Page 15 of Petals of Blue, Part One (Wilted Duet #1)

Ten

JARED

My chest feels like it's gone ten rounds with a fucking gorilla. My feet are screaming at me to run after the girl I've missed every single day since she moved.

Yet, I'm frozen by my sister’s dark tear-filled eyes. Betrayal and hurt dull the brilliance that is Nichole.

"I—"

"Do you know what they did to her?" my sister cuts me off. The pain in my chest heightens with all the possibilities of what Erica may have suffered in our absence. What the hell happened?!

"Nichole—"

She steps back. "Why did you do that? How could you do that, Jared? You've always been a sweet, thoughtful person. Even as a boy!"

I'm torn between spilling the truth to my sister and chasing Erica out the door. Before I can decide which course of action to take, a new voice catches my attention.

"Are you with Mama?"

Mama? Scrutinizing the scene by the door, I listen to that buff prick, Levi, speak into his phone. "Yeah, kiddo. She's right here."

No. My heart falls right out of my ass when Levi hands Erica the phone. Mama?

"What the fuck?" Declan whispers, sounding strangled.

"Hey, sweetheart." Erica's voice is soft and suddenly so patient I yearn for that kind of attention from her. "I'm coming home instead. Okay, love you."

Then they're fucking gone.

The silence left in their wake is so tense chills break out across my skin. The past five minutes feel like a goddamn blur.

I was so excited to see my sister and make summer plans now that we're in the same city again. Being taller than Nichole didn't make me feel older when she held onto me. The little boy, whose sister moved away too soon, came skipping to the surface ready for more adventures.

Then Declan said a name I hadn't heard pass his lips in so long. I thought I had imagined it, but one quick look to the side and there she was. Erica Bennett. The girl we loved and ghosted.

I felt as if I were stuck in slow motion. Dec rushed toward her...Erica attempted to stop him. I watched, helpless and horrified, when panic twisted her features, then her wrist.

Once again, she was hurt because of us.

I should have stopped Declan from pursuing her when she was cowering away. Then she fucking fled toward another man for safety. Everything I witnessed was so wrong.

Erica always ran to us when she needed something. I know I shouldn't blame her for pushing Declan away, and I don't. I blame myself, which is so much fucking worse.

Then she asked us to go, only to take it back and say she would go and not come back to my sister's cycling class. In that moment, I felt guilty for making my sister lose a customer. Then I realized they were goddamn friends!

As if things couldn't get worse, all Erica had to do was say one sentence for my sister to stiffen in accusation and shock.

Erica called us cruel. I so badly want to deny it and defend myself, but my subconscious wholeheartedly agrees. I've had nightmares and so many moments of worry over what could have been happening to Erica.

Of course, one final bit of information that I never could have guessed landed like a steel knife in my windpipe. I feel so nauseated, horrified, and truly upset that Erica has a child, my knees wobble.

"SHE HAS A KID?!" Declan bellows on the verge of yanking his hair out. His question is aimed at both of us, but my sister is the only one who has the answer.

Nichole's eyebrows twitch before they furrow in an icy look that freezes my veins. Death feels like it's coming for me through my big sister's glare.

"Tell me. Please?" I beg Nichole, ready to get on my knees for any scrap of information about Erica.

"I don't want to tell you shit, Jared. This is so fucked up."

"What's fucked up is our woman has a kid with another man!" Declan shouts.

Declan will most definitely not be okay in public once we leave here. He's hyperventilating, probably recalling all the times during senior year we dismissed Erica and ignored her. Distancing ourselves from the girl we loved was awful, but we thought it would make the split easier.

It didn't.

"You're going to tell me everything you guys did before I give you even a sliver of Blue." Nichole is furious and protective, making me realize there's no getting past her boundaries.

"Who the hell is Blue and what the fuck was up with Erica and that dickhead?" Declan spits.

I'm one second away from forcing him to rein in his attitude because even though Nichole is not on our side for once, that doesn't give him the right to disrespect her.

Nichole crosses her arms. She looks like a warrior ready to throw down on behalf of her friend. I'm so glad Erica found her way to Nichole, even if it was by coincidence.

"You call her Erica. Everyone in Chicago calls her Blue. As it is on her ID. Erica, whoever that was, doesn't exist here. I suggest you realize what that means before approaching Blue again."

"Sh-She changed her name?"

Nichole's chin lifts in defiance. "Like I said. I need to know you aren't completely horrible when it comes to Blue before I say shit."

Declan curses and begins to pace.

She's looking at us as if we really are cruel.

Is it cruel to want to rip Erica's baby daddy apart and take his place in her life?

Probably.

But the disappointment from my role model won't stop me from making amends and bringing our girl back into our arms.

Fuck it, I am cruel.

She demanded we let her go, and there's no scenario I would ever make that mistake again. I'm not letting Erica go.

We need to tell the others.