�Dude, she�s been staying with you and we haven�t heard about it? I�m seriously disappointed. I must go yell at her for keeping away good gossip.�
Xander turned to probably storm off toward Kara, but Trevor and Marc both grabbed one of his arms and pulled him back.
�Nah, man. Not right now.�
But he seemed determined.
�Holy hell! She�s wearing the club clothes!�
Club clothes?
He walked over to them, calling her name, but when she half turned towards him, he stopped in his tracks and just stared at her.
Okay, something big is going on. Between that and the glances Toby and Ryan keep sending me, something has to be seriously wrong.
I think I might have just lost my inside help. If it would have even helped in the first place.
�We might as well join them.�
Shrugging, Marc and I followed Trevor towards the group, but Marc pulled me back a little.
�What�s going on, man?�
Frowning, I looked at him helplessly.
�I wish I knew. She�s not talking to me.�
His jaw dropped as he stared at me. Why do I get the feeling that Toby and Ryan are the only ones that ever know what the hell is going on?
�You�re kidding me?! She�s not talking to you? Whoa� something big must be going on.�
If only I knew�
*
It would have almost been funny if it weren�t so sad.
The moment Xander saw me, he stopped in his tracks before folding me up in his arms and whispering promises to me he could never keep. When he let me go, Trevor was standing behind him and immediately did the exact same thing.
Ugh. I�m sick of people feeling sorry for me.
�I still don�t know how the hell you hid this from him, even for like� ten minutes. Even with the mak��
Ryan stopped talking as I felt two more people join our little party. Toby scratched his forehead and tried to inconspicuously pass me back my glasses after having taken them off to get a better idea of the facial damage. Slipping them on, I leaned forward, letting my hair fall back into place in my face before I turned around.
�I think we should get your stuff and leave. The longer we�re here, the more chance there is that Nick will get mobbed.�
Heading away from the group, I walked towards the luggage pickup room as Ryan jogged up to me and slung his arm around my shoulders, kissing the top of my head as we left everyone else behind.
�You can fix this, Kara. Just stop runnin�.�
*
I watched them leave, feeling like my heart was about to stop beating. Maybe she�s sleeping with him after all.
The rest of the guys shrugged and headed in the direction Ryan and Kara had gone, but Toby grabbed my shoulder, keeping me where I was as everyone else left.
�We have more work to do than I thought.�
Rolling my eyes, I just shook my head at him.
�No, we don�t. We have no work to do at all.�
*
No, don�t say that! You�re our only fuckin� hope now! She�s in love with you!
�Please don�t say that, Nick. You can�t give up on her.�
He glared at me behind his wire-rimmed glasses, sadness prevalent in his eyes.
�Why not, Toby? There isn�t any hope. Why should I just keep putting myself out there for nothing?�
Shaking my head, I looked at him defiantly.
�No matter how many times you tell yourself she�s not worth it, you�re still going to be crazy about her.�
Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Nick shuffled his feet and averted his eyes.
�You�re the only one she�s still trying to protect. That means something.�
His voice was a mixture of confusion, hurt, and exhaustion.
�Protect me from what?�
Damn it. Don�t make me say this.
�She doesn�t want to hurt you, so she�s pushing you away. She has this stupid idea in her head that if she lets you in, she�s going to destroy your life. It�s been like that from the very beginning. The moment the two of you become� something, she�s going to be the downfall of your career, your personal life� everything.�
Probably doesn�t help that she�s learned the asshole she�s been running from for the past year is your best friend.
�Just don�t give up on her yet. Please, Nick, you can�t give up on her.�
*
But it�s hopeless, Toby. Completely hopeless.
�You have the five of us. Ryan and I both will do whatever the hell it takes to see the two of you together. We figure it�s the only thing that will make her normal again.�
Staring him in the eyes, he didn�t flinch or blink as I grew cold.
�Then tell me what�s going on. Why is she pretending I don�t even exist?�
Toby sighed, still keeping his eyes locked with mine, his voice growing sad.
�That�s one thing I have no right to tell you. Maybe you should go ask a few of your friends.�
�Cold hard rain
Fallin� in and out of love
I don�t know who to trust
What the fuck does that say about me?�