IGNITE

thirty-one.

‹ 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 ›

Hands clapped at my back as I made my way through the densely packed warehouse, my vision swimming.

I knew that it was probably a bad idea to accept the glass of whiskey that had been handed to me the moment I stepped through the door, but after the day I had, I couldn't bring myself to care.

All I wanted to do was get fucked up.

Piper had left the night before with Cyrus, and I hadn't seen either of them since. My stomach churned, and I quickly swallowed the remainder of the alcohol in my cup, the liquid burning as it slid down my throat.

Deep down, I knew I was being irrational. But, at the same time, I couldn't help but think back to all the times she saw me...vulnerable. The times where, sure, maybe I didn't delve into my past and give a detailed account of everything that had happened to me, but...the way I had opened up, the things I had said...I never let anyone see me like that.

I didn't let anyone in.

But I let her in, and now, betrayal and anger burned inside of me.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I turned, coming face–to–face with a seething Maxine. Her eyes were wild and dark, her teeth bared, and her hand cocked backward as if ready to—

Her hand collided with the side of my face hard enough to send my ears ringing.

The apartment went silent, and every single set of eyes was glued on us as I stared at the brunette, her palm print burning a hole in my cheek.

Fuck.

My jaw ached, and my vision blurred, but the look of pure hatred and loathing in her eyes kept me grounded, and the anger and betrayal that had been boiling in the pit of my stomach exploded.

"Outside." My voice wasn't a request, but an unyielding demand.

Maxine glared up at me for a few moments, her jaw working. Then, she turned, her heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floors as she made her way towards the door, the rest of the boys following behind her.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and headed outside, the cool air washing over me, clearing the haze that had settled over my mind. "Let it out," I said, my tone low and even, and the second the words left my lips, she was on me, her hand colliding with the opposite side of my face.

"You piece of shit," her words were laced with venom, her brown eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Grey?"

I didn't answer.

She cocked her hand back once more, but Ryan grabbed her, holding her back, his arm around her waist.

"Let me go," Maxine hissed, struggling in his grasp, her eyes glued to me. "Let me fucking go, Ryan!"

"Not until you calm down," he replied, his gaze darting between the two of us. "Max, come on," Ryan's voice was a plea, laced with desperation as he struggled to control the lethal brunette in his arms.

She stilled, the fight leaving her body, and when he was sure that she wasn't going to attack, Ryan released her.

Maxine's shoulders rose and fell as she took deep, heavy breaths, and though her fists were clenched, and her eyes still shone with fury, she was no longer shaking.

"You don't know anything about what Piper has been through, nor are you entitled to it. All you know is that she had a fucking phone call. A phone call, and you jump to the worst fucking conclusion, you piece of shit. She has spent her entire life looking out for other people, always putting them first, and what does she get in return? Fucking nothing."