Secrets And Lies

Chapter 43: Trust

Axel

Lost in my thoughts I sat on the edge of my bed. Every muscle in my body was tired. I don't know how long I've been sitting here.

I looked at the clock. Five-thirty AM. I couldn't sleep, not when Ryan was angry at me for something I had no part in. I was pissed at her for not seeing that. 

After I was sent to the principal's office,  Quade and I left with after-school detention, with everything cleared between us, he now knew that I had nothing to do with the rumors. Did his sister believe that bullshit rumor? I wouldn't fucking know, because she ran from the problem.

Ryan hasn't talked to me in almost twenty-four hours. All her silence was doing was pissing me off.  I needed her to understand that I had nothing to do with the shit that has been going around school. I needed to find out what happened in the locker room that had made her late for P.E. in the first place.

Quade let me know that she was at Taylor's house because I was freaking out when I couldn't get ahold of her.

Though Quade now believe me me, he didn't think that I had the right to be angry at her for what she was doing. He had given excuse after excuse to make it okay. Yeah all of the excuses were legitimate, but I knew that so was how I felt about her icying me out.

He left to go talk to her, and I haven't heard anything since. I was more than surprised that Sloane stopped by instead of being with her cousin. She said that Ryan had everyone rallying for her and she was needed here more.

I wasn't surprised though, that she understood the word vomit coming out of my mouth or that she understood that I was angry at not only whoever spread the damn rumors, but angry at Ryan for not talking to me. Sloane validated both sources of my anger. She tried to get Ryan to understand, but said that she had to figure out why I was mad on her own if she wasn't going to talk to me.

I felt so much better knowing that she understood it. It was a damn comfort, and she was right, I needed someone here, and even more right that it was specifically her. Even Foster didn't get why I was angry at Ryan. Sloane was the only one he got it.

I don't know how long we sat talking. Well I talked, she listened. She didn't give any advice, knowing that's not what I needed.  Well, not other than Ryan and I needed to tali, but I already knew that.

Sloane eventually looked too exhausted to function, and didn't look right at all. I asked what was wrong and she shrugged it off saying she had a headache and needed sleep. I sent her home, telling her that I was okay  she hesitated, but nodded, leaving but not before making me promise  to call if I needed anything.

With the more time that ticked by, any comfort I felt from Sloane"a visit had vanished.

"Fuck this!" I growled and headed to the shower.

I was going to go over there and talk to Ryan. I couldn't just sit here and let her come to me. As much as I wanted her to be the one to seek me out and apologize for not trusting me, I had to go.

______________________________________________________

"Ax, you are up early." My mom glanced at me from the top of her coffee cup.

She set the file she had in her hand on the kitchen island.

"Uh huh" I grunted and poured pitch black coffee into a travel mug.

"Is everything alright with Quade and Ryan? They didn't sleep here last night." Her eyes lifted from the file to mine.

"They stayed at Taylor's. Ryan needed some girl time, I guess and apparently so did Quade."