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“Be quiet,” I said, my voice trembling.

“My own daughter isn’t going to bar me from speaking my mind!” Again, she smoothed her hands over her hair. “Believe me, Crystal. We have made the right decision. And now I’m going to do you another favor. Just look at this place. You are living with afreak!” She threw Kaden a contemptuous look. “I just want the best for you.”

“You can insult me as much as you like, Mother. But leave my roommate out of it.”

She smiled arrogantly. “How cute. You jump in bed with a tattooed thug and think you can just do whatever you want now. Listen, I didn’t fly all the way here just to-”

She didn’t get any further. Kaden stood in front of me, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “I think it would be better if you left now.”

My mother stared up at him. The smile didn’t leave her lips, not even when Kaden took another step toward her. She rose gracefully and reached for her bag.

“Sooner or later you’ll be back home, Crystal. When everything goes down the drain, you’ll come crying to us and beg to be let in. Just don’t be surprised if your father and I aren’t prepared to catch you when you fall.”

She surveyed me one last time, then disappeared into the hallway. A few seconds later I heard the front door clink shut, but that didn’t really register.

I felt numb.

My mother’s words rang in my head, even as I left the living room to hide in my room. I wished I could cry, but the tears didn’t come. Instead I felt this all-too-familiar emptiness inside.

I didn’t hear Kaden enter my room. His face was in front of mine. I lifted my head. Everything around me was blurred. I felt cold.

“Go,” I croaked.

“Hey,” he said softly.

My mouth was dry and I had to run my tongue over my lips a few times to moisten them. “I’d rather be alone now,” I whispered. I still felt pressure in my chest. My breathing was hard.

He frowned. “I’m not leaving you alone in this state.”

“Just go, Kaden.”

“No.”

“I told you to go,” I hissed, trying to turn away from him. He gripped my wrists.

“Kaden!” I warned him.

“I’ll leave this room when I’m sure you won’t hurt yourself.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I won’t hurt myself.”

“Nice. I’ll leave this room when I’m sure that you’ve forgotten every word that that…womansaid.”

I was pretty sure he would’ve picked another word to describe her but had used this neutral term out of respect for me.

“And when you don’t look like a whipped puppy anymore.” Kaden stroked my hands with his thumbs.

“I do not look like a whipped puppy,” I murmured.

He edged closer and frowned. “Yes you do, Allie.”

“At the most like a cat.”

“Huh?”

“I mean I would rather look like a whipped kitty. I am more of a cat person.”

I noticed how Kaden’s presence made me relax.