Page 21 of Cold Snap
“Arrested!”
“She was the person who tried to hurt Oakley.”
“Are you sure?” It doesn’t seem…right. Why would she do that?
“My sister,” who works on the police force, “she said they took her in and that she isn’t even who we all thought she was. She’s like thirty-something.”
“What? Are you fucking with me right now?”
“No, girl, I’m dead serious. I can’t believe Oakley didn’t tell you.”
“We…I have to go, Ashley. I’ll call you back.”
“You better, because this shit is too good not to share.”
I’m out the door before I can think about leaving Land a note or worrying about what will happen when he wakes up to find me gone. If last night was what I think it was, he’ll thank me for not having to wake up to me this morning. And my heart will be broken…again. Better this way than hearing he was just trying to work me out of his system, and it was just one night of craziness.
Once I get to Waylon’s, there are so many cop cars and people milling around that it’s hard to work my way to the front. Aarons spots me and comes over to talk to me. I naturally back up when he tries to stand too close. I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t really want to talk to him either. And I definitely don’t want to have him smile at me like I’m going to hop in his lap when I still have Land’s cum leaking down my thighs. It's too early in the morning for that shit.
“Hey Terry. You missed the excitement. Tommy let it all slip out and admitted to being the person who broke into Oakley’s apartment because he thought he could win her back. He never thought it would drive her right into Waylon’s arms. He used that girl to help him.”
“Are they alright?”
“Yeah, Waylon shot him. Never bring a knife to a gun fight, amiright?”
What the hell? I’m gone for a matter of hours, and all hell breaks loose. Waylon shoots a guy, the friend I thought I knew turned out to be… a lunatic.
“They went inside right after and haven’t come out since. Guess Waylon is giving Oakley a full body checkup.”
Gross! That is my brother and my best friend!
He waggles his eyebrows at me, and all I can do is put more space between us.
“I’m going home.”
“You want me to drive you.”
I shake my head immediately and turn to leave. “No, I’m going to walk. Alone. To my home, where my dad is.”
That last seems to stop him, and I take off before he can think of another way to try to be around me. No more flirting. No more…being Terry, the girl who flirts with older guys and pretends to understand more than she does. No more lies. No more…God, no more dreaming about happy ever afters.
How in the world am I going to look Landry in the eyes or pretend nothing happened between us? How am I going to hide from everybody? How do I shove all these emotions back inside of me? Maybe for him, it was just an itch that needed scratching, but for me, it was love. I made love to him. I showed him more than my body. I showed him my squishy, soft heart.
Once I make it home, I go in the back door thinking no one will see me, but standing by the stove is Mom making breakfast. She takes one look at me and pulls me over to the island.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I fucked up, Mom. I pushed and pushed until I got just what I asked for, and it screwed everything up. She sets a carton of ice cream in front of me and hands me a spoon. God, I love my mom.
“Is this about Waylon and Oakley?”
I shake my head no. I assume she’s heard all about what happened and who was trying to hurt Oakley.
“Is this about Landry?” I gasp and shoot worried eyes right to her.
Oh my God! How does she know?!
“How…how did you…?”
