where you are.”
“Maybe later.” She sets her phone down and leans her head back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
“She probably knows you’re with me. She sent me a text earlier asking if I knew where you were. I figured you didn’t want her to know just yet, so I didn’t respond.”
When she rolls her head to the side to look at me, I hold a cracker up to her mouth and feed it to her.
After she swallows, she says, “I don’t want anyone to know.”
I knew she would react this way. I knew she’d shut herself off, and I hate that. “I know, but she’s going to know that something happened. She’s going to want to know how you got all these bruises.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Why can’t you tell her? You know she wouldn’t say a word to anyone.” I’m trying to support Candace, but I shouldn’t have just said that. Truth is, Kimber is unreliable and unpredictable.
“I just can’t. Even the way you look at me now is different.”
Her words make me feel horrible. I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, but I’m worried.
She continues, “It makes me feel weird. It just reminds me that it happened when all I want to do is forget.”
“You know you can’t do that. It did happen.”
She begins to quietly weep when she questions, “But why? I don’t understand what I did that was so wrong.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I say as I run my thumbs under her eyes
“Then why did this happen to me?”
I shake my head. Her voice is so desperate. Desperate for answers I can’t give her. My chest tightens, and I can’t control the tears that start running down my face. “I don’t know, sweetie. But I do know that you didn’t do shit to deserve this. This isn’t your fault.”
“But maybe it is. I mean, I really led him on when I had no intentions of . . .”
“You mean Jack did this?!” I snap. Holy shit. “Christ, Candace. I thought it was just some random asshole. Why didn’t you tell the police? Why didn’t you say anything?” My mind is racing, and I have to fight the urge to grab my keys to go find that dipshit and kick his ass.
“Because I can’t. Everyone would know. Everyone, including my parents.”
I’m on fuckin’ fire, and I swear to God, if he were here right now, I would murder him.
“Fuck,” I spit out. I turn to look her dead on, and say, “I’m gonna kill that fucker.”
“Jase!”
“What the hell happened?” I need to know what he did to her.
“Don’t.”
“Candace, you have to tell me.”
“Please, don’t,” she cries, and I know I’m scaring her, but I’m losing control.
I stand up and walk out to the balcony, slamming the door hard behind me. Rage is cutting through my veins, and I can feel it seeping through every inch of my body. Leaning my elbows on the railing, I let my head fall, and I focus on taking deep breaths as I cry. I need to calm the hell down because the look in her eyes, the fear that’s there . . . I can’t fuckin’ do that to her. As much as I hate it, I know I have to put it aside and be exactly what she needs me to be. I’m all she has and the only one she isn’t hiding from.
When my head starts to clear, I sit back in one of the chairs and watch the sun begin to rise. My eyes sting, and I can’t stop crying. I know I can’t go back in there until I have myself in check. I try to keep my focus on Candace instead of Jack because just the slightest thought of him makes my skin burn with disgust. What kind of sick fuck would do this to someone?
When I finally walk inside, Candace is curled into a little ball on my bed. She looks so broken. I slide behind her, and wrap her up in my hold, whispering in her ear how much I love her and how sorry I am for scaring her. I know she can’t hear me, but I don’t have it in me to wake her up, so I just let her sleep.
Waking up, I notice Candace isn’t in bed with me. I blink a few times and
“Maybe later.” She sets her phone down and leans her head back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
“She probably knows you’re with me. She sent me a text earlier asking if I knew where you were. I figured you didn’t want her to know just yet, so I didn’t respond.”
When she rolls her head to the side to look at me, I hold a cracker up to her mouth and feed it to her.
After she swallows, she says, “I don’t want anyone to know.”
I knew she would react this way. I knew she’d shut herself off, and I hate that. “I know, but she’s going to know that something happened. She’s going to want to know how you got all these bruises.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Why can’t you tell her? You know she wouldn’t say a word to anyone.” I’m trying to support Candace, but I shouldn’t have just said that. Truth is, Kimber is unreliable and unpredictable.
“I just can’t. Even the way you look at me now is different.”
Her words make me feel horrible. I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, but I’m worried.
She continues, “It makes me feel weird. It just reminds me that it happened when all I want to do is forget.”
“You know you can’t do that. It did happen.”
She begins to quietly weep when she questions, “But why? I don’t understand what I did that was so wrong.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I say as I run my thumbs under her eyes
“Then why did this happen to me?”
I shake my head. Her voice is so desperate. Desperate for answers I can’t give her. My chest tightens, and I can’t control the tears that start running down my face. “I don’t know, sweetie. But I do know that you didn’t do shit to deserve this. This isn’t your fault.”
“But maybe it is. I mean, I really led him on when I had no intentions of . . .”
“You mean Jack did this?!” I snap. Holy shit. “Christ, Candace. I thought it was just some random asshole. Why didn’t you tell the police? Why didn’t you say anything?” My mind is racing, and I have to fight the urge to grab my keys to go find that dipshit and kick his ass.
“Because I can’t. Everyone would know. Everyone, including my parents.”
I’m on fuckin’ fire, and I swear to God, if he were here right now, I would murder him.
“Fuck,” I spit out. I turn to look her dead on, and say, “I’m gonna kill that fucker.”
“Jase!”
“What the hell happened?” I need to know what he did to her.
“Don’t.”
“Candace, you have to tell me.”
“Please, don’t,” she cries, and I know I’m scaring her, but I’m losing control.
I stand up and walk out to the balcony, slamming the door hard behind me. Rage is cutting through my veins, and I can feel it seeping through every inch of my body. Leaning my elbows on the railing, I let my head fall, and I focus on taking deep breaths as I cry. I need to calm the hell down because the look in her eyes, the fear that’s there . . . I can’t fuckin’ do that to her. As much as I hate it, I know I have to put it aside and be exactly what she needs me to be. I’m all she has and the only one she isn’t hiding from.
When my head starts to clear, I sit back in one of the chairs and watch the sun begin to rise. My eyes sting, and I can’t stop crying. I know I can’t go back in there until I have myself in check. I try to keep my focus on Candace instead of Jack because just the slightest thought of him makes my skin burn with disgust. What kind of sick fuck would do this to someone?
When I finally walk inside, Candace is curled into a little ball on my bed. She looks so broken. I slide behind her, and wrap her up in my hold, whispering in her ear how much I love her and how sorry I am for scaring her. I know she can’t hear me, but I don’t have it in me to wake her up, so I just let her sleep.
Waking up, I notice Candace isn’t in bed with me. I blink a few times and
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