Page 100 of Kings of Westbrook High

“How long have you been sitting in here like this?” The pretty stranger asks, leaning her shoulder on the bathroom door frame to eye me and my stomach.

Why won’t she just go away?

“Don’t know.” I bite out, wiping my face with my sleeves. “A while, I guess.”

“How old are you?”

“Not as old as you.” I sass, rolling my eyes when she cocks a brow. “Thirteen.”

“Okay.” She sighs heavily, stepping in to sit on the floor beside me. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna set a timer for ten minutes and you’re gonna cry in my arms, but once this timer goes off, you’re gonna get your little chicken ass up and come with me.”

“No offense, lady, but I don’t know you. Why the hell would I do that?”

“Because I said so.”

I lock my jaw, lifting my glassy eyes to look at her. “You always this bossy?”

“Damn straight.” She grins, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “Better get used to it, my girl, cause’ you’re stuck with me now.”

The memory fades away and I lift my head to stop the timer, then I take a long breath and force my ass up, quickly checking myself in the mirror before I flick the lock on the door. It doesn’t open right away, but then it does, and I find all three boys standing just outside the bathroom, staring at me and the phone in my hand like they’ve seen a ghost.

I frown, looking from them to it and back again. “What?”

“Did you just..?” Kai trails off, frowning back at me.

“Cry?” I raise a brow, grabbing a towel from the rack to wipe my face.

He doesn’t answer that.

Damon stays frozen where he stands and Wren licks his lips, reaching into his pocket to take out his wallet. He looks to his brothers a moment, then he takes out a small photo and runs his thumb over it.

“Callie..” He clears his throat, looking at Damon again before he hands it to me. “Do you know who this is?”

I take it and look down, pulling my brows in when I see the blue eyed, blond haired woman grinning up at me, that wolffish grin I’ve seen a few times before. She’s standing on the edge of the pier with the sunset behind her, leaning back on the wooden railing with a book in one hand and a beer in the other, fully content and happy as fuck.

“Claire.”

All the color drains from my face and I look up, silently begging them to tell me this isn’t what I think it is.

No such luck.

My eyes bounce back and forth while my brain races to connect the timeline and then I just snap, spinning to smash the bathroom mirror. “Fuck!”

Someone speaks but I don’t know who it is or what they’re saying.

I can’t fucking breathe.

My vision blurs with a red cloud of rage and I take off running, ignoring the pain in my knuckles while I race downstairs wearing nothing but Damon’s two hundred dollar t-shirt. They call after me but I ignore them, grabbing a kitchen knife from the block and spinning to grip Katherine by her skinny little neck. She squeals and I pin her ass to the floor, straddling her waist to press the knife to her throat.

“Callie!” She screams, gripping my wrist in a pathetic attempt to stop me.

“What the fuck did you do?!” I scream back, growling when I’m in the air just as quick as I pinned her.

Damon locks his arm around my waist and I struggle, fully intent on sending this evil little bitch to hell right here and now, but he won’t let me go.

“Get off me!” I snap, kicking my legs out when he snatches the knife and hands it to Wren. “Damon-”

“Baby, please.” He whispers, pressing his lips to my ear. “Please don’t do this. She’s not worth the rest of your life.”

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