Life in Search ✔️

54 ~ All of it

Watching Scarlett run to her car, I'm stunned.

No one said you had to watch.

She just broke up with me. The girl I love just ended it and I can't even chase after her because after that conversation, I deserve it.

Running my fingers through my hair, I try to keep my cool. I guess my therapist was right, I can't control my temper.

"You're going to run after her, right?"

Turning around, I'm face to face with the last person I want to see, ever. Avery Adams.

"No."

She glares at me, "Are you stupid?"

Excuse me?

"Are you? She just broke up with me and you want me to run after her?" I snap back. there is no logic in that very small brain of hers.

"She needs you, you stupid oaf." She marches up to me. "Now go!"

"No!" I yell, taking a step back. "Scarlett Rhodes needs no one." It just took me a while to finally hop aboard that bus. She made that perfectly clear just now.

"If you believe that then you're just wasting everyone's time. I get it, your little band of twits think they need that, but I expected better of you, McClain." She snorts, eyeing me pathetically.

Who the hell is she to talk to me that way? "She dumped me, why aren't you trying to make a move?"

Nothing today is making any sense.

Avery winces but she ignores my question, reaching for my hand she places something small and cold in it. "Go give this back to her. Whether you listen to me or not is up to you, but I hope you fight for her."

And with that she walks away.

Opening up my hand, I find the ring Scarlett wears from her mother. It must've fallen off. She'd be devastated to know it's missing.

*****

Thirty minutes later I'm parked two houses down from the Rhodes house, trying to figure out how to give the ring back. I can't just knock on the door; they'll undoubtedly slam it in my face. Plus, I really don't want a repeat conversation of this afternoon. I can only handle so much pain.

As if hearing my pathetic internal debate, the front door opens, and Scarlett walks out. At first, I panic, thinking she's headed to give me another earful about following her but she doesn't seem angry.

She walks down their driveway to the sidewalk with a blank expression on her face, what the... She's still in her dress with random flip-flops thrown on her feet.

Sage steps onto the front porch and just points from me to her, so much for being stealthy but I get the picture.

There's no law against stalking your girlfriend, right? Or, I guess ex-girlfriend now. There's no way she meant her words, she's just upset right now. Give it a week or two depending on how things go. Maybe a month if things end tragically.

Following behind slowly, I earn few glares as cars go around my own. Screw them. Eventually, she gets to a heavily wooded area and I'm expecting her to stop or turn around, but she moves from the path through the trees.

Swearing, I park on the side of the road and try to quietly run after her. Hopefully my vehicle isn't towed by the time I get back. Explaining that to mom and dad wouldn't go very well.

Since I fell behind, I'm only ever able to catch a glimpse of Scarlett's hair before she vanishes behind another tree. Where the hell is she going?