Page 31 of Fox
“Exactly!” He states, and as I exit my bedroom, I find him looking in astonishment around the living room. “For someone with such a loud, bright personality, it’s amazing that your home is so empty.”
Wow. That cut deeper than I want to admit. I wish I could say I don’t know why, but I do. I know all too well. Fox’s words sum me up perfectly—bright on the outside, assumed to be empty on the inside.
“Well,” I force out a huff while putting my armor up. Something that is not usually this hard. But right now, staring at his look of disapproval, my armor feels almost too heavy to lift. “I’ll be sure to print that picture of Ren and me last night and put it on the wall for you.” Brushing past him, I head to the kitchen to grab my medication.
“Are you mad that I don’t like your apartment?” Fox laughs while following me into the kitchen. I growl in frustration and my hands shake too much to open the bottle.
“Of course not, why would I give a shit what you think about me—Goddammit!” I scream in frustration while cocking my hand back to throw my stupid bottle.
“Hey, hey,” Fox grips my raised wrist with his large hand, and I feel the warmth from his touch spread through my entirebody. “No need to choose violence. Youcanask for help, Torch. You know that, right?”
“I would rather eat my hand,” I whisper, and he chuckles lightly.
“Give me the bottle, baby doll.” I feel my heartbeat stutter and my core tighten at the exact same moment his low, soft tone uses that fucking pet name. My eyes follow Fox as he takes my bottle and steps back, releasing my arm and once again leaving me with a massive hard-on. Oh yeah, lady boners are a real thing, and mine is raging right now.
“You know,” Fox breathes while handing me back the opened bottle. “For someone unable to find a friend to take her to the crematorium, your phone is blowing up.” He gestures to the device vibrating on the counter. I shrug, not giving it much thought. Honestly, the thing is constantly going off, so I don’t pay any mind to the alerts unless I’m actively on it.
“Yeah, well, popularity doesn’t equal friendship, obviously. I mean, you and I hate each other, yet you’re the one taking me. Speaking of, we better head out.” I sigh, both wanting to get this over with and not wanting to go at all.
The ride heading to the crematorium is quiet. I’ve tried poking at Fox a couple of times just to instigate some bantering, but I’m getting nothing. The man looks so far away, which is terrifying, considering he’s the one driving. Despite the beard, I can see his jaw flexing, and it makes me wonder if he’s upset about going to pick Dad up. Even though I hate to admit it, I know that Dad and Fox were very close, and I’ve never really stopped to think about how this has affected him.
Guilt fills me with that thought, and I decide I need a distraction. Pulling out my phone, I go to Brody’s Instagram because I want to feel worse about myself. Scrolling through the newest photos, I see him at the club and one this morning with Sully, a big podcaster with the captionReady To Let ItAll Out. Dread fills my stomach as I go to his tagged photos. Frowning, I stare at what appears to be a web news photo. The picture of Brody and me was taken about three months ago at the beach. His lean arms are wrapped around my bare waist as we stand in the water, posing for the camera with the sun setting behind us. The photo was used to tell people about a product we were endorsing,BreatheLove, a device that looks like an inhaler. When you are anxious, you inhale the aromatherapy, and it’s supposed to make you feel better. It never worked for me, but the paycheck was terrific, so I took it. I couldn’t swim and wanted nothing to do with being in the water; I told Brody this, and his response was to toss me in as a joke. I remember swallowing what felt like a gallon of ocean water before the photographer helped me out, and then I maced Brody with one of those stupid inhalers.
The original picture from the ad campaign has been edited to look like the image is ripped in half, and the text says:Ice Queen Jai Breaks Heartthrob Brody’s Heart.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I growl as I touch the photo and open the link.
“What’s wrong?” I barely hear Fox ask, and I grunt in response while trying to find the actual article. There is no way he’s doing this to me. I fucking made him. He isnotstabbing me in the back this way. I finally find the article and everything around me slows as I read.
Social Media Star Jai Has Dumped Heartthrob Brody For Booze, Boys, And Brawls
Private sources say that the star, Jai, was spotted at a club downtown last night after ditching her event and the club opening for Below Zero she was scheduled to be at with her beau, Brody. Sources spotted theinfluencer drinking and dancing with other men and women. This goes against her “90 Days of Sobriety” campaign, which she started forty-five days ago.
Jai has recently taken a step back from social media with no explanation to her fans. Many have rumored that she may be pregnant and unsure how to explain this to her fans due to her vow not to have children in her twenties. Others have rumored the absence is due to rehab plans.
This reporter has spoken with a distraught Brody, who had put a birthday party together for her at the club she never attended.
“She and I have been going through a rough patch,” an exhausted Brody sighs as he sits in his home, eyes red from tears. “I think she is having an issue settling down. Monogamy has been a struggle for her, and I think maybe it’s something that cannot be worked out between us. I’ve been trying to give her space as she handles her anger issues, but after the things I’ve been told over the last day, I don’t think I ever really knew Jai the way I thought I did. She is very good at showing her best face to her fans while the rest of us nervously await our fate in her shadow. Even still, I have nothing but deep love for her. I’m broken, a lost soul, and I’ve lost my best friend, my other half. I don’t know what my next move will be. I’m just thankful I have the amazing community I’ve spent my time building to keep me up in these dark times.”
Jai could not be reached for comment.
“Torch, what’s wrong?”Fox asks again with more force than before. I look up from my screen to the road and back down again. This… this can’t be real.
I do a web search of my name and Brody’s. Shit, it’s true. Tons of media sites are posting it. Screenshots of Brody and Royce are everywhere with the captions:Trying To Move Past It With Friends.
There are photos of me at the club, of that guy grabbing me and Fox and the guys defending Ren and me. There’s also the photo of me kissing Ren, and when it’s put all together, it looks like I was looking for trouble. Like I’m some loose party girl. I feel the burning in my nose, and my vision becomes watery.
“Brody.” His name comes out like a choked sob. I feel my bottom lip tremble, and I try to take a steadying breath. “He got a reporter to slam me online. They made me out to be some selfish drunk party girl while he is the doting boyfriend that I stomped all over.” I say softly, staring straight ahead as reality hits me like a bucket of ice water. Brody might’ve just killed Jai.
I’m mildly aware of Fox parking his truck. He slides across the bench seat and plucks my phone out of my hand.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I growl as he turns my phone off and shoves it in his glove box.
“I don’t know what’s happening right now.” As I go to look at the glove box, Fox grabs the side of my face, forcing me to stare into his hazel eyes. Strong is the only word I can think of when looking into his eyes. The earthy browns and greens combine so captivatingly that they pull me in, and I feel safe. I feel safe with him.
“You need to stay off your phone for right now,” he says softly while running his thumb over my cheek. God, that feels nice. It shouldn’t feel nice; thisshouldn’t be nice. But it is, and before I can stop myself, I’m nuzzling into his hand.
“I don’t want to go in there,” I admit weakly as I feel my bottom lip wobble. “Fox, I-I’m barely holding it together right now. I can’t do this.” My voice is a shaky whisper as a sob wrecks through me.
