“Hey, how did your medical exams go?” She hoped changing the subject would bring him out of his funk. She had forgotten to ask him about it at his show.
He visibly flinched at the words. “Fine.”
She wasn’t sure how she had managed to make him even less comfortable. “Do you think you’ll get into the schools you want?”
“We’ll just wait and see,” he responded dryly.
It was the same tone she had used with her mother. That wasn’t good.
“Well…good luck,” she muttered.
“I’ve got to get out of here. Not feeling as well as I thought, I guess. I’ll see you around, Devon,” he said with a half-smile before he walked out the back door.
She watched him leave with a heavy weight on her chest. Hadn’t she left St. Louis to escape her problems? Why did it feel like the farther she ran, the more problems kept piling up? Nothing was working, and she couldn’t hide out in Chicago forever. She would have to face what had happened to her before school started or else it would only get worse.
Somehow, she would have to factor Brennan into all of that because whatever she was feeling wasn’t going away. Her stomach twisted at that thought. Brennan didn’t need to be anywhere near her problems…they could get him killed.
JENN WAS BEYOND bitchy when she finally found Devon. Devon couldn’t really blame her; it was a holiday. Who was late on the Fourth of July? She was missing all the fun with parades, barbeques, and American flags everywhere outside. She wished that she could have had the day off, but Jenn’s was slammed. Hannah had called in sick, and there was no way that Jenn was going to let Devon leave early, especially after she had shown up twenty minutes late.
The only good part about being this busy was that Devon didn’t have any time to think. She was on her feet all morning, literally running at some points to get through orders faster. Her head was pounding by noon, and her feet hurt like the first day she had started working there.
Just as she was taking her first break of the day, Devon saw Hadley walk into the restaurant. Hadley had been as scarce in the apartment as when Devon had first confronted her about the drugs. This time, Devon was pretty sure that it wasn’t her fault though. She had never found out what had caused Hadley’s argument with Garrett. Hadley hadn’t been around all week, so Devon hadn’t gotten the chance to ask her.
Garrett hadn’t been acting any differently toward her. He clearly didn’t know that Devon knew about the argument. The more time she spent with him, the more she thought it must be Hadley’s fault. He wouldn’t be that carefree about the situation if it had been his fault. She knew because she felt terribly guilty for leaving St. Louis, like it was her fault for not facing her problems, for not somehow being better.
Garrett didn’t show any signs of feeling bad about the argument, whereas Devon knew Hadley was using.
Hadley’s eyes roamed the restaurant, and when she found Devon, she bit her lip and nodded her head to the side.
Hmm…
Devon was on her break, so she did have some time to talk to Hadley, but all things considered, it was weird that Hadley wanted to talk to her. It was also strange that Hadley was alone. It was a holiday. She should have been with her family, or with Garrett, or with Garrett’s family.
What the hell? Devon thought, deciding to go find out.
“Hey, do you have a minute?” Hadley asked when Devon reached her. “I know it’s packed in here.”
“I’m on break actually,” Devon said.
Hadley looked relieved and motioned for her to follow her outside. Devon’s curiosity was getting the better of her. She wasn’t going to miss a chance to talk to Hadley even if Devon wasn’t sure of the circumstances.
They walked around the side of the building and stood in the alleyway facing the street. It wasn’t exactly private, but it was more privacy than they would get inside. Plus, if Jenn saw Devon in the break room, she would likely flip, and Devon’s fifteen minutes would be up. Devon leaned back against the brick building and waited for Hadley to say something.
“Hey,” Hadley said awkwardly as if she wasn’t talking to her best friend.
“What’s up, Hadley?” Devon asked, knowing there was something to this.
What was she going to ask for—money for her drugs? Devon couldn’t help thinking the worst of Hadley, and it made her feel bad. Hadley was her best friend, and Devon needed to act like it. Just because she was going through her own issues didn’t mean she couldn’t keep trying to help Hadley. It was something Devon could work toward, but it was another thing she had just as little control over.
Hadley sighed and looked down at the ground. “I didn’t know who else to talk to,” she whispered.
She sounded more like the Hadley that Devon knew before she had found out Hadley was on drugs.
“About what?” Devon asked carefully. She didn’t want to scare Hadley off.
Hadley swallowed and fidgeted. “I’ve…I’ve been trying to quit.”
“That’s great, Hadley!” Devon cheered.
“I’m still working on it,” she said, fidgeting some more. “I didn’t really come to talk about that though. I just…just thought you should know.”
Damn! That was the best news she’d had all day. Devon didn’t know exactly what it meant, but at least it showed that Hadley knew she had a problem. Progress was progress.
“I’m really glad you told me,” Devon said honestly.
“There’s, um…more.” Hadley bit her lip and moved from the ball of her foot to the other. “Garrett and I got into this huge fight the other night.”
“You did?” Devon asked, feigning surprise. Now wasn’t the time to reveal that she already knew this much.
“Yeah. You might have noticed I haven’t been at the apartment much.”
“I did.”
“Well, I just got so angry at him. I…I slapped him, Dev,” Hadley said, her hands shaking. “Gah, I mean…what happens if we break up, and he kicks me out of the apartment? It’s his place. He could do it if he wanted.”
Hadley was blabbering on, and Devon was just staring at her, surprised that Hadley had told her.
“Wait…wait…back it up,” Devon said. “What were you even fighting about?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t even know. It all just escalated and got way out of hand,” Hadley said, glancing off into the distance.
Devon knew that look anywhere. She was lying. Everyone was lying to her. It was only fitting, considering she was lying to everyone else, too.
“Hadley, come on. I know you too well. What happened?” Devon prodded. She took a chance and reached out to touch Hadley’s hand.
Hadley flinched but let her take it.
“You can tell me what happened.”
“I wasn’t in a good place the night it happened. I was trying to stay off of it for the show. It was…bad. Then, he kept acting so funny, and he made some f**king cocky remark. I freaked out and started yelling at him. I don’t know, Dev.” She stared at the ground with an expression on her face like she did know. “I think he might be cheating on me.”
Devon stared at her with her mouth hanging open. Garrett? Cheating on her? No. That didn’t make any sense. That just didn’t add up. When would he have time to do that? He worked all day when he didn’t live in the gym. His body was a testament to his dedication in that area. The only other time he was awake and not with Hadley was when he was goofing off with Devon late at night.
Also, how could Hadley even freak about him doing something like that when she was doing drugs and hiding it from him? Okay. Devon would give Hadley some credit. Devon would freak about that too, but it was kind of hypocritical, not that she would ever say as much to Hadley, who looked devastated.
“Oh, Hadley, no way. How could you think that? He’s so into you,” Devon said.
Hadley shrugged. “I told you. He’s been acting so weird. I thought he was just as into me as you said, but lately, he hasn’t wanted to come to bed with me. I mean…fuck, we haven’t had sex in two weeks. Two weeks! We used to not be able to go two days!”
Devon didn’t want to think about Hadley’s sex life right now. Hers was nonexistent at the moment.
“You guys have both been under a lot of stress. I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding,” Devon said, trying to reassure her friend.
“If you knew anything, Dev, you would tell me, right?” Hadley asked, staring at her straight in the eye.
“Of course!” Devon said automatically.
Hadley looked at her for a second before nodding and looking away.
“Maybe you’re right,” Hadley said finally with a heavy sigh. “I have this Fourth of July dinner with Garrett and his family tonight. I was freaking out about it. I even considered canceling. I don’t know. His family is even weirder around me. I wish you could come with,” she said impulsively.
“I have to work,” Devon said, wanting to be as far away from that get-together as possible. After a day like today, she would prefer to be in bed before the fireworks.
“You think it’ll all be fine?” Hadley asked.
“Just be yourself. How could they not love you?”
“You’re right,” she said, regaining the strength that Devon had always loved about her.
“But I wouldn’t…use anything before you go,” Devon cautioned.
Hadley shook her head. “I wouldn’t.”
Devon really wanted to believe her.
Chapter Sixteen - When It Rains, It Pours
SWEAT BEADED ON Devon’s temple, and she wiped it off her forehead and out of her eyes. The party had been going on all night, and it was nice to loosen up and get lost in the music and dancing. She hadn’t partied in so long, and she couldn’t resist when Amy had actually invited her out. Either Amy was getting over her hatred for the new girl, or Devon had just been there long enough that she wasn’t considered the new girl any longer.
People were packed into the club, shoulder-to-shoulder, many even closer than that. The music was earsplitting while the crazy lights traversed the warehouse-sized room before they alternated to strobe lights. Everything began moving in slow motion. She hadn’t had much to drink, but she was dizzy from dehydration and the energy in the room. Her tank top was sticking to her back, and she had long since pulled her hair up off of her neck into a ponytail.
God, I need another drink, she thought.
Her eyes moving around the room, she took in as much as she could from her vantage point, but it only ended up being the two feet circling her. Amy had to be somewhere inside the building. How had she lost track of her?
Well, she knew how. There were too many damn people in the place. It was easy to lose one person, especially when that person was as short as Amy. Still, Devon should have been better at keeping track of Amy. Devon didn’t like being alone in dark places. Whether she was surrounded by people or in a back alleyway at night, she was still alone.