Page 163

YOU ARE UNINVITED!

Lizzie

NOVEMBER 1, 2003

W HEN I WOKE UP THE FOLLOWING MORNING, ALONE IN C LAIRE’S ROOM , I QUICKLY climbed out of bed and went in search of my boyfriend.

When I found Hugh downstairs in the kitchen, laughing and joking with Thor, I felt immediately incensed.

Why did he look so happy when he was with him and not me?

What was wrong with me ?

Why couldn’t he smile at me like that?

Thor was the first one to notice my arrival, and I watched him discreetly nudge my boyfriend before standing up and moving for the door. “I’ll head home and check on Brian for a bit.”

“All right, lad,” Hugh replied, smile gone now. “I’ll see ya in a while.” He waited until his friend left before turning his attention to me. “Morning.”

“Morning,” I replied, feeling pissed off and out of my depth. “Why didn’t you come get me when you woke up?”

“I had things to do,” he replied levelly, attention shifting to the mug he was holding. “I was talking to your mam this morning.” His gaze cast downwards, and he took a drink from his mug. “She’ll be here soon.”

“Why?” I demanded, immediately on edge.

“To pick you up, Liz.”

“I thought I was staying here?”

“Your mam is going to take you home, okay?”

“Hugh, no!” Feeling devastated, I moved for him and tried to initiate intimacy. “Come on…”

“No, Liz,” he replied, immediately shutting me down. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Why not?”

His shoulders tensed, but he didn’t respond.

“Come with me,” I begged, wrapping my arms around him. “Please.” I kissed his shoulder. “Don’t send me back there on my own.”

He released a pained sigh. “Liz…”

“Please, Hugh,” I begged, feeling frantic now. “Come home with me.”

Another heavy sigh escaped him, and he relented. “Okay.”

Three hours later, I sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor, facing my boyfriend, and placed another card down, entirely uninterested whether it was a match or not.

Clearly, Hugh didn’t care either because he didn’t even look down before tossing a card down on the pile.

Instead, he kept his eyes on me the entire time.

Frustrated, I slapped another card down and arched a brow in challenge.

Again, he didn’t look at the pile of cards.

He just added another to the pile.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” I finally asked, unable to handle another second of this intense silence.

“That depends,” he replied calmly. “Are you going to tell me what you were doing with Pierce last night?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“It doesn’t matter what I believe, Liz,” he replied, tossing another card down. “If you’re telling the truth, then you’re telling the truth.”

“But you don’t think I am?”

“I think you need to think really carefully about what you’re doing,” he replied, tone eerily calm. “And who you’re doing it with.”

“Oh my God,” I hissed, throwing my hands up. “I didn’t cheat on you, Hugh.”

Hugh shook his head and stood up, and the move sent me spiraling.

“Wait, no, no, no!” Scrambling to my feet, I chased after him, catching him just as he was about to open my door. “Please don’t go.”

“I’m not doing this with you for the rest of my life,” he told me. “Do you understand that?”

“I’m fine, Hugh.” Reaching up, I grabbed his face between my hands and kissed him. “See? I’m perfect.”

“You’re not taking your meds and you’re spiraling.” His brown eyes implored me to listen. “You’re not in control of yourself, Liz, and if you slip next time, I mightn’t be there.” His nostrils flared. “If you hurt me like that, like the way you almost hurt me last night, I will walk away.”

“I would never hurt you,” I purred, trying to pull him back to my bed. “All I want to do is make you feel good.”

“If you want to make me feel good, then listen to me,” he strangled out, slipping out of my reach when I tried to unbutton his shirt. “Because I am so fucking in love with you that it hurts, okay?” A pained groan escaped him when I pounced on him and pushed him down on my bed. “Liz, please listen to me.”

“You want me,” I purred, feeling him growing beneath me. “I want you, too. So much I can’t sleep at night.” Reaching for my shirt, I whipped it over my head. “I touch myself all night and it’s not enough.” Grabbing his hands, I crushed them to my breasts. “I need this so bad, Hugh.”

“I don’t know who you are when you’re like this,” he admitted hoarsely. “And it scares the shit out of me.” He sat up, much to my dismay, and gripped my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “You are scaring me, Liz.”

“I would never hurt you, baby,” I whispered.

“I’m not scared for myself,” he bit out, catching ahold of my face and forcing me to refocus on him. “Look at me.”

“Fuck me.”

“Look at me, Liz.”

“I will when you fuck me.”

“And who exactly would I be fucking?” Hugh demanded, chest heaving. “Would it be this version of my girlfriend? The one who rubs herself against other fellas when she’s not trying to tear my clothes off. Or would it be the version of her that slits her fucking wrists!”

Wincing, I sucked in a sharp breath, but Hugh didn’t stop, clearly on a roll now.

“Would it be the version of her that stays in bed for weeks at a time, or would it be the version of her who attacks anyone that looks sideways? Hmm? Can’t tell? Well, neither the fuck can I,” Hugh shouted, losing his cool now. “But when the girl I fell in love with pops back up, you let me know, and I’ll be more than happy to oblige and fuck her .” He narrowed his eyes and hissed, “Because that’s the only version of my girlfriend that I have any interest in being with!”

“That’s not fair!” I screamed back. “You’re being unfair!”

“Yeah, well, talk to me about it when you’re you again,” he snapped back. “I’m uninviting you to the party tonight,” he added. “Do you hear me? You are uninvited.”

“Bullshit,” I snarled, feeling a sudden surge of rage rise up inside of me. “I’m your girlfriend. You can’t uninvite me.”

“Watch me,” he snapped, dropping me onto my bed.

“Hugh, wait!”

“Stay here,” he ordered, grabbing his bag and moving for the door. “And take your fucking medication!”

The bedroom door slammed behind him, and I screamed.

Trashing everything in my way, I ripped and tore at the walls, feeling so much fury inside of me, I thought I might kill someone.

“You fucking bastard!” I screamed, leaning out my bedroom window to scream at him. “Fuck you, Hugh!”

“Yeah, fuck me, Liz,” he called over his shoulder as he stormed down the driveway.

“I fucking hate you right now!”

He didn’t turn around.

Instead, he kept walking until he disappeared from sight.

Until he was gone .