Behind His Smile ( Boys From Hell #4)

.27

| Mia |

It didn't surprise me at all.

Zack going to extremes about me. Me cheating on him.

Did it hurt?

I guess no. Because the whole thing was so ludacris. .so unbelievable that I couldn't find myself to care about it much. Yesterday I saw the regret in his eyes. His eyes were begging me. . It was clear . .he was going through what I had gone through.

But. .

He left me all by myself.

And should I leave him all by himself too?

I had to find the answer.

I had to get all my answers from him. Did he love me? Did he not? Was I still a bet? Was I not?

I had to know all the answers.

Since I had nothing to do, I was going through my phone. My gallery and one picture popped up.

It was me , Gloria and Allie.

We had a dopey smile on our faces as we raised the ice cream for the camera. Our hands slinging around each other shoulders.

I couldn't help but smile.

Allie had moved to another town since Dennis bought an apartment so they were having a . . moment. All by themselves. And I had zero intention to interrupt their tiny heaven.

I didn't tell her anything about Zack because. .she was a town away. I didn't want her to worry over me since she always called me her naive friend.

Gloria did too.

Well. . considering what happened with me...I was a bit of that. Naive. But I would rather call myself a kind naive person. I couldn't help but reach out to anyone who needed help . It was a curse and a blessing.

I was still staring at the picture when my phone started to vibrate.

Incoming call

Conrad

Frowning slightly, I swiped the screen and held the phone to my ear.

My heart kind of chilled down. .a weird sort of feeling spreading in my heart . .as if it had dropped down.

"Conrad?—"

He didn't let me finish.

"Zack! I—i think he's dead!"

××××××××××××××

I was sprinting across the jammed traffic.

Moving left and right.

Dumping the Uber I had hired .

Cars were honking and people were cursing each other loudly but I couldn't hear them. There was something wrong with me. All I had was ringing in my ear.

I was running when I had never ran before.

My heart was praying when I had never prayed before.

All I could think was. .no. .no no!! It can't happen! Maybe I heard it wrong. .it cannot happen!!

But. . what if it did?

Regret burned my insides when I remembered his tortured face. The way he had asked for forgiveness and I . . .I didn't give it away because I had to be a bitch!

I had to hurt him in order to . . .

In order to take my revenge.

When I could have come cleaned yesterday. .I led him on. Conrad must have told him—

Tears burned my eyes and I had to stop for a few seconds to normalize my breathing.

If...if anything happened to him . .I would never be able to forgive myself. I would never be able to look myself on the eyes.

The Mia who prided herself on being kind. . .guess she wasn't .

××××××××××××××

The hospital reeked of death and decay. Seeing the doctors move about in lab coats gave me anxiety. The white walls of the hospital reminded me of the morgue. So lifeless . .home of the dead.

I slipped my phone out and dialed Conrad's number.

He picked it instantly.

"Where—where are you?!!"

He asked my location and told me to wait for him.

Flipping the phone shut, I looked around and found a vacant chair right against the wall.

Tired. I felt so tired.

I was dragging my feet. Every move was so heavy . . so heavy.

Collapsing on the chair , I leaned back . .my eyes shut.

My brain was going wild . Asking me questions . .the ifs and the whys bursting around . .but my heart. .it was quiet.

It should have been burning. It should have been aching but it did nothing. As if it was dead.

"Hello."

My eyes snapped open at the voice. I straightened up seeing a 40-ish woman standing before me. Her caramel hair cut down to her shoulders. The powder blue skirt she had on made her took younger . A pearl necklace adorning  her delicate  neck—but her ocean blue eyes. .and then it hit my heart.

"You're his—Zack's mom?" I blurted out. Staring in her eyes. I wanted to keep looking in them . It felt like his. It felt like he was watching me . .

She smiled sadly.

"Can I sit ?"

She glanced at the chair beside me and I nodded wildly.

Mrs Smith moved towards the chair, sitting down. I could spot the tissue clutched in her hand .

I was dying to know about Zack. It was right on the tip of my tongue but I didn't have the courage to ask. Instead I wanted to tell her. .

Blurt it out.

It was me , Mrs Smith. I did it.

I kept my mouth shut. Fisting my hands. Biting my tongue.

"I know you." She said softly. Looking ahead at the people coming in and going out.

"You—how?"

I had never met her.

How did she—

Her delicate neck turned towards me. I couldn't look in those blue eyes knowing I was the cause of the pain in them.

"Zack mentioned you. "

I didn't say anything.

"He has never done that for any girl. "

That made my heart skipped a beat.

"What did he say?" I asked gently. Eagerly.

She chuckled slightly and then dabbed her nose with the tissue.

"Mom, there's a girl I like. Do you think I should invite her over? . .I asked him about you. He told me. . everything." Mrs smith glanced at me. "The color of your eyes, the length of your hair . .the smile on your face . ."

Once again the urge to spill everything reared its head . I could see the tender look in her eyes but I had no courage to tell her right there. .

He's here because of me.

I did it to him.

I collapsed into silence for fear I might hurt her more. I might hurt him more.

I saw Conrad coming towards me.

××××××××××××××××