Page 110 of Soul So Dark

Jordy’s face relaxes with a mixture of surprise and relief. “Do you remember the first night I stayed at your house last summer?”

I look away, to the line of river birches across the road. “What about it?”

“You took me home after we all went tubing down the creek and I didn’t know whose car was parked in front of my house because my mom had some guy over. You wouldn’t let me go in. You told me I was staying with you instead.”

I remember, and that was my introduction to Jordy’s toxic relationship with Lori.

“The next day, I didn’t want to leave,” Jordy continues, “and when I went home, my mom started screaming at me for staying out and threatened to kick me out if I didn’t follow her rules. And I told her maybe I’d leave on my own, because you told me I could come back if I ever needed to.”

“Yeah,” I deadpan, recalling things I said before I knew any better.

“Another time, she called the cops on me and told them I stole her car—mycar—so they would find me.”

I shake my head bitterly, my eyes still transfixed on the trees across the road.

“I told you my mom is insane,” Jordy mutters in response.

“That’s an understatement.”

“I have to get out of here, Alex. I can’t stay here with her. You know how she is. It’ll only get worse.”

“Yeah, I know how she is,” I sigh, “always playing games, trying to find the next best thing while she bleeds everyone dry. Just like you.”

“We’re good together, Alex,” Jordy says softly. “You were happy when it was just you and me. I know you remember and I know you still want it, too. Because if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t still be so angry. And I—” she pauses, taking a deep breath. “I love you, Alex.”

My eyes dart across the console.

“I never wanted to leave you. But I do want to leave here, and go wherever you go and do everything with you—just you and me.”

“You think we can just go back to the way things used to be?” I murmur, ruminating on her words. “Like nothing ever happened?”

“You must think so,” Jordy smiles.

I let out a bitter scoff and look away again. “How’s that?”

There’s only silence, and then I flinch as something blocks my field of view. I’m so focused on dissociating that I don’t see Jordy until she slides into my lap. The back of my head hits the headrest, my face now mere inches from hers. It’s impossible to escape her bright blue eyes boring into mine.

“Because,” she murmurs, running her hand up the side of my neck, “that was longer than 10 seconds.”

???

“Stay, leave—I don’t care what you do. I’m done. I’m going to bed.”

I’m tired and I’m done talking about a relationship that’s not really a relationship. Especially after Lori’s convinced Jordy to do whatever it takes to keep me shackled to her.

The joke’s on her, though. If I was the kind of trust fund kid Lori thinks I am, I’d probably be going to school with Colson and Mason for another four years instead of enlisting in the military. My brothers and I only found out about them after my dad died. Luca blew through his, doing whatever the hell he’s been doing and Adrian jokes that it’s the “Fuck-This” money; enough to walk away from a shitty job and start over if you need to, but not enough to retire on.

Either way, the only one who will ever touch mine is me.

Without another word, I disappear into the bathroom to decompress, leaving Jordy standing in the middle of my room. And by the time I finish brushing my teeth, she’s gone.

I’m relieved to finally be alone again, but I wake up a short time later, my mouth parched from drinking too much tonight. My water bottle’s still in my vehicle, so I roll out of bed and stagger down the hall to the bathroom. After chugging a liter of water out of the faucet, I trudge back out into the hallway, but pause when I hear a faint noise coming from the living room.

Adrian’s door is closed, so my first thought is that it’s Luca. That, or it’s someone robbing our house. Then again, those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

I shuffle down the hallway, trying to make out the muffled noises. Peeking around the corner, I scan the great room and zero in on a figure near the front window, only a silhouette cast by the motion sensor light outside.

In my foggy state, I don’t know what I’m seeing. But then I recognize Luca’s profile, and he’s got some girl on the sofa adjacent to the front window. His jeans are hanging loose and he’s thrusting so hard that he slips out, muttering a curse. But then she reaches down and grabs his dick, guiding it back to her cunt so he can slam back into her.