Locked by Ella Col

about that boy my whole life. He was my protector. But he also made a promise to me that he didn’t keep. He promised that he would be there the next day and he never showed. The boy who watched me day after day left me alone to fend for myself. He abandoned me. That’s when I pushed my dad to let me go to Florida.
    “Reece? Are you okay?”
    No .
    I feel like someone stole the air from my lungs. How could a boy who watched over me and kept me safe be such a prick now? Does everything I keep sacred have turn to shit? “I’m fine.”
    My arms cross my chest. The chill in the air becomes colder. My heart aches for the little girl I used to be and longs for the little boy who she relied on.
    As if on cue, Caydon appears from behind me. He stands next to me and looks down. Our eyes meet and I feel like I am seeing the boy for the first time in years. I tear up, not because I am weak, but because I have been strong for so long. I want to tell him that I had relied on him…that he was the most dependable thing I have ever had in my life back then.
    Yes, Caydon and I only stared at each other. We said nothing at all but our emotions were so intense. The day Caydon pushed everyone away from me, I knew he understood. Words couldn’t adequately express what we both felt inside.
    Caydon glares at me. There’s that connection again, the tingling, annoying feeling that starts in the pit of my belly. He tears his eyes away reluctantly.
    “In the wrong hood, Nash?” Caydon puts his arm on the doorframe above my head.
    “Just checking on Reece, Caydon.” His lips curl up as if Caydon’s presence doesn’t bother him. “I see that you’ve made yourself at home. Having dinner with the family already?”
    I can feel Caydon all around me. I both welcome the closeness and dread it. “It’s none of your business what I do with Reece. I thought I told you to stay away from her…to not even look at her.”
    What?
    “She couldn’t carry your sorry ass. And no one stepped up to the plate to help you out. But I did.” Nash stuffs his hands in his hoodie. “Yet, here we are again, Caydon, at each other’s throats. Why? Because of a girl? You’re a selfish bastard. First, Hannah. Now, Reece. Is it just that you don’t want me to have either of them?”
    I want to hear this. If Hannah is still important to Caydon, it will show. “Hannah’s a free woman. Oh, wait. She’s not. Anyway, do what you want with her. I couldn’t give a fuck.”
    This needs to stop. The bantering back and forth over who has the bigger dick is starting to get old. “As much as I love hearing you both fight about Hannah, it’s boring me to death.” I turn to Caydon. Our bodies are chest to chest. “Nash just was checking to make sure we made it home safely.”
    Caydon keeps his chest to mine. He turns his head to Nash. “We’re safe. Now, go.”
    “What? No, ‘thank you’?” Nash won’t give it up. Anyone can see he thinks it’s a joke.
    Caydon’s chest rises and falls. His patience with Nash is wearing thin. He is seething. There is so much more inside Caydon that is forcing him to hate Nash.
    If it weren’t for Nash, I would have been up Shit’s Creek without a paddle last night. He helped me. And he helped Caydon. That has to be worth something. “Thank you, Nash.”
    Caydon’s body inched closer to mine pressing me closer to the frame of the door. His brow is pinched and he puffed out a sigh. “You got your fucking apology. Get lost, Nash.”
    I saw this on the Discovery Channel once. Caydon is holding back a wild caged animal. Nash could give him any poor excuse to let the wild animal loose. Like the animals I saw on the show, Caydon is looking for an easy way to resolve the problem. He’s going to tear Nash apart.
    “Thank you, Nash. You should go,” I hint.
    He nods and makes eye contact with me. “If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.” Caydon and I watch Nash walk to his motorcycle.
    Caydon gazes into my