Wanderlust ✓

34. Cracked

I kept glancing over at Parker to see if his stiff position and glare had disappeared.

It had not. And it had been twenty minutes of silence since we left his house. As we passed street lamps, the light would envelope the car for a moment, a quick second yet in that second, I could read his facial expressions clearly. His brows were scrunched together in frustration, it made him look older. His shoulders hunched forward, he would straighten his back every few minutes but would always slouch again. His knuckles were white as he clenched them tightly around the wheel, the sound of his heavy breathing filled the car. I couldn't let him sit in this bubble of anger he had created for himself.

Now would be the time to speak up, Paige! Before we reach home.

In a soft voice, I broke the silence. "Hey, I can't believe what-" He then cut me off with a sharp tone. "Just stop."

I tried to speak up again, now frustrated but he beat me to it. "Just don't, Paige." I huffed as he stared straight ahead.

"I just want to make sure you're okay..." I got out but his hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"I'm fine," he said shortly. Parker then turned into my driveway. This conversation is not over!

"I don't think you are. I wouldn't be if my family treated me like that. I-"

"They're not my family, dammit!" He roared. I jumped back into the seat. "You know? Some of the things they said are true. I haven't been focused on school or on the field because I spend all my time with you. You're a distraction." My heart hammered and I couldn't believe what he was saying. My breathing picked up as I began thinking of the worst case scenarios. They flew through my mind quicker than I could comprehend before they halted at the next words he spoke.

"I need a break. We need a break so I can get my head back on straight."

That's all I had to hear. Without a single reply, I unbuckled, opened the door, slammed the door shut and found the strength to get inside my house before breaking down in tears. I slid down the door in complete darkness. They must've went out.

Sobs escaped my mouth. I just knew in that moment that I needed support. I needed someone to help me process what just happened. So through my tears and with shaking hands, I reached helplessly into my small hand purse, rummaging around for my phone.

I searched through my contacts quickly to land on the one person I was thinking of. It rang. And rang. And rang. I then heard the voicemail. Expected. I tried to keep my sobs at bay when speaking but my sniffles and whiny voice were heard.

"Carly, please come help me. I'm-I'm not hurt but I really need a friend right now. Please, just... I need you."

I hung up, tossing my phone to the side. The floor felt cool on my bare legs so I slid down further so my whole body was curled up on the wood in a fetal position. Somehow the coldness felt comforting. I closed my eyes, willing my body to rest, to numb the pain of my broken heart.

...

I don't know how much time passed but a warm hand landed on my shoulder and I jumped in surprise. All I could see was red hair and sad green eyes looking down at me.

"Honey, what happened to you?" Carly crouched down next to me with a concerned look on her face.

I suddenly laughed, "Look at me. I'm being fucking dramatic." I spread out further on the floor and moved so my back was flat against it and I was looking up at the ceiling.

She copied my position. "What'd he do?"

"I think he broke up with me," I wiped away more tears, finally calming down to talk, "His family dinner went to shit, he was angry and called me a distraction before I ran out of his car." Her hand reached over to give my own a squeeze.