Page 113 of Boost

Every cell of my body vibrated with rage and resentment. But none of those words were strong enough to define what I truly felt; torn apart while completely—mercifully—numbed at the same time.

“Fuck you!” Greer’s harsh tone tore through the depressing haze. Her eyes held the anger I deserved, and I welcomed it with open arms. “I don’t pity you. I pity the fourteen-year-old boy that was forced to take a life to save another.”

“Stop talking,” I growled.

If she was trying to push me to my outermost limits, she was doing a fine fucking job of doing so. Much to my surprise, Greer didn’t shirk away from my hostility. Instead, she poured herself another shot, tossed it back, slammed the glass down, then raised her eyebrows in a silent challenge once the burn had passed.

“No.”

“Yes!” I roared. Each time I pushed, she shoved back harder.

“No! You need to shut the hell up and hear what I have to say, Rafael. Or Rafferty, or whatever the fuck your name is!”

“It’s Rafael, and if you ever call me Rafferty again, I’ll fucking-”

She snorted before dropping a mindless sneered retort. “What? You’llkillme?”

As soon as the razored words whipped off her tongue, she knew she’d overstepped further than could be undone. It thrust us into a pause filled with nothing but white noise. Hostile and unforgiving. Broken and far beyond repair.

I shoved away from the island counter and strode for the door. “I’m fucking done here.”

Chapter 46

-Raf-

“Raf!Rafael, don’t you dare walk out that door!”

She could yell and scream all she wanted, but it wouldn’t change my mind. I was fuckingout.

“Rafael, please,” Greer implored again, this time as a plea laced with heartbreak and regret. “His name was Bryce.”

Against my better judgement I paused, closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath to brace myself. “Don’t, Greer.”

“I have to.”

Numbly, I half-turned and met her stricken gaze. It burned and triggered emotions that turned me to stone. There was nothing,nothingthat would stop me loving her, and that crushed the fuck out of my soul.

“Baby-”

“I’m sorry. Raf. That was incredibly insensitive of me and completely out of line. I didn’t mean it to be so hurtful. Please, don’t go.”

“I have to.”

“You don’t.” She rushed forward and reached for my arm, only to recoil before touching. “Please,I’m sorry.I need you to stay.”

Bitches begging normally annoyed the fuck out of me, but the gravity of Greer’s expression cut straight into my shredded heart and swung off the strings. I’d already walked away once, and it was the most excruciating experience aside from learning my mamá would never walk or talk properly again. I wasn’t strong enough to walk away from Greer a second time, and that was why I neededherto breakme.Makeme leave. Deny me of what I wanted the most, so I didn’t have to do it to myself.

“I can’t, Greer.”

“Do you love me?”

I turned fully then and shoved my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. Anything to stop me from reaching for her.

“So much that I can’t tell if I’m more broken now, or before we met.”

A victorious smirk could have formed on her pretty face, but it didn’t. Instead, the troubled crease between her eyebrows deepened and her eyes flicked back and forth between mine.

She took a small step closer, and like the lure of medusa, I couldn’t tear my focus away.

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