HEATED // EGD

F O U R

B R E A T H I N'

"Are you kidding me, Naomi?! Seriously?! You know how worried I get and yet you still had to go and give me a heart attack! Why?! You couldn't think to text me before you left or to leave me a message or something?!" Dallas shouted as soon as he, Ethan, and I stepped foot into the apartment after a long while of paper work

My head hung low in guilt. I truly forgot to bring my phone or tell Dallas where I was going. I felt bad about the entire thing.

"No! Are you kidding me, Dallas! I was slammed against a fucking wall because you didn't think for a second that maybe she forgot to leave you a message! Your dumb ass didn't even bother to ask me where she was when you know I'm not taking summer classes this term!" Ethan shouted back.

"I wasn't thinking! She's in the middle of the darkest stage in her life, I was terrified! Anything could have happened! What if she was hurt?!"

"I'm sorry, Dal." My voice was barely audible and I couldn't bare to make eye contact with him. However, it was genuine.

"Don't apologize to him, Naomi! He needs to learn how to stop constantly having his panties in a wad!" Ethan spat at my cousin.

"Shut up!" I spoke through gritted teeth. "It makes sense why he did it. It was a misunderstanding. Sure, it was a little dramatic of Dallas, but I don't blame him! People don't think straight when they think the worst is happening to the people close to them."

"You don't think I don't know that?! Naomi! They had me pressed against a wall because they thought I was kidnapping you?! I don't know about you, but I rather not be ganged up on by a bunch of cops for something that never happened."

"Sorry Princess Ethan, but what do you want me to do about it now?!" Dallas threw his hands up in the air in defeat.

"How about, next time try to get in contact with me before calling 911?! You know I didn't sign up for any summer classes this term!"

"There's one thing I don't get," I brought up as I brought my hand to the back of my neck. "If you asked Ethan to watch over me while I was gone, how come you didn't notice he was gone too or mention that he might've been with me to the cops?" I asked Dallas.

His eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't ask him to watch over you? He never even leaves his room, there wouldn't have been a point."

"But I thought you said—" I turned to look at Ethan but he had already disappeared into his room. "Okay, I guess," I mumbled to myself before continuing, "I truly am sorry, Dallas."

"I'm still upset with you..."

"I forgot, I'm sorry!" I pleaded.

"I know, that's why I'm not angry... just upset." A sigh escaped his lips.

"You sound like a mom when you say that." I teased him as I tried to fight back a smirk.

"Why do you always have to have an attitude all of the sudden? You were never like this before."

"I've changed, Dallas. This isn't like when your mom died thirteen years ago. Feeling guilty for someone's death because you're the reason they were even on the road when the car crashed is entirely than loosing someone to a heart disease that inevitable because it was in her DNA and bound to happen eventually!" I snapped, not thinking once before the words just slipped out. My eyes widened and my hand clasped over my mouth as I realized what I just said. I regretted it before he could even react to what I said.

His face dropped and his face went pale. He scoffed and shook his head. "I can't believe you," he muttered under his breath

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean that at all—" I frantically apologized.