Page 49 of Chase
“What the fuck do you want?” He belts out. There isn’t a goddamn thing that’s gonna run me off now. He can try all he wants but I’m not going anywhere. I don’t give a shit. I need to talk to her.
“I need to talk to Sloane,” I demand and he steps right up to me, getting in my face and blocking my way down the narrow hall.
“Like fuck you do,” he grits his teeth at me while I push toward the door, “Turn your ass around, skates.” I’m not asking for his fucking blessing and flip him off before knocking on her door. “Sloane, we need to talk, I–,” she raises her hand and closes her red-rimmed eyes for a moment while she inhales a breath. Her lips are full and slightly parted. She’s so close I can see the tear tracks down her cheeks. She’s been crying.Fuck! I fucked it all up, didn’t I?
“I beg your pardon, but we’ll be doin’ no such thing. I’ve got nothing left to say to you.” The second I hear her sweet voice, Ithink of her up on that stage singing to me and get lost in her all over again.
“She’s asking you to leave, dickhead. Get a move on,” Davis says with a snarl and a lip curl.
“Sloane, give me five minutes to talk, I–.” Her hand rising has me swallowing down the rest of my words when she interrupts me again. I also try to breathe around my heart that’s lodged in my goddamn throat.This can’t be good…
“I think you should go,” she says softly while clutching her feather necklace. She looks so goddamn sad it breaks my fucking heart.
“I heard your song, I want you to know that I–,” she shakes her head back and forth to block out the rest of my words before shutting me out all together when she closes the door in my stupid face.
“And I thought you should know that I’m now done trying,” I hear her say through the dressing room door just as my heart splatters all over the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Two
DAVISand I are silent on the walk back to my apartment. I can tell he wants to say something but he’s holding himself back for the moment.
I ignore my buzzing phone while we make our way down the paths of campus. I was in no mood to go to the show’s after-party tonight and excused myself, which was a shame since I had helped with planning the darn thing.
My brother is right by my side but also gives me a wide berth which he instinctively knows I need. I look down at my feet while we walk since I’m determined to avoid eye contact with anyone who may have connected the dots about my performance tonight.
I made my feelings obvious and he iced me out. I’m hoping a sinkhole will magically appear and swallow me right up. Especially before all the chatter starts.
I pick up the pace and power walk toward my building. I just want to get home, get into my bed, and end this dreadful day. I don’t need to scan my surroundings or look back to know that he isn’t far behind us. I know he is and it makes me mad all over again.
I roughly shove my hair over my shoulders before squeezing my fists together and digging my nails into my palms.What on earth did he want earlier? The nerve of him showing up at my dressing room like that!
My building’s in sight when Davis finally breaks his silence. I should’ve activated the stopwatch feature on my phone to time him.
“I don’t want to hear it, Sloaney, so I’m just lettin’ you know now that I’m comin’ up,” he says and I roll my eyes at him.
“I don’t need a bodyguard, Davis. I just need to go to bed,” I tell him with an exhausted sigh. My adrenaline crash is something fierce and I’m running outta steam here.
“That boy looked like he was ready to tear the paint off the walls when he came to your dressing room. I’m crashin’ on your couch tonight whether ya like it or not.”
“He’s not comin’ up tonight, and even if by some circumstance he did, he’s allowed to be in our apartment, I live with his sister.” I can’t imagine he’ll be doing anything more than standing outside the building behind that big ole tree butI’m not about to tell my brother that. Actually, come to think of it, I wonder if he’ll stop coming now.What’s the point anyway?
“Well, he ain’t comin’ to see you either.” I ignore Davis’ comment and storm through the lobby. I repeatedly stab the elevator button with my finger and tap my foot anxiously waiting for it to arrive.
I’m ticked off, annoyed, embarrassed, hurt, and a whole lotta heartbroken. I was one hundred percent positive he felt something for me. I put all my chips down and lost.
How could I have been so wrong? I swear I feel him in the center of my soul sometimes. How could this all be unrequited?You’re such a pathetic, foolish girl, seeing what ya wanna see.
I can appreciate surprising him but the boy didn’t even clap. He barely reacted at all. He didn’t do anything but feed the frenzy of negativity and now I’ve got a self-doubt cyclone swirling around my head.
The elevator is taking forever and a day and I’m about to yank out my hair in frustration. I eye Davis scrolling through his phone while we wait.
“Drew is asking for ya, wants to know if you're alright,” he says while watching me pace back and forth. I can’t stand still. I nearly jump on the sofa in the lobby when he snaps his fingers and points to me, “You should go out with him, he’s a good guy. No bullshit, no games. Unlike that dumbass hockey player. Plus he plays a real sport,” he says with a smirk. He looks just like our Daddy when he does that.
“Drew and I are just friends, plus he doesn’t date. Or he hasn’t since I’ve known him.” I don’t defend Chase because my brother’s right, he is a dumbass hockey player.
The elevator finally dings with its arrival, when I hear Evie burst through the building. I turn toward her and watch her brown ponytail sway feverishly while she speedwalks toward me.
“There you are! I’ve been texting you nonstop!” she bellows across the lobby. The elevator doors are wide open but now that I’ve got an incoming Evie hug, I need that more than anything waiting for me upstairs.
