Madison.
My chest tightens. All the missed calls are from her. This must be important.
I steel my nerves as I answer the call. "Hello."
"Jess…" Her voice breaks. "I know you don't want to talk to me yet, but it's important."
My instincts push me to soothe her. Something is wrong. Something bad. "What is it?"
"I… I want to say I'm sorry again. I know that's not enough, but I am. It was wrong of me to be with Nathan at all. It was worse that it was so fast. I should have put you first. You've always been my best friend."
Her voice is earnest.
"I miss you," she says. "Long Island isn't the same without you."
"I miss you too." I miss talking to her. I want to talk to her right now. To tell her how much it hurts that Pete will never love me.
"Really?" The happiness drains from her voice. "It's um… I looked into everything with Dad."
That doesn't sound good. My chest tightens. Deep breaths do nothing to soothe me. There's no running from this. I have to rip off the bandage. "What happened?"
Her voice drops to a whisper. "I found a bottle of vodka in Dad's room. It was empty."
Fuck. All my muscles tense at once. He's drinking again.
How long has he been drinking?
I need the facts before I panic. "When did you find it?"
"This morning. It was in the bottom of his bathroom trash can. It's new. I emptied all the trash last week."
