“Rae! I called Cade, he’ll be here any minute!”
I whipped around and screamed, “I don’t care! He can pick you up then, which is great since I really don’t even want to look at you right now!”
I felt like if I was stuck in her presence for a minute longer I might end up strangling her.
“Rae, please be sensible,” she pleaded.
Oh, she’d gone and done it now.
“Sensible?!” I screamed. “Sensible would’ve been staying in the fucking dorm like we’re supposed to! Not going to a fucking club in the middle of fucking nowhere!”
“You didn’t have to come with me,” she defended.
“Yeah, well guess what, Thea? I came because I was scared something like that,” I pointed towards the building, “would happen to you! I was looking out for you, but where were you when I needed you? Huh? He could’ve hurt me, Thea!”
She started to cry. “You’re right. I’m so, so sorry. This is all my fault,” she buried her face in her hands.
Wrapping my arms around my body I sat down on the sidewalk once more. When I heard her heels clack towards me, I snapped, “Thea, seriously back off.” She cried harder, but my own tears seemed to have dried up. Now I was angry and I was taking it out on her. At least this time the person I was angry at actually deserved my wrath.
A few minutes later headlights lit up the parking lot and Cade’s black Jeep screeched to a halt in front of us. He got out of the car and slammed the door shut, making me flinch.
“What the fuck were you two thinking?” He shouted.
“I’m sorry,” Thea sniffled, “I’m so sorry.”
Cade stormed over to her and spoke in a hushed voice. Thea’s head lowered and she nodded, muttering something back.
He opened the back passenger door and helped her into t
he Jeep like she was a small child.
Then he stalked over to me. His body towered above me and for the first time in a long time I felt small. Fragile. Like I could break apart into a million pieces too small to be put back together.
“Rae,” he crouched in front of me and reached a tentative hand out to my face. I recoiled against his touch, but he was unfazed. “Rae, please let me take you home.”
Home. What was home? Certainly not the place I’d grown up and not where I was now. I didn’t have a home. I belonged nowhere.
Now that my anger was fading, sadness was taking its place.
I slowly brought my head up and my eyes connected with Cade’s. He looked worried, his brows drawn tight.
A million different emotions swam through my body and I wasn’t sure if I could wade through them.
“Take my hand, Rae,” he held his hand out for me, “take my hand, and let me get you away from here. Please.”
With my fingers trembling I placed my hand in his. It closed around mine and he hauled me up into his sturdy arms.
Suddenly my tears came back in full force and I was helpless to stop them.
He wrapped his large arms around me and I cried against his solid chest. If it wasn’t for him I was pretty sure I would’ve crumbled to the ground.
“Shh,” he hushed, rubbing his hand up and down my back. “I’m here now. You’re safe.”
I clung to him, my hands grasping the fabric of his sweatshirt so tightly in my fist I was sure it would be wrinkled later.
“Let it out, Rae,” he cooed, laying his head on top of mine. “I’ve got you.” I felt his warm lips press against my cool forehead. My eyes closed and I inhaled his scent—clean, woodsy, Cade.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” he continued, “but it’s over and I’m here, and I’m not going to let anything hurt you ever again.”