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Chpater 22: Grace.

Declan

    I walk in the door of my house an hour later. I gave her an hour so she didn't have to see my worthless face while she leaves. I hate myself. I don't want to be Declan Alexander anymore. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to sleep in the room where the girl I lost was an hour before taking her stuff out there. I don't want to remember the way her face looked when I told I was just trying to sleep with her. I don't want go to be in this house that is drenched in the scent of her. I don't want to face my mother who is going to be disappointed in me. I don't want to look at my father who won't look at me the same.     

    I know my mother's home but I don't want to talk to her. I don't want to do anything right now. I'm completely numb. My whole body is lifeless, empty. 

    I feel a small hand grab my bicep and for second I think it's Ivory. I turned around fast hoping that she wants an explanation a better one that she saw through my acting, through my wall of faces. But when I turn around I see that's my mother and the look on her face it's something I've never seen before. It's not just disappointment, it's anger, it's sadness, and it's all my fault that look is on her face. 

    "What the hell did you do, Declan?" She growls at me. She has never cursed at me for anything. Not even when I almost got arrested. She must hate me, she has every right. She staring at my face like there's a something on it. I know she is looking at the black eye that Ivory gave me, it hurts like hell. I don't want to even put ice on it I want it to be ugly and bruised. "I hope she gave that to you. I can't hurt you like that but she sure can," she looks as if she's ready to smack me. 

    "Not now, mom. I don't want to talk."

    "I don't give one shit. You're going to tell me why you broke up with her. You're going to tell me why she packed her stuff and left. And you're going to tell me he put you up to this," my mother knows me too well to know that I would ever break up with her. 

    That whole theory about boys don't cry and if they did that they're not manly enough. That rule doesn't apply to me right now. I don't want to sound like I'm a baby but I just lost the love of my life and it's all my fault. And I can't do a single thing about it. I'm allowed to cry. 

    The tears are rolling down my face now. I haven't cried since my sister was finally gone. When they told me that her heart had officially stop. My mother's face softens, her tight grip on my arm loosens and she brings me into a hug. When she wraps her arms around my waist I break down and my legs give out and I fall to the floor. My mother falling with me not letting go.  

  She is patting my head trying to soothe me, rock me back-and-forth like I'm still a child that I'm not 18.

    "What happened? Who put you up to this?" She asked after several minutes of silence. 

    I take a breath before I start to answer. Calming down trying to get control of the tears that are sliding down my face.

"Grace. I was at the grocery store buying flowers for Ivory. I was about to get my car when Grace stop me. She just was all over me touching me trying to kiss me when I pushed her away that's what she got mad. She told me that I need to get over myself that me and Ivory we're going to be over very soon. 

I told her she was being crazy. That it was all in her own imagination that we were going to get back together. I tried to get back in the car but she slammed the door shut. She said that I should be buying flowers for her not for some girl with an unstable family. Which she said that that caught me off guard. I didn't know how she knew about it but she did. I acted like I didn't know what she was talking about and try to get back in the car. But again she wouldn't let me.
I gave up trying to act like I didn't know about it. I told her that no one would believe her that would be her word against ours. That's when she told me she had a video of Ivory's dad trying to hit and screaming at Ivory's mom.