BROKEN

CH.21-the hollow

*KARA'S POV*

"Do you mean to tell me that all of this happened two whole days ago and you failed to tell me until now?" Amity inquired from my spinning desk chair as a twizzler hung from the left side of her mouth.

I sat in silence against the wall that my bed was backed up against before tucking my knees into my chest and wrapping my arms around them, resting my chin between my knees and nodding.

"I ship it and all, but I can't believe you didn't tell me," she said before offering up a fake pout and grabbing another twizzler from the candy arsenal on my desk.

"Ams, I didn't exactly have ample time to inform you of the situation," I reasoned as I curled up my toes, running my index finger and thumb over the intricate ridges and jewels of the pendant that had made it's home on the chain around my neck.

"He kissed you! You kissed back! You didn't tell me, and you still have to explain to me what happened at the cafe today!" She exclaimed.

"Look, I know that you're a busy girl and all, but you hardly tell me anything anymore. Is there anything else I should know?"

I subconsciously tilted my head to where Ace had bitten me, even though the mark had since healed, just for precautionary measures before realizing that she was my best friend and she had a right to know.

"I, uh, I'm not sure how to tell you this."

"Say it straight up, princess. I won't get mad."

I nodded before raising my head to look at her.

"Ace drank my blood," I said before hiding my face in my knees again.

Every second that passed afterwards was like a silent death that I couldn't stand to take in anymore and I was about to say something else when Amity's voice cut through the quiet.

"Did you let him?"

I paused before exhaling and whispering a small, yet audible, "yes."

I looked up to see her looking at me with a look I hadn't seen too often in her eyes.

Confusion.

"Why?"

"Because he's been suffering for nine years, Ams. What was I supposed to do? Let him die?" I yelled before realizing I was being irrational and simply retreated into my knees again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, but I couldn't lose him and he was struggling and I just-" I stopped when I realized I was rambling and it probably sounded like muffled nonsense from inside my knees.

I sat for a while before a weight descended upon the bed next to me and a hand settled a top my head.

"You're okay care-bear. I understand and I'm not mad, but I want to know something," she stated running her fingers through my hair.

"Sure. Anything," I said, still tucking my face away in my knees.

"Did he ask you, or did you talk him into it?"

"I talked him into it," I whispered, "he wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"I figured," she breathed before removing her hand from my hair and turning to face me, "he's a good guy, and I wouldn't presume him to ask you a question like that. He sees himself as a monster as it is without doing anything to further degenerate his sense of self."