Текст книги "Fall For Me"

Автор книги: Alexis Noelle

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

Carter

Classes have been crazy, especially with the pain in the ass afternoon Maddy and I have. We are getting through it, though.

Alyssa has been relentless between sitting near to me, constantly texting me and showing up at Rebellion. It has been irritating Maddy, and we’ve been fighting over little things because of it.

It also doesn’t help that Chris is in our literature class and just stares at her the whole time. I’ve had enough of him these last few months, though. Today, Shawn, Jason, and I are going to ‘talk’ to him.

Jason turns to Shawn as we drive over. “I don’t know why you wanted to come today, kid. What are you going to do? Hit him with your anatomy book?” Jason is cracking up, but I can see it is really starting to get to Shawn.

J and I were always more athletic, and he likes to rag on Shawn about it. “Anyway…” I need to diffuse the situation between them. “What are you guys planning on doing for the summer? Maddy and I are gonna spend most of it here, but I think we’ll go home for about a month.”

Shawn looks confused. “Why are you staying here instead of at your dad’s?”

“Because the Maddy refuses to have sex in my dad’s house. While I appreciate that she respects him, I’m not going to spend the whole summer celibate. I think we’ll go home for July and when we come back, Holly and her friend, Christen, are gonna be coming with us.”

We pull up to Chris’ house and go up to his door. Jason bangs on the door so loud I think it might buckle. When Chris answers it, he smirks at us.

“If it isn’t the fucking cavalry. What do you want?”

I haven’t even been here a minute and I am ready to pound his face in. Shawn and Jason don’t look like they are doing much better. I know Jason won’t hesitate to throw a punch but, lately, Shawn seems extra confrontational too. “I want you to stay away from Maddy. You’re done trying to run into her, staring at her in class, and being a crazy asshole in general.”

He laughs as if this is all a big game which, truthfully, to him it probably is. “Aw, what’s wrong, Carter? She bored already? I warned you before, you know. You can’t turn a hoe into a housewife.”

That is it. I pull back and bury my fist into his face. I hear a crack and he goes down. The boys grab me to hold me back, even though I know that they are fighting the urge to go after him too. This is why they are here, though...to make sure I don’t kill him. “You’ll stay away from her, motherfucker, or I’ll be back.”

“Okay, I’ll stay away. Just know, eventually, she’ll come back to me. She’s mine and always will be. After all, I was her first.”

I start to charge toward him again, but Jason pulls me back toward the car. “Carter, he isn’t worth it. He wants this. He wants you to lose control. Don’t let him win.”

As we are walking back to the car, I see Shawn walking back to Chris. He bends down and, after a minute, starts walking back to the car. “What did you say to him?”

“I told him his daddy can’t save him if he can’t find him.” We all start laughing as I pull away.

***

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I need to set things up. I want Maddy to always remember tomorrow.

When she comes home, I am drowning in math homework. I swear one of the evil gods created math as a way to punish humans. This is like Latin to me, and I’ve been sitting in the class for two months now.

“Well, you look like you’re having fun, babe.” Maddy comes over and sits down next to me. I throw myself against the back of the couch and wrap my arms around her. “You want some help?”

“If by help you mean that you’ll dress up as me and take this test tomorrow, then yes, I do.” She looks at me and we both start laughing.

“C’mon, Einstein, let’s get this done.” After about two hours, I downgraded my hatred of algebra to a strong dislike. We go to bed and I smile to myself, thinking about what is going to happen tomorrow.

Madison

I wake up to the smell of something that makes my stomach growl in appreciation. I start to make the bed, when I notice a heart shaped lollipop on Carter’s pillow. It is a big pink heart with the words ‘I love you’ in white. I smiled to myself. He is so cute.

When I walk into the kitchen and see Carter flipping pancakes, I smile so big that my cheeks hurt.

I don’t know what I did in this life to deserve someone like him, but I am so grateful for it. He makes all of my demons go away, and gives me a sense of peace I don’t ever remember feeling. He is standing in front of the stove without a shirt on with his sleep pants hanging low on his hips. It is such a tease when they are like that, I just want to pull them down.

Carter makes me feel free to be sexual and not see it as a bad thing. Chris used sex as a weapon, but Carter uses it to show me how much he loves me.

He turns around and smiles when he sees me. When he starts to walk over to me doing his sexy strut and wraps his arms around me, I am ready to drag him into the bedroom.

“Some amazing man left me a cute surprise on your pillow.”

He smirks. “He better not still be here, because I made you breakfast.”

I laugh and lean up to kiss him. Moments like this are the best. Just being able to relax and enjoy being happy together. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby!” He pulls back and frowns at me. “What?”

“You stole my line!” I laugh and he kisses me again. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby! C’mon, let’s eat.”

We eat breakfast and I can’t stop smiling, even during the ride to school. I wish we could have stayed home all day, but I actually have a lot going on in my classes. These professors should realize that Valentine’s Day is not an ideal test day.

I take my seat in history when a guy I don’t know comes up to me. “Madison Stevens?”

I furrow my brow in confusion at him knowing who I am. I am usually good with faces, but I don’t remember ever meeting him. “Yes.” I reply, not knowing what to expect. He hands me a big red teddy bear and then walks away. It is so adorable and so soft! I pull out my phone to text Carter.

Me: Some wonderful man just had a teddy bear brought to me <3

Carter: Is it the same jerk that left the lollipop on your bed? Who do I need to kill?

Me: I love you, Carter James!

Carter: I bet you say that to your other boyfriend too…

I laughed out loud and the whole class turned to look at me. My face turned red and I felt my phone vibrate again.

Carter: Love you, too! Happy Valentine’s Day!

I put my phone away and try to focus on class. Carter’s gifts keep coming, though. In philosophy, a chocolate rose was delivered. In sociology, it is a candy-filled heart. I’ve never felt so cared for in my life.

Carter makes me feel like being myself is more than enough, and that is new to me. People always want me to change or improve for them, but he loves me for who I am.

I practically run out of the class when it is over so I can see Carter. He is standing there, holding another bear, just like the one I already have. I run to him and throw my arms around him. Usually, I am shy about ‘PDA’ but I don’t care who is watching.

I crush my lips to Carter’s and drink him in, like I need him to breathe. The truth is, sometimes I feel like I do. He is surprised, but quickly recovers. He kisses me back with so much love and lifts me into the air.

“I think I’ll start doing this every day!”

I laugh as he lowers me back down to the ground. He holds out the bear to me, but I am confused because I already have one identical to it.

“No, I’m not senile. I know they look the same, but watch.” He takes mine and holds them facing each other. They are pulled together and now joined at the nose. “Their noses are magnets, so they are drawn together. This is me and you, Maddy. Separate from you, I look normal, but I’m only complete when we’re together. I need you with me, by my side, and in my life because you’re my other half.”

I can feel the tears coming. Damn, I am such a crybaby! “Carter, that is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I love you with all my heart…” I lean in close to his ear and whisper, “And I cannot wait to give you your surprise tonight. If I deliver it in class, you might have a heart attack.”

When I pull back, I can see the fire and desire in Carter’s eyes. I wink at him and start to walk toward the cafeteria. A minute later, I am being picked up and thrown over his shoulder. He starts walking toward the parking lot with me. I take advantage, though, and reach down to smack his butt. He returns the favor to me and laughs to himself.

“Carter! What are you doing?”

“Taking you home!” He puts me down, but grabs my hand and continues walking toward the car. As much as I wish we could leave, there is no way. My afternoon classes are just as crazy as my morning ones. I pull my hand away and start to walk toward the cafeteria, knowing that he’d follow me eventually.

I turn back to make sure he actually is following me and he is, even though he has a huge pout on his face.

When we get there, Shawn and Jason are waiting for us. I give Jason a hug, then move to Shawn. When I put my arms around him, he winces. I look up at him. “Are you okay?”

He smiles back at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been working out more lately so I’m a little sore.”

“Keep on working, Shawn!” Jason shouts. I punch him in the arm. He can be such an ass sometimes. I love hanging out with these boys so much. Everyone has been so busy lately, so we all decide to start doing dinners as a family on Sunday nights. This Sunday is going to be the first and I am so excited.

I feel like I am getting to live the life I missed out on growing up. I now have things I never thought I’d be able to have like family dinners, best friends, brothers, and unconditional love. Jason pushes a tray of food in front of me and when I look down, I see it has a bunch of my favorite foods on it.

“So, I’m not as whipped as Carter, but I grabbed your lunch for you, Mads. Happy Valentine’s Day, sis.”

“Aw, thanks, J!” I give him a kiss on the cheek and sit down.

“I got you this, too, Maddy.” Shawn hands me a DVD and, when I look at it, I see that it is the movie “The Last Song.”

“Shawn! I love it!” They all heard about how Carter and I always watch the sappy movies together. They also love to make fun of him because he likes them. “Well, I have something for you guys too.” I take out an envelope and give it to Carter. He opens it and, as he reads it, I see his face light up.

“Well, what is it?” Shawn asks.

Carter grabs me and hugs me, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

“Carter, what the hell! Tell us already!” Jason yells. These boys really need to work on their patience.

“Maddy got us gift certificates to go play paintball.” Both guys look so excited, and I couldn’t be happier. They’ve been helping me so much that I am glad I could give them something.

The rest of the afternoon is just as great. Both Chris and Alyssa shoot me death glares during class but, at this point, I couldn’t care less.

We are driving home when Carter asks me to get a paper out of his book bag for him. I open it and see something wrapped in pink paper. I look over at him and he smiles. “Open it.”

What could this be? I take it out and unwrap it. My mouth drops open...he got me a Kindle! Oh my God! “Carter! This is amazing! I love it! I can’t believe you got me one.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you like it, babe. You just have to promise me one thing.”

Oh, no. “What?”

He smirks at me. “You’ll always love me more than your book boyfriends.”

We both start cracking up. “I’ll always love you more than anything, babe.” He reaches over and grabs my hand. I want him so bad right now. Desire is starting to pool in my belly.

When we walk through the door, I throw myself at him. Carter has been so gentle with me, but I don’t want gentle right now.

He is shocked at first, but I hear a low groan come from his chest. He turns me around and holds me against the wall. I wrap my legs around him and start kissing his neck and collarbone. Every time I give him a little love bite, I can feel him tense. “Babe, do you wanna go to bed?”

“No, Carter, I don’t. You’ve been so great and gentle with me. Right now, though, I want you to show me how much you want me.”

I run my hands up his hard chest and twist them through his hair. I reach down and start to pull Carter’s shirt over his head. “Fuck, baby, are you sure about this?”

He has me braced against the wall and is holding me up by my ass. I grip the bottom of my shirt and lift it over my head. I hear him groan and then his hands are on me. He rips off my bra, then puts my feet down on the floor. Carter tears down my pants, taking my underwear with them, and then he disposes of his too. I grab his neck and pull him back to me.

I need him so bad right now, it is like torture. Carter lifts me back up and, in the same motion, slams into me. “God, Carter, yes!”

This is incredible. There is so much urgency and need. “Damn, baby, this is hot. You feel like fucking heaven, Maddy.”

Carter is pumping into me so fast, and it feels fantastic. We are sweaty and panting. He starts kissing my neck and nipping his way down to my breasts. I am so close, and I can’t believe the sounds that are coming out of my mouth.

Carter uses the wall to hold me up and moves his hands to my breasts. He flicks my nipples, and my orgasm rips through me.

“Fuck, Maddy!” Carter pumps me full of him, and begins to lower me to the floor. He lays on his back and pulls me close to him. “That was so good, babe. What got into you?”

I smile and look up at him. “I just wanted it so bad, I couldn’t wait. Yu need to know that I won’t break. I want you to be free to have me the way you want me.”

He tightens his arms around me. “If you want more of that, I definitely won’t object.”

Carter tells me that we are going out to dinner tonight and to get dressed. I grab what I bought for him so I could slip it on under my dress.

I can’t wait to see what he is going to do when he sees this.

Chapter Thirty One

Carter

When Maddy walks out of the bedroom, she has on a short pink dress that shows off all of her curves. I want to pick her up and throw her onto the bed. She looks gorgeous. Her long hair is down, and she has on one of the sexiest pairs of black heels that I’ve ever seen.

I’m still not over what happened with us earlier. I’ve been going easy on Maddy lately because I thought she needed it. However, I am definitely up for what she wanted.

“You look incredible, babe.” I walk over and kiss her even though I want to take her in the bedroom and do so much more.

We go to dinner at this Italian restaurant that I’ve always wanted to try. When the waiter comes to take our order, his eyes linger a little too long on Maddy. If he wants a tip, he better knock it off.

I requested a semi-circle booth so we could sit together. I hold my arm out to her. “Come here.” She scoots over to me and I hold her tightly to my side.

The way Maddy was with me earlier is still in my mind, and I am getting turned on just thinking about it. She is never aggressive like that, but I am hoping that she does it more often.

After we order our food, I decide that now was as good of a time as any to give her the last present I got for her. I hope she likes it because this one actually means something. I take the box out of my pocket. “So, I have one more thing to give you.”

Her eyes grow wide with surprise. “Carter, you already got me so much today!”

“I could never do enough for you. I want to give you everything.” She doesn’t understand how true that is. Maddy is it for me. I know I’d eventually marry her and start a family.

I slip the box out of my pocket and hand it to her. She looks up at me and gives me one of those amazing smiles. When she opens the box, her mouth drops open and she looks up at me.

She keeps looking back and forth between me and the box, and I have to laugh. I got her a charm bracelet and put a couple charms on it already. “The red heel is for our first time,” I say, as I run my fingers over it. “The martini glass is for the first drinks you ever had with me. The music note is for the first time we ever danced together. The number one is for all of the firsts I’ve given you and that I can’t wait to give you. Last, but not least, the heart is because I want you to always remember that you have my heart and I love you with every inch of it.”

Shit, Jason is right. I am so whipped, but I couldn’t be happier about it.

A single tear rolls down her cheek. “Carter, I love it. This is…god, I don’t even know. This is amazing. It’s the best thing anyone had ever given me. I love you so much.”

She leans over and kisses me. “Will you put it on me?”

“Sure, baby, come here.” I put the bracelet on her wrist and, I have to say, I love the way it looks there.

“You know, I have a present for you too.” I look up at her and she is smiling. “I’m actually wearing it now.” I started to inspect her to see if I can see anything and she laughs. She leans in close to my ear. “It’s under my dress.”

This is going to be the longest dinner ever. The entire dinner, I am touching Maddy any chance that I get, trying to see if I can feel what she is wearing. I have absolutely no luck, and the suspense is killing me.

Once we get home, I grab Maddy and start to kiss her, but she wiggles out of my grasp. “Uh-uh, come here. I’ve been dying ever since you said that at dinner.”

She laughs and runs toward the bedroom. I follow her and when I get in, she is just standing there looking at me. “Sit down on the bed, Carter.”

I do as she asks as she leans down and places a sweet, sexy kiss on my lips. She backs away from me, reaches around, and starts to unzip the dress. Once she finishes, she slips the straps off her shoulders and it falls around her feet.

My eyes bulge and if I were a cartoon character, my mouth would have hit the floor. She has on a back corset that laces up the front with a bright pink ribbon. Her breasts look like they are straining to break free, and I can’t wait to release them. She also has on pink lace boy shorts that hug her ass just right. She steps away from the dress and spins in a slow circle.

I start to get up and move toward her but she shakes her head at me. I groan. She just might kill me. I am still standing when she walks over to me and presses her mouth to mine. I can feel her desire and passion in this kiss. Our tongues tease and intertwine with each other, causing her to make one of those little whimpers I love.

Maddy lifts my shirt over my head, then pull my jeans and boxers off simultaneously.

“Lie down on the bed, Carter.”

Fuck, yes!

Madison

My nerves are getting to me, but I can tell just how much Carter loves this. He lies down and rests his head on the pillow. I crawl over to him and run my nails from his foot to his chest.

“I want to open myself up to you tonight, Carter. I’ve been afraid to be aggressive in here because of things that happened in the past. I want to be able to be free with you and not be ashamed.”

I reach down and grab his hard length in my hand and encircled the tip of it with my thumb. I hear him exhale sharply and I continue pumping him as he throbs against my hand.

Carter runs his hand down my back and grips my ass, hard. I lower my head and lick the tip of his cock, and then I take him all the way into my mouth. I hear a ripping sound and, the next thing I know, my panties are shredded and on the floor.

I moan while he is still in my mouth, causing Carter to groan. “Fuck, Maddy, baby, I need to touch you.”

“You want me to stop?”

“Yes, baby, because if you don’t, once we get going I’ll be a two pump chump.”

I laugh and Carter tackles me to the bed. He starts to unlace my top and every time he uncovers new skin, he kisses it. Once he has it off, it joins my ruined panties on the floor.

Carter starts by kissing my neck while his hand moves down me. I want him to touch me so bad that I feel like I’ll explode as soon as he does.

He slips one finger and then another inside of me. “Carter!” With his other hand, he is massaging my aching breasts. The two sensations at the same time are almost too much.

He starts moving down my body until his head is close to where I want him. He kisses a line along my hipbone, and I get goose bumps all over from the anticipation.

“I want you to let me fuck you with not only these…” he says, while running his fingers over my clit.”…but with this too.” He kisses my inner thigh. “Tell me what you want, baby.”

I moaned. I really love it when he talks like this during sex. “I want you to kiss me down there, Carter.”

He runs a finger from one end of me to the other. “Right here?”

“God, Carter, please!”

He lowers his head and begins to lick me slowly up and down, while his fingers continue their torture. I feel myself tighten as he savors me, and I lift my hips to meet him while I dig my fingers into his hair.

“Fuck, baby, you taste amazing.”

His words are the last straw. I explode around his fingers and into his mouth.

Carter looks up at me and smiles, then starts to make his way back up my body. “You are so damn sexy, baby. I’m gonna make you come again but, this time, I want to be inside of you. That way, I can feel your beautiful pussy squeezing my dick.”

Oh my god, hearing him say that almost made me come again right then. He lifts my legs up and wraps them around his waist. He pulls back, looks up at me, smirks, and then sinks down deep inside me. “Carter!”

He feels so good. I heard stories about sex that were scary. It had never been like that with him, though. Everything has been like a fantasy. I lift my hips to him, taking him in deeper.

“Whose pussy is this, baby?”

He lifts himself up to look at me and stops moving.

“Well?”

He really did want me to answer. “It’s, um…yours.”

“You don’t sound too sure of that. Maybe I should just…” He starts to pull out of me, but I tighten my legs around him.

“It’s yours, Carter. It’s all yours!” I practically yell it, overcome with my need for him.

He smiles. “You know why it’s mine?” I felt like I need to watch porn just to brush up on my dirty talk. “Let me show you why, baby.”

He pulls out of me a little before, slamming back into me. Carter is pumping in and out of me so hard and fast that I can’t think straight. I don’t even recognize half of the sounds that are coming out of my mouth.

“I know you’re close, baby. I can feel you squeezing my dick. Come for me again, Maddy. I wanna feel you.”

That is all I need and I am spiraling from the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had. “Carter!”

I feel him filling me with his hot liquid. Tonight is exactly what I hoped it would be, and more.

*  *  *

I am having lunch with Nicole today, and I can’t wait. Things have been so hectic with class and everything that I feel like there is so much we need to talk about.

There is still the issue of her and Jason but every time I bring it up, she changes the subject. I am going to get the whole story today, though. From what I understand, Jason drove her home after everything on New Year’s Eve, but she was still shaken up so he came in to hang out with her a little till she calmed down.

This was a bad idea from the start, because Nicole had a thing for Jason from day one. Apparently, they had a couple or, in reality, about six drinks and ended up in bed. That is all I know and J won’t talk to me about it. Carter was going to talk to him later today and try to figure out what was going on with him.

Nicole walks into the diner looking gorgeous as always. I swear, it is like she doesn’t even need to try. If she wasn’t my best friend, I’d hate her for it.

“Hey, Mads!” She throws her arms around me and hugs me. I miss living with her sometimes. Carter is great, but I never realized how much fun we could have been having because I was too caught up in the Chris mess.

“Hey, Nic! I’m so glad you could come today. I feel like we never see each other anymore!”

“That’s because Carter has introduced you to the wonderful world of sex and orgasms. You know, you should really put hoes before bros sometimes. Even if that bro looks like Carter.”

She laughs and I am so thankful that she isn’t mad at me. I am just learning how to balance friends and a relationship because I’ve never really had either of them. “Speaking of the wonderful world of sex, I want the Jason story, girl.”

Her eyes grow wide and I can tell she is looking for a way out. Just then, the waitress comes by the table to get our order. By the look of relief on her face, she seems to think she is off the hook, but there is no way in hell that is happening. Once we give our orders and she leaves, I turn back to Nicole.

“So, what did the romantic do for Valentine’s Day?” she asks.

She is good. I can’t wait to tell her all about what happened. However, I am going to get her story first. “I don’t think so, woman. I want the details.”

She glares at me like she wants to kill me. “Okay, bitch face, but after that, you need to drop it.”

She looks at me and I nod my head in response.

“Jason drove me home from the hospital that night after we’d found out you were gonna be okay. I asked him if he wanted to come in because I was so wired, I knew I’d be up for a while. After we’d finished our fifth or sixth drink, I knew it was time to put the bottle away. There was no way that Jason could drive home, so I offered to let him stay. I went down the hall to get changed and when I got back to the room, he was already in bed.”

She pauses like it is something that is hard to even think about. “I really didn’t intend for anything to happen between us, but one thing led to another and we kissed. Mads, it was the best fucking kiss I’ve ever had and I wanted more. He did, too, because he told me that all I had to do was say the word and he’d give it to me.”

The waitress drop off our food and I thank her for both of us, since Nicole seems like the next word might send her over the top. “Did I ever tell you that I used to ride horses all the time when I was younger and throughout high school?”

Where the hell did that come from? Weren’t we just talking about Jason? God, I hoped she wasn’t going to make some reference to him being a sex stallion or something like that.

“They say that a lot of times girls can break their…their hymen when they’re really active with sports and stuff. My gynecologist was actually the one that pointed it out to me during one of my visits. She told me I was lucky because whenever I did decide to have sex it wouldn’t be as bad as it is for other girls.”

I think I know where this is going, but I’m not sure if I believe that Jason would take her virginity in a dorm room while they were drunk. He was a player and could be an ass sometimes, but he isn’t like that. “Nic, what are you telling me?”

“Jason is my first, Mads, but I don’t think he even realized it.”

“You didn’t tell him?!”

“No! Truthfully, I trusted him and it just felt right. I thought he’d just know. I mean, isn’t it their job to know? Although, it probably didn’t help that we were both really drunk. When I woke up in the morning, he was gone...no note, no goodbye, nothing.”

I can see how hurt she is. Nicole had wanted Jason for a while and when she finally got him, he acted like nothing happened. I know there is no way J had any idea about Nicole. I doubt he even understood how into him she was. “God, Nic, I’m sorry. I really don’t think that Jason had any idea, though. You should really talk to him and tell him how you feel.”

“That’s just it, Mads. I did. I talked to him a couple weeks ago and told him that I wanted to maybe see where this thing would go.”

I can see her eyes starting to well up. “What did he say?”

“He said that he had a lot of fun that night, but he wasn’t interested in anything more. He wanted to make sure that we’d still be cool, because we’re all friends. I told him that we were fine, but I’ve been avoiding him ever since and I feel like he’s doing the same thing.”

I am going to smack that boy right upside his head when I see him. J and I had talked about his commitment issues before. I’ve seen the way he looks at Nicole when she is around, and I could tell he liked her. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to push her far away enough that she isn’t going to come back.

“If it’s worth anything, Nic, I’ve talked to Jason before and he has serious commitment issues. I see the way he looks at you and I don’t think it’s that he doesn’t want anything with you. I can’t tell you all the details because, really, it’s not my story to tell, but he avoids getting close to people so he doesn’t need to deal with them leaving. Maybe if you show him you’re not going anywhere, he’ll come around.”

I can see her trying to process all of this information. Nicole is stubborn, though, and she isn’t going to chase after Jason for long. “Okay, I can’t talk about this anymore. How are you?”

“I’m great! Carter and I had a great Valentine’s Day yesterday. Classes are rough, but it’s really not anything I can’t handle.” She is giving me the look she gives when she knows someone is bullshitting her. “What?”

“Listen, I understand that what happened on New Year’s was traumatic, to say the least. You need to talk to someone about it. Carter told me that every time he tries to talk to you about it, you change the subject. This isn’t healthy, Mads. You need to get it out. You can’t keep everything inside. I know for a long time you didn’t have anyone to talk to or anyone who cared, but you do now.”

I hate that she is right. Every time Carter tries to talk to me about it, I can’t bring myself to do it. “What do you want me to say, Nic?”

“I don’t want you to say anything, ho. I just want you to talk to me, yell, and get mad if you need to. I want you to stop pretending like it wasn’t a big deal, because it was.”

Most people don’t get Nicole’s sense of humor and probably would’ve gotten offended by the ‘ho’ remark but, to her, that was like calling someone a friend. “All right, you win. It scares the shit out of me. Half of the time I have dreams where Jason didn’t find me, and I imagine all of the things that could have happened. I’m scared to go out again because I have no idea how whoever it was put something in my drink.”