Page 87 of Surviving Lies

Chapter 25

Ty

I sat there for a very long time. Just sitting in my car, staring at her apartment. The lights were on, so I knew someone was in there, though since she wouldn’t answer me, I didn’t know if it was her. My fucking tears of rage had long since dried up. Now I only felt sorry for myself. Regretting every wrong move I’d made over the past year as I went over them all in my head repeatedly.

The talk with my mom had put me in such a good mood. She understood. She was even happy to hear that I had someone who made me happy all while I had all this other shit going on. She didn’t agree with how I handled things and wished I had told Becca about Savannah last year.

Yeah, that hindsight thing. I knew that now too.

But this really fucked everything up. Maybe even ruined my chances of usevergetting back together. Every call I made to her went straight to voicemail. Every text went unanswered. When I got to her place, I saw her car was parked nearby, but there was still a nagging at my heart.

What if she went back to him?

What if she ran right over to his place to cry on his shoulder? It wouldn’t surprise me if she had. She did it last time. But I was too chickenshit to go knock on her door to see if she was home. Too chickenshit, knowing she would probably refuse to see me or talk to me.

Did I blame her? Did I fucking blame her? No. The answer was a resounding no. And that was what scared me most, because I had no idea if there was any way to come back from this.

I was thankful Lanie responded to my text. Knowing I would at least see her tomorrow and be able to tell her the entire story made me feel a little better. But it was Becca I really wanted to be telling.

I felt like I wanted to sit in front of her place all night. Maybe to catch sight of her, or maybe to make sure she wasn’t running back to him; I wasn’t sure which.

I had finally decided heading home was my best bet when I heard a car speeding into the parking lot. A Jeep screeched into a spot near their place, and I realized it was Xander storming out of the door. His head turned immediately toward my headlights, and he began stalking toward my car. I was turning my car off to get out and see what was going on when he yanked my door open.

“What the hell are–” Xander yelled.

“Xander, man, what’s going on?” I asked, leaning away from him as he lunged for me through the door. He got a hold of my shirt and started pulling me from the car. I heard female voices screaming in the distance, and I knew immediately one of them was Becca. My head swiveled in search of her, even as I knew my life was likely in danger from Xander’s rampage.

“Xander, stop!” a voice screamed, which I think was Lanie. She ran toward us and grabbed a hold of Xander once she got to the car. “Xander, it’s Ty. Leave him alone!”

Xander’s grip on me loosened and his glazed eyes seemed to focus on my face, the recognition coming slowly. “Fuck,” he whispered as he let go of me and backed away from the car. He bent over at the waist and leaned against my car while Lanie talked to him quietly.

I sat back against the headrest, trying to catch my breath, and looked out my windshield.

Across the sidewalk, our eyes met.

And hers held tears.

She stared for a moment, shook her head slightly, then walked back inside with one of her roommates – the one with the short black hair and the piercings. I didn’t even know which one it was. I was that removed from her life. Macie? Ava?

My heart should have been in my throat from almost being on the ground with Xander’s fist in my face, but it was the look on Becca’s face that was doing it to me.

“Ty.” I startled when Lanie came to me at my open door. “Ty,” she said again. “Are you OK?” She pulled on me out of the car. Xander was still leaning against the side, breathing heavily with what seemed to be pent-up anger or frustration. Confused about the situation, I exited the car.

“I’m sorry,” Xander said quietly from a few feet away. He straightened to his full height, the tension still evident in his stance as he moved to hold on to Lanie. The moment I saw how he was acting with her, I knew.

“Is Max here?” I asked them both, my anxiety rising as I watched them closely. The monster from Lanie’s past could be the only reason for Xander’s actions.

“No,” Lanie answered. “At least we don’t think so. But we think he’s been released from jail. I just found out, and Xander was coming to get me.” She looked at him with compassion in her eyes, knowing he felt bad for what he did.

“Ty, man, I saw someone sitting in a car across from her place, and I flipped out,” Xander explained. “I jumped to conclusions. My mind just snapped. I thought it was him. I’m sorry, man. Really, I’m sorry.” He advanced toward me with his hands running through his hair, nervous about his actions. But I was sure more nervous about now keeping Lanie safe.

“Dude, no worries, man. I would have done the same thing,” I told him. “You have to do whatever it takes to keep him away from her. We all do.” I looked at Lanie and offered her a small smile. Right at that moment, Xander’s phone rang.

“It’s Bryce,” he said to us as he motioned to his phone, walking away to take the call. I assumed Bryce was calling to tell Xander anything else he might know.

“I’m so sorry, Ty,” Lanie said as she came to my side, her hands gripping my arms. I put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close, knowing she must be an emotional wreck.

“How are you doing, Lane? This must be a terrible shock, hearing this. Are you OK?”

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