Saving Us by Wendy Million

Chapter Twenty-Four

Iglanced at Annika out of the corner of my eye. We’d walked the perimeter of the house, but hadn’t found any of her stuff. Someone had either stolen everything Johnny had thrown out the window or taken it inside.

Sebastian’s phone vibrated in my pocket. When we were together, he was never distracted, but the thing had been buzzing nonstop. I stopped checking after the third flirty text from another girl. Each one had made my heart contract so violently I worried it would seize.

“I guess we’ll have to knock?” We had thirty minutes to get to Annika’s league practice on time.

She nodded, but her chin trembled. Her armor, in place at our house, appeared weakened when faced with the reality of leaving Johnny.

We walked up the stairs, and I knocked. Voices drifted through the heavy wood and both of us took deep steadying breaths. Without looking, I secured Annika’s hand in mine and squeezed.

The door swung back, and Troy stood on the threshold. “Ladies!” he exclaimed. “Neither one of you slept here last night? Must be a record.”

His happy greeting was met with our stunned silence.

“Come in.” He shifted to the side. “Johnny and Sebastian went to the gym, but they should be here soon.”

“Oh.” I tried for nonchalance when I felt none. “That’s okay. I’m returning Sebastian’s phone, and Annika needs a few things from Johnny’s room.”

“Sure, whatever.” Troy headed for the kitchen. “Let yourselves out when you’re done if you’re not waiting around.”

We hotfooted it up the stairs to the bedrooms. I hesitated at Sebastian’s door while Annika continued to Johnny’s room. I removed his phone from my pocket and dropped it face down on his desk. The thud on the surface was final, as though I was slamming a door.

I couldn’t dwell on my confused feelings. We needed to get out of here before they both returned and a scene broke out.

In Johnny’s room, Annika sat on his bed, holding a frame in her hands. There were no bags. She wasn’t packing. Annoyance surged up my throat.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked.

She glanced up from the photo of her and Johnny, tears in her eyes. “He put my stuff back.” She rotated the picture so I could see it. “He broke this last night. Smashed it to pieces. It’s already in a frame.”

“Annika,” I said. “We should grab everything and get out of here.”

“I want to talk to him.”

Defeat made my shoulders slump. This still wasn’t enough? “Returning your stuff, putting that photo into a new frame, apologizing, whatever else he does—none of it changes what’s been going on.” My voice brimmed with frustration, but I couldn’t hold it in. “He broke your trust.”

At her shoulder, I tugged the arm of her zip-up hoodie, revealing fresh bruises from his rough handling the night before. She shrugged her sweater into place and didn’t meet my gaze.

“Annika,” I pleaded. “More bruises. This isn’t normal.”

“Okay, I’ll go with you.” She stood and replaced the photo. “I’ll come for my stuff later.”

I grabbed a bag from the floor and tossed her stuff in.

“Nat, I’ll be late for practice.” She was frozen in the doorway, but she didn’t try to stop me.

I glanced up as I shoved more things into the bag. “Since when do you care about being late?”

She crossed her arms. “Let’s go. I’ll come back later.”

“Annika, you’re not thinking clearly.” The bag dangled from my hand. “If you do that, he’ll give you a terrible excuse, and you’ll take him back.”

She gave me a long look, shrugged her shoulders, and averted her gaze.

A surge of anger rushed through me. I threw the bag on the floor and stomped out of the room. “You’re ridiculous. I can’t even—” I plowed into Sebastian’s chest, and a grunt escaped me at the firm wall of muscle.

His hands gripped my upper arms to steady me, and his gaze met mine. He grinned.

I scowled.

His smile faded to confusion. “You all right?”

“I’ll be in the car,” I said to Annika. “Your phone is in your room, Sebastian. It’s been going off all morning.” I brushed past him.

“Nat.” He followed me toward the staircase. “Are we gonna talk about last night?”

I whirled on him. “What’s there to say? You’re sorry. I’m sorry. We’re both so Goddamned sorry, right?” I shook my head. “I don’t even remember what happened, so let’s forget it, okay?” Without giving him a chance to reply, I was down the stairs and out the door.

As I headed for Annika’s car, parked on the side of the road near the frat house, Johnny strolled up the sidewalk.

“Anni in there?” he called out.

The anger I hadn’t been able to unleash on Annika bubbled in me. I strode over to where he’d stopped. “She deserves so much better than you,” I spit out.

He raised his eyebrows and gave me a mild look. “That so?”

“Throwing her stuff out the window? Giving her yet another set of bruises? What’ll she do in the summer? Wear sweatshirts everywhere to cover up your damage? Lie about how she got them?”

He thrust his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “She bruises easily. She should probably go to the doctor and get her hormone levels checked. Might help with our fights too.” He gave me a cocky grin.

Never in my life had I wanted to punch someone so badly. “My dad’s a police officer. I swear to God, if you hurt her again, you’ll rot in a jail cell.”

He chuckled. “Annika would never press charges. She’d never jeopardize my football career.” He shook his head. “Besides, what authority does your dad have here? None, Natalie. Don’t go throwing weight you don’t have.” He patted me on the shoulder and stepped around me.

Steam had to be shooting out of the top of my head.

“Anni!” Johnny’s voice floated over. She must have left the house.

“I can’t talk to you, Johnny,” she said.

I turned, surprised. Slung over her shoulder was the bag I'd started packing. Sebastian trailed behind her with a grimace.

She strode toward me, avoiding eye contact with Johnny.

“Annika!” Johnny called, sauntering behind her. “What’s in the bag?”

“I think you know! We’re”—she choked on the word—“done.”

“Come in the house. We can talk it out. We can work this out.”

She whirled on him in a burst of confidence. “We cannot work out you being a cheating liar. That reality doesn’t work for me—any way you present it.” She opened the rear door and tossed her bag onto the seat.

Behind her, Johnny and Sebastian stood. Johnny was tense with anger. With slumped shoulders, Sebastian wasn’t watching them; his gaze was glued to me. My heart dove and dipped.

“Johnny, bruh. In the house,” Sebastian called when Johnny strode toward us with purpose.

I slid into the passenger seat, and Annika started the car. Johnny banged on Annika’s window when she refused to acknowledge him.

“Anni!” he yelled, and his face was red with rage.

Sebastian grabbed his arm from behind, breaking his focus.

“We’re not done, Annika!” He pointed at her window. “We’re not done until I say we’re done.”

She turned cool eyes to him. “It’s a good thing that’s what you said last night, isn’t it?” Her foot punched the accelerator, and we tore away from the curb.

We sat in silence while she drove until I broke it by saying, “What changed your mind? I thought you were going to take him back.” My heart rate was settling in my chest.

“Johnny wasn’t the one who picked up my stuff from the lawn.” Her voice was hard. “Sebastian did.”

Houses and trees rushed by unseen. Sebastian would clean up Johnny’s messes on and off the field. Yet another reason I needed to steer clear of him.

“He told you that?”

“Yeah. He said Johnny didn’t understand he was being an ass. Sebastian said he’s assholeish sometimes.” She rolled her eyes.

I burst into laughter despite myself. That was my word from months ago. “Thank God you’re not okay with that behavior. I was getting really worried.”

She glanced at me. “I was worrying myself,” she said. “Practice and then the mall?”

“Yes. After that, a movie and a lot of ice cream.”

She nodded, wiping away a stray tear.

“Oh, Annika.” I rubbed her arm, wishing I could hug her.

“I was so close to having exactly what I always wanted. So close. He had to go and blow it all to hell.”

“You might still get what you’ve always wanted. It just won’t be with him.” I tried to sound upbeat.

In the parking lot of the practice field for her league team, she reached behind her and pulled out her clipboard and a pen.

“You wanna help me?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Me?”

“Yeah, set up and take down mostly for the drills.”

“Sure.” The drugs had gone to work on my headache, and a distraction sounded good.

With a deep breath, she opened her car door.