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I took a minute to process her words. I tried not to over react because I knew she'd probably feel worse.
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"I don't know what to do. He's in the living room right now and he doesn't know that I know."
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"Are you able to leave?"
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"No, I can't."
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"Can you think of an excuse to tell him so you can leave?"
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"He won't let me leave." She broke down into a silent sob.
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I heard my name get called out and looked over to see my dad waving me down to walk to the car. I looked around to see where Gio went but he was no where to be found.
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"Summer listen to me, I'm coming to get you. I need you to send me where you are right now."
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"No, Thomas you can't."
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"If he hurts you-."
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"He won't. I'm okay, I just needed to tell someone. I have to go. I'm sorry I called."
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The line disconnected and I sat there clenching my phone.
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"Tommy, we're going to your house." Frankie's voice echoed in my ear. I couldn't think of anything else. The fear in Summers voice rang in my head and I couldn't shake it. She sounded so completely and utterly broken. I didn't give her a verbal response, I smiled at her and walked back towards my dad.
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We left the restaurant and headed towards the house. Once we arrived I went straight to my room and checked my phone for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes. No missed calls. No new messages.
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A gentle knock sounded at my door and I shouted for whoever it was to come in, not looking up once from my phone screen.
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"Can we talk about tonight?"
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"What about it?"
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"About why you're being so cold to me, and why you tried to embarrass me in front of my parents and your dad."
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I got up from my bed and walked towards her. She stood in the center of my room with her arms crossed over one another and gave me a look of disgust.
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"I don't know what you're talking about."
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"Okay, fine. Then we can talk about why your therapist is calling you at ten o'clock at night."
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"You wouldn't understand."
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"Try me."
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"I have and I'm done."
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"What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me so much? I'm the only one that was ever there for you. I'm the only one that talked to you after your mom when you shut everyone out I was the one that showed up."
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"I don't hate you."
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"Then why are you doing this? Why are you sabotaging us? We have something good going and you're trying to ruin it. Why?"
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"I've been trying my best to show up for you but you want me to be the guy I was when we met but I'm not that person anymore, Frankie. I can't be him."
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"Why can't you just try?"
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"Because I'm not in love with you anymore." Those words were like a weight off of my shoulders. I knew they stung her and they even hit me hard, finally saying them out-loud. Her eyes watered and I immediately wanted to take back what I said and hold and tell her I was sorry that it wasn't true.
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But it was true. I couldn't be there for her in the way she needed me and the person I was becoming was no longer in love with her. She didn't understand who I was anymore and didn't really care to try to.
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"You're not the man I thought you were." She spat the words at me like fire. I felt the blind rage dripping off of her as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I used to feel bad for you but you're just pathetic."
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"Frankie, I know you're angry right now, can we please just talk about this later so you don't say something you regret."
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"The only thing I regret is not fucking West sooner."
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The words felt heavy in the air. I didn't have time to react, half of my mind was hurt and the other half was still worried about Summer.
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I clenched my jaw feeling heat rise in my body in anger. "Get out."
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"Oh he didn't tell you? Last summer, we fucked over and over and over while you were ignoring all your friends in solitude rotting in this shit hole."
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"Get the fuck out." I bit down the shaking in my voice as she stood there, smiling like she hadn't just torn me apart with every word.
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She gave one last sickly grin before walking out like nothing happened.
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I stood there completely silent. My chest hollow and my brain racing with a million things. One of them being complete betrayal.
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She slept with West the summer my mom died. The summer she came to see me like she cared. While I was drowning in my grief and feeling like a shit person for not being able to show up for her she was sleeping with my best friend. When I was at my lowest and she knew—God, she knew.
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I shook my head combing my hands through my hair trying to clear my thoughts. The quiet she left me with was deafening. I stood staring at the floor distant from the world around me and dissociating from reality.
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The only thought that brought me back was the fact that Summer was still at Jason's, alone and probably afraid. She was the only thing keeping me together, and I knew she needed someone as much as I did. I didn't wait any longer and dialed her number. She finally picked up after letting it ring for almost thirty seconds.
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"Hello?" Her soft voice sounded through the phone sounding dry and raspy like her voice was fading.
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"I'm coming to get you." I moved around my room searching for my keys.
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"Wait, you don't even know where I am."
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"I don't care, I'll search the entire city until I find you."
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"Thomas-."
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"Don't tell me not to come because I know you've been crying since our last phone call. You either tell me where you are or I spend the night looking for you."
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There was a gap of time before her shaky voice sounded again. "Blue ridge apartments. Unit 1223."
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"Don't move, okay?
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"Okay." She whispered back.
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I hung up and found my keys tucked away under the bed. I ran down the stairs and ran into everyone in the living room.
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"What's wrong with Frankie? She just went to the bathroom and hasn't been out, are you two okay?"
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"I'm leaving."
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"Where are you going son we have guests over."
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"I'll be back soon." I said before letting the front door close.
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I probably ran through a couple red lights and stop signs because of how distracted I was. I couldn't think straight. With everything that just happened and with Summer on my mind I didn't know where my head was. I pulled into the complex and walked up to the door. I began knocking not really knowing what to expect but I was prepared for anything.
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Summer's small frame appeared in front of me.
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"I have 20 minutes." She closed the door behind her and straightened out her coat. We silently walked to my car and she looked at me as if she was about to tell me something but never actually did.
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I drove to the parking lot of a random building and parked my car. I didn't say anything or look at her. I let out a breath of air feeling overwhelmed.
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"Thank you." She mumbled.
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"Why are you doing this? I don't understand. You tell me so many things in our sessions about choosing myself and moving forward and taking control. Why are you with someone like him?"
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"You don't understand."
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"Help me, please help me understand." I sarcastically demanded some clarification.
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"Thomas what's going on with you?"
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"Nothing."
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"Why are you acting like this?"
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"Don't you understand how important you are to me? It's driving me crazy knowing you're hurting after being with someone that never deserved you to begin with."
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She let the words sit between us.
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"He was the only one that stayed around for me when my late husband passed. He took care of me. He wasn't always like this." She shook her head letting a tear escape. "I'm not strong enough to go through this alone. I'm not strong enough to leave."
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I shook my head cupping her face into my hands wiping the singular tear that fell. "You're so strong. You're stronger than anyone I know. I know it's hard for you to see how amazing you are but you're incredible. You deserve to be loved properly." Her eyes switched from mine and she spent time gazing at me while I held her face in my hands. I brushed every new tear away with my thumb. "You deserve someone good too Thomas. Someone sure about themselves that doesn't have to run away after something as little as a kiss."
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"I don't care what I deserve, my heart belongs to you."
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I brushed my lips on her forehead leaving a kiss and her gaze drifted across my face, as if searching for something. Her eyes lingered on my lips for a fleeting moment and she leaned in. Our lips barely met, there was no space between us and nothing but yearning breaths of desperate air crying for our lips to touch. I was eager to touch her but I needed her to be the one to do it. I needed to be sure she wanted it just as bad as I did.
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"I need to go back." The words barely came out.
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"Do you really need to?" I whispered back.
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"I do." Her response came out in the form of a question rather than a firm reply.
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I traced my thumb over her lips, remembering how soft they were on mine. She looked at me as if she wanted to close the space between us, like her body already answered for her — but her mouth stayed closed.
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"I can't." She spoke barely above a whisper answering the known but unasked question. She shook her head, removing her eyes from me and backing away from me resting her head back on the seat.
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Neither of us moved right away. She stared out the window while I watched her. I wanted to say something to make her stay but I didn't. I started the car and we drove in silence. When we pulled up to the apartment she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the door before pausing.
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"Thank you."
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I didn't respond.
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She stepped out and shut the door gently. I watched her walk back until she disappeared behind the door. Only then did I let myself fall back against the seat with my jaw clenched and my chest tight.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kxBoJmdjx
and then Add to home screen.