Crash (Crash 1)

I covered my eyes with my forearms, letting another tear escape.

Sawyer crawled in beside me, fired the engine, and flew out of the parking lot. He rolled down my window, allowing another rush of air to fill my lungs. I was almost breathing normally again.

“Thank you,” I said after a while. I didn’t know where we were going, I was beyond caring, but I didn’t care as long as it was in the opposite direction of Southpointe.

“Yeah,” he replied, blowing out a breath, “it was kind of the least I could do since I was the one responsible for you feeling the way you are.”

“How are you responsible for me feeling like crap?”

“Because I was the one that told you about Holly,” he said, turning down a gravel driveway.

I stiffened at the name. “You weren’t the one screwing her.”

Sawyer chuckled tightly. “Not that I recall.”

Rolling to a stop, I removed my forearms and sat up. “Are you busting into Bon Jovi’s or something?” I asked, looking at the McMansion in front of us. It was on the lake, but unlike the cabins that lined the rest of the lake, this was a cabin on steroids.

“This is my place,” he said with a shrug, shoving open the door.

I didn’t move; I hadn’t anticipated Sawyer would take me to his place. This didn’t feel right—showing up at another guy’s place during school hours thirty minutes after I’d broken up with my cheating boyfriend. If this got out, in addition to the slutty girl known for giving a guy head in between classes, I’d also be labeled a rebound opportunist.

“Don’t worry, my parents aren’t home,” he said, mistaking the apprehension written on my face.

The fact that we were totally alone in this mini-hotel did not ease my mind, but I didn’t want to hang out in his car all day and I wanted to return to school even less, so I stepped out and shut the door.

“So this is your place?” I said, using my hand to shield my eyes to take a closer look. “Then your dad’s Bon Jovi?”

Sawyer laughed. “Nope. My dad’s not nearly that cool. He just owns a few car dealerships in the state.”

That explained the fancy car Sawyer drove.

“Come on,” he said, tilting his head towards the house. “Let’s get you some ice cream therapy, and then we’ll talk.”

“I can guarantee, even if that whole house is filled with ice cream,” I said, following him, “it wouldn’t be enough therapy to cure me.”

“How about I’ll pick up where the ice cream leaves off?” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

Because I didn’t know which other way to go, I followed him.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Your ice cream’s melting,” Sawyer said, looking down at the bowl between us.

I slipped my toes deeper in the sand, wrapping my arms around my legs. “I told you inside, I’m not in the mood for ice cream.”

“Something so bad ice cream can’t fix it?” he said, tossing a rock into the lake. “Okay, let’s talk.”

“Not in the mood.”

“Of course you’re not,” he said. “That’s why you need to. Once you get it out of your system, you’ll feel better.”

“I doubt it.” Talking wouldn’t change what I’d seen.

“Let’s give it a shot. I’ll even get the conversation ball rolling.” He slid his sunglasses on top of his head and took a deep breath. “I’m guessing this has something to do with Jude and Holly?”

Hearing their names together was ten times worse than just hearing her name. “Is this the part where you sneer I told you so at me?” I snapped. “Because I’ll save you the trouble.” I looked over at him. “Yeah, you were right. You told me so. Jude’s still with Holly.” That lump in my throat returned. I was so sick of it I wanted to reach down my throat and manually remove it.

Sawyer sighed, shaking his head. “How did you find out?”

“I followed the bastard to her trailer park last night. She has a baby, Sawyer,” I said, grabbing a rock and hurling it into the lake. “They have a baby together and he didn’t feel the need to mention any of this to me.” My voice was breaking, about to snap, and the tears were finally flowing. “They have a cute, teething, precious little baby and he didn’t tell me.” Each word was its own sentence since I was doing the sobbing while trying to talk thing.

“Ah, hell, Lucy.” Sawyer draped his arm over me. “I’m sorry. This is exactly the reason I tried to tell you early on about her, before you and Jude got too involved. I knew it would tear you up when you found out.”

“I trusted him, Sawyer,” I cried. “I trusted him. And he lied to me. What kind of screwed up is that?”

He slid my wet, matted hair behind my ear. “Some people just thrive off manipulating others, you know? We search for some deeper, honorable explanation, but some people are just messed up.”

Even as he said the words I knew should be true, some piece of me couldn’t buy into them. Jude wasn’t the cruel type, he’d lied to me for some deeper reason, but I couldn’t invest the time necessary to uncover it. I was officially burnt out on all things Jude. I had no other choice but to cut him loose. And I’d never wanted to take back a decision more.

“Well, you were right. And I was wrong. And Jude and I are finished,” I said, getting a hold of myself. “That’s a chapter in my life I want to close the book on and never open again.”

ered my eyes with my forearms, letting another tear escape.

Sawyer crawled in beside me, fired the engine, and flew out of the parking lot. He rolled down my window, allowing another rush of air to fill my lungs. I was almost breathing normally again.

“Thank you,” I said after a while. I didn’t know where we were going, I was beyond caring, but I didn’t care as long as it was in the opposite direction of Southpointe.

“Yeah,” he replied, blowing out a breath, “it was kind of the least I could do since I was the one responsible for you feeling the way you are.”

“How are you responsible for me feeling like crap?”

“Because I was the one that told you about Holly,” he said, turning down a gravel driveway.

I stiffened at the name. “You weren’t the one screwing her.”

Sawyer chuckled tightly. “Not that I recall.”

Rolling to a stop, I removed my forearms and sat up. “Are you busting into Bon Jovi’s or something?” I asked, looking at the McMansion in front of us. It was on the lake, but unlike the cabins that lined the rest of the lake, this was a cabin on steroids.

“This is my place,” he said with a shrug, shoving open the door.

I didn’t move; I hadn’t anticipated Sawyer would take me to his place. This didn’t feel right—showing up at another guy’s place during school hours thirty minutes after I’d broken up with my cheating boyfriend. If this got out, in addition to the slutty girl known for giving a guy head in between classes, I’d also be labeled a rebound opportunist.

“Don’t worry, my parents aren’t home,” he said, mistaking the apprehension written on my face.

The fact that we were totally alone in this mini-hotel did not ease my mind, but I didn’t want to hang out in his car all day and I wanted to return to school even less, so I stepped out and shut the door.

“So this is your place?” I said, using my hand to shield my eyes to take a closer look. “Then your dad’s Bon Jovi?”

Sawyer laughed. “Nope. My dad’s not nearly that cool. He just owns a few car dealerships in the state.”

That explained the fancy car Sawyer drove.

“Come on,” he said, tilting his head towards the house. “Let’s get you some ice cream therapy, and then we’ll talk.”

“I can guarantee, even if that whole house is filled with ice cream,” I said, following him, “it wouldn’t be enough therapy to cure me.”

“How about I’ll pick up where the ice cream leaves off?” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

Because I didn’t know which other way to go, I followed him.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Your ice cream’s melting,” Sawyer said, looking down at the bowl between us.

I slipped my toes deeper in the sand, wrapping my arms around my legs. “I told you inside, I’m not in the mood for ice cream.”

“Something so bad ice cream can’t fix it?” he said, tossing a rock into the lake. “Okay, let’s talk.”

“Not in the mood.”

“Of course you’re not,” he said. “That’s why you need to. Once you get it out of your system, you’ll feel better.”

“I doubt it.” Talking wouldn’t change what I’d seen.

“Let’s give it a shot. I’ll even get the conversation ball rolling.” He slid his sunglasses on top of his head and took a deep breath. “I’m guessing this has something to do with Jude and Holly?”

Hearing their names together was ten times worse than just hearing her name. “Is this the part where you sneer I told you so at me?” I snapped. “Because I’ll save you the trouble.” I looked over at him. “Yeah, you were right. You told me so. Jude’s still with Holly.” That lump in my throat returned. I was so sick of it I wanted to reach down my throat and manually remove it.

Sawyer sighed, shaking his head. “How did you find out?”

“I followed the bastard to her trailer park last night. She has a baby, Sawyer,” I said, grabbing a rock and hurling it into the lake. “They have a baby together and he didn’t feel the need to mention any of this to me.” My voice was breaking, about to snap, and the tears were finally flowing. “They have a cute, teething, precious little baby and he didn’t tell me.” Each word was its own sentence since I was doing the sobbing while trying to talk thing.

“Ah, hell, Lucy.” Sawyer draped his arm over me. “I’m sorry. This is exactly the reason I tried to tell you early on about her, before you and Jude got too involved. I knew it would tear you up when you found out.”

“I trusted him, Sawyer,” I cried. “I trusted him. And he lied to me. What kind of screwed up is that?”

He slid my wet, matted hair behind my ear. “Some people just thrive off manipulating others, you know? We search for some deeper, honorable explanation, but some people are just messed up.”

Even as he said the words I knew should be true, some piece of me couldn’t buy into them. Jude wasn’t the cruel type, he’d lied to me for some deeper reason, but I couldn’t invest the time necessary to uncover it. I was officially burnt out on all things Jude. I had no other choice but to cut him loose. And I’d never wanted to take back a decision more.

“Well, you were right. And I was wrong. And Jude and I are finished,” I said, getting a hold of myself. “That’s a chapter in my life I want to close the book on and never open again.”