The Boy Next Door

Chapter 30

I sprawled across the bed, my hand hovering above my face so I could see the screen of my phone. Damon's phone was propped up on the dresser, his frame coming back into the camera as he talked and pulled on a shirt.

"And I get that, but you need to see it from my view." I cut in as he continued to talk to me, the irritation in his tone evident in his deep, morning voice. He called ten minutes ago, it being ten a.m there and one p.m. here, and we've been talking about Grayson ever since.

"I am seeing it from your view, and I'm still trying to comprehend why you didn't tell me anything." He replied, a strong emphasis on the last word.

"You're not seeing it from my view if you don't understand why I didn't say anything! What was I supposed to say? H-He hasn't done anything to me that the police would deem as out of the norm, so anything I would've said to them wouldn't have mattered."

"You don't know that." He said while rubbing his forehead. I let out a heavy sigh while throwing my phone down on the bed.

"Neither do you, Damon." I said tiredly.

"Yet you told Kristen?" He incredulously asked through the phone. I swallowed hard as I stood and walked over to the door, my fingers twisting the lock before I returned to the bed. It hadn't crossed my mind that Kristen told him all this, my eyes looking directly into the screen as I waited for him to look back at me. "What?"

"You asked her?" I asked dryly, my voice quiet as I didn't want anyone to hear me in the halls.

"Despite this rough patch the two of you are going through-"

"You...asked her?" I interrupted, his green eyes a darker shade as he stared back at me. "The fact we're going through this little rough patch means you shouldn't have talked to her about me!" I said angrily, the strong emotion coming from both him and Kristen.

"Don't raise your voice, Cameron," he said in a softer tone. I raised my brows, a humorless chuckle leaving my lips as I shook my head.

"I think I have every right to raise my voice, Damon." I said mockingly, my fingers making air quotations in the process. I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it.

"I talked to Hayden! Kristen came in his room and told me everything you told her, so no, I didn't talk to her purposely." He said while taking the phone off face-time and onto a regular phone call. "I get you're upset, baby, I really do, but what was I supposed to do? Make her not to tell me what that dick has done to you? I'm more upset you trusted her more than me."

"She practically forced it out of me," I began, "I didn't intend on telling her."

"So, you were never going to tell me? What were you going to do, figure it out on your own?" Damon questioned.

I paused, not really having an answer for him. I played with the frayed end of the comforter as I thought of my words. "I was handling it."

"Handling it? Some way you're handling it." Damon muttered lowly.

"It's not that simple, Damon! It's not so black and white with him, okay? I'm trying to figure it so nobody else gets hurt." I explained, my frustration rising back up again.

"Somebody like me?" He asked wryly, causing my lips to press together firmly.

"Yeah," I said dryly, "somebody like you. I'm sorry for caring." My eyes watered slowly, my body standing from the bed and pacing across the room as I refrained my tears from falling.

He let out a frustrated sigh, "you're supposed to trust me, Cam. I'm here to be there for you, and if you don't talk to me then how am I supposed to help?"