Page 23 of Saving Tracey (Finding Hope #1)

Chapter Twelve

I was in bed, and it was almost no time at all before I could hear Kaleb begin to yell. I cringed, pulling my covers up to my chin. I wanted to hide away from the world. This was exactly what I hadn't wanted to happen.

I didn’t want to come between Trevor and Kaleb.

"She's a fucking lying bitch, Trevor!” I flinched at his words. “Why in the hell would I ruin our friendship for some attention-seeking whore like Tracey?!"

I physically winced. Nice to know what he really thought of me.

I didn't hear what Trevor said, but I heard something fall over right after Kaleb spoke, and I only assumed that Trevor had knocked something over in his anger. I sighed and got out of my bed.

I needed to stop this. It was my fault these two were fighting anyway. If I had just kept my mouth shut instead of telling Trevor what had happened, had never called him, they wouldn't be arguing.

Turns out that I didn't need to break up their argument, though. Kaleb's mom came running up the stairs at the sound of their fight. "Boys! Stop it this instant!"

"I want Tracey out, mom!” Kaleb yelled at Miss Brinson as I entered the hallway. “She's a fucking lying cunt! I swear to God, she fucks up everything in her path! She needs to fucking go!"

I stumbled back as if I had been hit. My hip hit the table in the hallway with enough force to knock it over. Everyone's eyes swung over to me. My bottom lip trembled, and tears filled my eyes.

Lacie looked smug as hell that Kaleb was finally turning his back on me. Kaleb looked pissed and hurt that this shit was happening, and Trevor looked ready to murder someone—most definitely Kaleb—and poor Kaleb's mom just looked tired of all of the fighting.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I wasn't wanted anywhere. Not with my parents. Not in this world. Not here .

I turned around and ran for the stairs. I had to get out of there. I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was all too much for me. I wanted to escape it all, and I would be damned if someone would stop me this time. Fuck my promises to Trevor. Fuck it all.

I was done—so done—with this fucked up world that I was placed in.

"Tracey, stop!"

It was too late though. I was already running out the front door and down the street. I couldn't take it anymore.

Arms wrapped around my waist right when my feet met the asphalt and lifted me off the ground from behind. I immediately smelled Trevor's smoky scent, and I just slumped in defeat, my shoulders shaking with my sobs.

What was there left to fight for anyway ?

Trevor turned me around and wiped the tears off my face almost frantically, his eyes pained as he took in how broken I was.

"Baby, please, stop crying. Kaleb's an asshole.

Don't listen to a word that comes out of his mouth, do you understand me? You are perfect.” He gripped my face in his hands.

“Everything is going to be okay. Don't run away now, not when you've come so far. "

"I don't want to go back." My tears continued to wet his hands. "I want it all to stop. I just want the pain to stop so bad, and I want everyone to stop hurting me."

"You don't have to go back, baby. Come on. We'll go to my place, and you can stay there with me for a few days. Just let me call Paul, okay?"

I nodded. He kissed my forehead and pulled his phone out. "Hey, man, is Glenda home?" Pause. "Hey, Tracey is having some issues at home, and I wanted to know if she could stay with us for a few days."

He hung up the phone a moment later and smiled down at me. "See? Come on. I'll come by later and grab some of your clothes."

He grabbed my hand in his larger one, his strength seeping into me slowly, and led me to his motorcycle.

He pulled his phone to his ear, letting Kaleb's mom know that I was leaving with him and that I would come home when I was ready.

I heard her yelling at him, making me wince, but he just hit the end button on her and slid his phone into his pocket.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, leaning down to kiss me softly. "You will be okay, Tracey. I promise."

I nodded at his words, not believing him, but nodding nonetheless.

When we got to his place, a woman in her late forties opened the door, ushering Trevor and me in.

She pulled Trevor into a hug, and I noticed immediately that he stiffened at her touch.

She backed up, placing her hands on his upper arms, and looked him over.

"I'm fine,” he muttered, moving away from her touch.

"I thought something had happened to you, boy!" She planted her hands on her hips, shooting him an accusing look.

He shook his head at her. "Kaleb is just being a dick, and Tracey wasn't comfortable."

Turning her attention to me, she smiled and moved to hug me, but I stepped back, panic closing my airways.

My back slammed into the wall of the hallway in my rush to get away from her, and she stopped in her tracks, dropping her arms to her sides as sadness flickered across her gaze.

I heard Trevor sigh, but I was too focused on his mom to look at him.

I was too afraid that she was going to try to touch me again.

"Baby, come on. Glenda isn't going to hurt you.

" Trevor moved to stand beside me. Glenda gave me a tight-lipped smile, worry etched onto her features, sadness for me ringing in her eyes.

Trevor gripped my chin gently, and I jerked away, my chest heaving up and down as I struggled to suck air into my lungs.

I was seconds away from having a panic attack.

He reached forward again and grabbed my face in his hands. "Baby, look at me. Breathe,” he said sternly, but with the utmost care in his voice. "Breathe for me, baby." He rubbed the pad of his thumb over my cheeks.

I squeezed my eyes shut, focusing on his voice as he coaxed me down from my panic attack. Fuck, I couldn't keep being scared like this. I was terrified of someone touching me. I couldn't even allow Trevor to touch me unexpectedly or I flipped the fuck out.

I opened my eyes back up once I was calm enough, my green eyes locking on his dark ones. God, he was so gorgeous.

What in the world did I do to deserve him ?

I was broken. There was no fucking way that I could never be what he wanted.

Yet, he was still standing in front of me. My knight in shining armor. My light in this all too dark world.

I hated that I couldn't be what he needed.

He needed someone strong, someone that could help him fight his own demons. He didn't need to be concerned with fighting mine, too.

He brushed my hair behind my ear, his eyes running over my face until he finally grabbed my hand in his. "Come on. Paul is probably down in the basement playing Call of Duty . Let's go bother him."

I didn't look back at Glenda, who I knew was still standing there. I wasn't even in her house for more than a minute, and I was already making myself out to be a terrified little girl.

But that was all I really ever was .

TREVOR

After finally getting Tracey to fall asleep, I left my room, shutting my bedroom door quietly behind me. I ran my hands down my face and leaned back against my door, tilting my head up to look at the ceiling.

Fuck, she was so gorgeous, and she didn't even know it. The girl had me by my heartstrings, had me on my knees before her, wrapped around her little finger, and she didn't even realize it.

I would do anything in the world for her.

And I hated seeing her so terrified all of the time.

I gave Glenda a small smile when I walked into the kitchen, where she was cleaning up after dinner. "Is she okay?"

I shrugged. "Not really. She takes one step forward, and then something knocks her ten steps back again. She was making so much progress, and then Kaleb had to fuck it all up."

She turned to me, drying her hands on a dish towel. "What happened?"

"Basically, Kaleb went at Tracey over the fact that she's with me and not him. He scared the ever-living fuck out of her. He said some hateful things about her, and she took off."

She sighed and tucked the hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her bun. "She needs help, Trevor."

I shook my head instantly. Sure, she might be able to use a therapist for her anxiety attacks, but I just had a bad feeling in my stomach that her talking to a therapist would make her feel even worse.

"She doesn't need help. She needs someone to love her and to show her that there’s actually good in this fucked up world.

What I went through was nothing compared to what she suffered.

" I pushed off the counter and tossed my hair out of my eyes.

"I'm going to get her out of that hole even if it’s the last thing I do. "

Glenda looked up at me with worry-filled eyes. "Trevor, Dale and I worked so hard to get you to where you are today. Don't let her drag you down again.”

I glared at her, anger immediately pouring into my veins, though somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew she was only looking out for me.

"Don't fucking lecture me on this shit." She recoiled from my tone immediately, looking away.

"Tracey is fucking everything to me, and I will never fucking leave her side, understand?

That girl is everything I have ever fucking wanted and more.

If you can't understand that, then I'm fucking sorry for you. "

Glenda sighed, shaking her head. "Trevor, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I only meant to be careful."

"The boy will be careful," Dale said, coming into the kitchen. He clapped a hand on my shoulder, making me tense up at his touch. I knew that he didn't mean it harmfully; it was just a habit to tense up at someone’s touch. "He's in love, Glenda. A man in love always knows what he’s doing."

I left the room, pondering over what Dale said. Was I in love with Tracey? It sure did feel like it. I hated being apart from her, and seeing her happy warmed my soul. Watching her accomplish something to bring her out of her depression made me absolutely ecstatic.