He looked me in my eyes and the honesty from his words hurt more than everything Gage had done to me.
He didn't mean anything by them. Why would I have been so stupid to think otherwise, though? Gage was his brother and Liam was a good guy. He wouldn't do that to his brother.
"Listen, when Gage came home this morning I was already pissed that he left you alone last night, but I was going to forgive him because I figured he slept at your house. When I found out he slept over at Nick's place, I was furious. So, I decided that no matter what, I was giving this CD to you. I know Gage can be territorial, but I just felt... guilty." He tried explaining more, but my mind was stuck on one thing.
"You said he slept at Nick's?" I whispered, fearing the worst part of the day had not yet passed.
"Yea, why? He didn't tell you?" His eyebrows were pulled together.
"No, he told me Nick brought him home last night." I couldn't quite wrap my mind around why Gage would feel the need to lie about that; he was always crashing at his friends' houses.
Liam looked at the water for a beat longer, and then shook his head.
"Shit. I'm sorry, Ryley. For everything today. I'll leave you to figure that out with Gage. You two need to talk."
Opening the door, he turned to look at me once more like he was going to say something else. Instead, he shook his head, got out and left me in my car alone with hundreds of questions.
The only way to know what really happened was to talk to Gage and I knew it, but something inside me was scared. This was one of my best friends. I had known him since childhood, been neighbors with him my entire life. I knew he had a hard upbringing, but I thought he was getting it together. Gage always held everything in, though, so maybe he was just a really good actor.
I drove home, parking in my driveway and leaving the CD in my car. Walking across the lawn, I saw Gram out back watering some of her hanging flowers. She smiled and waved, so I did too, then I went in to find Gage. The house was silent expect for the TV noise from downstairs, so I headed down, hoping to find him there. He was there and completely passed out on the couch, snoring louder than I had ever heard him snore.
"Gage," I said, kicking his foot that was hanging off of the couch. He grumbled something and rolled over, pressing his face into the couch cushion. "Gage!" I said louder, pushing his back. Nothing. I heard his phone go off in his pocket a few times and pulled it out to see who was blowing up his phone.
SARA: Hey babe. FUN nite last nite ;) MISS U-XOXO
SARA: GAGE PORTER did u steal my underwear! LOL! Don't let ur prude G/F find them. Actually. Do let her find them!
SARA: U cumming over again 2night?
I saw spots in my vision as I read the texts over and over. Fury came over me as I put the puzzle pieces together. I threw the phone as hard as I could at Gage's head and screamed at him.
"GET THE FUCK UP GAGE PORTER!"
He howled and grabbed his head, turning to look at me with hung-over, guilty eyes.
"Sara?! Really?!" I yelled at him as he was still slowly waking up.
"What?" he growled. I used to think that voice was sexy, too. Not anymore.
"You. Fucked. Sara." I spit at him. His eyes got wide like a deer caught in headlights.
"How do you think that?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his face, then his head where the phone bounced off.
"Read the texts, asshole. You lied to me about when you came home last night because you were with Sara all night. I'm done, Gage. That's the last straw," I growled out and stormed back up the stairs.
Tears were freely flowing down my face before I made it out of the house. Running into Gram on the front porch, she asked me something, but I couldn't hear over my sobs. I ran inside, past my parents and up to my room to cry myself to sleep.
Done. I was done with him and very possibly done with the Porter boys all
He didn't mean anything by them. Why would I have been so stupid to think otherwise, though? Gage was his brother and Liam was a good guy. He wouldn't do that to his brother.
"Listen, when Gage came home this morning I was already pissed that he left you alone last night, but I was going to forgive him because I figured he slept at your house. When I found out he slept over at Nick's place, I was furious. So, I decided that no matter what, I was giving this CD to you. I know Gage can be territorial, but I just felt... guilty." He tried explaining more, but my mind was stuck on one thing.
"You said he slept at Nick's?" I whispered, fearing the worst part of the day had not yet passed.
"Yea, why? He didn't tell you?" His eyebrows were pulled together.
"No, he told me Nick brought him home last night." I couldn't quite wrap my mind around why Gage would feel the need to lie about that; he was always crashing at his friends' houses.
Liam looked at the water for a beat longer, and then shook his head.
"Shit. I'm sorry, Ryley. For everything today. I'll leave you to figure that out with Gage. You two need to talk."
Opening the door, he turned to look at me once more like he was going to say something else. Instead, he shook his head, got out and left me in my car alone with hundreds of questions.
The only way to know what really happened was to talk to Gage and I knew it, but something inside me was scared. This was one of my best friends. I had known him since childhood, been neighbors with him my entire life. I knew he had a hard upbringing, but I thought he was getting it together. Gage always held everything in, though, so maybe he was just a really good actor.
I drove home, parking in my driveway and leaving the CD in my car. Walking across the lawn, I saw Gram out back watering some of her hanging flowers. She smiled and waved, so I did too, then I went in to find Gage. The house was silent expect for the TV noise from downstairs, so I headed down, hoping to find him there. He was there and completely passed out on the couch, snoring louder than I had ever heard him snore.
"Gage," I said, kicking his foot that was hanging off of the couch. He grumbled something and rolled over, pressing his face into the couch cushion. "Gage!" I said louder, pushing his back. Nothing. I heard his phone go off in his pocket a few times and pulled it out to see who was blowing up his phone.
SARA: Hey babe. FUN nite last nite ;) MISS U-XOXO
SARA: GAGE PORTER did u steal my underwear! LOL! Don't let ur prude G/F find them. Actually. Do let her find them!
SARA: U cumming over again 2night?
I saw spots in my vision as I read the texts over and over. Fury came over me as I put the puzzle pieces together. I threw the phone as hard as I could at Gage's head and screamed at him.
"GET THE FUCK UP GAGE PORTER!"
He howled and grabbed his head, turning to look at me with hung-over, guilty eyes.
"Sara?! Really?!" I yelled at him as he was still slowly waking up.
"What?" he growled. I used to think that voice was sexy, too. Not anymore.
"You. Fucked. Sara." I spit at him. His eyes got wide like a deer caught in headlights.
"How do you think that?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his face, then his head where the phone bounced off.
"Read the texts, asshole. You lied to me about when you came home last night because you were with Sara all night. I'm done, Gage. That's the last straw," I growled out and stormed back up the stairs.
Tears were freely flowing down my face before I made it out of the house. Running into Gram on the front porch, she asked me something, but I couldn't hear over my sobs. I ran inside, past my parents and up to my room to cry myself to sleep.
Done. I was done with him and very possibly done with the Porter boys all
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