Page 93 of Awakened in September (Sleepless November Saga 4)

He tries to force me off him but I won’t budge. “I did! Then they went and got it elsewhere and it made them both sick!”

“So, your solution was to fucking start again?!” I swing my fist and punch him hard across the face.

“Don’t you get it?! It doesn’t matter whether they get it from me or not! They’re going to get some regardless. At least you know my shit is clean!”

His words only make me even more livid. I thought I had this situation under control, and here he is telling me my girlfriend is a drug addict and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. My knee flies up and into his stomach, then I punch him across the face a few more times before throwing him onto the ground – leaving him groaning in pain on the concrete.

“If I catch you near her again, I’ll turn you in to the authorities. I swear to fucking God, Jordan. I’m not messing around!” I turn around to see a few people watching us with their jaws dropped. “The fuck are you looking at?!” I growl and watch as they scatter.

What am I going to do now?!

Chapter Twenty Seven

The weeks leading up to spring break are chaotic to say the least. I make countless attempts to distract Kayleigh and keep her from going to see Jade. I’ve tried everything I can think of, from fighting with her and begging her not to go out to being overly clingy and romantic. Nothing seems to work. I’m forced to either leave or watch her ruin herself right in front of my face, and neither of those options make me happy. What happened to the innocent freshman I met at the beginning of the year? She may have hated my guts but she was so pure. I don’t even know who this version of Kayleigh is, but I know the girl I fell in love with is in there somewhere.

Suddenly, an idea pops in my head. Telling her I love her – that’s one thing I haven’t tried yet. Maybe if she knows what she means to me, she’ll realize how dangerous her actions are. It’s a long shot but the only other thing I can think of is sending her to rehab, and I’d like to avoid that if possible. She almost hated me for telling Dawson about her eating disorder. I can only imagine what she would do to me if I have her locked up somewhere and forced into treatment.

It’s finally the night before our flight and we’re standing in my bedroom, packing clothes into our suitcases. She has enough of her belongings here to where she doesn’t need to go to her dorm – something I’m grateful for since I don’t know if that’s where she’d really be.

I get done first, watching as Kayleigh finishes shortly after. She’s definitely on edge but I know better than to question it. She’s probably starting to sober up or thinking about how she’s going to manage to get away with doing it on vacation. Still, she looks beautiful as she places her suitcase next to mine.

“Are you excited?”

She nods. “Yeah, it should be fun.”

I grin, stepping closer and wrapping my arms around her waist. “What have you done to me?”

“What do you mean?” A little crease forms in her forehead as her eyes meet mine.

“I’ve never brought a girl home, but I brought you. I’ve never brought a girl on vacation, but I’m bringing you.” I pause for a second, then force myself to continue. “I’ve never said I…”

The door flies open and slams against the wall, killing the moment entirely. I glare at the intruder. Fucking Jason. He laughs softly as he apologizes.

“Holden, Jesse wants to talk to you for a minute.”

The request catches me a little off guard. It isn’t like Jesse to have Jason relay the message. He’d normally just come to me himself. I give Kayleigh one more kiss before I excuse myself and follow Jason into the hallway. Just before we reach the bedroom at the end of the hall, he stops me.

“Dude, were you about to say what I think you were in there?”

I roll my eyes. “Way to eavesdrop, asshole.”

He chuckles. “I’m sorry, I just figured you waited this long, what’s anot

her day?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to be in Miami tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be better to say it there rather than in the middle of your bedroom?”

Crap. Why didn’t I think of that?

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks Jase.” I pat him on the back and walk into Jesse’s room. “You wanted to see me?”

He’s currently packing his own bag when he turns to me. “Hey H. Yeah, come sit.” He zips up the bag and places it on the floor so there is enough room on his bed. “I, uh, saw Kayleigh today.”

My stomach twists. I’ve been trying to make sure no one else finds out about this. “Oh yeah?”

He nods. “She was hanging out with Asher Bane’s girlfriend.”

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