“So what, you’re telling me to choose my friend or my girlfriend? I won’t do that. I’m not that f**king type of man, Nikki!” Kade growls.
“Every time we’re out, she shows up. Whenever we’re together, she calls, and you take off. We’re not a god damn threesome, Kade! She comes first to you, and I’ve accepted that so far. But for once I want to be put first. And the man that I choose to be with will always put me first!” God, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.
“I’ll see you at the house.” I walk off and he doesn’t try to stop me.
I take one last look over my shoulder, and I see Kade and Ashley hugging. This relationship was doomed from the start. He glances up and sees me staring, but doesn’t say anything. I shake my head at him and turn around. It looks like he 's about to come running after me, but Ashley pulls him back.
Fucking bitch.
I make it home, and start packing an overnight bag. I just need out of this house for a night or two. Maybe I’ll go visit Layla? Nah, I'll just go to my parents, I decide.
When I pull up into my parents’ driveway, my phone starts ringing. It’s Kade. I think about not answering, but I sigh and pick up. No point having him worried that I’m not safe.
“What?” I answer eloquently.
“Where the hell are you?” Kade yells.
“Not home. Obviously,” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
“Nikki, get home. We need to have another talk,” he says calmly.
“What’s there to talk about? She always comes first, and she always will,” I say in a mock bored tone.
“Nikki...”
“No, Kade, it’s done. I’m not playing second fiddle anymore. Enjoy your so called friendship with Ashley,” I interrupt. I hang up before he says anything more. Instantly the phone starts ringing again so I hit ignore. Then he texts.
K: If you’re not home by tomorrow, I’m coming after you.
I grunt, and shove my phone in my bag.
******
I return home early the next morning, and make my way into Kade’s room. I thought a lot last night about everything, and Kade is right, we do need to have a long chat. I’m not asking him to choose, but we need to set up some boundaries or something, and he’s just going to have to deal with the fact that Ashley and I can’t stand each other. We’ll have to make this work somehow; I love Kade too much to just walk away from it all. I walk into the room, opening the door quietly. The sight before me makes me do a double take. Kade and Ashley are in bed together, spooning...
What the f**k? Then I notice Ashley is awake and staring at me, smiling evilly. Fucking bitch! I glance over at Kade who is fast asleep, his arms wrapped around Ashley’s waist. What the f**k is this? He knew I was coming home today, he’s the one who demanded it. Not wanting to give Ashley the satisfaction of seeing me break, I run out of the house and jump in my car. As I’m backing out of the driveway, I see Kade open the front door, and come running out of the house, yelling for me to stop, but he’s too late.
I drive a few miles down and grab my phone.
I send him a quick text, “We’re over, I’ll send someone for my shit. Don’t contact me.”
I throw my phone on the passenger’s seat and drive off. I don’t know where I am going yet, all I know is that I need to go. My phone rings and I know it’s Layla by the One Direction ringtone I set for her as a goof. I sigh and pick up.
Before I can even say hello I hear Layla yelling, “What the f**k is going on?!” Holy shit, she’s mad!
“I caught him, Layla,” I whisper.
“Now, what? Explain everything. Now,” she demands in a no-nonsense tone.
I tell her every detail of what happened yesterday and what I walked in on, my voice catching.
“Nikki, I think you should at least hear him out before you make any decisions. You remember what happened with Chase and me,” she says softly.
“I will, I just need some time. I’m coming to your place tomorrow, okay? I’m just going to crash at Simone’s or something.” I hear yelling in the background.
“Is that her? Let me f**king talk to her!” Shit, it’s Kade. I hear Layla telling him to back off, but he doesn’t listen, grabbing the phone from her instead. “Nikki, f**k! That was not what you thought. I would never do that to you!” He sounds desperate.
“I don’t want to hear it, Kade. I know what I saw. Now that I’m out of the way, I guess you two can be together. I’ll be by tomorrow to pick up my shit, so do me a solid and don’t f**king be there.” I hang up before he can say anything. Immediately my phone starts to ring again. I hit ignore, and shut it off. I head toward Simone’s house. I’m on the highway when all of a sudden there is a loud honking noise.
Then everything goes black.
KADE
I’m feeling off today. It’s the anniversary of Damon’s death, and still, after all these years, it hurts like hell. Nikki and I take a walk along the beach, the fresh air clearing my head. I think she knows something is wrong, but she doesn’t ask me any questions. She knows if I want to tell her something, I will. Ashley shows up, and I'm happy to see her. Today is the day I need Ashley the most because no one else understands the pain of losing Damon like she does. Nikki gets pissed at Ashley’s arrival and leaves. I can’t stand this. I want to go after her, but today isn’t about us, it’s about Damon. Ashley and I reminisce about Damon, all the fun times we had together. About two hours later I head home. The first thing I notice is Nikki’s car isn’t there. When I walk into the house, something doesn’t feel quite right. I head into her room and notice some of her things gone, too. I grab my phone and call her.